Random Tuesday Thoughts 6/8/10

Hi Everyone.  Thanks for stopping by on this Random Tuesday kind of day!  Thanks to Keely for hosting this game.  Go see her.  She's awesome.

Today I'd like to start with a story about Tommy, the throw-away dog.  The following statement was taken from the Hope Rescues website at hoperescues.com

"Tommy was found 10-29-2009 by an employee of Waste Management Systems when he dumped an over sized trash can into his truck and found that there was a nearly dead dog inside.  The Cahokia Police were called and responded to the scene to start the investigation.  The first set of photo's are from the pictures he took that day and are part of the evidence in this case.  The trash can was located in the 500 block of Mildred in Cahokia. There is a $500.00 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.
It is important to note that if not for the kind heart of this officer, this dog would have simply been hauled off to St. Clair County Animal Control to be euthanized at the end of the day.  No one would ever know of the horrors faced by this poor creature, no one would care, and the only thing this poor dog would have known for his whole life would be that people are cruel.  Nothing that Hope Rescues can do from this day forward can match what this officer already has done for this dog. For his actions put in motion the rescue, the medical treatment, and the second chance our "Tommy" now has.
Thank you Officer Derek Ruberstell.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your act of kindness."

These are the pictures of Tommy taken that day.

He was rushed to the hospital where they removed an embedded electrical cord from around his neck and treated him for several other injuries including some that looked like burns and others that appeared to be due to beatings.  He was 20lbs underweight and shaking from shock.  But during his emergency treatment he continued to wag his tail and give kisses to the vet and his staff.

He was released to Hope Rescues on 10-31-09.  His face was swollen from the cord that had been around his neck.

His abuser was caught and arrested.  She was charged with animal cruelty.

Here is how he looked on November 5, 2009.

And here are the "happy ending" photos taken on 12/13/09.  He got a new home for Christmas and he is doing great.

The woman, who said she threw the dog away because he was dead, will be in court tomorrow.  There will be a "Justice for Tommy" rally in front of the court house.  I can't be there.  But I hope lots of other people are.

See Hope's website and click on "Tommy's Page" if you are interested in any of the details.

Whew.  That story rips my heart out!

Ok.  Moving on.

I hate how I can dust the furniture and the next day it's all dusty again.  It must be the dogs' fault.  Shedding their hair and dander all over the place!

Our lizard is finally feeling better again.  I can't believe I spent almost $100 on a vet bill for a lizard.  But she hadn't been eating and shed her skin twice in a row, which was unusual for her.  So I took her in to the vet.  Basically, the vet didn't know.  She seemed fine except that she had lost weight.  She gave us some medicine for worms (which has an appetite stimulating effect) and last night when I dropped a cricket into her cage she ran after it and gobbled it up.  Have you ever watched a leopard gecko hunt?  It's cool.  Maybe not $100 cool, but cool.

It's only one week into summer break and I'm ready for school to start.

The squirrels keep eating all the bird seed from the feeder.

And I'd better get moving.  I've got a ton of stuff to do today!  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope my Tommy story didn't get you too bummed out.  Hopefully, she'll get what she deserves.

Have a great Tuesday!