pets

Maria Yefremenko says she is desperate to find her orange tabby, which has been missing since the night of May 20. The cat has green eyes and was last seen on Walnut Street in Batavia. He has a small tear in his left ear and small black spot on his right paw. Contact Maria Yefremenko either by e-mail at myefrem@gmail.com or call/text (585) 479-5229.

Ed and Leslie Carney rescued this Chihuahua on Vine Street. Leslie said not even animal control could catch the dog when it was running around in the street. Finally, it got tired and came to take a nap next to her cat on her back porch. The Carneys let it into the house and have had it for two days now. They're hoping the owners will contact them. The dog didn't have any tags. They are at 33 Vine St. or can be reached at (585) 343-0256.

UPDATE: Here's another lost dog, pictured below. This one was found on Genesee Street in Corfu by Rachel Doktor. She said, "she was walking in the middle of the road. Her fur is knotted and matted, looks like she's been without care for a few weeks." I've asked Mary to provide contact information we can share, but in the meantime, I wanted to get this posted.

UPDATE: Here's Rachel Doktor's number -- (585) 297-2241. If the owner isn't found, Mary is looking for a foster home for the dog. If interested, call her.

UPDATE Saturday, May 24: We called Rachel to see about getting the dog pictured below some badly needed grooming. She told us that the day after she found the dog she had it professionally groomed. Its fur was so matted and knotted and neglected for so long that it deformed the animal's paws. So now the toes curl upward. The good news is the dog is all spiffed up and has been adopted by a nice lady.

Pat and John Brumsted, of East Road, near Creek Road and Putnam Road, Batavia, are missing their beagle, DYNO. The pooch has been missing since 10 a.m. yesterday. DYNO is 7 and tan and white and very friendly. Their phone numbers are: (585) 343-6173 or (585) 813-3595.

Owner Dawn Wolcott said they ran off Monday night and haven't returned.

Wolcott lives in Attica. She isn't sure what direction they headed, but is hoping somebody in Genesee County might know their whereabouts.

They are rescues from Buffalo and Wolcott has had them about a year.

Deacon has a white and green collar and tags. Mavis has a red collar and tags.

Wolcott can be reached at (585) 297-3241.

Nina Kelso certainly has her supporters -- friends and family members who have argued passionately on Facebook and on The Batavian that those who judge her and heap insults upon her and even threaten her don't know the full story.

She would never abuse an animal and her dog was ill not from mistreatment, they say, but because he unintentionally ate something toxic.

Darren Dewitt:

Don't judge this one too soon. I've known Nina for years and something is off with this whole deal. My understanding is that the dog was dying and instead of having the vet put it down she let it live out its days at home with the family. The court has the final word.

Lynda Kelso:

Can't help it when a DOG does what DOGS do and gets into something and it makes them sick. ... He got sick and was vomiting. How do u loose weight when u get sick? He was weak from what he ate. They were trying to get food in there right down to baby formula.

Nina Kelso's case began at 6:08 p.m., Feb. 4, when Sgt. Chris Camp and Officer Jamie Givens responded to a report on Hutchins Street of a malnourished dog.

When they arrived they spotted a canine inside that, according to the officers, was emaciated and couldn't stand on its own.

Dr. Fran Woodworth of State Street Animal Hospital was contacted to assist with the health care of the animal.

Woodworth said she arrived at the aninmal hospital around 7:30 and found a dog that was severally malnourished.

"He was emaciated and mentally he was dull and disoriented," Woodworth said. "I don't know how much of that was starvation or, the officers told me that his owner said he had gotten into potentially toxic substances, cigarette butts and incense oil or something along those lines, and that was why he was in shape in that he was in and had lost all that weight in just a couple of days. I don't know if he had gotten into some toxic substances, but he was definitely mentally not normal. He was just very depressed."

The dog had an intestinal infection, pressure-point sores and was blind.

Animal Control Officer James Sheflin began his investigation into the case the morning after the dog was brought to State Street. He took pictures and examined the dog and consulted with the District Attorney's Office on possible appropriate charges against Kelso (she was charged with torturing or injuring an animal, failure to provide sustenance, and owning/harboring an unlicensed dog).

"Honestly, he's the worst shape I've ever seen," Sheflin said. "The sores were over all his entire body. His feet were swollen two or three times what they should have been. His nails were overgrown. He literally didn't have enough strength to stand up. All he could do was lay down."

State Street staff monitored the dog's progress, unsure during those first 12 hours or so if the dog was going to make it.

But after 12 hours, the dog showed enough progress to warrant continued treatment.

Soon, he gained enough strength to stand up and he showed an interest again in eating.

The dog was brought in on a Tuesday and by Saturday it was in good enough health to be transferred to a foster family through Volunteers for Animals.

It's impossible to tell for sure, Woodsworth said, whether the dog ate anything toxic.

"Toxins are typically very short-lived," Woodsworth said. "They do their damage and then there is no sign of them in any blood test. They are gone. There was nothing in the blood work that was tagged as a sign of a toxin."

