Fresh Loaf

As manager of PAWS Atlanta, one of the city’s largest no-kill animal shelters, Philip Smith knows how much work it takes to turn abused and abandoned animals back into man’s best friends.

How do most animals find their way to PAWS?

For the most part, we try to get our animals from kill facilities. These places end up with a lot of injured animals, and unless we can bring them in, they’re just sitting there waiting for their time to be killed. We try to do what we can to give them the life they deserve.  All together, that probably makes up 75 percent of our animals. Others are dire cases, like the dog we found that was hit by a lawn mower. And about 20 percent are animals that people surrender to us.

We try to help as many people as we can — but unfortunately there are limits to how many animals we can take in, which is why we won’t take in litters of kittens whose owner hasn’t had their mother spayed. We know that the owner will be back here a year later with the same problem.

What condition are most animals in when they first arrive at PAWS?

We get a lot of abused animals. Ninety-nine percent of them are scared out of their minds, and it takes a lot to get them to where they can trust humans again.

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1. Hundreds of fish die in Piedmont Park’s Lake Clara Meer (Turns out it was more like thousands of fish that perished, reportedly from dissolved oxygen. Who knows what Sir Paul thought?)

2. AJC may abandon Marietta Street (Today we learned the paper’s new HQ will be in the action-packed ‘burbs come next June.)

3. Why I want a public option (Andisheh Nouraee clearly states why there needs to be an alternative to private health insurance.)

4. Columnist’s solution to gay sex in parks? Attack dogs. (Marietta Daily Journal resident curmudgeon enlightens us with his wonderful idea of how Marietta City Council should send gays “back to Atlanta where they belong.”)

5. Fulton, Forsyth ban chaining your dog (Beginning Sept. 4, dogs in Fulton County cannot be chained or tethered to a fixed object unless held by an attendant or by the owner.)

(Photo by Thomas Wheatley)

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Owning a dog in a dense urban area, especially one like downtown Atlanta, can be a pain in the ass. Some area residents are trying to solve that problem.

On Friday at 6:30 p.m., residents will gather at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Renaissance Parkway — with leashed canines in tow — for “Critical Mutts.” If it sounds similar to “Critical Mass,” the monthly cycling event where velocipede lovers take to the streets en masse, it’s because it is.

According to a blog post on the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association’s blog, Friday’s gathering will be a moment for SoNo residents to make their case for an off-leash dog park in the area. Drinks and a dog-friendly deck at Midtown Tavern will be enjoyed after the event. (If you’re a cyclist, keep in mind that Critical Mass will also be held around that same time on Friday. Riders gather at Woodruff Park around 6 p.m.)

In Castleberry Hill, residents are trying to raise funds to revamp a vacant lot into an off-leash dog park. On Sunday, June 28, residents are holding a fundraiser at the Glenn Hotel’s roof-top lounge from 2-5 p.m. For $20 you get appetizers, a drink ticket and entrance into the fete. All funds will go toward cleaning up and outfitting the proposed dog park location with the necessities.

For more information, check out the post on the ADNA’s blog.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Jennifer (with Ava & Ellie): You should allow the strollers, because for people with small kids, it’s just not practical to go to a street festival without a stroller. With a small child, you can lose track of them. Even though we love our dog, it’s better not to have them at the festival, because they are unpredictable and they can poo on your foot. Even though my dog is very well-behaved, she does get skittish in the crowds — and if somebody came up behind her and started petting her, who knows.

Daron (with Parker & Buffy): If we can’t bring our babies, they can’t bring theirs. No strollers, no dogs. Dogs are our babies, and for those of us without children, it’s kind of unfair that we can’t bring ours to the festival to enjoy it as well. My dogs are under control all the time. They’re 4 pounds apiece. They’re not going to hurt anyone. There are more dogs vaccinated than kids. Baby strollers are cumbersome, they get in the way, you have to step over them, they park right in front. It’s a mess. It is sort of discrimination.

