This is a story both amazing and tragic. 25 year old Jake Baysinger disappeared 6 weeks ago, depressed and suicidal. I’ve read a number of articles on this story and one thing none of them mention but that many of the comments, obviously from people personally associated with Jake, allude to, is that he and his wife were and had been separated for some time and he was quite distraught over this and possibly other things as well.

This past Sunday, Jake was found. A local rancher, Kip Konig saw Cash, Jake’s longtime canine friend and companion, in the distance as he checked his cattle in the Pawnee National Grasslands.

Cash, a three year old German shepherd, kept running back to a partially obscured pickup truck.

“I got the sense she was trying to tell me where her master was,” said Konig.

When Konig went to investigate, he found Jake Baysinger’s skeletal remains. He’d shot himself with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was found next to his body shortly after he disappeared on June 28th.

At the time of his disappearance and massive search was undertaken including by air but the area was so massive and dense that he was never seen.

Most amazing is that that Cash stayed with Jake’s body for the 6 weeks since his death. There was evidence that she learned to hunt and sustained herself on mice and rabbits she found. She had the cab of the truck to escape from the weather and for safety from predators in the wild area of Colorado. She was loyal to the end to the man who adopted her as a puppy.

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It always gives my heart a lift when I hear about a lost dog making its way home and a joyful reunion. Sometimes some of those stories have a special twist and this is just one of those that I want to share with you.

In Suffield, OH, a sweet little sheltie named Maggie went missing after a house fire. On July 20th, Rick and Jayelen Oaks’ Galaxy Drive home caught on fire after the propane tanks exploded. Maggie, who is terrified of loud noises, took off after she was removed from the home by her owners.

For two weeks, the Oak’s searched for Maggie, once seeing her in a cornfield. Jayelen called for her but Maggie didn’t come so on the advise of her vet Jayelen went back to the field with some food and sat and waited. No Maggie.

“I brought a book and sat for an hour,” Jayelen Oaks said. “She didn’t come. It was so hard to leave.”

Then last week, 13 year old Matthew Heater was riding his 4-wheeler in the field when he spotted Maggie. At the time he didn’t know Maggie was a missing dog. He went to visit is grandparents and saw the fliers.

Armed with the dog’s name, he went back to the field to try to find her again. After calling for her, his quest paid off and Maggie came to him.

“She looked really healthy,” said Matthew, who speculated Maggie came to his families’ home and ate dog food that had been left out for the familys’ dogs.

Then came the good part, he got to call the Oaks with the good news!

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You hear more and more stories of cities and towns jumping on the BSL bandwagon, brainwashed by the media hype but every once in a while someone with some sanity and knowledge comes forward and says NO! Grand Island, Nebraska has shown just that sanity and intelligence by saying no to BSL and some of the comments are the truest and most honest I’ve heard. Thank you Grand Island for not feeling the need to follow your neighboring cities and towns in the BS of BSL!

While the Nebraska cities of Osceola and Minden have added dog breed bans to their city laws this summer, Grand Island will not pursue such a ban.

The Animal Advisory Board met on Monday and was adamant that a ban on any dog breed not become a part of the Grand Island city code.

City Attorney Dale Shotkoski had asked the board if it wanted to pursue a ban after his office received calls recently about pit bulls.

“Any type of dog can do severe damage,” said Laurie Dethloff, Central Nebraska Humane Society executive director. “We prefer to make the owners accountable, not the breed.”

Dethloff and Humane Society Shelter Manager Jane Kuehn said that accountability comes through things such as property insurance, leash laws, kennels and muzzles for dogs that have a demonstrated history of biting.

“Dogs don’t have a thing to do with their own behavior — people do,” advisory board member Doug Jensen said.

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Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of limited bags of PEDIGREE® Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites sold in Albertsons stores in Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella. There have been no complaints or reports of injury resulting from consumption or handling of the recalled product.

The product should not be sold or fed to pets. Pet owners should dispose of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the empty bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

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A few days ago I told you about 170 dogs and cats being euthanized at Tangipahoa Parish Animal Shelter. There were allegations that the mass euthanization didn’t need to happen as well as that they were performed by heartstick without sedation, a cruel and inhumane method.

At least two shelter employees resigned due to the incident, Betsy Pittman, who was the euthanasia technician for the shelter and Mary Ann Newcomb a shelter worker who came forward with the story of the euthanasia without sedation.

Well, last nite the issue went before the Tangipahoa Parish Council in Amite.

The day I did the original story, Wayne Roberts who volunteers with the American Boston Terrier Rescue in TX, wrote me to tell me about his experiences with the shelter. American Boston Terrier Rescue had pulled numerous dogs from Tangipahoa Parish Animal Shelter in the past and had high praise for the shelter itself and and workers there.

I can assure you that the volunteers and paid shelter workers have always been cooperative and delighted that we were able to take dogs and give them a second chance.

The shelter was clean and well organized and staffed by people who were polite & who seemed to care.

I cannot speak for the Shelter Director, the Vet involved or the Parish Administration - all of whom need to be euthanized BUT the shelter workers were among the best we’ve dealt with.

Last night he followed up with me about the Parish meeting. Here’s his take on it. Quite interesting.

We just got back from the Tangiaphoa Parish meeting in Amite, LA. It was wild. They would only allow 100 people into the meeting, leaving probably 300 or more standing outside. The police were searching everybody for guns. Channel 4 TV from New Orleans was there plus all the local newspapers.

The State Attorney General and the Parish Attorney advised that they have launched an investigation into the Shelter, not only because of this event but also because of other issues through the past few years.

A worker from the Shelter spoke and told the crowd that the Shelter Director and the Parish President both contacted her and told her IF she spoke at the meeting, she would never work in the Parish again. She received a 7 MINUTE standing ovation from the crowd.

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