‘Spirited’ discussion

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PLAY TIME: Spirit, a dog found injured at the Wythe County Animal Shelter, is recovering well from his leg amputation at the home of his adopter, Sarah Dutton of Ceres. Photo by Jean Farley

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‘Spirited’ discussion

Wytheville Enterprise: News >
Wed Oct 31, 2007 - 03:07 PM

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Spirit has moved on to the normal blissful life of a young puppy, but people involved in the discovery of the injured dog at the Wythe County Animal Shelter are still seeking “Justice for Spirit.”
John Witt, who first found Spirit on Oct. 6 lying untreated in the shelter with a severely broken and infected left hind leg, created an online petition about two weeks ago with the above title.
The document is addressed to the Wythe County administrator and calls for anyone responsible for Spirit’s suffering to lose their job. The section of the Code of Virginia that was violated in the incident also is included in the petition along with Spirit’s condition when Witt discovered him.
“We have to speak for the animals,” wrote Nanette Rossi, a Wythe County Humane Society member, in a comment on the petition.
Spirit’s injured leg was amputated on Oct. 13.
The petition has revealed that Spirit’s treatment disturbed people from coast to coast. As of Wednesday at noon, the request had 292 signers from 24 states and Canada.
Witt said he publicized the document by posting fliers around town and sending e-mails to organizations he has worked with in getting animals transported for adoption.
With a wide range of contacts, he said he expected to get responses from surrounding states such as North Carolina and Tennessee, but he said he was surprised to see that people from as far away as California, Montana and Illinois had signed the document.
After the initial controversy broke out in the week following the discovery of Spirit, members of the Wythe County Humane Society and other concerned citizens had a meeting with County Administrator Cellell Dalton and Assistant County Administrator Stephen Bear to discuss the situation.
Both sides reported that it was a positive meeting, but Witt said Tuesday night that he created the petition to demonstrate the depth of concern in the community.
“Basically this is just to add to get the community somewhat involved,” he said.
Witt said the county never divulged who precisely it planned to hold responsible for the incident, so he kept the petition open-ended instead of specifically naming people he wants to see fired.
Although most petition signers have expressed their feelings in non-confrontational terms, a few have left comments that call for extreme action.
“thats crap should tie there legs and leave them in pen with no way to get food or water and see how it feels,” wrote a petition signer named Jason from Winnipeg, Canada.
Witt acknowledged that he found some postings on the petition inappropriate, but said that people have a reason to be angry.
“For the most part most of them are legitimate concerns,” he said. “It’s one thing to make a mistake, but this was neglect.”
While Witt declined to target any particular person for dismissal, a few people specifically commented on the petition against the actions of Wythe County Animal Control Officer Danny Blanchett.
“If you ever have a broken bone Danny make sure you let it get infected and sit around until it has to be amputated, you should be ashamed!” wrote Stephen Price of Dublin.
When reached Tuesday afternoon, Dalton said that he was not aware of the petition. He also has not yet received documentation he requested of accusations made by the Humane Society during the meeting about Spirit.
Without having seen the petition, he said that he couldn’t comment much on how it would affect him, but added that he would certainly take people’s concerns into consideration if they are genuine and documented.
He also said that while the described scope of the petition was impressive, he would most value the opinions of area residents.
“I think it means more to me if they are local people and what local people are thinking about,” Dalton said.
Slightly more than half of the signatures – 161 – have come from people identifying themselves as Virginia residents.
Many of the out-of-state signers seemed knowledgeable about the situation, but others included incorrect information in their postings.
“Ridiculous. Would you let a baby suffer like that, Wayne Co?” wrote Ashley Gardner of Charleston, S.C.
Dalton, who has acknowledged wrongdoing by the county, said he couldn’t give any more specifics on the actions already being taken against employees responsible for Spirit’s maltreatment, citing state personnel laws.
He did add, though, that the shelter is improving.
“Since we’ve discussed [Spirit], we’ve had several animals with injuries that have gone straight to the vet,” Dalton said.
Witt said that he doesn’t have a specific number of signatures he wants before formally presenting Dalton with the petition. He also said he still doesn’t have a set plan on when he will close the petition.
Neither Witt nor Sarah Dutton, who adopted Spirit, has visited the shelter in the last few weeks.
Dutton said, though, that she has spoken to a few people who have told her conditions seem to be getting better.
In addition, a contract between the Humane Society and the county finally has been agreed upon which will allow the group to again transfer dogs out of the shelter to foster care as they await adoption.
On Wednesday morning, Dutton, the Humane Society vice president, said she planned to add her signature and take the contract to county officials later in the day.
While both sides continue to work at improving their relationship, Spirit has settled into his new life at Dutton’s home.
“His leg has healed beautifully,” she said. “He’s completely well – and almost house broken.”
And Dutton plans to use Spirit to help heal others through the “Cold Nose Warm Heart” program.
“As soon as he gets older we plan to use him for pet therapy,” she said.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .

Reader Reaction:

Please sign this petition if you agree with it.

Posted by John Witt from Wytheville on 10/31 at 06:38 PM