Dear Diary, It’s 3-18-2003, and It’s I, Doll

Today was a whiz. Tina started caring for our dogs at 6:30; I was walking Stella, and Maxamillion, to their day area. They spend the day with pal dogs, Cookie & Atta. It’s great, Annie, our resident senior, Stella, and Maxamillion, the young feral dog I was able to socialize, all slept the entire night on their pillows. Of Course Cindy, my boo-boo-baby slept on my feet. I didn’t let out the futon for everyone to join me. I was too lazy. I like a neat room. It is faster to straighten the futon if it isn’t let out.

The day was simple, and pleasant. It was a warm breezy spring day – only partly cloud cast.

After Tina and I had sanctuary duties behind us I left for supplies; feed, litter, the works. It was great that Sherri gave us dog food on Friday, and Bob & Robin brought us more yesterday. We let them have three metal crates that had been given to us. They were in dire need – so were we.

This afternoon I headed for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Dept. to speak with one of the deputies who aided me with the two-pup neglect case that has been dragging on. I wanted to let the deputies know that I am filing neglect charges. Their guardian clearly is no more serious about the care of the pups than when we first found them chained to his fence in the rain. He’s a Greenwood Cop. Go figure! I am also writing his chief. He needs to know that his officer not only neglects pups, he gave his girlfriend’s daughter a black eye.

I was happy to run into Atty. Weaver in front of the courthouse. I tried to catch up with him last week. We will meet next week to discuss our strategy for seeking a change in the sample affidavit for Mississippi’s toughest anti-cruelty statute. The sample affidavit adhered to by most court clerk’s strips the statute of its intended protections. The affidavit reads “with intent to kill, or injure”. In most abuse cases intent is not so easy to prove. Example: Slow starvation is accepted stupidity by most Judges.

On the way back I picked up Mr. Ride-Mower, my dear friend this time of the year. I put him to work the second I got a neighbor to help me unload him. I also bribed our neighbor to pull down three partial old fence strips that hadn’t been pulled down from our old area. Coincidentally, James Townsend left a message for me today. He’s the man who did such a splendid job of keeping our grounds grass season-before-last. I pray we can come up with the money to hire him for the season. It’s $500.00 a month.

This past weeks cruelty cases were routine except one. It took a real spin. The informant seems to be the villain in this case. Yes, a number of the 15 horses Bob and I inspected were underweight, one severely. However, the horses were recently purchased from sells. They often are in terrible shape. The woman who has them is a dealer who does seem to care. She actually seems to buy some horses out of pity. She has the vet, and farrier bills to prove it. The caller is actually her neighbor who she reported to me a couple of years ago. He had confined one of her dogs on his property and vowed to deprive it of food and water. Even the Sheriff didn’t take the action he should have until I told her what action to take. Has killed one of her dogs, and wounded her horses and at least one other dog. He held one of her visiting young relatives at gunpoint for accidentally riding up his road on her 4-wheeler. I am investigating his background with a plan in mind.
This all started over a land dispute.

We are in the midst of a thunderstorm. Since computers are vulnerable to a strike I am going to close.

Bye ‘til next week.