Courage and His Abuser -- Any Update Anyone?? - Page 2

Bump

 The pretrial hearing has been postponed until September 14, 2010.

Here is a interview with his new owner :))

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-21890-Orange-County-Dogs-Examiner~y2010m7d14-EXAMINER-EXCLUSIVE-Courages-new-owner-and-savior-speaks-about-the-ordeal?cid=sharing_facebook%3A21890

Joyce, the link would not work.  Found some old information, but not her interview.

OC Dogs Examiner: How is Courage doing? How is he feeling?
Lisa Whiseant: Wonderfully. He's at 82 pounds, and I think that's going to be his ideal weight. You won't believe it, but he was starting to look a little chubby, so I'm adjusting his food to maintain 80 to 85. He looks fantastic. His coat is shiny and glossy. When you pet him, you don't cringe. The bones are all gone.

OCDE: I hear he's attending school?
LW: Courage is in puppy school. Even though he's 3, he's never had any training at all, so we decided to start at the beginning. He's learned to sit and do a down, [and he's] still working on the stays and come-when-called. Both the rescue [German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County, the group that helped facilitate Courage's rescue and rehabilitation] and I feel that we need to emphasize how important it is to train and socialize your pets and not just banish them to the yard for not being good citizens.

OCDE: What was your first thought when you saw him in the garage on that day in April when you arrived at Kimberly Nizato's home to help the dog?
LW: I was stunned and horrified. I was expecting to see a neglected dog, and instead saw a dog in acute distress. I've worked for an emergency pet clinic for 19 years and have never seen an animal look like that and still be alive. All I can remember thinking was, "Oh my God. Oh my God."

OCDE: What was going through you mind as you rushed him to the hospital?
LW: I honestly thought he was going to die. I was coming down the 605 towards the 22 in stop-and-go traffic. Every time he wailed, I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. Then when he stopped wailing, I though, "Oh my God, he's died!" I was trying to watch traffic and watch him over my shoulder to make sure he was still breathing. When I got to the emergency clinic, I ran inside and got a technician to help me carry him in. [The veterinarian at the clinic] went into full emergency mode. He started barking medical orders. We had about five people that were on him like Velcro, within minutes. They put in two IVs, one in each front leg, and a [veterinary] student was drawing blood for testing. Another student was getting plasma and blood out to thaw. Another one was setting up for x-rays.

I was a blubbering idiot and just stood there and cried. I actually think I cried off and on all night. After reviewing the x-rays, the vet gave Courage morphine and cleaned him out. The veterinarian's wife started hand-feeding Courage about 10 p.m. He was too weak to hold up his head, so she sat and held his head in her lap and literally put the food into his mouth and waited for him to swallow. Little tiny bites, one after another. He kept swallowing, and she kept feeding.

I've been asked several time why I didn't just put him to sleep. It honestly never occurred to me. Never even crossed my mind.