animals

Stephen Edmonds was driving his Genesee ARC trash pick up route this morning on Ross Street when he spotted this deer and snapped this picture for us.

A pair of aggressive dogs have reportedly killed chickens at a property in the area (we didn't catch the location) and are being aggressive toward the property owner and refusing to leave the property.

The owner reportedly mentioned having a gun and wanted to shoot the dogs, but was advised by a dispatcher not to shoot the dogs.

A deputy responded and now has the dogs in his vehicle. Animal control is also responding.

UPDATE 9:48 a.m.: It's a trooper on scene. A deputy at the animal shelter asks if he needs to bring a snare. The trooper responds, "two Labradors, they just hopped in my truck, wanted to go for a ride, I don't think you'll need a snare, but bring it just in case."

"Sydney," an older, slender German shephard owned by Andrew and Carrie Lathan, is missing.

She was wearing a pink collar when last seen yesterday heading southbound on Route 19 in Le Roy, just past Munson Street.

Anybody with information can call the Lathans at (585) 768-2278 or contact the Le Roy PD.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: Thanks to readers of The Batavian, according to the dog's owners, we are happy to report that Sydney has been located and returned home safely.

Abigail Engel is looking for help locating her lost 4-year-old cat. The feline has been missing for several days now.

He usually just stays inside her Darien home and has never been outside for 24 hours before.

The cat belongs to Abby's brother, who is presently stationed in Japan.

Anybody with information can call (585) 813-5508.

Didn't catch the address, but a caller to dispatch reports that two very large Newfoundland dogs, "Newfies," are sleeping on her porch. They are nice and friendly but she has never seen them before and has no idea who their owner is.

An animal control officer is responding.

UPDATE 2:27 p.m.: We believe the Darien address is 1402 Erie Road.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: The officer has picked up the pooches and is taking them to the Genesee County Animal Shelter.

A large turtle that's injured is reportedly laying in the roadway on Main Road in Stafford. Law enforcement is responding.

UPDATE 11:01 a.m.: "The turtle's been removed from the roadway and I'll be back in service," says the officer.

"Lola" thought about trying to make her escape today, but once on the roof above the porch of her home on Pringle Avenue, she wasn't quite sure of her next move.

A neighbor tried getting to her with a ladder, but she was too big and hard to carry on his own.

Police were called, who called the fire department.

The owner wasn't home, but firefighters were able to gain access to the house and went to the second floor. Firefighter Bob Fix opened a window and called to her.

At that point, "Lola" gave serious consideration to jumping from the roof. Onlookers yelled, "no," and Fix called her again. She turned and walked into the house through the window.

When Fix came out, he said "Lola" was standing on the kitchen table.

About this time, the owner returned from a bike ride with her children.

It's not the first time "Lola" has done something like this, she said. At their previous residence -- the family recently moved to Pringle -- "Lola" jumped from a second-floor window.

"She's crazy," she said.

Then her children got tours of the fire truck and the police car.

(Initial Post)

A resident reports there is an Irish setter on the roof at 30 Pringle Ave. in the city. The fire department is responding.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m.: Truck #15 is responding with its ladder. The home was recently purchased and the owners are not there. The dog busted through a screen on the second floor and is just hanging out, perhaps enjoying the scenery.

UPDATE 6:54 p.m.: "Lola" the dog was put safely back in the home, coaxed by firefighters. The owner, who was out for a bike ride, subsequently returned.

UPDATE 6:56 p.m.: Truck #15 is back in quarters.

A horse is reportedly loose on Pratt Road.

The owner was reportedly riding the horse and the horse stopped cooperating. She's concerned it may run toward the Thruway.

A deputy is responding.

UPDATE 9:07 a.m.: Deputy on scene. Horse nowhere in sight. Caller being re-contacted.

UPDATE 9:08 a.m.: The owner and the horse are reportedly in a field behind Ridge Road Village Park.

UPDATE 9:29 a.m.: A deputy to another, "She's got that rope over it, but he's not a real willing participant."

UPDATE 9:32 a.m.: Horse re-harnessed. No further law enforcement assistance needed.

A 77-year-old Thorpe Street resident has been arrested by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and charged with animal abuse.

His son, a Middlebury resident, was also arrested.

The arrests follow an April 28 report in Middlebury of 50 chihuahuas being dropped off on a property in Middlebury.

Joseph Wenzel Jr., of Bank Road, Middlebury, allegedly made the 9-1-1 call.

