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There's been so many inquiries about Franklin's story, I've decided to let it tell itself by reposting the updates on this little guy as it happened in real time.
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October 9, 2005
Most of you know, some of you don't, that I recently spent time doing research and rescue of animals in the worst parts of New Orleans...(yes, there is STILL A HUGE DEMAND for help!).. it was sadly overwhelming....but there are lives being saved daily...STILL. One particularly difficult retrieval was this little dog found in the back of a house in a ton of debris. He was attempted to be rescued 8 times with failure....why you ask? Because some animals if already traumatized, the capture itself can be excrutiatingly difficult causing potentially fatal distress (???). Not only was my experience sad, it made it even more tragic to see families returning to New Orleans having lost absolutely everything, and are more distraught over the idea of losing yet...another loved one.
The black and white dog is the dog mentioned above (8 attempts with failure). Don't let his innocent looks fool you....he did an alligator roll on us that was horrific! I could not leave N.O. w/o seeing this guy rescued....(details later). If the owner doesn't get him, I will. Please consider visiting the site (neworleansanimalrescue.com) and help make a difference in everyones lives...not just the animals.
October 31, 2005
Hello everyone.......
It's me, Jeri again....with a brief update on the animal rescues in New Orleans. But first, I have to mention the little dog on the front of the website (which I nicknamed "Franklin" from the street on which he was found) . When I landed in Charlotte for work recently, I had several people right off the bat ask me about Franklin's whereabouts, condition, etc. And I'll get to that.
First, New Orleans is still a wreck.....the animal situation is NO BETTER. We are all overwhelmed, saddened, yet overjoyed at what we DO rescue....and in desperate need of volunteers regardless of what you may be hearing through the media. Thankfully, our supplies needs are met except for a few items (large safe guard traps and a gasoline tanker for our rescue transports and field workers). You would think the situation would improve with time....but what we have are thousands of homeless animals still in the streets who have survived due to F/W drops or have scrounged on their own for food. This will not last forever. Our mission is to work with all the various groups in the field to remove these homeless, starving animals and transport them to safe havens outside of the city. Hopefully, in time, they will reunite with owners or become responsible adoptions. I attended a Joint Forces Operations meeting this past Tuesday in Baton Rouge...and the numbers of animals in Louisiana alone are depressingly staggering.....1,222,000 dogs....this number does not include other domesticated pets. Don't even bother doing the math......it's an impossible task....but we're getting 25-30 dogs STILL a day in our location....multiply that by several organizations doing the same rescues and you see we're saving lots of lives per day....thank God for those little miracles.....and the lucky ones we're able to reach.
Now for Franklin....he's a mess, too. A "trauma statistic". Earlier emails noted it took 8 attempts to rescue Franklin.... when we finally got him, he "alligator rolled on us". Horrific to see. He's not nice to most people....but he's also the dog that wimpered and cried with me when I cried in defeat before his capture. Franklin was transported to a magnificent place, "Camp Katrina"...the Humane Society of Louisiana's headquarters 2 hrs north of New Orleans. When I returned last week, I was called to go check because they were having trouble with him (I agreed if the owner didn't respond, I would be his caregiver). He decided to bite some people. Not surprising. He would bite me....in fact, he would bite everybody....hence, the difficult rescue. I tracked Franklin for 4 days and finally made my trip to Camp Katrina to be with him....just to find out he'd been shipped BACK to New Orleans for behavioral eval. I found out he was near where I'm staying in New Orleans. So after a 22 hour day beginning at 5:00am with field rescue, then driving to Tylertown, MS to see him, I drive BACK @ 3:00am the following day to New Orleans to see the dog. I wait...trade phone calls....wait.....and finally at 3:00pm that afternoon, I get greeted on the phone "they don't have time for me....". OK. I'm upset by now....not to mention I now have a 14 hour overnight drive to Duke for my crew call the next day (because I waited to see the dog). To say I was a Zombie is an understatement. I have yet to see him. But, to show there are fabulous people out there, one of my fellow colleagues who runs Greater Birmingham Humane Society had offered to have that baby transported to her facility in Birmingham, where they have on staff an animal behaviorist. I am willing to see if this dog has post traumatic psychological damage, which can potentially be rehabed, or if his damage is neurological due to storm debris blows to the head. Whatever the case, all the people with whom he has crossed paths out in the field on this horrendous journey, are not giving up on him. I'm certainly not. Will keep you posted.
November 3, 2005
............ never, EVER give up!!!
November 8, 2005
It's with the heaviest heart and deepest regret that I make this final update on my boy, Franklin. The irony of this, will blow you away.
Less than 24 hours after those wonderful pictures and videos were taken of me and Franklin last Thursday playing and romping in the park, Franklin had to be put to sleep. After being transported to Birmingham to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, where he was to stay until my return to Charlotte, Franklin decided to viciously attack my dear friend (and Franklin's biggest ally), Jacque Meyer. Franklin took the end of Jacque's finger off, broke her finger and bit her arm in two other places. Jacque had to be hospitalized. As I witnessed this in horror, I can tell you that Jacque did nothing to provoke this attack....he just went crazy. Unfortunately, this was not the first time he had done this to people. He had just gotten out of quarantine at So. Animal Foundation for doing the same thing in Tylertown, but not to this extent (at which they called me to come get him). I can tell you that I truly loved this dog......and he was wonderful to me. I also knew that I was the ONLY hope he had, which made this tragic event even more difficult. Jacque's life is precious....and she is a dear, dear friend. She's an animal advocate. She did not deserve this. To say I've been devasted over all this is an understatement.
The last day of Franklins life was spent with me on the phone talking to EVERY SOUL who made contact with Franklin...I felt like a lawyer on the last day of a "stay of execution".....investigating his unpredictable behavior, his former bites, talking to an animal behavior expert who investigates dog maulings, and the only conclusion was what was inevitable. Once an animal gets by with vicious attacks of this nature, it will happen again. In my denial, with ALL that had happened, I still felt Franklin was a wonderful dog. He certainly was to me. I could even stick my fingers in his mouth. The state of AL was required to hold him for 10 days again for quarantine (he just got out)....they could not handle Franklin.....I was the only person who could handle him. I could not be there because of work conflicts.....and the staff in Birmingham was at risk. Even though I could not make this decision and wanted to escape with him..... it was going to be made regardless. I decided that I wanted to be with Franklin all the way to the end. I could not bear the thought of him being abandoned and frightened yet another time before he was put to sleep sometime after my departure. So I played with him....we had fun.....they gave him sedatives....and he fell asleep in my arms. Franklin will rest in Charlotte.
Now the irony. Yesterday, November 7, 2005, the owners of Franklin made contact (72 days after leaving the dog...they didn't even care that he was dead or what he had been through...) Remember that Franklin and I had an instant bond that not even I could put a finger on...he came straight over and sat down by me on first meeting (this photo is still on the site). Those who know me well know how freaky, freaky things always happen to me. They also know what a Beatle freak I am....not to mention the ties I have to John Lennon. Franklin's real name was Ringo. So with that, I say, "John.....I hope we passed the audition..."
Jeri
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Franklin's Story