Barbara (with Scooter & Baby Girl): Dogs should be allowed as long as you control your dog. If you don’t control them or if you don’t clean up their poo, you don’t need to have your dog there. But my dogs are part of my family and they’re in a stroller, so why not? I resent it. They should be allowed to go. There’s nothing wrong with your dog being at these festivals. They’re family and really well-behaved. If you love your dog you take care of it like a baby, probably even more so.

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What do you give a dog for her 10th birthday?

Extra food?

Belly rubs?

Distemper vaccine?

A gimp squirrel she can actually catch?

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(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Kelly Goff knows what your pets are thinking.

Interview by Mary Moore.

How did you become a pet psychic?

Well, I read cards for people, and pets started showing up in their readings. From time to time they would ask me questions about their pet. It just kind of grew into a side thing from that.

Describe how you communicate with them.

Animals communicate in picture form. I’m intuitive. I’ll get an impression of a situation, and I just have to put together what I’m picking up until it makes sense. Sometimes it won’t make sense to me, but it will make sense to the owner. If I can work with a pet, that’s good. But I can also communicate through pictures or a pet’s name. I work off of energy — reading their energy and their connection with their owners.

Has anything really strange happened in a session?

I was working with a client one day, and I kept seeing this little poodle. I told her, “I keep getting the impression of this little poodle lying right at your feet.” And she said, “I was just having the same sensation. I was feeling pressure on my foot.” I started describing it a bit more, like its personality.  She said, “Oh, yes, that’s my little duchess. She passed away a year ago yesterday.”

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Sophia disappeared after a burglary.

Sophia, the five-year-old pit bull that disappeared after a break-in at her East Lake home, was found late last night several miles away in a city park.

Her owners, Johnny and Krista Kral, say she’s in good spirits after her four-day disappearance. The Krals had suspected that Sophia was taken during the burglary — and feared she’d be sold into dog-fighting because of her breed.

According to Krista Kral:

She was so excited to be back with us. Her tail would not stop wagging, even while she was laying down almost asleep. She was really exhausted, ate an entire bowl of food in a matter of seconds, and smelled like a sewer rat!

She looks good overall. She has a bunch of scratches on her belly, most likely from brush, some bug bites, and some serious callouses on her paws, but nothing major. She has her own bed since she takes up so much room, but last night we couldn’t stand to not hold her. We gave her a good scrub-down and cuddled with her all night.

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A pit bull named Sophia who disappeared during a burglary last Thursday and might have been stolen still hasn’t turned up. Her owners, Johnny and Krista Kral, are now offering $1,000 — up from the $500 we reported last week — for the return of their beloved pet.

The Krals fear that Sophia may have been taken and sold into dog-fighting, despite the fact that her docile, submissive nature would make her useless in the ring.

Atlanta’s 11 Alive and WSBTV both aired stories last night about Sophia’s disappearance.

Here are are the stats on Sophia: black and white with black eyeliner, one black ear and white, and a white tip at the end of her tail; medium-sized (about 60 pounds); very sweet but very timid and will probably not come to you if called; extra timid around men and will not bite.

Sophia might be in the vicinity of the couple’s home, located just south of Glenwood Avenue and the East Lake Golf Club near the corner of Barberrie Lane and Parker Avenue. But she might not.

The Krals ask that you please be on the lookout for Sophia and call 404-784-2469 or 404-451-1460 if you see her or have any leads as to where she is.

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Sophia disappeared after her home was burglarized

A couple whose East Lake home was burglarized yesterday lost far more than their flat-screen TV and Xbox. Their five-year-old dog also disappeared.

They fear that the dog might have been taken during the burglary, perhaps because of her breed. Sophia is a pit bull/American Bulldog mix.

Krista and Johnny Kral estimate that the burglary took place around 3 p.m., when they were both at work. The door to their home — located just south of Memorial Drive near the East Lake Golf Club — was kicked in.