The day before, according to the WCSO, a Batavia PD officer responded to a residence on Thorpe after receiving a barking dog complaint. The officer reportedly observed eight dogs at the residence, but the homeowner did not come to the door.

The officer left a contact card and information was passed on to the city's animal control officer.

When Wenzel Jr., contacted law enforcement, he said he had fed the dogs and the dogs were contained.

An animal control officer and a deputy responded to the residence and decided to leave the dogs in place until the next morning.

Upon further investigation, Investigator Mayer and Deputy Ficarella determined that Wenzel Sr. allegedly dropped off the dogs after the visit to his residence in Batavia.

He reportedly told officers that he could not take care of the animals any longer.

Wenzel Sr. was subsequently arrested and charged with 44 counts of animal abuse and is being held in Wyoming County pending arraignment.

Wenzel Jr. was charged with 44 counts of animal abuse and falsely reporting an incident. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Driving down Bridge Road in Elba this afternoon, I see some strange looking birds near the edge of the roadway. I naturally stop to take pictures.

While stopped, I meet George Morgan, the owner of the birds. He tells me they're guinea hens, native to Africa. He also shows me his peacock (bottom photo).

Morgan said he's owned guinea hens for 30 years.

"They're just a riot," he said. "They're lots of fun. They chase each other. They play tag. I always enjoy a good laugh."

Heather Klein is still looking for help in locating her missing chihuahua, Belle, who ran from her kennel March 17.

Belle split without her collar on and was last seen at Main and River streets, with sightings at Birchwood, Dewey and Woodrow. She is the color of a deer with white on her neck. She weighs five pounds and is 5 years old and is skittish.

Klein is offering a reward for her safe return.

Heather can be reached at (585) 993-1050.

This was just sent in by a reader:

"We have lost a smooth coat Chihuahua. She got loose late Sunday (this) morning. The dog was last seen around the corner of Main and River. If you see her please call Wendy at 585-409-4617."

Thank you so much,

Wendy

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: A lost dog was found in Valu Plaza and is at the Mexican food store. Not sure if it's the chihuahua or not, but an officer is called to the location.

UPDATE: The tiny canine is still missing. Wendy posted this in comments yesterday afternoon:

"It was not the dog. We are still looking for her. If you see her, she probably won't come to you. Please call with any sightings. Owner's number is 993-1050. She is about 5 lbs, reddish tan with white around her neck."

Yesterday, Lorri Goergen, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, showed me these pictures on her iPad. It's a herd of deer that appeared in her backyard the day before -- in the city, on Spruce Street.

Jazzy won over a lot of hearts in New York City last week, but she made Joanne Mistler's heart soar when a Westminster Kennel Club judge named her one of two finalists among 25 English Setters invited to the competition this year.

It was a male English Setter that won best of breed, but 3-year-old "GCH Birdhavens and All That Jazz" (Jazzy's full name) was named "Best of Breed/Opposite Sex."

Just getting invited to Westminster to show Jazzy was a big honor, Mistler said, but to come home with a ribbon from America's most prestigious dog show is the thrill of a lifetime.

"She just showed beautifully, and she loves to show," Mistler said.

A few years ago, Westminster became an invitation-only show. A dog must score enough points in accredited competitions to get on the short list of dogs who can enter the ring. Mistler took Jazzy to more than a dozen shows in the past 18 months. She won her first major in Chicago, which helped her get into Westminster.

Jazzy was part of the Sporting Group. (Groups are what you see on TV, not the breed competitions.) The male that won English Setters advanced to the group, and from the four groups, Westminster judges picked Best in Show. This year, Best in Show was Banana Joe, an affenpinscher.

For owners who show dogs, getting to Westminster isn't cheap, and the payoff ... well, unless you get Best of Breed at Westminster followed by some endorsement deals, there isn't much money to be made from dog shows.

"People say, how much do you get? How much money do you get," Mistler said. "I say, you get a ribbon, that’s it. But this ribbon -- this is prestige."

Mistler started showing setters in dog shows in the 1970s.

She and her husband bought a setter when her twins were 2 years old, and one day she was walking down a New York street and a member of the Staten Island Kennel Club asked her if she ever showed her dog.

She hadn't. He said the club was having a "fun show," and she should enter.

She did, and her dog won.

"Of course, I was hooked," Mistler said.

Her son, local businessman Ken Mistler, said he went to a lot of dog shows growing up.

In the days before Westminster was invitation-only, Joanne Mistler did manage to enter the competition -- entries would open at noon and be closed (sold out, essentially) by 12:30 -- so getting an invitation this year was itself something special.

