Update on two Akitas whose owner passed on April 4. Bella and Kuman are safe for now, but in the way we had hoped. On Friday, April 4 at 2:56p.m., Akita Angels was contacted by a man whose brother had been in the hospital with a terminal illness, before falling into a coma and then remaining on life support for 21 days before passing 3 hours earlier at noon that day. A friend of the man was going to take the dogs in after the man passed, but had been in an auto accident days before and broke every bone in his back. A neighbor of the man had been caring for the mans two Akitas, Bella and Kuman (aged 3 and 4 respectively), whom he had since he rescued them when they were young. They sent us one photo of Bella, which we originally posted, and it was obvious the dogs had been living in deplorable conditions. After discussing the subject of the dogs ownership with the surviving family, it was discovered that another relative had authority to execute the mans last wishes, which was that the dogs would be rehomed and safe. We discussed this with the family and while the dogs were not living in an ideal situation, they had access to the inside and outside of the home, they were being fed several times a day and were being visited by the neighbor. We agreed that the dogs would stay at the deceased mans home in the interim, with twice daily feedings and visits from the neighbor. We had no legal authority to remove the dogs from a property without proof of ownership or documents to show the surviving kin had the authority to relinquish the dogs to rescue. Our plan was to get the proper documents from the relative out of state, and the surviving kin would bring them to us with the dogs the next weekend (April 12th). Instead, on Sunday, April 6, we awoke at 5am to our dogs barking anxiously at the front window and we went outside to find the two dogs tied to our mailbox. We had never gotten a photo of Kuman before but Bella was obviously the same dog in the photo and she responded to her name. While this has happened to many people in rescue, this was a first for us. You see, the surviving family members in state ultimately did not have legal authority to relinquish them to rescue, and rescue had no legal authority to take them in. We attempted to contact the family member and could not reach them, and at 7am, contacted our local animal authority/shelter for guidance. The law requires the dogs, considered strays now, to be surrendered to animal control so the legal owner, if there is one, has the opportunity to reclaim them. We know that the original owner is deceased and we know the family was unable to keep the dogs long term (the mans home was foreclosing in 10 days). The Akitas proved to us to be gorgeous, and most importantly, in very good condition, were well nourished, and were very nice dogs. They were obviously bewildered, but they cooperated with us and appreciated some food, treats, and attention until we could reach the shelter. With no other option and a very heavy heart we got Bella and Kuman in the car and took them to our local shelter. Kuman is not neutered and we do not know if the Bella is spayed. We also have no information on their vaccination history. They are now safe, in our local shelter, in kennels side by side one another. Because the dogs are microchipped to the deceased man, the dogs are on a mandatory 10-day hold so a letter can be sent to the last known address. When we dropped them off, we put a CTA/Commitment to Adopt, on the pair to ensure that at the conclusion of the 10-day hold, they can be taken into rescue. That hold expires on the 17th, and at this time, we nowhere for them to go when they are released. Help is desperately needed to cover transport and secure very temporary boarding so they can be taken into rescue and kept together. On a very sad note, it had been conveyed to us that the deceased man was a lover of Akitas and had taken in 30-40 Akitas over the years, whether they were strays, were posted on Craigslist, or showed up in the shelters. He would take them in, get them fixed up and vaccinated, socialized, and re-homed. These two were rescued early and became his dogs. It is very sad to us that this man was estranged from his family, was a lover of Akitas and committed to doing what he could to help them over the years, thought he had a forever home for them lined up, and that all fell apart during his last days, alive, but on life support. We are committed to helping fulfill this mans last wish and keeping Bella and Kuman together forever, and hope you feel the same way. A Passion for Paws has committed to taking the pair in and keeping them together. Donations will cover transport and very temporary boarding for the pair, if needed. A Passion for Paws is a 501c3 non-profit charity and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed under law.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 01:18:37 +0000
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