Hi all, This post began at the End of September 2012 after my return from a trip to NJ was interrupted...the nature of events were so difficult for me emotionally i could not finish this post until today Jan 7th, 2013...so here goes:
there have been many of you asking me how it's going with Rico and how is he?...so in answer to that is this post:
Last week (end of Sept 2012) I was away and as pre-approved by rescue Rico and my own two previously adopted rescued dogs were boarded at local pet sitters home- this is the same sitter who had them before (all of them, even Rico) and the same sitter who said she Loved Rico and had said she wanted to speak to her family about them adopting him....
Well, i was 6+ hours and over $80. in Gas & tolls away and i got a call from the petsitter...her exact words were: 'come get your dogs, Rico Killed my 4 year old daughter's cat, they can't stay here- you must come right now and get them; my husband wants to kill Rico and right now Rico is out in my sister's car to keep my husband away from him'.
All I could say was 'HOW could this happen?', " Where you Home?" Wasn't Rico in the Crate i supplied?, "DID you SEE Rico Kill your cat?" the answers were not straightforward, lots of sidestepping- seems that NO one was home for the entire day, Rico was not put in his crate as i directed and NO one Saw Rico Kill her daughters cat...And there were animals there besides mine owned by other 'customers' who could have very well been the culprits, BUT it seems to me RICO is being blamed because he is Part Pit bull...
Rico was amazing with my animals, 'our' cat and Rico slept together on same bed, drank out of same dish, there was NEVER any aggression from Rico towards our cat....The only thing Rico ever did was lay his front end on floor and put his butt up in air with tail wagging away thinking cat would 'play' with him...
In answer to my 'how could this happen question the pet-sitter claimed Rico and all the other dogs & pets in her house had been left without human supervision for a few hours and when the husband came home he found Rico with some cat fur in his mouth and the cat dead...all this proves is that rico might have sniffed the cat or pushed it with his muzzle to see why it wasn't moving-after something else killed it or it just died from some other cause = like maybe medical?
My head spun in all kinds of directions like: WHAT???? NO supervision? why wasn't Rico in the CRATE i brought over there for him? Where was everyone? What other animals where there? how do you know it was Rico?
He was amazing with all my animals, but then I never let him loose in house without me being right there to supervise and 'instruct' him on how to behave....after all this dog was scooped straight off the streets of NYC and into a KILL shelter with little or no manners...just a big puppy heart and lots of energy....He was Gentle or Ignored my Cats, and payed no mind to my little bird- just sniffed cage and when i said NO he walked away...
AND
He always was a softie towards anyone or any creature, he just wanted to "play" with Me and my Dogs, and would sniff my cats-if it 'looked' like he might want more then that...and I preventatively corrected him with "RICO NO, Leave the cat alone" in stern voice he would look at me and stop, usually he would come over to me wagging his tail and looking like he wanted 'forgiveness'....
This made me so sad, and it has taken me 2 months to finish this draft for my blog to tell about this horrible event or lack of...
I had to drive back to VT from NJ and get my pets from this woman's home, all of whom were tied outside withing reach of each other - like if RICO was some animal killer why would she tie him with overlapping reach with my 14# little rat terrier mix or my boxer? Just made no sense to me- the whole thing ,,,what kind of 'pet sitter' leaves shelter dog IN TRAINING out of its supplied crate for 8+ hours with animals it isn't familiar with- or for that matter, why were her cats left to roam area where my dogs, her dogs, and other customers dogs were kept????
I felt terrible for this young woman and her child for loosing their cat, but I am in no way convinced it was because of Rico, and I think it is totally HER fault for mismanagement of her duties as a pet sitter....NOT to mention her calling me to come home from a trip and tying my dogs outside to wait for 8+ hours while i drove home to VT to get my pets & my foster boy...
I had no idea what to do with Rico now that this happened and I had to go back to NJ, I couldn't afford to board all my dogs at a kennel & Rico too. so I boarded Rico and took my dogs with me to NJ...I asked the rescue to please find another foster for Rico, on the slight chance He did kill this cat I couldn't risk my own cat's life, the lives of my bunnies or my foster kitties lives -
Rico was taken to a Rescue affiliated Kennel in NH where he is waiting adoption to a NO CAT home. I pray he will find a good home who will love him and provide all he needs, I do know all i think of when i see him in my minds eye is the sweet big puppy-boy who followed me all over the house and yard, rolled over on his back in submission around my other animals when they sniffed him, and did nothing but make me fall in love with him.
I am told Rico is receiving obedience training and that he is doing well with no issues.
If you are interested in giving this once Death row Doggie a REAL HOME in a house with a loving 'Mom' &/or 'Dad' please contact me for an adoption application.
----------------------------February 5th 2013---------------------------
Update- I spoke with the woman who runs the kennel where Rico was temporarily residing after the 'cat' issue...seems he was 'adopted' 3 or so months ago (nobody told me) and that NOW he was Back at the kennel because his NEW people were getting divorced and they couldn't find apartment where they could keep dogs part pitbull...Discrimination...for sure... Now sweet Rico is Again awaiting a 'furever' home- please if you have your own home or landlord is doggie friendly please contact second chance animal rescue NYC = and ask about application to adopt Rico; the link to their rescue is on my blog menu...God please help sweet Rico get a really super-terrific home with awesome people who will never desert or abandon him...amen.
please click here to fill out application to adopt Rico, he is a wonderful dog- please don't let him stay in a Kennel, he is so good in the house and a real sweet boy...if you can't adopt him could you consider sending a donation of any amount to help second chance rescue? they save so many dogs off death row in NYC shelters...thank you
