By Samantha Craggs, CBC News
Posted: Nov 14, 2012 8:49 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 14, 2012 8:45 AM ET
Susan Prontack has a new addition to her family, but she can't bring him home yet.
Prontack has adopted a five-year-old dog named Sherman, fetched from a Louisiana organization called Boudreaux's Animal Rescue Krewe (BARK) when it came to Stoney Creek in late October to adopt out nearly 100 dogs.
Prontack and BARK believe Sherman came from a puppy mill. He is nearly blind, an issue that may be fixed with surgery. He also has two injured legs, including a back right leg that looks as if he was grabbed roughly and pulled.
Prontack says when she brought Sherman home, he appeared to have never played before. He also had a painful ear infection. The Stoney Creek mother of two is now trying to raise as much money as possible — she needs about $3,000 — to pay his vet bills.
"These are not life threatening problems that he has," she said. "It's not as if he has cancer and there's no hope. These things are quite fixable. Even if we could fix his worst leg right now, or get to the point where he's pain free, he could live a normal life."
Sherman was among the latest batch of dogs from Louisiana brought to Ontario in search of permanent homes. The rescue service began bringing dogs to Niagara after Hurricane Katrina. Ontarians showed such a willingness to adopt the dogs that BARK continued with biannual trips, said BARK director Jillian Donaghey.
BARK comes twice a year with about 100 dogs each time. This year, it added Hamilton as a stop. The October event in Stoney Creek was its second time in Hamilton.
While BARK dogs initially came from Hurricane Katrina, now they come from ordinary Louisiana shelters. BARK brings them here because Ontario does not seem to have the overpopulation of dogs that Louisiana has, Donaghey said.
"We've never seen puppies euthanized up there," she said on the phone from Alexandria, La. "Here, they'll euthanize a pregnant dog."
Each time BARK comes to southern Ontario, it adopts out about 80 per cent of the dogs it brings, she said. The organization also partners with humane societies in Niagara.
There are downsides to importing dogs from Louisiana in Hamilton, said Dr. Angela Whelan, a Dundas veterinarian and president of the Hamilton Academy of Veterinary Medicine. In the past, the dogs have been blamed for an increase in heartworm, and they often come with complex health problems. Ontario also has its own share of homeless dogs.
Importing dogs was a good idea after Hurricane Katrina, Whelan said.
"It started for a reason, and it was a great reason, but it's really lost its effectiveness and it's just become a spillover for unwanted dogs," she said.
But Prontack said when she saw Sherman, she had little choice but to adopt him.
"I went in to see all these dogs, not that I was looking to adopt one," she said. "Then I saw this little guy trembling in his crate."
Sherman is back in Louisiana temporarily. Prontack said a veterinarian there will do the work more cheaply than in Ontario, so he's staying with a foster home as she tries to raise money.
Prontack has a fundraiser planned for 5 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 23 at the Green Smoothie Bar. The event will include a silent auction, snacks and reiki treatments, among other activities.
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