ohmidog!

Hurley, a terrier who seemed to finally have his troubles behind him and appeared headed for adoption in Oregon, is now lost.

After a life on the streets, an uncertain future in a California shelter, a trip to Eugene and reconstructive surgery, the terrier was at his first-ever adoption event when he slipped his collar and disappeared, the Eugene Register-Guard reports.

To make matters worse, Hurley is deaf.

The brown-and-white smooth terrier, was among a handful of rescue dogs hoping to find owners at a June 20 event held at Wine­Styles in south Eugene.

West Coast Dog & Cat Rescue co-director Jennifer Clark said that, spooked by some balloons, he wriggled out of his collar and took off.

“He’s definitely the perfect storm of lost dogs,” Clark said, noting Hurley, in addition to not being able to hear, is likely a little skittish.

The Register-Guard reports that he has been spotted twice, most recently near the downtown Eugene bus station last Saturday.

Hurley, believed to have been born deaf, was living in a shelter in California, trying to get over a broken paw, when he was removed  by a Lane County rescue group and brought to Eugene in March. Bush Animal Hospital provided him with free surgery — a $3,000 operation to fix his leg. He was then housed with a foster family for several months.

“I hope that he’s still out there and safe,” Clark said. “It would be great if somebody found him, fell in love and wanted to give him a home.”

(Photo: West Coast Dog & Cat Rescue)

Animal rights groups are criticizing the decision by animal control officers in Navajo County, Arizona to shoot and kill more than 50 dogs owned by a man who was serving a month in jail and couldn’t take care of them.

According to the Arizona Republic, the woman who heads the shelter where the county usually takes stray dogs said the agency could have handled the dogs if someone had called.

“Shooting is not a humane way to end an animal’s suffering,” said Anna-Marie Rea, executive director of the Humane Society of the White Mountains in Lakeside.

“We do feel like the decision made in the field was the right one to prevent suffering for the animals,” said Dr. Wade Kartchner, director of the county’s health department.

The dogs were owned by Edward Harvey, who lives outside of Heber and regularly took in stray dogs. He said he had been jailed for about a month on a gun violation in early May because he couldn’t make bail. He returned home to find some of the dogs’ bodies still on his property.

“That’s more punishment than I deserve,” Edward Harvey. “No one needs to be treated that way, especially animals.”

While the county contracts with the Humane Society of the White Mountains for shelter services, county officials said the dogs were aggressive, would have been difficult to round up and would likely have died in the county animal-pickup vans, which aren’t air-conditioned.

Rea said the humane society could have dispatched a euthanasia technician, food, water and kennels to the site, or have transported the animals to shelter.

The agency has fielded at least 30 phone calls from upset residents who read about the shooting in a local newspaper.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also are criticizing the shooting.

“Animal-control departments and the Humane Society around the country have dealt with situations where a large number of animals that need to be contained and humanely dealt with without resorting to shooting the animals,” said Betsy McFarland, senior director for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States.

PETA has aksed for an investigation into the shooting.

Whether you think the measure of a civilization is how it treats its prisoners, or how it treats its dogs, it’s clear Navajo County doesn’t measure up too well on either count.

Baltimore’s wackiest opportunity to show off your dog (or other pet) — the American Visionary Arts Museum’s “Pets on Parade” — starts 10 a.m. tomorrow.

The event includes a pet talent show. To enter, show up and register at 9:30 at AVAM, located near the Inner Harbor at 800 Key Highway, at the foot of Federal Hill Park.

In past years, museum officials say, the pet talent show has featured a memorable range of acts, from singing dogs to hermit crabs re-enacting Revolutionary War battles.

In addition to the parade and talent contest, there will be a round of musical chairs and a chance (for pets) to cool off in pools.

Trophies will be awarded for Best Costume, Most Patriotic, Owner & Pet Look-alikes, Least Likely to Succeed as a Pet, and the esteemed Most Visionary Pet Award. Dressing up pets is encouraged but all animals must be leashed or carried.

 
The Pennsylvania SPCA, which will be showcasing some of its adoptable mutts at Philadelphia’s Fourth of July parade, managed to squeeze all the information you need into their patriotic announcement. So we’ll just salute and say no more.