‘Tortured’ Dogs 

Find Foster Home

As Probe Continues In Franklin,

Susquehanna SPCA Took In 6

By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

HARTWICK SEMINARY – What a difference a few days makes.

“All six dogs are doing great,” said Stacie Haynes, Susquehanna SPCA executive director. “We’ve named them all after candy, because they’re all so sweet.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Haynes, alongside Karen Matson,  Broome County Humane Society executive director, were called the Delaware Valley Humane Society shelter in Sidney, where Director Erin Insinga, Delaware Valley Humane Society director had taken 17 pit bulls and two German shepherds from a home in Franklin.

“I have never seen animals in such conditions of pain, torture and neglect,” said Insinga. “These dogs were stacked like pieces of furniture in a dark room, their cages were soaked through with vomit, urine and feces.”

“Based on what we saw and what our veterinarians said in their exams, we believe these animals were the victims of dog fighting,” said Haynes.

A Delaware County sheriff’s investigation is underway. The owner, who has not yet been named, did surrender the dogs to the Sidney shelter, allowing treatment to begin.

Because of the limited space there, Haynes took six dogs back to the Susquehanna shelter. “It was really something, seeing three shelters come together to help On of Tuesday, Feb. 11, Jenilee Metch picked up two, Snickers and Sweetie, to foster at her Oneonta home; the four others are recuperating at the shelter.

One, Maple, had a staple in her nose. “At some point, her nose was ripped off,” she said. “They stapled it back on, and then the skin started to grow around the staple.”

The dogs were emaciated upon their arrival, but Haynes said they’ve been fed at regular intervals and are fattening up. “As far as we could tell, all of their health issues were related to the conditions they were kept in,” she said. “Those can heal, and we haven’t seen any lasting health issues.”

Also, their loving personalities are starting to emerge. “Sweetie and Snickers are a year old – we call them puppies – and they want to play,” she said. “And even though some of them are stand-offish, they’re starting to get comfortable when humans approach them.”

“These dogs have suffered so much, but they are so forgiving,” said Insinga. “When you touch them, their tails start wagging. All they want to do is have that human contact.”

Volunteers and staff have been active in taking them out for walks and socializing with them, but Haynes said there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“When you come in the room, they look at you like, is this person going to be my friend or hurt me?” said Haynes. “When we first got them and brought them here, their tails were tucked, they didn’t want to come out of their crates. Even now, we can get them on the leash, but they’re not entirely comfortable.”

And although many people believe pit bulls are dangerous animals, Haynes has seen nothing of the sort. “They’re very athletic, smart and loyal, they love their humans,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean they can go to just any home. “These dogs are too traumatized to be in a crate,” she said. “They need to be with someone who is retired or works from home, someone who can spend a lot of time with them.”

And as soon as word got out that the dogs were at the shelter, Haynes said the requests started coming in. “We had phone calls, emails, messages on Facebook, people coming in,” she said. “We’re working with a behavior specialist to advise us of the best kind of homes for each of them.”

By LIBBY CUDMORE

HARTWICK SEMINARY

What a difference a few days makes.

“All six dogs are doing great,” said Stacie Haynes, Susquehanna SPCA executive director. “We’ve named them all after candy, because they’re all so sweet.”

Tuesday, Feb. 11,

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Haynes, alongside Karen Matson,  Broome County Humane Society executive director, were called the Delaware Valley Humane Society shelter in Sidney, where Director Erin Insinga, Delaware Valley Humane Society director had taken 17 pit bulls and two German shepherds from a home in Franklin.

“I have never seen animals in such conditions of pain, torture and neglect,” said Insinga. “These dogs were stacked like pieces of furniture in a dark room, their cages were soaked through with vomit, urine and feces.”

“Based on what we saw and what our veterinarians said in their exams, we believe these animals were the victims of dog fighting,” said Haynes.

A Delaware County sheriff’s investigation is underway. The owner, who has not yet been named, did surrender the dogs to the Sidney shelter, allowing treatment to begin.

Because of the limited space there, Haynes took six dogs back to the Susquehanna shelter. “It was really something, seeing three shelters come together to help out with this horrific case,” she said.

Maple, for example, had a staple in her nose. “At some point, her nose was ripped off,” she said. “They stapled it back on, and then the skin started to grow around the staple.”

The dogs were emaciated upon their arrival, but Haynes said they’ve been fed at regular intervals and are fattening up. “As far as we could tell, all of their health issues were related to the conditions they were kept in,” she said. “Those can heal, and we haven’t seen any lasting health issues.”

Also, their loving personalities are starting to emerge. “Sweetie and Snickers are a year old – we call them puppies – and they want to play,” she said. “And even though some of them are stand-offish, they’re starting to get comfortable when humans approach them.”

“These dogs have suffered so much, but they are so forgiving,” said Insinga. “When you touch them, their tails start wagging. All they want to do is have that human contact.”

Volunteers and staff have been active in taking them out for walks and socializing with them, but Haynes said there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“When you come in the room, they look at you like, is this person going to be my friend or hurt me?” said Haynes. “When we first got them and brought them here, their tails were tucked, they didn’t want to come out of their crates. Even now, we can get them on the leash, but they’re not entirely comfortable.”

And although many people believe pit bulls are dangerous animals, Haynes has seen nothing of the sort. “They’re very athletic, smart and loyal, they love their humans,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean they can go to just any home. “These dogs are too traumatized to be in a crate,” she said. “They need to be with someone who is retired or works from home, someone who can spend a lot of time with them.”

And as soon as word got out that the dogs were at the shelter, Haynes said the requests started coming in. “We had phone calls, emails, messages on Facebook, people coming in,” she said. “We’re working with a behavior specialist to advise us of the best kind of homes for each of them.”