Here are are the stats on Sophia: black and white with black eyeliner and a white tip at the end of her tail, medium-sized (about 60 pounds), very sweet but very timid and will probably not come to you if called, extra timid around men and will not bite.

The Krals ask that you please be on the lookout for Sophia and are offering a $500 reward for her return. She might be in the vicinity of the couple’s home, located near Barberrie Lane and Parker Avenue. But she might not.

Please call 404-784-2469 or 404-451-1460 if you have any leads on Sophia.

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Veruca is expected to survive her gunshot wounds

Last week, a woman’s pit bull mix was shot by an Atlanta cop in her back yard. According to a statement from Atlanta Police spokesman Officer Eric Schwartz, the incident is under review.

Schwartz’ statement is consistent with dog owner Tracy Dummet’s version of events, but adds that the officer was attacked by the dog.

Dummet had run to her front door after she saw an officer racing down the sidewalk in front of her Sylvan Hills home. By the time she opened the door, the officer — who was in pursuit of a suspect — was making his way toward her back yard, which is enclosed by a privacy fence. Dummet heard the officer yell “freeze,” then she heard gun shots. She ran to her back door to call her dog, Veruca, who’d been playing outside.

According to Schwartz’ statement:

The officers were chasing a suspect on foot and when the suspect jumped a fence, one officer followed in an attempt to stop the fleeing suspect. At this time the officer was attacked by a pit bull and in fear for his safety, fired his city issued weapon, striking the dog. The incident will be reviewed by our office of professional standards as is the policy when an officer discharges their weapon.

Veruca, who was shot an estimated four times, including once in the face, is expected to survive.

When asked if the officer was OK, Schwartz replied, “Yes.”

(Photo by Manuel Llaneras)

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Tracy Dummet was lying on her couch watching Oprah yesterday afternoon when she heard a commotion outside.

She went to the front door of her Sylvan Hills home and saw a cop running toward her back yard, which is enclosed by a six-foot privacy fence. She heard him yell, “freeze!” Then she heard gunshots.

She ran to her back door to call her pit bull mix, Veruca, into the house. Her other two dogs, Rosie and Mayfield, already were inside.

When Veruca came bounding up, blood was streaming from her face.

It turns out that the dog had chased a police suspect through her yard after he’d scaled the fence. The cops were close behind him. Upon seeing the dog, one of the officers pulled his gun. He shot her four times.

To Dummet, it looked like her dog’s snout had been blown off. “Immediately I thought, they killed my dog.”

Miraculously, Veruca survived. She’s in stable condition at a local vet. She has bullet wounds to her face, her front leg, her tail and the base of her spine. Early estimates of her medical costs are $5,000 to $7,000.

When contacted today, Atlanta police spokesman Officer James Polite said, “I’m trying to see if there’s anything to that. I’m curious to see what transpired.”

For an update, with photo, click here.
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During the last 10 years, people have given Cara Brown a lot of crap for not using her Georgia Tech industrial engineering degree. Literally, that is — she works as a poop scooper for Dirty Work, driving to her clients’ yards and picking up where their dogs left off.

Her post-graduation desk job bored her. “I was tired of the solitude and being indoors. It’s all about doing what you enjoy, and I really love being outside and with animals.”

Although the majority of her business is residential, she also scoops for condos, kennels and events such as Turner Field’s Bark at the Park.

She cleans some litter boxes and rabbit cages, but also takes care of “any kind of wildlife poop” in the yard. “We try to pick up anything we find, or the dog could eat it.”

She’s retrieved paper money and a diamond ring that dogs had eaten, and once came across the plastic eyes a dog ate off a toy. “The pile of poop was looking up at me.”

“People are always very careful what they call it. You know they want to use the ’s’ word, but they’ll say something like ‘feces’ or ‘No. 2.’ ‘Poop’ is the biggest.”

