Tails of the City: Adventures in Animal Rescue and Placement

by Patty Adjamine

Tails of the City: Adventures in Animal Rescue and Placement: Chapter 32: "Female Troubles" -- The Rescue of Sheena

Chapter 32. "Female Troubles" -- The Rescue of Sheena


  "I'd love to help your organization by fostering a dog," the young woman told me chipperly over the phone.  "That would be wonderful," I told her.  "There is a dire need for reliable foster people. We can go to the shelter tomorrow and pick out one for you to foster," I told her.  

I arranged with Jenny to meet her at the shelter on 110th Street the following day. 

  The ASPCA had recently forfeited control of the 110th Street pound to the city. It had a new name, "The Center for Animal Care and Control," and a new Director and Board.  But, aside from the changes in window dressing, everything else was the same.

  Dark, windowless wards were full of frightened, imprisoned and barking dogs.  Most came to the front of their cages when people entered the wards, frantically trying to call attention to themselves.  "Please, please get me out of here!" their anxious pleas seemed to say.

  Unfortunately, for most, there would be no last minute "reprieves," rescues or adoptions.  The euthanasia rate for animals at the Center for Animal Care and Control in 1994 was almost 80%.  Most adult dogs seemed to have a sense of their fate.  So strong was the aura of fear in the dog wards at CACC, it was almost palpable.

  Because the wards and fate of most of the animals was so dreary and depressing, most non-kennel workers at the CACC avoided the wards like the plague. There were no volunteers or dog walkers to speak of and few people came to adopt animals. For most dogs and cats at the CACC, their brief stays (of a few days to a week) at the shelter were punctuated by very little human interaction.  Most sat in dark, urine and feces filled cages.   

I felt particularly bad for those dogs who came into the shelter housebroken.  Many would strain to hold their urine and feces until taken out of the cage.  However, for most, the only time they were actually removed from the cages was when they were taken to the euthanasia room.  The hall outside of the euthanasia room, was therefore, almost always littered with feces and urine from the dogs most recently destroyed or waiting their turn.  The dogs, so jubilant and relieved to finally be taken out of their cages, only to be destined for death.  It was like the ultimate betrayal to me.

  I met Jenny at the CACC the following day at 5:30 PM.   I asked Susan, the "Rescue Coordinator" for the CACC if there were any dogs she could recommend to be taken out in rescue.  Susan told us we were free to take a look in the wards and let her know if we were interested in taking something.  

The only thing Jenny was adamant about was not taking a dog that had "any Pit Bull."  That alone eliminated over 50% of the dogs at CACC, but I could understand the feeling.  Having gone through such a hard time in placing the little pit mix, Frisco, I realized that pits and pit mixes were almost impossible to adopt out.  They were essentially doomed dogs, no matter how loving, young or healthy.

  But, the CACC had plenty of other dogs besides pits and pit mixes.  Shepherds, Huskies and Chow mixes were also in plentiful supply.

  Our eyes fell upon a smallish female Shepherd/Husky mix in one of the ward cages, who had been abandoned at the pound with the excuse "no time for" by the former owners.  "She's a nice size," Jenny said of the attractive dog who weighed only 38lbs.  "Yes, and she's two-years-old," I said.  "That should be good in terms of avoiding puppy chewing or housebreaking problems."

  The dog had big brown eyes and a pleasing, friendly personality.  After a brief discussion of care and foster responsibilities, Jenny and I decided to take the Shepherd mix and let Susan know of our decision.  

Within a half hour or so, the dog was given shots and we left the shelter with papers and dog in hand.  I took pictures of the dog and promised Jenny to actively advertise the little Shepherd mix for adoption.  "Please let me know how it goes with her," I asked Jenny.  "It may take up to a month or two to find an adoptive home for her."  "Don't worry," Jenny smiled. "I am fully committed to taking good care of her until she is placed."

  As Jenny lived only a few blocks from me, we walked the dog to her apartment together. Everything seemed to be fine by the time I left her and the newly rescued dog.  

But, the next evening I received a very distressed call from Jenny.

  "The dog is leaving small drops of blood all over my furniture!" she complained.

  "Oh my God, she must be in heat," I said.

  I advised Jenny that there were "sanitary pads" made for dogs in heat and these could be purchased in any pet supply store.  Moreover, the bleeding would only continue for a few days.  Unfortunately, most vets will not spay a dog while in heat.  We would have to wait for the heat cycle to end.

  But, Jenny wasn't having any of it. "You have to get the dog out of here," she said with unwavering conviction. "I didn't sign up to have my furniture messed up."

  The next morning I had to pick up the dog before Jenny went to work.  So much for being "fully committed until the dog is placed," I cynically thought to myself.  Jenny's "commitment" lasted only one day.

  Because of her "female troubles," I named the friendly little Shepherd mix, "Sheena."  Now my problem was, what to do with her?

  Once again, I had to reluctantly take a cast-off dog back home with me.  Once again, I didn't know what to expect with the new dog and my other animals.  There was no information on how Sheena was with other dogs or cats.

  But, as luck would have it, Sheena was fine with the other animals.  To my delight, she was pretty well housebroken as well.  There was of course, the issue of her being in heat and the fact, I had never had Coby neutered because of his advanced age and the vet's advice.  Coby showed immediate amorous interest in Sheena and I had to separate the two dogs.

  The next few weeks were trying to say the least.  Sheena's bleeding only lasted a few days, but the heat continued.  One day I made the mistake of taking her to Carl Shurtz park. We passed the dog run on 85th Street and to my shock, several male dogs inside the run jumped the fence to get close to Sheena. One tried to mount her.  An irate dog owner screamed at me, "Lady, why you bringing a dog in heat around here?  You have some goddam nerve!"   I screamed back, "Why isn't YOUR dog neutered?  This one's a rescue!"

  I could not take Sheena to the park until her heat was finished and she could get spayed. God, I couldn't wait to have her fixed!  How do people live with unspayed dogs?, I thought.  Well, obviously, Sheena's previous owners, as well as her foster person didn't.  It was much easier to dump the dog.

  The 30 days of Sheena's heat seemed interminable.  But, finally she was through with it and I made an immediate appointment to have her spayed at my vet's, Dr. Peterson.

  It would be another couple of months before she finally found her adoptive home with a wonderful dog-loving woman living on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

  But, that was only after I had gotten a complaining letter from my landlord about Sheen's barking when people came into the building.  After her spaying, I had to work on the problem of barking through training techniques involving reward for good behavior. Every time Sheena started to bark, I diverted her attention with the promise of reward.  I went through several packs of American cheese, training Sheena to be quiet despite building noises and even the bell ringing.

  By the time Sheena was finally adopted, she was pretty much, the "perfect" dog. Her adopter loved her and frequently called me with happy updates and invites for home visits.

  But, despite the ideal and happy outcome, I had to realize that Sheena almost died at the pound for easily solved "female troubles."  I wondered to myself, how many other dogs and cats die for the simple failure to spay and neuter?  The answer was and is incalculable.  Its an answer still be added to everyday. An answer we will never really know.

Back to NYCA home page