Animal Hospital Takes In Sick Dogs

Sunday, January 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Animal control recently told a former animal rescue volunteer she had to turn over all but 3 of the 22 dogs in her home or face a fine the dogs were sick and needed care. Saturday the woman turned some of the animals over rather than face the fine.

The sick dogs are on their road to recovery at the Alta View Animal hospital in Tulsa.

"They are pretty good dogs, but have had some bad turns in life," says Dr. Patrick Cunningham.

So Cunningham and his coworkers are trying to add some hope in their lives. An animal rescuer with the Northeastern Oklahoma Animal Helpers, or NOAH, was taking care of the 22 unwanted or lost dogs at her Tulsa home. They were too much for her though. Vets say she fed them well, but they came down with a skin disease called mange.

"She was trying to do the right thing.," says Cunningham. "She definitely had their best interest in mind, without her they would probably be out running around."

Because the animal rescuer couldn't handle them, Tulsa's animal control told her to give the dogs up. Alta View is treating eight of them, including Darling.

"She'll make a good pet for somebody," says Cunningham.

And NOAH, the rescue organization the dog's owner used to volunteer for, will help find them a new home. It will take about a month for the dogs to recover. The former rescue worker may still be in trouble with animal control. Instead of only keeping three dogs like she was told, she kept eight.