Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / May 3, 1990, edition 1 / Page 12
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Animal Abuse Doesn't Have To Be Intentional BY BOB HORNE The accompanying articlc about a puppy who was found at a school dumpster points out one uninten tional oversight that people should be careful to avoid with puppies or kittens: Don't wrap rope, string, a chain, or even a collar around the pet's neck and leave it. The pet will grow and, as it docs, the wrapping around its neck will become uncomfortable, then painful and finally virtually unbearable. And as the neck begins to grow around the choker, the poor de fenseless pet lives in constant pain and agony. May 6-12 is "Be Kind to Animals Week." In preparation for observance of that special week, and with summer approaching and temperatures already bumping the 90s, Zclma Babson, supervisor of Animal Control for Brunswick County, points out some other traps animal lovers should be wary of falling into: ? Don't leave your pet locked up in a motor vehicle on a hot day, even if you leave the window crack ed. "Heat affects an animal worse than it docs a human, because they have no sweat glands," Ms. Babson says. "The only way they can re lease the heat is through their tongues and they can't do it while shut up in a car." ? Don't fprget to make sure your pet has fresh, cool water. "People often forget an animal that is tied or in a pen," Ms. Babson says. "An animal needs shelter the year around, and needs fresh water. And if the water is in the sun, he isn't going to drink it, because it's scalding hot." ? Don't wrap puppies or kittens in bags and dump them out some where; instead take the lime to give them to someone who will love them. Or take them to the Bruns wick County Health/Animal Con trol Department, but don't leave them at the gate. "Recently, someone left seven puppies in a ticd-up garbage bag at our gate" in the middle of the day, Ms. Babson said. By the time they were found, one had already died from suffocation and heat, she said. All of these acts constitute animal abuse, although no deliberate acts of cruelty arc involved, Ms. Babson said. Slate Statute 14-360 of the Animal Control Law, titled "Cruelty to animals," reads: "If any person shall willfully overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torture, torment, deprive of neces sary sustenance, cruelly beat, need lessly mutilate or kill or cause or procure to be overdriven, overload ed, wounded, injured, tortured, tor mented, deprived of necessary sus tenance, cruelly beaten, needlessly mutilated or killed as aforesaid, any useful beast, fowl or animal, every such offender shall for every of fense be guilty or a misdemeanor punishable to a fine of up to one thousand dollars (SI, 000) and im prisonment for up to one year." The statute goes on to specify that it includes every living creature and that the words "torture," "tor ment" and "cruelty" include acts of omission and neglect "whereby un justifiable physical pain, suffering or death is caused or permitted." Ms. Babson, who is the county's animal-abuse investigator, empha sizes that an act docs not have to be deliberate to constitute animal abuse and urges pet owners to exer cise spccial precautions for their pets every week of the year. Shallotte Man Treated, Released After Accident A Shalloltc man was treated and released from The Brunswick Hos pital Thursday morning following an automobile accident at the inter section of U.S. 17 and N.C. 211 at Supply. John Wayne Gore, 26, of Shallot te, was traveling north on U.S. 17 in a 1983 Toyota at 6:35 a.m. when the vchiclc in front of him slowed to turn right onto N.C. 211. Gore pulled into the left lane to go around ihc vehicle when a third vehicle in front of Gore, a 1978 Pontiac driven by Cynthia King Dale, 34, of Delco, began to turn left onto N.C. 211. Gore's vehicle hit Ms. Dale's ve hicle, then struck a utility pole. Gore, who was treated for contu sions and released from the hospi tal, was charged with improper passing by state Highway Patrol Trooper T.W. Caulder. Cauldcr esti mated damage at S3 ,000 to Gore's vehicle, $2,000 to Ms. Dale's vehi cle and SI ,000 to the Department of Transportation utility pole. In a 4:15 a.m. Sunday accident one-tenth of a mile north of Leland on Rural Paved Road 1435, Cran ston Lamont Andrews, 17, of Na vassa, lost control of the 1989 Nis san pickup he was driving, and went off the left side of the road. The ve hicle then slid backward, struck a tree and overturned onto its top. Andrews was admitted to New Hanover Memorial Hospital for ob servation and was discharged Mon day. State Trooper C.E. Ward charg ed Andrews with driving left of center. Ward estimated damage to Andrews' pickup at $14,000. Brunswick Authors Gather At College Seven Brunswick County