RESOURCES:
Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV)
HSHV Highlights Risk to Pets When Owners are Suddenly Taken or Hospitalized
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And today, we're talking about a heart-wrenching subject that concerns pets and the risk to these animals when their owners are suddenly taken or hospitalized. With me today to talk about this is Wendy Welch. She's the communications director for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. First of all, Wendy, welcome!
Wendy Welch: Thank you!
Caroline MacGregor: It recently came to light that somebody had an interaction with immigration enforcement in the area, and, as a result, their pet suffered quite dramatically. Tell me about what happened, if you would.
Wendy Welch: Well, we received a phone call from a social worker in a hospital to let us know about a dog who had been left alone. And the reason the dog had been alone is that her client had an encounter with federal immigration officers and had been hospitalized and, unfortunately, wasn't allowed to contact anyone. So, thank goodness for the social worker who who called us. We were able to rescue the dog. And, yeah, it's a sad situation. I can't bear to think of what would have happened had the social worker not been savvy enough to call us.
Caroline MacGregor: It also strikes me quite disturbing that this person was not allowed to call you by the immigration authorities. You know, I'm sure the person explained to them the situation and to think that they would not pay attention to the suffering of an animal that had been left alone is quite extraordinary.
Wendy Welch: Agreed. Yeah. I think some of these things haven't been well thought out. And we're just hoping that there's some more comments and compassion that will happen.
Caroline MacGregor: The owner of this dog, I believe, had really gone to pains to create a sanctuary and a good home for this animal, even visiting your Humane Society beforehand. Tell me a bit about the background of the story, if you would.
Wendy Welch: Yeah, he did. The adopter spent weeks earning the trust of this dog who needed that attention, and he came back time and time again, even leaving some of his clothing, so that the dog could get used to his scent. He prepared his home. He talked with our behavior specialists on multiple occasions to make sure that he had what he needed and knew what he needed to this dog acclimate to his home. And it was just really lovely. And all of our staff were pretty devastated at this news that the dog had lost this person and that potentially something worse could have happened had a social worker not stepped in.
Caroline MacGregor: I'm continuing my conversation with Wendy Welch. She's the communications coordinator for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. Do you have any news on the current status of this person with regards to the immigration enforcement? Are they still hospitalized, or have they been removed from the country, or will there ever be a chance for them to see their dog again?
Wendy Welch: Yeah, I don't know, sadly.
Caroline MacGregor: So, tell me about this the social worker involved how you know this came about.
Wendy Welch: The social worker just gave us a call. We don't know too much about the social worker. But, yeah, we're really grateful, and we hope that other people that this story just brings to light the fact that, yeah, there are consequences. And there are animals in the community who depend on people and who don't have the voice, obviously, to speak up to help themselves.
Caroline MacGregor: Did the Humane Society reach out to ICE or the immigration enforcement officials regarding this situation?
Wendy Welch: No, not that I'm aware of. No. In the past, we've had, on occasion, rare occasion, we have had surrenders of animals due to immigration issues, right, someone being deported. But there was much more information at the time, right? So, people would be given a heads-up that that would be happening, other people around them would know this, but this was just like no one would have known, I think, had this person not been hospitalized and met a social worker otherwise. Yeah.
Caroline MacGregor: It's very disturbing, and I suppose the lesson here is just to point out to our listeners the critical role that neighbors and others play in also helping to keep an eye out for animals that may be at risk.
Wendy Welch: Absolutely! And some lawyers I follow on social media have mentioned this specific issue, too, and have recommended that any immigrants who has a pet will not only want to make their neighbors aware of that fact but may also want to do something like put a tag with a phone number of a U.S. citizen on their pet.
Caroline MacGregor: Good point! Any other tips that you would like to give people, because we're living in extraordinary times, and people are being picked up off the streets and in their driveways and from homes and near bus stops. It's just quite shocking the trickle-down effect or impact on families and their pets.
Wendy Welch: Yes. There are some microchip companies that allow for multiple phone numbers, so I'd suggest updating that and, I mean, just generally looking out for each other, looking out for our neighbors, looking out for our neighbors' pets, looking out for our own pets. Yeah, it's a tragic situation or could have been a tragic situation. We're lucky it wasn't, but we fear what could happen in the future.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, I'm continuing my conversation with Wendy Welch. She's the communications coordinator for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. Tell me a bit about the state of the dog. After the social worker notified you, I assume you guys picked up this dog. What was the state-of-mind of the poor animal?
Wendy Welch: Yeah, the dog was obviously scared. And, yeah, when our rescue officers came to get the dog, the dog fortunately kind of knew us but was scared because the dog had been left alone for a while. Thank goodness the dog's in our care now. We're loving the dog so much and crossing our fingers that this will turn out okay.
Caroline MacGregor: It sounds like this dog eventually found a safe, loving home with somebody who was deeply committed to him, and yet it's almost ended in tragedy because the system doesn't ensure pets are okay when people are suddenly removed. It's something somewhat new to us, at least the level of what is going on that we're seeing in the community.
Wendy Welch: Exactly. Yeah, yeah. It's a different level that we've never experienced before at our shelter. You know, like I say, we receive surrenders from people on a daily basis, but there's there's information, you know? And there was just nothing.
Caroline MacGregor: So, specifically moving forward, what is the Humane Society? I mean, you've touched on it a bit. Are there specific steps the Humane Society is now taking to try to get the word out to the community? Obviously, you're doing interviews. But anything else that can be done that people can do to help in the future if there is another situation like this?
Wendy Welch: Yeah, I mean, in Washtenaw County, if they suspect any animal has been left alone due to detention or a medical emergency or any other crisis, they can call our rescue line, and they can make anonymous tips, both on our rescue line or online. Our rescue line is 734-661-3512. And our website, of course, is hshv.org/report where they can make an anonymous tip. It's just a big thing for everybody. We can all agree animals are great and need to be protected and don't have a voice. It's tragic because we get lots of different animals at the Humane Society of Huron Valley. We get animals who were previously strays or animals who were abused or animals who were the loved family pet, like all sorts of different animals. And this dog was so shy and withdrawn. And this man was so loving toward the dog and was such a fantastic adopter. And we were so excited about the match that they made. And so, this is heartbreaking on oodles of levels, but even just from the fact of losing an adopter who was so amazing is tough.
Caroline MacGregor: My guest today has been Wendy Welch. She's the communications coordinator for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. And we've been discussing a dog that was left abandoned after his owner was picked up by ICE. The good news is that the dog is now back in the safe hands of the Humane Society. However, the whereabouts and status of his owner remains unknown. This is 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti, your community NPR station.
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