Disabled dogs head to New York

You can sense the adoration in Lee Barnes' voice when he describes some of the 12 Chihuahuas at the Colbert County Animal Control Shelter.

"One is blind and deaf and jumps at first when you pick her up, but then she just melts in your arms," Barnes said. "Another is crippled and waddles like a little duck, but she's just a sweetheart."

The dozen Chihuahuas have various disabilities and ailments. Soon, they will be on their way to a loving animal hospice.

The Chihuahuas were among 47 dogs taken Dec. 31 from the home of a local woman who had become too sick to care for them. They were sent to the Colbert County shelter. As soon as word got out, residents poured into the shelter, eager to adopt the dogs.

Kenny Price, lead officer for the Colbert shelter, said the office was closed New Year's Day, but a story about the dogs was aired on WHNT-19.

When Price arrived at the office Jan. 2, he received quite a greeting.

"When we opened that morning, there was a line of probably 20 people at the door wanting to adopt them," Price said.

By the end of the day, all the dogs that were deemed adoptable had found homes.

Barnes, a local veterinary technician, took things into his own hands. He put the 15 dogs left at the shelter in his care and contacted the local Pets Are Worth Saving chapter.

The organization contacted a New York rescue group called Angel's Gate. On Saturday, Barnes and 12 Chihuahuas will travel to Nashville, Tenn., where a member of Angel's Gate will pick up the dogs and take them to the New York hospice.

Angel's Gate houses animals and cares for them throughout their lives.

"They live out their life there and get all the medical help they need," Barnes said. "A lot of the animals there have medical needs. It's a great organization."

Susan Marino, a registered nurse who helped found Angel's Gate in 1993, plans to fly to Nashville where she'll get the dogs and rent a vehicle for the drive to the rescue shelter.

Marino said Angel's Gate is the world's first residential hospice for animals.

The mission has grown to the point where there are two locations in New York and rehabilitation facilities. It has 85 dogs, 120 cats, a cow with no hind hooves and three horses, said Marino, who also is a veterinary technician and certified in rehabilitation.

"I'm a nurse with every cell in my body," Marino said. "I took care of children who were critically or terminally ill, and now my children have feathers and fur."

Price said the original owner used to raise Chihuahuas and never intended to mistreat them.

"Some of the Chihuahuas were very old, and when you get that old, you have to be cared for," he said. "But the woman got sick and couldn't care for them. The family knew this and called us and asked for help."

He said the owner will not face charges. Her intentions were pure, officials said. "She and the family were trying to do the right thing," Price said.

Chihuahuas are popular pets. Price said he continues to get calls to this day from people asking if any of them remain.

Ginger Cobb, who is assisting Barnes in caring for the Chihuahuas at a local animal clinic, said three of the 15 dogs were healthy enough to be nursed back to health and adopted out.

The rest will go to New York, much to the relief of Barnes, who just wanted them to live out a good life.

"They're all happy little Chihuahuas," he said. "Their quality of life is good. I'm just glad that Angel's Gate can take them."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.