authors read selections from their works and talked about writing and getting published Wednesday night, April 25, when Brunswick Community College sponsored its first "Night of Brunswick County Authors." Local authors attending were Dawn Evans Radford, Jean Stanley, Dwarka Ramphal, J.M.M. Holdcn, Elizabeth Zachary, Hugh Zachary and Elizabeth Tandy. In addition, Edna Magers, re cruiter with the Brunswick Com munity College literacy program and a volunteer with the Brunswick County Literacy Council, spoke briefly about adult literacy. The college's library staff spon sored the event, which was held as part of National Library Week. BCC is presently compiling a di rectory of published authors living in Brunswick County. To be includ ed in the directory, call librarian Sharon Smith at 754-6918. AT GRISSETTOWN BRING HOME THEfiBEACON On Sale At GRISSETTOWN SERVICE STATION RANDY'S PORK CENTER WENDELL SMITH'S May 4 marks the 20th anniversary of employment for Larry Gene Blanton of Shallotte with the E.I. Dupont Company of Inland. A 1968 graduate of Shallotte High School and a 1969 graduate of Southeastern Community College with a diploma in air conditioning and refrigeration, Larry joined Dupont in 1970. Since this time he has completed several courses through Brunswick Community College at the plant site, and in 1975 completed three years of specialized training and was certified by the State of North Carolina in Industrial Mechanics. In 1986 he successfully attained Electrical Contractors License and in 1988 Heating and Air-Conditioning Contractors License. Larry is the son of Hubert and Ruby Blanton of Shallotte, is married to Gloria Hewett Blanton and has nnj> ann ./nnn^"" D''? ' ? - > ? ?*. ? w one son, Jonathan Blanton. ^ BWUMSWIC* bfcACONi ?VOTE William "Bill" SISK Republican candidate SHERIFF 29 Years Experience In Law Enforcement Mason, snriner "Let's Make a Change" For Tougher Enforcement 'BE KIND TO ANIMALS' WEEK STARTS SUNDAY Abused Puodv Finds Life With Love. Without Pain rr/ BY BOB HORNE it was a dreary, rainy March 26, fit for neither man nor beast. Short ly after 1 a.m? Brunswick County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Scoggins reported that he, fellow deputy Richard Long and a trainee had found a puppy whose throat ap peared to be cut. The filthy, skinny puppy was found at the dumpstcr at Lincoln Primary School in Lcland. Dispatcher Debbie Somerset ex plained that the county Health/Ani mal Control Department could not be called out after hours except for dog-bite cases and a!skcd if the pup py was bleeding. No, the officer explained, the dog's neck was covered in dried blood but he didn't appear to be bleeding at the time. Then, upon further examination, the officers de termined that the puppy's neck had not been cut; instead, there were three or four strands of "some kind of rope or string" wrapped tightly around the puppy's ncck. And, Ms. Somerset remembers Scoggins say ing, the puppy "needs to be put out of its misery." This is not a fairy tale, but it is a story with a happy ending. And the discovery of that abused puppy, who was to learn that love does ex ist in this world after all, provides a natural illustration of the week of May 6-12, which is national "Be Kind to Animals Week." The officers carried the puppy to the home of Gene Browning, who fed him and kept him in his barn for "MAC'S" NECK was, and still is, a mass of exposed meat after a string was cut out of it. Mel Kitchens took the photo prior to cleaning him tin ?" ? -r ? the night And when Ms. Somerset ended her shift, she left a note for animal control to pick up the puppy the next day. But she could not get that puppy out of her mind. "I guess I just felt close to him from the beginning," she explained Monday. "But I've got a big heart for animals, anyway." Two days later, Ms. Somerset called Zelma Babson, supervisor of Animal Control for Brunswick County, to inquire about the puppy and learned that he had been taken to Dr. W.P. Rabon at Brunswick Animal Hospital. "The meat had actually grown over two strands of string," Ms. Babson said, explaining that the string had been wrapped around the puppy's neck when he was younger and he had grown, with the string cutting into the neck and the neck actually growing over the suing. Rabon literally had to cut the string out of the puppy's neck, Ms. Babson explained. Because the pup py needed continued special atten tion, local groomer Mel Kitchens provided a "foster home" for him. She doctored, cleaned and groomed him and allowed time for him to re cover from the trauma he had just gone through. "I want him," Ms. Somerset told Ms. Babson during that conversa tion, and six days later she picked him up. McMiirnhv. which Ms. Somer set's husband Steve named the pup py, after the McMurphy character on the television program "China