Photo by Joeff Davis

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Enough already! Senators McCain and Obama are playing coy this Memorial Day weekend about their vice presidential selection process.

I’m not going to play that game; I’m going to level with the American people: Yes, I’ve been entertaining political leaders this weekend with the express purpose of vetting them as possible running mates.

We’re checking into geographical, ethnic and regional balance, as well as chemistry, and so far I have two frontrunners. One is an aggressive, white male with a strong instinct to go on the attack, no matter what the situation. The other would be a more revolutionary choice: She comes from a mixed background and likes to chew on leather. Both are southerners with natural charisma.

Please let me know if you’d like to be considered as well.

Below is a photograph of the two. The one on the left is Coconut. The one on the right is Peanut. Please let me know your preference or if you have a pet who’d like to be considered as well.

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ATLANTA HUMANE SOCIETY FREE MICROCHIPPING ON SATURDAY: “First, my testicles. Now, my civil liberties.”

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Smalley, with King, a pit bull available for adoption at www.fultonanimalservices.com

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Fulton County Animal Control officer Robert Smalley doesn’t just catch dogs. He’s a member of law enforcement. He writes tickets, which can even lead to prison time.

How long have you been in animal control?
Twenty years.

How did you get started?
I was impressed when watching animal-control officers handle coyotes and bears in California. I lived there at the time. So, when I moved to Atlanta, I answered an ad.

Have you ever seen a dogfight?
Yes, evidence of dogfights. They disperse when they know we’re coming. I look for scarring, scratching, their demeanor and animal behavior. … [There is] a lot of dogfighting in Atlanta. In northwest and southeast Atlanta [especially], mostly [in] the city, because of the income and they can hide them.

What type of animal behavior do you see?
They cower, [do] not look at you. One’s been doing it a lot will charge — no warning.

Why do they cower?
They aren’t aggressive. [The owners] can’t use them for fighting [so] they beat them, and throw them in the street if they don’t kill them. [The dogs] live in deplorable conditions, low-income housing. They can’t pay their rent, can’t feed their families, but are taking care of the dogs. If the dogs are abused, there is abuse in the home; beating their wives or their children.

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Bell: Hotel Indigo, which has a canine cocktail hour. They have a whole buffet bar with a whole selection of dog treats. It’s a little overwhelming. But it’s great sitting on Peachtree out there on the patio. My owner loves to watch everybody go by, especially if anything is going on at the Fox. When they come to your table they bring a bowl of water for me. I don’t meet many dogs because I prefer people.

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Lupee: TreeHouse. I’m not a chain-restaurant dog. My palate is above that. I like to sit out there and see other dogs and I usually get to eat something pretty good, like chicken or a salad. My owner is a sucker, so I usually get whatever I want. And they’ve got this great big deck outside. It’s a real laid-back atmosphere so it’s really fun to go and kind of sit out there on the porch all night and just be real lazy and eat and drink.

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Ollie: Brewhouse Café. All the waiters are very dog-friendly. Some restaurants say it’s all right to have a dog on the patio, but then the waiter won’t come within 10 feet of the table. The first thing the waiter does is come over and bring me a bowl of ice water. I feel as welcome as anyone else in the party. I’m pretty much busy with the Kongs my owner brings so that I don’t disturb the humans. And the human beverages are fabulous. The Pain Killer is delicious.

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Last weekend, my 6-month-old black Lab and I came across a row of zealous dog lovers on our usual Saturday morning trip to Piedmont Park’s off-leash dog park. Right outside of the dog park, about 15 demonstrators were chained to individual dog houses making a statement against owners who chain their dogs.

Tammy S. Grimes (above), founder and executive director for Dogs Deserve Better, put on the event and stood proudly outside of her dog house.

Kelly Hamilton (above), who came all the way from Kentucky to participate in the event, sat happily with my puppy while I took some photographs.

Photos by Tammy Vinson

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