After gaining his freedom, the dog was walking down the road when a good Samaritan picked him up and brought him to the Petaluma Animal Shelter. The shelter staff took him to a vet for treatment and have been caring for him in his recovery. They named him Boomer. The ACO has been investigating to try and find out who may be responsible for Boomer’s cruel neglect. The shelter staff describes the dog as “surprisingly energetic”, which sounds like confirmation of his ancestry.
Word has spread through social media and an article in the local paper. Dozens of people in the area contacted the shelter to donate money for Boomer’s care along with many offers to give him a loving home.
So to recap:
1 person is believed to be responsible for Boomer’s neglect.
1 person picked up the dirty, stinky dog off the road when she saw he was in need of help.
Dozens of area residents immediately phoned in offers of support for Boomer once they learned of his plight.
If the general pet owning public is so heartless and irresponsible, as we are often told by kill shelters, how come the number of people stepping up to do good exceeds the number who behave badly? Is Petaluma a freak town populated by people who don’t represent societal norms? I don’t think so.
I am grateful to the kind-hearted public for stepping up to help Boomer and to the shelter staff committed to his recovery. In addition, I appreciate the efforts of the ACO to find the person responsible for this cruelty. We, as members of a humane society, demand accountability for this type of neglect. And we expect our public shelters to care for the victims until they can be rehomed. We expect these things because we love our pets. We are, in the main, responsible and caring. That is the societal norm – not the other way around as the killing apologists would have us believe.
Anyone with information on who may have been responsible for leaving Boomer to suffer should call Petaluma ACO Jason Pietsch, (707) 753-1169, or the shelter at (707) 778-4396.