Pooch Dogged by Media after Near-Death Escapes
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
April 24, 2003
Dosha, a maligned mutt with snarling resolve, has sniffed out a media frenzy by escaping death.
Three straight times.
The 10-month-old canine with luck to burn is the talk of the town in Clearlake, a city of 13,142 about 90 minutes northwest of Sacramento.
In a few harrowing hours last week, the poor pooch was hit by a truck, shot in the head and, presumed dead, pitched into a freezer at the pound.
Two hours later, the pound's interim director -- curious after learning details of the shooting -- found the shivering, blood-stained animal dazed and near death, but alive. Her black eyes were as round as saucepans.
The puppy's owner, Louetta Mallard, is still jarred by the news and a sweet story of recovery that has stirred widespread media interest.
"Oh my gosh. Lots of tears. Shock. I'm in hysterics," said Mallard, a disabled 40-year-old with a teenage son. "I don't know how she did it."
Dosha, dogged by the press, is recovering at a veterinary clinic in Clearlake, where she has resumed the familiar customs of canine comfort: diving into the chow bowl and scratching herself.
"It was an amazing streak of bad luck, followed by an amazing streak of good luck," said Yvonne Scott, a manager at the Clearlake Veterinary Clinic.
"She's doing lots of interviews."
The trouble unfolded April 15 when the excitable pup, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, bounded over a cyclone fence ringing her front yard and high-tailed it down the street.
Sometime after 10 a.m., Dosha was hit by a truck and tossed to the roadside.
A police officer was dispatched to the scene. Officer Bob MacDonald, fearing the collarless pooch was fatally injured, shot the animal under the right eye.
Dosha, believed to be dead, was taken to Animal Care and Control and placed in a freezer. It's where animal carcasses are "preserved" until they are transferred to a disposal firm.
The pound's interim director, Denise Johnson, rescued a dog she described as "cold."
Outraged animal lovers have sharply criticized police, saying the officer had no reason to pull out his 9 mm revolver and squeeze the trigger.
"At this point, we've found no wrongdoing on his part, based on policy and procedure," said Police Chief Bob Chalk.
The wounded canine, the chief added, appeared to be "gravely injured" and suffering.
Dosha, meanwhile, has a deep facial laceration from the bullet's exit wound and a shattered right eardrum.
"The gunshot wound was kind of minor; there was not a lot of bleeding," said Scott, the vet manager. "Hypothermia was the main thing we had to address when she got here."
Contra Costa Newspapers
April 24, 2003
Dosha, a maligned mutt with snarling resolve, has sniffed out a media frenzy by escaping death.
Three straight times.
The 10-month-old canine with luck to burn is the talk of the town in Clearlake, a city of 13,142 about 90 minutes northwest of Sacramento.
In a few harrowing hours last week, the poor pooch was hit by a truck, shot in the head and, presumed dead, pitched into a freezer at the pound.
Two hours later, the pound's interim director -- curious after learning details of the shooting -- found the shivering, blood-stained animal dazed and near death, but alive. Her black eyes were as round as saucepans.
The puppy's owner, Louetta Mallard, is still jarred by the news and a sweet story of recovery that has stirred widespread media interest.
"Oh my gosh. Lots of tears. Shock. I'm in hysterics," said Mallard, a disabled 40-year-old with a teenage son. "I don't know how she did it."
Dosha, dogged by the press, is recovering at a veterinary clinic in Clearlake, where she has resumed the familiar customs of canine comfort: diving into the chow bowl and scratching herself.
"It was an amazing streak of bad luck, followed by an amazing streak of good luck," said Yvonne Scott, a manager at the Clearlake Veterinary Clinic.
"She's doing lots of interviews."
The trouble unfolded April 15 when the excitable pup, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, bounded over a cyclone fence ringing her front yard and high-tailed it down the street.
Sometime after 10 a.m., Dosha was hit by a truck and tossed to the roadside.
A police officer was dispatched to the scene. Officer Bob MacDonald, fearing the collarless pooch was fatally injured, shot the animal under the right eye.
Dosha, believed to be dead, was taken to Animal Care and Control and placed in a freezer. It's where animal carcasses are "preserved" until they are transferred to a disposal firm.
The pound's interim director, Denise Johnson, rescued a dog she described as "cold."
Outraged animal lovers have sharply criticized police, saying the officer had no reason to pull out his 9 mm revolver and squeeze the trigger.
"At this point, we've found no wrongdoing on his part, based on policy and procedure," said Police Chief Bob Chalk.
The wounded canine, the chief added, appeared to be "gravely injured" and suffering.
Dosha, meanwhile, has a deep facial laceration from the bullet's exit wound and a shattered right eardrum.
"The gunshot wound was kind of minor; there was not a lot of bleeding," said Scott, the vet manager. "Hypothermia was the main thing we had to address when she got here."
posted by Corey at 4:01 PM
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