animal rescue

"We thought she was dead. Everytime I see her I can't believe she's here," says Jason Duffy.

Duffy and his wife, Christina, brought Willow, a 3-year-old Bernese mountain dog, home to live with them Nov. 11 after picking her out at a breeder's home in Ontario County.

After only living with the Duffys for a day, Willow charged the front door as Christina opened it about 5:30 that evening. Willow then took off outside and did not respond to Christina's calls.

After about an hour, Jason Rutkowski, a neighbor, decided to help out using his ATV to check the wooded areas and fields near the Duffy home in East Bethany.

Christina and Rutkowski battled a snowstorm and cold temperatures until about 10:30 that evening without any luck.

After returning home from work that night, Duffy decided he would place an advertisement in the local Pennysaver and then blanket the area between Route 5 and Route 63 with fliers.

Three weeks went by and the Duffys finally got a lead on Willow's whereabouts.

They received a tip call from hunter Dave Hofert.  

Hofert was hunting on his property near the Batavia Party House and recognized the dog from the Pennysaver advertisment. Willow was spotted in a wooded area near an old rail bed behind the Party House.

Duffy searched the area for about a month, but there was no sign of Willow.

In mid-December he and Christina had lost hope.

With no other calls or leads, Duffy gave up and stopped calling around to local shelters and the couple decided to get another Bernese mountain dog to replace Willow.

Around Christmas, the Duffy's brought 5-month-old Shyla into their home.

The first week of February, the Duffys got a second tip call about Willow. This time from a coyote hunter who had found a den where Willow was bedding down. The den was located near the old rail bed behind the Batavia Party House close to where the first sighting had been.

Duffy immediately went to the area.

This time, Duffy was able to see Willow, but when he tried to call her she would not come to him. So every day for a week Duffy would go to her den located only a few miles from their home and feed her. Then he found a second den that she had made that was closer to the edge of the wooded area.

That's when Duffy decided to buy a live trap for $450 and set it up next to the den with some food.

"I covered it with twigs and put some raw chicken cutlet in with the dog food. The next day I knew she would be in the cage," Duffy said.

Willow has been home now for about a week and is fitting in very well with her new family.

She especially likes the leather couch and has claimed it as hers.

"She took to Shyla right away, they are like best friends," Christina says.

Duffy says, "Willow was a little skittish at first and she's still getting used to us, but she knows her name when I call her now. She has lost a little weight, but looks good. We dewormed her and gave her some antibiotics and she is good to go now."

Bernese mountain dogs are cold-weather dogs. But according to Duffy, Willow has lived in the house all of her life and has never had to fend for herself. He thinks she was living on rabbits and squirrels.

As to why she took off on Christina that snowy day in November?

Duffy thinks Willow may have been heartbroken when she was moved from the breeder's home in Ontario County. He thinks she was missing another dog she was bred with.

Married 15 years, the Duffys now have a second addition to their household.

Along with working their full-time jobs, the Duffys also run a goat farm at their home with 30 goats. The couple started the Duffy Fainting Goat Farm in 2010. The farm specializes in Myotonic and Nigerian dwarf goats. They also breed Great Pyrenees dogs.

"We love our goats and our dogs, they are part of our family," says Duffy.

(Top photo: Christina Duffy)

From left: Willow, Christina, Shyla and Jason Duffy.

Den that Willow has called home since November 2013. (Photo by Jason Duffy)

A reader contacted us about a lost dog last night. It's a young, black male Labrador retriever and it was found on Marsh Road in East Bethany around 6:30-7 p.m.

"He is a beautiful dog," says the reader, "clean, well groomed and extremely well behaved. I would guess he's around a year and a half old."

He stayed with the finders a couple of hours until an officer came and took him to the Genesee County Animal Shelter on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia.

(We have pictures of the pup, which I'm having trouble posting, but they should be up later today. It shows him wearing a brown leather collar without tags.)

"Yolo" got her second chance once readers of The Batavian saw her story posted Tuesday. The kitten is currently at the county Animal Shelter and will undergo surgery to amputate an injured hind leg tommorrow at State Street Animal Hospital.

