This past Saturday I arrived at my parents' house in the Bronx after work to find an abandoned sick dog laying in the driveway. Two neighbors were trying to help the dog who apparantly was having difficulty walking and had swollen eyes and a scraped nose. I tried calling the ASPCA whose number was disconnected. We then tried 311 an emergency response number in NYC but was told there was a call in already for this dog. There was only one Animal Control Unit for the entire 5 boroughs and he was out on a call. One neighbor then called an shelter in Mt Vernon but was told to take him to a vet in Mt. Vernon but he had to be there by 2:00. It was almost 2 and we tried but could not get him into the car.
We along with my dad stood outside in the cold with the dog trying to comfort him. We fed him and gave him water and my sister brought out two blankets because he was shaking. We waited and waited. This poor dog. He was a Neopolitan Mastiff as per our neighbor and didn't look like he had missed any meals. He was quite heavy. We also noticed that his nails on his back paws were quite long as if he were an indoor pet. Where were his owners? We later learned he had been wandering all day in the neighborhood. People had fed him and had called in for help but no one came. This poor dog was to be left to freeze to death in the streets. No one knew this dog and everyone knows everyone's dogs in the neighborhood. We had been waiting outside for over two hours now calling and calling anyone who would answer. Where was the help? We felt helpless. I was so afraid he would die right there on the street. This dog we nicknamed Bear because everyone that passed us had to look twice because of his size and coloring. He was a gorgeous brown with goldish flecks. I had never seen a dog like him and he was so friendly.
Finally, Paul came and the animal control van showed up soon after. Animal Control drove right by us and all 6 of us ran into the street flagging him down. He came and took one look at the dog and told us the heartbreaking news. The dog we had named Bear was most likely to be put to sleep due to his inability to walk and his age. The Animal Control man was kind and gentle with him and said that sometimes people let their pets loose when they get old or are too costly to take care of. At that moment I said my good-bye, my heart was broken and I was so upset I couldn't stay any longer. Paul and the neighbors made sure that the dog was into the truck and I went back into the house feeling like I let the dog down. I wish I could have done more. I wish someone could have helped us and Bear. I wish NYC had a better system to take care of animalsand that Bear didn't have to die but I am glad we were with him at the end and that he didn't die alone in the street.
