Katrina evacuee would like his dog back (Nevills REFUSES to return Shuma to owner of 14 years)

The Examiner ^ | September 24, 2005 | Andre Riley

[Former Military Chick]

A chance meeting at an Independence animal shelter has left a relocated Hurricane Katrina victim without his longtime pet.

John Wyrick, who moved to the area from Mississippi following the hurricane, had taken his German Shepherd to the shelter approximately two weeks ago after learning he would not be able to keep it at a temporary residence.

He released his pet of 14 years to a stranger while searching for a place to live. After finding a home, he has learned he can't have his dog back.

Wyrick met with an unidentified woman visiting the shelter, said Amy Wells, shelter manager.

"He wanted the animal shelter to take the dog. They started talking," Wells said. "He decided he wanted to give the dog to her. I told them you cannot do the transfer on our property."

After that point the story becomes unclear. What is known is Independence resident Lynn Nevills eventually ended up with the dog. Wyrick could not be reached Friday.

City of Independence spokesperson Irene Baltrusaitis said the shelter believes Nevills is not the woman who spoke with Wyrick because she differs in body type and description. Nevertheless, at some point Nevills took possession of the dog. After Wyrick found a permanent residence, he approached Nevills about recovering his pet of 14 years.

Nevills reportedly has refused to return the dog. Nevills was at her home Friday afternoon but would not respond to requests for comment. The sound of a dog could be heard outside of her north Independence home.

Residents throughout the area have offered Nevills money or puppies as an incentive to return the dog to Wyrick after seeing the story on television.

Nevills is not a shelter volunteer. She has volunteered with the Independence Police Department's K-9 unit, according to Baltrusaitis.

Nevills and her husband have done grass and landscape work, as well as raised money for the department's K-9 program.

"We don't have volunteers who take care of dogs," Baltrusaitis said." The volunteers take care of other things."

To reach Andre Riley, e-mail andre.riley@examiner.net or call (816) 350-6362.

[Salamander]

Maybe they're just having a generally bad day and acting a bit out of character, then.....:)

[bvw]

Look, sometimes people make tough choices. The woman saved the dog. The original owner made an agreement. He saved his dog -- the price was high, but a deal is a deal. Without the woman accepting that ofer the dog might already have been put down.

The man wants his dog back? Let him make a new deal.

Go start a fund to buy the dog back -- that is, if you want to help, rather than be in the whining chorus.

[bvw]

That takes a lot a patience and persistance -- "dogged" persistance to do what you did for the Yorkie. Kudos!

[DJ MacWoW]

So sorry you don't get it.

[bvw]

Okay, true to some extent. What then accrues is one party versus another assuming no witnesses. A verbal contract. We do have one collabrative statement -- the pound's manager who said "He decided he wanted to give the dog to her." That manager then insisted they take the transfer off the porperty, so as not to make her or the pound be part of it.

That collabrative statement and possesion of the property -- for a dog is property, chattel -- would give the benefit of any doubt of the verbal contract to the woman now holding the dog, imo.

[bvw]

Oh I get it. A deal is a deal. Otherwise is tyranny and socialism. Theft.

[pepperhead]

She may be waiting until the "ransom" for the dog's return hits a higher amount.

It's already up to what...$2000 or so plus another purebred "replacement" dog?

I would think in the end she will find that whatever money she gets out of this will not be worth it. She should give the dog back now before it gets any worse for her. If this gets on any of the big news networks or papers she is going to want to change her name, how she looks and go live somewhere where no one knows her.

[DJ MacWoW]

Oh I get it.

Actually, you don't.

[bvw]

You are also a fan of price-gouging laws I'd bet. How about the "livable" minimum wage? A fan of that theory too?

[JUMPIN JEHOSPOHAT]

Just now found this thread. I'm very, very interested in watching how this story unfolds. You see, I own a service dog. Also, a dog 8 months old showed up at my home right after the Katrina storm. (long story; huge vet bill for the storm dog and having on going dialogue w/the dog's owner)

I pray that the owner and his beloved pet of 14 years will be reunited. Please ping me to other threads about Shuma the German Shepard.

Please take a moment and FEED AN ANIMAL IN NEED

[DJ MacWoW]

Assupmtions are a bad idea and the last resort of those fighting a losing battle.

[MarkL]

At this point I consider the dog stolen property Mark. If it wasn't a living being, I would be more inclined to let the courts settle this pre-resolution. When a living being is involved, I say return the dog and let the two week owner seek remedy in court.

Well, at this point, it appears that neither the police nor the courts believe this is a case of stolen property.

You mentioned that if I owned a car that was stolen, that it would be returned to me when recovered. If so, it's because it WAS determined to be stolen at one time.

While this situation is heartbreaking, I've read a few different accounts of how the dog was tranfered from the posession of one person to another. In some of those accounts, this could NEVER be taken as "theft."

While the woman and her actions are reprehensible, just because she's being mean and awful doesn't mean what she's doing is illegal.

Mark

[bvw]

I guess we can take that as a yes and a yes.

[TAdams8591]

Agreed. This woman is viciously cruel and heartlessly selfish.

[bvw]

Does the "how" of how they are reunited matter to you, or just that gee willikers the poor man MUST get HIS dog back damn all the laws and legit agreements otherwise.

[DJ MacWoW]

I guess we can take that as a yes and a yes.

I've talked to you before but never thought you were thick-headed. Now look what you've done!

The answers are no & no. And what do they have to do with common human decency? Nothing. Another common tactic......change the subject.

[Salamander]

See this poor dog?

She was so severley abused and beaten by a NO cop couple that she'll never be "right" again.

She's been thrown through glass patio doors, beaten with some sort of short stick or cane

[judging by her reactions to certain objects]

"Scared" into a chain link fence in which she became entangled, nearly severing her leg.

The dog is covered with dozens of other inexplicable scars, the causes of which I can only guess.

She is utterly terrified of men.

Every day of living with her is a challenge and most people would have already had her put down because of her spells of hysterical and irrational behavior.

The dog is, in a word, "broken".

That's why she's with me, now.

Her breeder managed to get her back via the "Underground Ibizan Railroad/Rescue" and she was given to me because she knew I'd love her in spite of herself.

She's a lot better than she was but she's not as happy-go-lucky and silly as my other Ibizans are.

Maybe she never will be but it doesn't matter.

She has a loving, forever home with us, no matter what.

The sad thing is, behavior-wise, she listens much better than her spoiled-rotten and pampered little runt of a sister....:)

[JUMPIN JEHOSPOHAT]

Damn right it matters. Why?

[Howlin]

Bless you for wanting and loving her.

This thread is KILLING me today.

I'm always amazed at the utter meanness of people.

[AKA Elena]

I forwarded this story to someone for posting to some of my breed's 'lists'.

One huge item to note is the report in the story that "Shuma" is a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD dog according to the owner's reference to his long term relationship with his dog.

As soon as I sent this I received another disaster linked tale fron a reputable volunteer from PA, who went with a veterinarian friend to a Humane Society of America's "refuge".

Since so many on FR throw stones at such stories and insult the sources, as they did when I posted a request from a Search and Rescue group after 9/11, I did not post this tale of shenanigans, filth, heartlessness, sickness, cruelty and death that this person told as a first hand account.

Shuma's story is not isolated and is, in fact a rampant, familiar and similar scenario to portions of the nightmare one posted to the dog "lists".