According to Volunteers for Animals, prior to contacting us, they had raised half of the $600 needed for her medical care.

This afternoon we received the happy ending to this story in an e-mail from volunteer Andre Miller:

"THANK YOU THANK YOU! Power of the media. Not only have we raised enough money for Yolo, but she has a home!!!!! A woman saw your article and just lost her 16-year-old amputee kitty. She is going to take her home after surgery and care for the cat as she is retired and can give her lots of attention. So thank you for putting this out there! It's a lifesaver!"

We say thank you to our kind and compassionate readers and wish Yolo a speedy recovery!

UPDATE Aug. 8: Earlier this afternoon, we received this e-mail from Andre Miller of Volunteers for Animals, and it's a happy ending to this story. Kudos to our kind readers.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU! Power of the media. Not only have we raised enough money for Yolo, but she has a home!!!!! A woman saw your article and just lost her 16-year-old amputee kitty. She is going to take her home after surgery and care for the cat as she is retired and can give her lots of attention. So thank you for putting this out there! It's a lifesaver!"

There is a kitten with great heart and courage at the Genesee County Animal Shelter and her name is Yolo, which stands for "You Only Live Once."

Actually, she's lucky to be alive. It is believed that she was struck by a car. Yolo was found by the McDonald's in Batavia and one of her back legs is badly injured and needs to be amputated. She needs your help for doctor bills.

If you check out the Volunteers for Animals' Facebook page, there's a video of the poor thing trying to walk.

"She is so sweet and such a cute personality we wanted to give her a chance," says volunteer Andre Miller. "There is no nerve function in the leg. It just drags when she walks. She is around 5-6 months old, so learning to walk with three legs will be easier after the surgery.

"Right now the leg is in the way, but she is not in any pain. It is hard for her to use the litter box and get around her cage."

Yolo is having surgery at State Street Animal Hospital on Friday Aug. 9. The hospital is helping out and quoted a price of around $600 and said if the surgery takes longer they will not charge more.

"So far we have half the money raised for this surgery," Miller said in an e-mail. "The kitten will be going to a great foster home to recover after surgery. It will take her some time in foster to learn how to live with three legs. So we are looking for help from our great community to help this sweet girl out."

Donators can mail a check to:
Volunteers For Animals
P.O. Box 1621
Batavia, NY  14021

or the volunteers have a Paypal account --  http://www.vol4animals.org/helptheanimalsat.html

The annual Hogs for Paws event to benefit animals at the local shelter is happening from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Stan's Harley Davidson in Batavia. The dealership is located at 4425 W. Saile Drive.

This is both a fundraiser and a reunion and will feature a K-9 demo, obedience training performance by Fort Hyde Kennel, a 50/50 Raffle, T-shirt sale, vendors and a Pet Photo Contest.

To get lunch, make a monetary donation or bring an item on the wish list of Volunteers for Animals, which includes: canned or dry cat and dog food; bleach; liquid soap; paper towels, and NON-clumping cat litter. Lunch is a hot dog, beverage, and salad (provided by Frank Penna Catering).

This year there's also a 'Pick Your Prize' raffle. Tickets are $2 each or six tickets for $10.

Tickets are entered into the drawing of your choice. You can enter one drawing or enter them all!

Winners will be announced at 3 p.m. on the day of the event. You need not be present to win.

The prizes are:

• #1 -- $100 gift card from Stan's Harley Davidson
• #2 -- $100 gift card from Beds-N-Bones Pet Lodge
• #3 -- Bissell Pet Spot Cleaner ($100 value)
• #4 -- Handcrafted Cat Tree donated by VFA volunteers (Solid wood construction, about 44-inches high, with three steps/perches, and covered with a neutral-colored carpet.)
• #5 -- $100 gift card from Main Street Pizza
• #6 -- Watercolor painting (Framed 8x10 inch, hand-painted, donated by Ashley Vranich, DVM from Batavia Animal Hospital.)

To buy tickets, go the volunteers' Web site <www.Vol4animals.org> and click on "Pick Your Prize Raffle Tickets" and download the raffle entry form and follow the instructions.

