Country roads are cruel home for abandoned dogs

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 24, 2005

YAKIMA – Country roads.

They have a nice sound – conjuring up images of pastoral serenity. Places John Denver sang about, where there’s tranquility and bucolic ambiance.

And dogs. Abandoned by their owners.

From newborn puppies to full-grown adults, dogs are being dumped off on country roads throughout the Yakima Valley.

“The problem is all over,” says Elly Patnode, who runs a dog-rescue operation called Barks R Us in Yakima.

“It’s ongoing and it’s everywhere,” agrees Vaughn Merry, assistant manager of the Humane Society of Central Washington. “You find abandoned dogs all over the county.”

The Humane Society, Barks R Us and other rescue organizations deal with the consequences of people deserting their pets on isolated roads after deciding they don’t want them anymore.

More than 3,500 abandoned dogs have come through Patnode’s home since she began operating her rescue site four years ago. She says a vast number of those were discarded by their owners when they became inconvenient – too big, noisy, mischievous or time-consuming.

“You can never catch people dumping their dogs, but it’s illegal and it’s serious,” Patnode said.

According to Washington law, an owner is guilty of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, if he or she knowingly abandons an animal.

Once domesticated dogs are left on their own, they’re at risk of starving, getting hit in traffic or running in packs with other strays, said Jeane Williamson of Granger.

“Dumping these dogs is like a death sentence,” said Williamson, who volunteers with Patnode to rescue the animals.

Williamson says she became aware of the dog abandonment problem when she drove to work on Fraley Road just outside Toppenish.

In the past year, she’s picked up six abandoned dogs along the road. She turns them over to rescue sites such as Barks R Us, or keeps them on a foster-care basis until someone can be found to adopt them.

Natasha Menzo, who lives on Fraley Road, agrees with Williamson that too many people use out-of-the-way roads – especially ones where there aren’t many houses – to get rid of their pets.

“It’s sad,” she notes, saying that in the past two months four dogs have been dumped near her home.

Even worse, said Williamson, the dogs are often injured. She found an abandoned dog recently with a gunshot wound. Another she took in had an injured jaw.

Leaving a helpless dog anywhere is a problem that saddens and perplexes Patnode.

“It’s just a throwaway society,” she said.

Two years ago, a neighbor brought Patnode a German shepherd that had been left in a box in the middle of a road in Terrace Heights.

“He was little, about 6 months old. His mouth had been taped shut and he was covered in ticks.

“He was so precious,” she recalls.

That dog’s story had a happy ending, as Patnode found him a good home.

Patnode is part of a network that matches homeless dogs to potential owners, working with other rescue sites throughout the Northwest.

Barks R Us is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers. Patnode’s husband, Bill, helps with the operation, along with five other people who take in some of the abandoned dogs.

Once Patnode takes in a dog for adoption, she treats it for it ticks and worms, makes sure it is immunized and has it spayed or neutered.

She’s fussy about potential owners. She doesn’t want “her” dogs on a chain all day, she makes sure the people have contacted a veterinarian for care, and she asks them to promise they’ll sign up for dog-training classes.

Adopting a dog through Patnode’s rescue network costs about $100, which covers the outlay for treatments, food and other supplies.

Several months ago, she got a phone call about Lady, a 4-year old boxer mix left near Wapato. She had a broken leg and was trying to care for eight puppies.

Patnode sent the pups to a rescue site that specializes in young dogs; all have been adopted. She still has Lady, whose leg has healed.

“But nobody wants her; big dogs are hard to adopt out. And she’s mellow, gentle, quiet and perfect with kids,” she said.

“These dogs we get are such nice animals,” she added. “They have that look in their eye.”

Although people contact Patnode daily about abandoned dogs, she hopes the problem of homeless pets gets better.

“I’d like to believe we’re making a dent. There are so many of us working so hard.”