There's no indication the dog was brought to a vet for treatment prior to Camp and Givens picking them up, Woodworth said.

"He was overloaded with intestinal worms," Woodworth said. "There were pressure sores on all contact points, particularly his elbows and hind legs from being recumbent for so long. He hadn't eaten in weeks and was weak. That kind of emaciation doesn't just happen overnight.

"As far as I know," Woodworth added, "the owner never sought out veterinary help. What the dog needed was better nutritional care and parasite control and better health maintenance."

Woodworth isn't sure why the dog is blind or if the blindness will last. It's a problem in the dog's brain, not with the dog's eyes, she said.

That could be caused by a toxin, she said.

His mental state, depression, could also be the result of a "toxic insult," Woodworth said.

If the dog did ingest something toxic, veterinary treatment sooner would have been advised, she said.

"In fairness to her, the problems that I saw in the dog were primarily starvation and being recumbent too long," Woodworth said. "I didn't find any injuries inflicted by being kicked or being abused violently in that manner."

Woodworth is hopeful about the dog's improving health even if the prognosis isn't yet settled. The dog is in a good place now and that can only help him recover.

"It's too early to say if he will recover his sight," Woodworth said. "He retained his blindness after getting back on his feet, but he's acting normal otherwise. It was a joyful thing for us to see him on his feet and be interested in food by the next morning. He became rather attached to one of our technicians and began begging her for treats. He really showed some dramatic improvement in a short amount of time."

The Batavian tried to contact Nina Kelso through Facebook earlier today so she could tell her side of the story and have not received a response.

UPDATE: Nina Kelso contacted me about an hour after this story was published and said she prefers not to comment while her legal case is pending.

PHOTO: Batavia PD.

Is this your cat? Lori Vosburgh is trying to help find the feline's rightful owner. Here's what she says about it:

Jacob Bukowski was driving on the Thruway Jan. 31st, when he saw this cat laying down in the median between the Pembroke and Depew exits on the Thruway, right before the South Newstead RD overpass and 4 miles east of the Clarence Travel Plaza (Tim Horton's service area).

She was thin, cold, hungry and the hair around her neck was matted. He took her home and then to the vet the next morning. She is a young female, not micro-chipped, declawed and spayed. Instead of leaving the hair matted they shaved a little of it off. She was clearly an indoor cat and very friendly. She smelled like a farm and for obvious reasons was very dirty.

We think she may have been outside for at least a month, as another woman tried to rescue her the first of January but was unable to due to safety concerns with traffic. She reported it with the police but they must not have been able to rescue her.

She's a beautiful sweet cat and I'd like nothing more than to find her owners, or someone that would be willing to take her in. It's amazing that she made it through the bitter temperatures and snowy conditions!

If it's your cat or you can help find the owner, call Brittany  at (585) 297-0297.

Kelly Crocker's dog Tara is missing. Tara was last seen about 4:30 p.m.  Kelly and Tara live on Batavia Byron Road.

Tara may have ran across the Thruway and was heading east.

Tara did not have her collar on when she went missing.

"We tried getting her to come with us but she wouldn't stop running, and it's very very cold out," Kelly said.

Kelly can be reached at (585) 300-8801.

UPDATE Thursday 6:44 p.m.: The dog was found and is safe and warm at home.

Rickelle Chugg is looking for help locating "Romeo."

The missing dog was last seen Saturday night leashed up outside his family's home on Jackson Street.

"Romeo" has escaped before, but always came back home. Not this time. He hasn't been taken to the shelter, Chugg said.

Anybody with information can call Batavia PD at (585) 345-6352.

Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. A canine who lives at 24 Bacon St. in Le Roy thought the time was ripe to make his great escape only moments ago. Everything seemed to be lining up in his or her favor. And so the dog tried to jump from a second-story window onto the porch below, then ostensibly freedom beyond. But an astute neighbor may have foiled the plan by calling dispatch and alerting law enforcement. A police officer is responding.

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."

"Basom" is a black and white dog with smooth, short hair that's been missing since about 4 p.m. Friday. He was last seen in the vicinity of Alleghany and Ledge roads in Alabama.

He is 2 years old with tall pointy ears. He's mostly black, but has white markings on his neck, the tip of his tail, and all four paws.

He has on a black collar with a red, heart-shaped I.D. tag that says Banfield 2393672, Clay County, Fla.

If you see him, please call (585) 762-8375 or (716) 474-4737 or (716) 474-4320.

"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.

"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 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."

MISSING: This 8-year-old Australian shephard answers to "Bindy" and was last seen in the West Main Road of Batavia. There's a reward for the finder. Please call Rita at 716.474.4121.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m.: Rita says the woman who found the dog yesterday contacted her about an hour after this post went up this evening to say Bindy was taken safely to the animal shelter. Because it's now after-hours, Rita won't be able to take Bindy home until tommorrow. Rita said she was overwhelmed with the response from readers of The Batavian who contacted her about the lost dog. And she thanks everyone who tried to help put.