UPDATE 2/24/08 on the 19 Seeley Collies Rescued in Upstate NY
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
Folks,
Again I write about
The Old Gentleman
Of the six remaining Seeley Collies inexplicably held for 131 days in crate confinement at the SPCA of Upstate New York, he is in the greatest need. This senior Collie gentleman suffers in silence from severe arthritis of the left hip. Able to stand for only short periods of time, he has absolutely no room in which to move forward or backward. Unlike the other Collies we saw at the SPCA he refrains from 'spinning', only because he is too weak and in too much pain to achieve it. Spinning is one of the final stages of breakdown exhibited by dogs who must endure prolonged crate confinement, (see experts' remarks February 17 report).
Because they suffer in a system that has failed them, AWCA speaks for this noble Collie gentleman and indeed for all of the Seeley dogs, including the Dachshunds, still confined to crates at the SPCA . Since last fall this old gentleman has had wonderful offers of adoption and the offer of superior rehabilitation at Wizard of Paws, a premier rehabilitation facility with a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, Debbie Gross Saunders, MSPT, OCS, CCRP, where he would spend his days living in her house with her family for his mental and emotional health. While working closely with his veterinarian, she would thoroughly evaluate his condition and implement his rehabilitation plan, including follow-through maintenance with his adopter. You are invited to visit Wizard of Paws and to review my first report to learn more about the opportunities that await the old gentleman, at no charge, if only his release from 131 days of crate confinement at the SPCA in Queensbury can be achieved.
Every day that this old gentleman must stoically endure that which he cannot change at the SPCA is a day he is NOT being rehabilitated; it is a day he is NOT in his adoptive home, and at his age, it is a precious day in what is left of his life, that is lost forever.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt
===============================================================================================================
