Paw Patrol pushes forward with work to protect abused animals
An emaciated dog in the midst of being rescued. Some of Paw Patrol’s rescue photos are too graphic to publish under Copper Beacon’s editorial policy. Photo provided by Paw Patrol.
Editor’s Note: The name of Paw Patrol’s founder has been withheld to protect her safety.
One day about a year ago, a woman got a call that changed her life. An extremely emaciated dog was running loose, the caller said. The woman who received the call, a dog lover and animal abuse activist, dashed out to assess the situation.
“The dog was very, very skinny, and you could see that he was not well,” she recalls.
She did some investigating.
“Allegedly the owner became involved with a controlled substance,” she says. “He allegedly knew that the dog was sick, but instead of getting veterinary care, he locked him in an abandoned building. Somebody found him there and turned him loose.”
The dog was eventually caught and taken to a veterinarian.
“But he succumbed two days later,” she says. “It was heartbreaking.”
The next day she started Paw Patrol of Houghton County, a group whose goal is to raise awareness about animal abuse and encourage prevention.
“While we may not be able to save every animal affected by animal cruelty, we will raise awareness so that everyone can contribute to its prevention,” Paw Patrol’s founder says.
Asking County Commissioners for Help
Paw Patrol representatives spoke at the Aug. 15 meeting of the Houghton County Commission. They presented statistics about the number of animal cruelty reports logged by local police departments and the Copper Country Humane Society. Each month in Houghton County, there are an average of 67 animal abuse cases reported. They have resulted in only two arrests and one prosecution, a Paw Patrol member said.
The group also presented a petition circulated in Houghton County with 1,415 signatures, asking the County Commission to appoint an animal control officer.
“We are the voice of the voiceless!” the petition said.
They also gave commissioners photos of abused animals.
“We are asking you to please help us put a stop to the senseless mistreatment and brutality that these animals are going through and help us save some lives,” a spokesperson for the group said. “We personally receive multiple reports every week of cases of animal abuse, cruelty and neglect. These reports range from hamsters to horses. We never know what each report will involve, which is why we need an animal control officer dedicated to these situations, as none of us are law enforcement officers and cannot always safely resolve the situation.”
Why the name ‘Paw Patrol’?
Paw Patrol’s founder chose to name the new group Paw Patrol, which is also the name of a popular children’s cartoon program. It seemed a good fit.
“The cartoon teaches lessons about caring for animals,” she explains.
That message is reinforced through the cartoon’s partnership with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Paw Patrol of Houghton County partners with several local animal protection organizations, including the Copper Country Humane Society, KSNAG (Keweenaw Spay and Neuter Assistance Group), UP Wildlife Rehab, Keweenaw Wild Bird REC, Natalie’s Blind Sanctuary and Rescue, Michigan Humane, and Hoppily Ever After—a rabbit rescue group based in Laurium.
“Animal abuse and neglect are huge problems in our society-- and the Copper Country is no exception,” says Julie Badel, a Paw Patrol member and attorney from L’Anse. “Without a group like Paw Patrol, there is no one to speak for the animals.”
Badel is past chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee.
Horses Require Rescuers, Too
A neglected horse, mid-rescue. Photo courtesy of Paw Patrol.
Natalie Este, the founder and president of Natalie’s Blind Sanctuary and Rescue, shares her own horror stories of abused and neglected horses.
Este, who is passionate about horses, received a call last year from a woman who was boarding her horses locally. She was concerned about their health and care. When Este investigated, she found that the woman’s mare was “a rack of bones that could barely walk.”
“The horse was eating hay that was covered in feces,” she says. “There was no water in the water tanks and no shelter. Horses must have adequate shelter, clean hay and water.”
Este rescued the mare and her foal and took them to her veterinarian, who treated the horses but eventually discovered maggots in the mare’s hooves that were destroying the hoof bone and causing a significant amount of pain.
“There was nothing to do but euthanize her,” Este says.
She buried the mare on her own property. The younger horse fared better.
“The baby has blossomed,” Este reports happily.
She decided to turn her rescue efforts into a state and IRS-licensed nonprofit that currently cares for 10 horses, five of them blind. Este has a special passion for blind horses, which are usually sent to kill lots where they are slaughtered and their flesh sold for meat.
She is planning to expand her rescue operation to accommodate more horses.
Potential For Law Enforcement Officer Training
Paw Patrol asked the Houghton County Commissioners for more training for law enforcement officers in handling animal cruelty reports. Eventually, they would also like to see the county appoint a trained animal control officer.
“We aren’t law enforcement officers. There’s only so much we can do,” the Paw Patrol founder points out. “We collect all the evidence we can legally obtain and turn it over to the sheriff.”
Houghton County used to have an animal control officer, Sheriff Joshua Saaranen said, but the position disappeared in the 1990s due to budget cuts. The main purpose of that program was to collect stray dogs, an activity that has been turned over to the Copper Country Humane Society. The county contributes $15,000 a year to the Humane Society for that service, the sheriff said.
“Training in our capacity and any professional development is key to the law enforcement profession,” Saaranen said.
Most of the animal complaints the sheriff’s office receives are about stray dogs. Animal abuse or neglect cases are reported approximately one to two times per month, Saaranen said.
“If it is determined that there is abuse or neglect, we investigate, receive an opinion from a veterinarian if necessary, and submit charges through the prosecutor’s office,” Saaranen said. “I believe the way that we respond to complaints now on a case-by-case basis around the clock is the most effective and efficient way possible both by practice and financially. That said, any additional training that we could receive will improve our response to animal abuse complaints.“
Paw Patrol is meeting with the sheriff and working with Michigan Humane—a nonprofit that investigates animal cruelty, rescues and adopts out animals—to find ways to provide animal cruelty training for deputies.
“Paw Patrol’s goal now is to get law enforcement officers trained,” the group’s founder said. “I believe that with training, they will be better equipped to handle animal abuse calls properly. I’ve met with the sheriff, and he was kind, attentive and concerned.”
“I don’t love what I do” she goes on to say. “I hate what I do. I hate that there’s a need for what I do. I would drive a million miles to save an animal. There are days when we can’t save the animal, and it literally breaks our hearts.”
Occasionally a report turns out not to be true.
“We’re glad when that happens,” she says.
The front of the t-shirt design. Image courtesy of Paw Patrol.
Once, while investigating a report of a dismembered dog, she had to climb into a dumpster. She found no dismembered animal there.
Paw Patrol has 184 members. The group has no website but can be found on Facebook. They are about to offer custom-designed T-shirts through UP North Custom Apparel in Houghton. The manufacturer will sell the T-shirts at cost, and Paw Patrol will not make money on the sales.