Beach," or "Mac," which he an swers to, is doing fine now, more than a month later, although Ms. Somerset says additional surgery might be needed. Mac, now a 12- to 14- week -old mixed yellow-golden Labrador re triever who is very friendly with strangers, lias to stay inside so his neck wounds can remain clean. Of course, that doesn't seem to bother him at all, as he plays and then lies down and enjoys the auention heaped on him by his adopted mas ter. And he has gotten used to the scarf that he wears around his neck to avoid repulsing people who might not understand. Ms. Somerset now has eight cats, three dogs and two birds. And while she says she plans to have children some day, her pets will suffice as her "babies" for now. She speculates that someone tied the string around Mac's neck when he was very small and at some point came to realize what they had done and panicked, per haps fearing identification and per haps not having enough money to pay the veterinarian's bill, and sim ply dumped him out so they would n't have to deal with the problem they created. She says the puppy still experi ences insecurity when he is let out to use the bathroom on rainy nights and won't go unless she puts on her raincoat and goes out with him, "I know he's thinking, 'She's going to leave me,"' she said. 'This puppy didn't know nothing but pain from the word 'go,'" Mrs. Somerset explained. "And I'm sure he was in a litter of four or five and had to fight for every mouthful. "Now, when he sees food, it's like a new experience; he just eats and eats. That comes from going hungry for so long." Debbie Somerset realizes the pain and anguish Mac has suffered in his short life and she plans for him to never again suffer or go hun gry AFTER PROM '90 Junior W/ns $1,000 Cash Prize A West Brunswick High School junior won the SI, 000 grand prize awarded Sunday morning at the close of After Prom '90, a privately sponsored, substance- free party hc!d at 2001, a nightclub at North Myrtle Beach, S.C., following West Brunswick's junior-senior prom Saturday night Sixteen-year-old Sharon Lancas ter, daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Land is lancaster of Shalloue, said she plans to put her winnings in the bank as part of a down pay ment on a car. "I was just in shock," she said Lancaster of her reaction to winning the 6 a.m. drawing. In addition to the grand prize, an other $1,000 in cash was awarded during the party, along with mer chandise and other prizes valued at several thousand dollars. Miss Lancaster was among 136 students to buy tickets for the event, according to Barbara Campbell, one of the organizers of the event. "We had a super turnout," she said. "A majority of the kids ? about three fourths ? were still there when we awarded the grand prize. That says to us that the students do want an alternative." She added that planning for next year's after-prom party will begin in September. Miss Lancaster, who earlier at tended her school's junior-senior prom at Sea Trail Plantation, said After Prom '90 was better than she had expected. "There were a lot of people there and everybody had fun," she said. 4? A i rl i ^ n liAAA T/^ . i i ^ i _ . , <= hv^ivoio, v^hjioGs, Tours, Hotel and *?* I - /-% r ^ V^^4I Rental Reservations ?Individual, Group, Business and Leisure Travel ?Special Senior Citizens Discounts ?Computerized Reservations ?Free Delivery "I&weL connection; (919)343-1397 1-800-821-9056 908 N. 23rd Street, Wilmington, NC We're Your Friend With Connections" ~ VOTE J.R. JIM VAUGHAN DEMOCRAT FOR SHERIFF When asked by the Star Mews what changes he would make in the way the Sheriff's Department was adminis tered. the incumbent stated, "l don't think I would make any changes." I found this disturbing after reading reports that placed Brunswick County number six (6) in per capita drug and alcohol offenses among north Carolina (100) counties. I believe this problem as well as many others must be addressed by the Sheriff's Department. If this means we need to change the way we do things to get the job done, then I'm for change. I'm doing everything that can be done to keep us from being number two (2) next year. ???NTMT SRUMWMC * MA CON A Common Sense Approach to Screening Your Porch! Screen Tight" Vinyl Screen Frame ? Never Needs Painting ? Easy to Install. Repair, and Replace ? No Rusty Nails. Staples, or Loose Screens ? Installed Quickly ? Four Colors to Choose From: White. Brown. Grey, or Beige ? t ow Maintenance There is not a better way to rescreen your porch Fred Reed, Inc. Caii For Estimate (919) 754-9004 Shallotte, N.C. BsepH .TORY SALE For The BEST Results! . qwA-W**' VJoV I. SSK-SU
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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May 3, 1990, edition 1
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