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Tigard Police Animal Abuse Funds Assist Another Dog in Need

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	City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd. Tigard, Oregon 97223	Press Release December 18, 2003
For Immediate Release
Contact:	Jim Wolf Public Information Officer Tigard Police Department Phone: 503-718-2561 Pager: 503-795-2391 Email: 27047@tigard-or.gov

Tigard Police Animal Abuse Funds Assist Another Dog in Need
Tigard Police developed an animal abuse fund earlier this year. The fund provides an immediate resource in the event Tigard Officers encounter situations of injured, abused or neglected animals. The onset of the "fund" coincided with the public outpour of monetary support to assist with the costs to provide medical care for an abused dog rescued by Tigard Police. A portion of the funds that were collected over and beyond which was needed for the care of "Angel" the dog, went to various agencies in our area, at the request of the donors. One such allocation was sent to OFOSA (Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals) on behalf of Tigard Police and its generous supporters. OFOSA provides a direct support link to the Bonnie L. Hays Shelter in Washington County.

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OFOSA contacted Tigard Police recently and related this story. At the end of September, a Chihuahua "mix" dog escaped from a vehicle parked in a shopping center parking lot near Murray Rd. and Tualatin Valley Highway. Shortly after, the dog unfortunately was struck by a vehicle. The driver of the vehicle stopped and contacted law enforcement. Several hours were spent searching for the dog with negative results. Later, it was then learned that the dog was seen occasionally on the grounds of Valley Catholic School in Beaverton. Several students and faculty recall seeing the dog and also made efforts to feed or capture the animal, but without success.

Approximately four weeks after the dog was struck and injured, a woman residing about 1 � miles away from the accident location, was able to coax the dog into her home. The woman immediately contacted Washington County Animal Control to report the injuries, which were obvious. An interesting facet to the story is that the home where the dog ultimately received help was located next door to the driver of the vehicle that struck the animal. The driver immediately recognized the dog as the one involved in the accident about a month earlier. Rebel's owners were not located. OFOSA was contacted to ascertain if they be able to assist with the extensive care that appeared necessary. Initial prognosis was not encouraging by veterinarians; however one doctor offered to help.

"Rebel" has since undergone surgery to repair the damages and injuries he sustained. Most noticeable is the broken jaw that was repaired. "Rebel" will have to make permanent adjustments to his eating habits and types of food he can consume. However, he is functioning and normal as a happy animal can be. It often is said after seeing "Rebel" that he has a permanent, crooked smile. Currently "Rebel" is being cared for by a foster family under the direction of Washington County.

OFOSA used the funds that were allocated by Tigard Police to obtain the medical care for "Rebel." As a result, OFOSA would like to officially receive the payment from Tigard Police and publicly thank everyone who may have been involved in obtaining the necessary medical care for the dog's survival. Rebel, along with representatives from OFOSA will be at the Tigard Police offices on Friday, December 19th at 10AM to receive the check. Feel free to attend and see first hand another rescued animal that got a second chance.