There were 2,800 dogs in this year's competition, with 25 English Setters, and of those 25, nine were females.

Owners showing dogs must be there by 9 a.m. and stay until 3 p.m., Mistler said. The public walks through the show freely, meeting all the dogs, talking to owners and learning about different breeds.

"It's a long day for exhibitors, but it's prestigious just to be there," Mistler said. "(Jazzy) had her picture taken a thousand times and was petted by a million people."

Next up for Jazzy is becoming a mother. Mistler said she will go into heat next month.

She already has a prospective mate.

A lot goes into picking a mate for a show dog, Mistler said. Show dogs are judged against a set of standards for the breed, and every show dog has some standard that gets just a little off.

"No dog is perfect," Mistler said. "If she has a tail set too low, you look for a male with an even tail. If she is not deep-chested, you look for a male with a deep chest. You try to offset it."

The owner of the prospective mate loves Jazzy's temperament and the way she showed, Mistler said.

Typically, a pure-breed setter puppy sells for about $1,000. The red ribbon might make Jazzy's puppies a little more valuable.

From the time of Mistler's first show dog until Jazzy's predecessor (a female that wouldn't breed), Mistler always kept a puppy from the litter. With Jazzy's litter, Mistler hopes to resume the line of dogs she's bred.

Picking that puppy is as much art as it is science. At about six weeks, you see bone structure and whether the animal will be well-proportioned.

If your puppy shows, great. If one of the other puppies shows, even better.

"You hope that one of these puppies will be shown," Mistler said. "It’s every breeders dream. The chances are, if you get one to go to show out of a litter, that’s wonderful. That’s what everybody’s dream is, to have the dog that you can say, ‘Joanne bred that dog. That’s one of Joanne’s breeds.’ ”

Abby is missing. Abby is a pure-bred Chesapeake Bay retriever owned by Tom Frew of Le Roy. Tom said Abby has been missing since last Wednesday from the Asbury Road area.

Abby is 2 years old and Frew was planning to use her for foundation stock for his two-dog kennel. She is also his personal gun dog and house pet. He has all the proper AKC paperwork.

Local professional photographer Jay Terkel sent in this picture taken in his backyard in Corfu of a Cooper's hawk making a meal of a starling.

A reader alerted us Saturday that she had seen a swan on the Tonawanda Creek earlier behind Settler's. Sure enough, we found this big white bird hanging out with the geese.

NOTE: A reader contacted us recently suggesting we look into what happens to dead deer left by the side of the road. So we looked into it ...

Dispatchers often call them car vs. deer accidents, but the deer never wins.

If it doesn't die on the spot, a deputy is called to deliver the coup de grâce. 

Some deer are just left to die by the side of the road and when that happens, there can be some expense to county taxpayers for disposal of the animals.

According to Tim Hens, county superintendent of highways, when the county had a contractor to remove the deer, the fee was $30 per animal.

On average, the county had 160 deer a year removed for an approximate expense of $4,800 per year.

The contractor used to feed the dead deer to mink he raised, but recently discontinued his deer pick-up business, Hens said.

That has left county workers the task of disposing of the carcasses.

"It is just not as cost effective when you factor in the loss of productivity to leave an active job to run across the county to pick up one deer," Hens said. "It might be different if you could wait a few days and pick up several in one trip, but most residents don't like the deer lying there for more than a day or two, especially in the summer."

Hens said the county is collecting quotes from potential new contractors and hope to resume a paid pick-up service in 2013.

Not all dead deer go to waste, however. Some become venison stew, steaks or hamburger.

If a driver reports a deer strike, the driver has first dibs on getting the animal tagged, or dispatchers maintain a list of people who might be interested in claiming the animal.

Drivers are only required to report the collision with a deer if their vehicle sustained more than $1,000 in damage or they need an accident report for insurance purposes.

So far in 2012 (as of a week ago), there have been 512 car vs. deer accidents reported to Genesee County dispatchers. In 2011, there were 514. In 2010, 406 (stats from earlier years are harder for clerks at the Sheriff's Office to retrieve from records, so we didn't request those figures).

There are no special permits necessary, according to Linda Vera, spokeswoman for the DEC, to remove deer for disposal purposes.

If a deer carcass is off the road, a farmer can just scoop it up with a loader or drag it off with a tractor and dump it in the woods.

"The DEC encourages the composting of animal carcasses, but the animals are allowed to be disposed of in landfills or other approved disposal areas," Vera said.