June 30, 2004

Going to the dogs

Bark in the Park features games and look-a-like contest

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       It was a park and lots of dogs barked.
      Coupled with human smiles, dollars raised and outreach completed, the second annual Petsafe Rescue Alliance's Bark in the Park event at the Almira Township Park was a resounding success.
      Drawing more than 125 attendees throughout the day on Saturday, the event featured games, dog adoptions and educational booths by area animal groups. These groups included the Kalkaska Citizens for Animals, For Animals, Aussie Rescue and Book Buddies by the Mount Pleasant Kennel Club.
      A pet look-a-like contest featured five teams of contestants, two in the child's division and three in the adult one.
      Julie Stephenson of South Boardman and her mixed breed dog, Nikita, 6, took first place in the adult division. A dog lover all her life, she said that Nikita was rescued from a puppy mill in February of 2003.
      "She was only 12 pounds when I got her," recalled Stephenson, adding the dog had many physical problems due to neglect. "She was going to be put to sleep, was adopted by somebody, then got dumped back. We've given her a great home and I love her."
      These are the kinds of success stories that the volunteers with the Petsafe Rescue Alliance hope for, though they often fight an uphill battle against neglect, abandonment or cruelty.
      Events such as Bark in the Park are meant to raise both money and awareness. Much of the money is earmarked for huge vet bills incurred by rescued animals.
      "We have lots of huge vet bills because we care for catastrophic cases," said Dianne Minicucci of Lake Ann, a volunteer with Petsafe. "We've fostered several dogs including a yellow lab who was found in a barrel at Meijer's. He was in a garbage bag and his siblings were dead, a man sitting waiting for a BATA bus heard him crying."
      Minicucci and her husband, Al, adopted a rescued Jack Russell terrier named Sunny six years ago when visiting friends in Georgia. The owner had the dog chained in his yard and was planning to have him put to sleep the next day.
      "We believe in pet rescue and Petsafe because they do a lot of saving of injured animals," Dianne Minicucci said.
      The Petsafe Rescue Alliance began in March of 2002 and has a no-kill policy as a central tenet. Only in cases of aggression or severe health problems will a rescued or abandoned animal be put to sleep. Petsafe boasts a network of dedicated volunteers like the Minicuccis who provide foster care. Others work to make successful placements for both pet and owner.
      During the Bark in the Park, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Deputy Mark DePew gave a K9 demonstration with Jesco, his three-year-old Dutch Shepherd.
      One of two K9 teams in the department, the dogs help the police track people, either suspects or lost civilians, and detect narcotics. Jesco has 21 narcotics arrests to his credit this year alone, DePew noted, and he has tracked nine people.
      Jesco is also trained to protect DePew and in a threatening situation, DePew can press a button on his belt to automatically open the vehicle and release the dog.
      "You kind of have your own built in body guard in the patrol car," he said.
      A highly trained dog, Jesco is both intelligent and aggressive. A dog with the necessary high 'ball drive,' his reward is a tennis ball - something he craves and strives for by pleasing DePew.
      While his high energy is mandatory for a K9 dog, Jesco's relatively youth for a working police dog can sometimes be challenging.
      "Imagine a three-year-old kid standing up in your back seat, that's what it's like riding with him," he noted, while also strongly praising Jesco's eagerness to perform his duties.
      "When I bring Jesco into work, I wish I had his work ethic, I'd arrest everybody in Michigan," DePew joked.
      For more information on PetSafe Rescue Alliance, call 392-3125 or visit the web site petsafe@petsaferescue.com.