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Valley barking over tale of lost pet



 
 
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Old January 21st 04, 03:02 AM
Gumb586
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Default Valley barking over tale of lost pet

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...al/7751611.htm
Posted on Tue, Jan. 20, 2004

HUNDREDS SAY NEW OWNER SHOULD GIVE UP ADOPTED DOG

By Connie Skipitares
Mercury News

Special to the Mercury News

If you took a dog home from the Humane Society -- and then its rightful owner
turned up -- would you give it back?

Six times in the past three years at Santa Clara County's Humane Society, the
adoptive owner returned the animal in just such a circumstance.

But Monday, dog lovers sent hundreds of e-mails and made dozens of phone calls
to the Humane Society, the Mercury News and a local radio show in protest of
the latest incident.

The new owners of Bella, a 2-year-old golden retriever, say they're keeping
her. And the Humane Society insists there is nothing it can do.

``We continue to side with the law,'' said Laura Fulda of Humane Society
Silicon Valley. ``You can't just say `Anything goes.' ''

When owner Niki Karanastasis showed up at the agency's Santa Clara shelter Jan.
8 -- hours after the dog's adoption was arranged -- Fulda said, officials
called the new owner. But she was not interested in giving up the dog. Later, a
friend of Karanastasis' appealed by phone, but to no avail. The new owner took
Bella home the next day.

The Humane Society is not releasing the new owner's name because of privacy
concerns but said she is from Los Gatos and has a 10-year-old daughter, who was
to received Bella for her birthday.

Fulda said the agency won't call the woman again. ``Once you've made a
decision, you can't keep hounding them,'' she said.

Meanwhile, on phone circuits and across cyberspace, Silicon Valley raged over
the tale of a dog gone. Some said they would stop supporting the agency.

The emotional pitch resembled that after Silicon Valley's other canine tragedy
-- the February 2000 death of Leo, the bichon frise thrown into traffic after a
fender-bender.

``Dogs are like family to those who have them. They're like children,'' said
Elyse Maltz of Pleasanton. ``If you lost your child in a store, would someone
else take it and say `It's mine'? I think this is horrible. She needs to give
that dog back.''

The dust-up became fodder for Monday afternoon radio. DJ Raffi Nalvarian,
``King Raffi'' of San Jose's Mix 106.5 (KEZR-FM), said Bella's story infuriated
him and he urged listeners to call. More than 100 did.

``For over an hour, it was pedal to the metal over this story,'' Nalvarian
said. ``People are furious. They think it's cold that this new owner would keep
the dog. She should give it back.''

Some who e-mailed the Mercury News wanted to start a fund to help buy
Karanastasis another dog, if she wants one, or to hire a lawyer to fight the
adoption. Karanastasis says she's appreciative but doesn't want a new dog. She
wants Bella.

``People have been wonderful in supporting me,'' she said. ``But I don't know
if that's going to bring my Bella back. I know if I had a tag on her, it would
have made all the difference.''

The agency holds dogs for five days before adoption. But dogs with ID tags are
held for 10 days.

Karanastasis and friends had checked the Humane Society shelter for Bella three
times between the dog's Jan. 2 disappearance and Jan. 7 but had no success.

On Jan. 8, the San Jose hairdresser found Bella in a cage there, but her joy
quickly turned to sorrow when Humane Society officials said Bella had a new
owner, arranged just that morning.

Monday, Fulda reiterated the Humane Society's apology and said she doesn't know
why Bella wasn't seen by Karanastasis' friends before Jan. 8.

``I would hope this would be a wake-up call to ID your pets, either with a tag
or a microchip, and to get them licensed,'' said Christine Benninger, president
of the Humane Society Silicon Valley.

Contact Connie Skipitares at or (408) 920-5647.


 




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