Posted on 09/24/2005 11:02:05 PM PDT by 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.
Now this is just a cat, and not a particularly pretty one; just a black smallish cat; last Friday night, she came up to the deck carrying these:
Proving you just never know.
She's probably right.
Pookie barely and begrudgingly tolerates my husband's attention now but it's definitely better than when she first came here.
Back then she'd try and jump through a closed window to avoid him.
It breaks his heart because he's one of those people who's never met a dog who didn't love him instantly.
The NO cops shoved her off on another family who had a son who tormemnted her for "fun", as well.
She's doubly lucky because it's a certainty that if she hadn't come here, she'd have drowned in the dog crate that both "families" kept her locked in when Katrina hit.
Here's another way to look at this one. The dog is alive today. That's the good. Who saved the dog? The woman who now has the dog and wishes to keep it. She saved the dog.
Why did she save it? Maybe it was a big aggravation for her to do so. Maybe she only agreed to take on the aggravation -- that is to save the dog's life -- if she was given non-revokable ownership. What do you think?
If she did, and he agreed, what then?
The dog lives.
The dog lives only because that was the agreement!
I'm for all such agreements. Better the dog live than die.
Me?
Make a mental list of nasty people?
You mean like "holding a grudge" or something?
Oh, never.
We Celts are famous for *never* holding grudges.....>:-)
[bwa ha ha ha!]...;))
Every one of my cats is someone elses cast off pet or feral. My dogs have been too. I've had some very sweet pets.
Precisely.
And I've heard of duress, have you? :-)
You mean like the poster who referred to them as "chattel"?
Now there's a nice dark age term you just don't hear much any more....well, not since slavery was abolished, anyway.
[thank God]
Keep me posted on this story; it's about to ruin my day.
In my day job, I'm Captain Obvious....;))
You think she went down to the animal shelter just to be put upon by somebody she obviously looks down at (see her claim that he lied about being a hurricane victim) and in search of an aggravation?
If she wasn't looking for a dog, what the hell was she doing at the shelter?
The one on the right looks like there was a Siamese in the woodpile!
In dispute. And sounds slimey.
Wyrick met with an unidentified woman visiting the shelter, said Amy Wells, shelter manager.
What is known is Independence resident Lynn Nevills eventually ended up with the dog.
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.
And of course what matters most is this woman has the dog now and not that the man was helpless after a natural disaster and not a situation of his own making. Goodness she's had it all of 2 weeks and we KNOW that trumps 14 years of care and love. WHAT a SAINT she is! Helping a Katrina victim! By victimizing him again.
I have never met a K-9 handler who didn't think he/she was the greatest gift to dogs in the known universe. Not one. A more opinionated lot you will never find.
Here's my Dutch Shepherd pup at eight months.
But the choices now aren't she keeps the dog or the dog dies. The choice is she keeps the dog or she returns the dog to its owner of fourteen years, who (it would appear) gave up the dog, if at all, under extreme circumstances. I agree with you that we don't know the legal subtleties of the situation, but I think most of us know right and wrong. I think your theory that she would only keep the dog if she was given irrevocable ownership is a stretch, at best. Yes, she did a good thing if she saved the life of the dog during the evacuation period, but I don't see much good in what she is doing now. A deal's a deal, but right is right and wrong is wrong. I continue to hope that she and her family are given a good old shaming in their community. She ought to be ashamed, and I think she should be shunned by her neighbors. That might work where legal maneuvers don't.
Twits make me sigh.
FYI, she's recently been posting on Golden Retriever rescue boards looking for breeding stock.
Does that sound especially noble or altruistic to you?
A deal may be a deal *technically* but we're not talking about a car or a Pez dispenser eBay auction here.
This is outrageous! If someone refused to give my dog back I show show up on their front lawn driving a bull dozer and I would ask one more time politely for my dog. If they didn't hand the dog over I would bull doze the front of their house in. I'll bet I wouldn't have to tho, I bet I'd get my dog back.
Golly! I know a real superhero!
(ala Who's Line Is It) ;)
Answers to the name Lucky?
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