A caller reports to dispatch that the neighbor's dog is running loose on Maple Avenue in Oakfield and the owners have moved out of their apartment, possibly leaving the dog behind. It is described as a "police dog and somewhat aggressive."

UPDATE 9:27 p.m.: Two Sheriff's deputies are scouting for the dog, which was last seen "by the mulch pile."

UPDATE 9:33 a.m.: They were unable to locate the dog. They are back in service.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: A Sheriff's deputy has spotted the dog. It's in the area of Ledge Road and Route 77. It's a white German shephard with a blue collar. And its owner contacted authorities and told them the dog was missing. It will reunited with the owner shortly.

UPDATE: This afternoon it was determined that the white German shephard is owned by a member of law enforcement who lives in Batavia and who reported the dog missing very early this morning. So, apparently it's not the dog said to be running loose from a reportedly vacant apartment in Oakfield.

A caller complains that a dog has been locked inside a black Toyota Corolla for 20 minutes in the Walmart parking lot. The windows are down. An animal control officer is responding. The vehicle is said to be by the trees on the west side of the parking lot, in the third row.

UPDATE 2:06 p.m.: The officer reports that the vehicle was gone by the time she got there, to which the dispatcher replies "surprise."

A dog or dogs are locked inside a red Pontiac with the windows up near the food entrance of Walmart. An animal control officer is responding to the complaint.

UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: The owner was paged and the officer advised the person about the danger of leaving a dog in a car with the windows up.

A caller reports two apparently abandoned horses at 746 Broadway Road in Darien Center. The caller was going to approach the horses and try to give them some food.

There's a barn and house on the property, and they appear abandoned as well.

"I am familiar with that address," an animal control officer tells dispatch.

A Sheriff's deputy is also responding.

UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: The horses are gone, therefore the animal control officer is not responding. Their owner was looking for a place to relocate them, according to the animal control officer, and was apparently successful. The horse owners had been renting the property and no longer live there. The landlord allegedly told people that the horses would probably be removed today. The deputy is adding narrative to his report and will be clearing the scene.

The nonprofit group Volunteers for Animals is trying to put together a list of local homes willing to take in barn cats.

From time to time, they get cats that would not fit well into a home as pets, and are most likely part feral. All cats are vetted, spay/neutered.

If you are able to take in one or two, please let them know. It would really help them out in a crunch.

To contact the volunteers, who work in partnership with the county animal shelter, contact them at <www.vol4animals.org> or write to:

Volunteers For Animals

PO Box 1621

Batavia, NY 14021

Attention holiday shoppers, tomorrow from 1 to 3 p.m. there's a Black Cat Friday Special offered at the Genesee County Animal Shelter. You get 50-percent off of the cost of adoption, which is regularly $30.

The cat or kitten must be at least 50-percent black to qualify.

The black cat, le chat noir, the elegant Bombay, the parlor panther -- these are symbols of good luck in Great Britain, Ireland and Japan. The Egyptian goddess Bast (or Bastet) was known at the Cat Goddess. Sailors often put a black cat on board ship for luck on the treacherous high seas.

In Western and European cultures, the black cat gets a bad rap and it's the slowest to be adopted. Pshaw! Have a heart, forget that poppycock, and come on down! The shelter is located at 3841 W. Main St. Road in the Town of Batavia.

A $35 deposit will still be required for any animal not spayed or neutered, and this is reimbursable with proof of sterilization. All the felines are current with their vaccines, tested for FeLV/FIV and many are already spayed and neutered.

Bring a carrier for your new friend to go home in.

Volunteers for Animals is collecting scrap metal to raise money for animals at the county shelter.

The collection drive is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 27-28) at the shelter parking lot, 3841 W. Main St. Road, in the Town of Batavia.

They are accepting metal in the form of:

• Railings
• Doors
• Garbage cans
• File cabinets
• Bicycle frames
• Gutters
• Pipes
• Poles
• Fencing
• Window frames
• Lawn furniture
• Tools
• Shelving
• Washing machines
• Dryers
• Stoves
• Wheel barrows
• Wagons, etc.

