UPDATE 3/16/08 on the 19 Seeley Collies Rescued in Upstate NY
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
The Volunteers
Part I
You have met the Team Leader of the volunteers in the (date) report titled "Spinner". Now I'm going to introduce you to the individual volunteers who worked with the Seeley Collies and Dachshunds at the SPCA of Upstate New York located in Queensbury, from last fall until January 5 (see the January 13 report). The real names of the individuals will not be used for these reports.
"Gretchen"
Gretchen is an experienced dog trainer, having trained Collies and other breeds for most of her adult life. She is very active in her local dog training club and has trained her rescue Collies and her rescue dogs of other breeds to obedience titles and social titles. She has made numerous social visits at nursing homes with her dogs.
This is her story:
"It is very difficult for me to write about the conditions of the Seeley Collies at the SPCA of Upstate New York in Queensbury, and to think Collies are still there and still in dire straits since October of last year. I try very hard not to remember the things I saw and felt, but I can't forget. I remember the pleading eyes and also the thankful eyes after I would take the Collies out for walks and give them treats. Collies do wear their souls in their eyes. Collies have a sense of pride about them and these still did upon my last visit on January 5 of this year. I wonder how much they have deteriorated mentally and physically. I remember good things I encountered, such as the Collies' need to play -- their exuberance as I tossed a ball or a toy to them in the fenced run outside. Some of them actually didn't know how to play, so I would invent games and try to get them to play. The Collies were so very happy to be outside. They were glad and proud to be Collies -- running Collies!
"At times I would have to carry some of the Collies up and down the narrow stairs because they were too weak and unsure of the footing. None of them seemed to mind or try to struggle from my arms from fear. They knew they were going for a walk outside. My visits were not always happy visits for me. On one of the last visits I was met with an overwhelming stench of ammonia from urine. The triplets were walking in their own urine. I think a lot about the old gentleman. I especially wonder if he is still alive. He needed therapy so badly, and no one was going to give it to him. As I write I'm sitting here stroking my Collie, and admiring how beautiful he has become. I only wish the Seeley Collies all had a chance to become the gorgeous Collies they were meant to be and have as loving a home as my two Collies received."
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Folks, we remain very concerned about the old gentleman, and the remaining Seeley Collies and Dachshunds held at the SPCA in crates. According to Amy Nesselrodt, DVM, "Clinical signs of arthritis would be exacerbated if an affected dog were forced to remain recumbent for long periods of time. The constant pressure on his or her joints and the lack of gentle flexion and extension of the joints would worsen the condition. If the surface was hard, cold and/or damp, this would exaggerate the clinical signs of arthritis.”
We thank you for the many messages of concern about the old gentleman and the remaining Seeley Collies. The reason for their continued confinement in crates at the SPCA is beyond comprehension, and beyond logic. Clearly there is a serious problem in a system that confines animals as these have been for 152 days.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt
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