Dog owners had mixed emotions as they were reunited with the animals rescued from the Spindletop facility last week. All were thrilled to get their dogs, but still trying to process how a facility that was so highly recommended turned out to be such a disappointment.
Gabriella Kerisi from San Antonio called the whole ordeal “awful,” as she reclaimed Tank, one of seven dogs she entrusted to Spindletop.
“They were supposed to do behavioral evaluation and have documents signed by (Leah Purcell’s) attorney,” Kerisi said.
Tank had hurt another animal and they needed documentation in case they had to go to court, she said. Kerisi placed Tank at Spindletop in May and had not heard from Purcell since, she said. Kerisi paid $475 for the evaluation and $750 for boarding fees.
“He looks really happy right now,” she said. “He’s a little bit thin and obviously has medical issues but I think he’s happy and ready to go home.”
Dog owner Marie Garza said she was “overwhelmed.”
“We’re so happy,” she said. “We got the three dogs sent into boarding just over a month ago, but now they’re save and we have the back with plans for all three- everyone has a place to go.”
Garza said the three dogs would be sleeping “inside on the couch” Thursday night.
A third party who was fostering the dogs took them to Spindletop for Garza and others who raised money for boarding the dogs while their foster caretaker underwent knee surgery. They hoped when the dogs left Spindletop they would have been trained and helped enough to find permanent homes.
The foster thought the facility was clean, and said Leah Purcell was very professional about everything. Garza said she and the others in her group had only the best intentions for the dogs and thought Spindletop was the right place for them. That is, until they heard the newscasts.
They immediately sent emails to begin the process of reclaiming the dogs and now they have.
“We’re elated we were called this soon to get our dogs,” Garza said. “It’s a valuable lesson learned and all we can do is weather the storm. “
Ann Baumgartner left “Candy” at Spindletop a year ago this month. Baumgartner began hearing rumors a little before she saw media confirmation that the dogs were removed from Spindletop.
Candy is “female dog aggressive,” which made her difficult to place. Trainers told Baumgartner Candy needed specialized training and Leah Purcell came highly recommended.
“We thought she’d be trained and Leah would find an appropriate adopter for this kind of dog,” Garza said. “So, obviously, that failed.”
Garza said she contacted Purcell more than a couple of times to ask about Candy, and got good reports at first. Then she says Purcell stopped returning calls and emails from her and others.
Now Garza is back to square one with Candy, but with a hard lesson learned.
Shamim Huq was picking up a stray named Jean he left at Spindletop because he was required to go through a rescue to get her after Harris County Animal Control picked her up from his neighborhood where he and his wife had been feeding her nightly. Huq had been moved by the “sad look on her face” and was determined to save her. He was very disappointed to learn what happened at Spindletop.
“We’re glad for the work these folks over here have done – Animal Farm, Houston Humane Society and a few others,” Huq said. “I’ve got the names and they’re going to be on my donation list and should be on yours too.”
Huq and his wife paid $900 to leave Jean at Spindletop for three months and were counting the days until they could pick her up. They had visited her at the facility and said she was very timid and still looked very sad.
“I said whatever I do in my whole life, if I can save this dog, I think that would be the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many times we go and pray – it’s what you do – that’s what God wants.”
Kim Cole was also happily reunited with her dog, who had been at Spindletop for a year.
“We think about her all the time and we’re just very happy to have her back,” Cole said.
When she dropped off her dog at Spindletop, it was because the facility and Purcell were highly recommended and the part of the place they saw looked very nice.
“We did research and everybody said (Purcell) was the best,” Cole said. “She was an expert witness in the Michael Vick case and she had gone to Katrina to save dogs there, but she turned out to be not so good.”
Cole said she emailed Purcell frequently and rarely received a reply, despite making two $500 donations above the $750 boarding fee she paid.
Precinct 3 Constable Tim Holifield has had little sleep or peace since the process began of removing the dogs from Spindletop and reuniting them with their owners, but he remains positive and committed to seeing all of the animals with their owners or with someone who will find them a good home.
Holifield said Thursday marked a week into the seizure and a lot of progress had been made. The first phase was evaluation and veterinary care, he said. The second phase was immediately identifying animals through microchips and trying to reunite them with their owners. Next, Holifield said, the process will move to identifying animals through photos. While photographs are very useful in the process, Holifield said a microchip was much better.
“We want people to have closure,” Holifield said. “They can go through the pictures and if they see one that looks like theirs, they’ll be able to get reunited and make a positive ID.”
The constable also said people should be reminded about the hundreds of animals taken to shelters throughout the county and the region every day that never make the news but depend on the caring and generosity of others. He asks that people help control the pet population by having their animals spayed or neutered and highly recommends having a microchip placed in them so they can be returned if there is a situation like the one at Spindletop.
Holifield said a message was posted on Facebook asking former owners or caretakers to set up a time on Thursday or Friday to try and reclaim their dogs, but there was some misunderstanding. The message was aimed mostly at people nearby and in no way meant Friday was the deadline. Holifield said some of the dogs were from as far away as New Jersey and California and he knew those reunions would take an extended period of time and might require some assistance from airlines in transporting those dogs.
By Monday, Holifield said the process of looking for placement partners would begin in order to “rehome” the dogs through rescue groups.
“We will only work with recognized rescue operations who have established a 501C3 nonprofit status in good standing,” Holifield said.
“We could not do this without the tremendous support of the Humane Society of the United States, the Red Rover Organization, Montgomery County Animal Shelter, the volunteers who have come out, the county has been supportive,” he said. “Sheriff Gage provided resources with trustees, and various charities have provided food and supplied other needs.”
“Without these, we would not have this success,” Holifield said.
Everyone who worked with the major undertaking would leave with many memories and one he would never forget was a veterinarian who found a dog with such a large tumor that the vet’s wife asked if no one claimed the dog that they be able to take it home and try to save it. They did exactly that.
“There’ll be a lot of tears shed as animals go home but a lot of happiness knowing that we’ve made some dreams come true and helped people find their animals,” Holifield said.
They are scheduling people to come and identify dogs through Sunday and asking those who cannot care for an animal to refrain from coming simply to see if the animal is there. Holifield said reasonable proof of ownership is required and photographs “go a long way.”
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