They CANNOT take: propane tanks, air-conditioners or refrigerators.

The scrap service is being provided by Ed Arnold EAS Scrap Processors in Corfu.

City police are responding to a report of an abandoned dog, tied to a pole, in front of Dunkin' Donuts, located at 136 W. Main St.

UPDATE 3:42 p.m.: The dog is being taken to the Genesee County Animal Shelter.

From the Volunteers for Animals:

We are currently out of dry kitten food and cat litter. We would appreciate any help from our supportive community. Donations can be dropped off during adoption hours or left under the patio at the front door.

Thank you!

Volunteers For Animals
PO Box 1621
Batavia, NY   14021
www.vol4animals.org

Working in partnership with:
Genesee County Animal Shelter
3841 W. Main St. Road
Batavia, NY   14020
343-6410

Adoption Hours:
Sunday through Friday 1 -- 3 p.m. (closed on Thursdays)
Wednesday 7 -- 9 p.m.
Saturday 11 -- 1 p.m.

A gargantuan dog, believed to be a Great Dane, has no collar and has been running loose for most of the day. Earlier, an animal control officer tried approaching it, but the canine would not allow the officer near. Now, a woman tells dispatch she has a Great Dane in her custody at her car, parked at Hutton Road and Maple Avenue in Oakfield. After an officer finishes investigating the allegation of constantly barking huskies in Alabama, she will meet up with the Dane's temporary handler.

UPDATE 6:43 p.m.: The woman who's keeping tabs on the enormous pooch is munching on pretzels while awaiting the animal control officer. No word on whether she's sharing, but we're betting she is as there is little alternative in this situation with said quarry.

UPDATE 6:49 p.m.: "Genesee, I'm in the vicinity of the stray Great Dane."

UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: The officer has the dog and is pound bound. Is anyone missing a Great Dane? (The breed is not exactly inconspicuous. (It's irrefutable, scientific fact that its size is dwarfed by factors not yet quantifiable, for example, a big heart.))

Press release from Volunteers for Animals:

We need help with food! With all the poodles we rescued recently, we are in need of small dog kibble. Some are missing teeth and they all have small mouths so we are in desperate need of small dog kibble!

It is that time of year again and we find ourselves needing dry kitten food to feed our many growing kittens in foster care and those starting to return for adoption at the shelter and Petco. The community has been good to us in the past and we hope we can count on you again to donate dry kitten food to help all our cute kittens grow up healthy and strong!

Please drop it by the shelter during adoption hours.

THANK YOU!

The Genesee County Animal Shelter is located at 3841 W. Main St. Road in the Town of Batavia.

Adoption hours are:

Sunday through Friday -- 1 to 3 p.m. (CLOSED THURSDAYS)

Wednesday -- 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday -- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Volunteers for Animals at the Genesee County Animal Shelter announced today the results of their 2011 Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign.

A total of 225 cats and dogs got a real forever home thanks to the generosity and compassion of those who wanted their true friendship.

Nonetheless, the numbers fell short of the goals set for the adoption of adult animals. The adoption of puppies and kittens exceeded goals, which is, of course, fabulous. Here's the breakdown of goals vs. actual adoptions:

• Dogs: 80 / 62
• Puppies: 10 / 15
• Cats: 50 / 29
• Kittens: 90 / 119

The volunteers say "Thanks to everyone who came out to adopt, help spread the word and stopped in with donations. We greatly appreciate the community's support."

There are more adorable and beloved companions to be found at the shelter. Thus, no need to wait until the 2012 holidays to bring one home. Come on down!

Volunteers For Animals
P.O. Box 1621
Batavia, NY  14021
www.vol4animals.org

Working in partnership with:
Genesee County Animal Shelter
3841 W. Main St. Road
Batavia, NY  14020
(585)c343-6410

Adoption Hours:
Sunday through Friday -- 1 to 3 p.m. (closed on Thursdays)
Wednesday -- 7 to 9 p.m.
Saturday -- 11 to 1 p.m.