Doggie in the window

July 15, 2022 William A. Gralnick
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He’s not as pretty as the model who was given our borough’s name. Nor is he from Brooklyn, but he’s close to the North Shore. But I think anyone, or thing, named Brooklyn that needs help, deserves some attention, so this is Brooklyn the Boxer’s 15 minutes.

While known as a Boxer, Brooklyn is a mutt, something else that should endear her to us Brooklynites. She was a rescue dog “unrescued” to the North Shore Animal League’s no-kill healing program. Let’s let them tell the story.

“Brooklyn is a seven-year-old Boxer Mix who suffered from chronic ear infections for much of her life and was recently surrendered back into our care. Brooklyn was diagnosed with a specific type of bacteria widely known to cause excruciating pain in and around the ear, and if left untreated could lead to total hearing loss.

Brooklyn’s pain and discomfort increased over time, causing her behavior to change for the worse. She became a very nervous and jumpy dog, who was yearning for some help. Dr. Mark Verdino, Chief of Veterinary Staff at our Pet Health Centers, stated “If her hearing is taken away, it will exacerbate behavioral problems.” It was clear to our doctors that they needed to act quickly in order to alleviate Brooklyn’s suffering and save her hearing.”

Part of this story is about adoption. Many of you, like me, have adopted pets. You know they seem to have a sixth sense about you having changed their circumstances, saved their lives. They give back even more than the average dog.

I’ve had two. One was a Weimaraner we got from the Weimaraner Rescue Club. We got her as a companion for our first, who reminded me of the kid whose mom is expecting a second child and says to her, “Are you angry at me?” Did I do something wrong?” She was two and should have weighed 55-60 lbs. She weighed in at 34 and looked like a refugee from the Holocaust. I could count every one of her ribs. It took two years to get her up to 50 lbs, where she stayed, stunted by the abuser who first had her. Both dogs died a year apart at 17 from a neurological disorder. Each was put down with me on the floor and the dog in my lap.

Rescue number two, a Cocker, was the loser in a nasty divorce. And here it comes full circle. Like many dogs with hanging, heavy ear leather, she developed the same condition that Brooklyn has. However, we saw it early because we rescued her at six mos. We continue to treat her ear medically. It isn’t an option for Brooklyn because he’s not yet adoptable, so he needs the surgery. Fortunately, his abusers turned him in to a no-kill shelter (North Shore Animal League in Port Washington) that has a program for healing dogs and cats (“Help Me Heal”) that have physical/medical problems. The League is a pioneer in the no-kill movement. It was founded in 1944). Note: I have no connection to North Shore. The problem, of course, is that it costs money. That means the people involved with saving the animals are also turned into scouts for board members with means and contacts and fund-raisers.

There are all kinds of heroes in the adoption game. One is the Brooklyn Eagle. They made an editorial decision to let me tell you the story of a pup that shares their name. The question is who of you will be the next hero and either call North Shore or pull up their website (where you will find Brooklyn’s story and those of other dogs and cats. There you will find out how to help Brooklyn. You only have a dollar to spare, or five? Remember, political candidates raise scabs of millions of dollars from gifts that size. You can’t even spare that? Then pull Brooklyn’s story from the website, put it on your social media platforms or copy and paste this plea onto them. Anything you do is better than doing nothing. And you know what? It will make you feel fantastic.

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