There are many animals at Oak View Animal Clinic, but there was a surprise when employees of came to work about daybreak. They found Charley, a black and white hound-mix chained to a table near the back door. On his collar, was a stapled note asking that he be found a home or a “humane end.”
“Someone left him here,” Dr. Karen Sherman said, adding that she has offered to help people find homes for animals they can no longer care for, but it is not acceptable to abandon an animal at the clinic — or anywhere else. She said people have abandoned animals at the clinic before.
“It is against state law,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said, to abandon an animal. The city has a contract with Pea Ridge Veterinary Clinic to house dogs that are picked up by police. The city also has an ordinance that prohibits dogs running loose and requires city tags on all dogs housed in the city limits.
The incident is under investigation.
Charley was picked up by Street Department employees and taken to the Pea Ridge Veterinary Clinic. Anyone with information about the dog may call the police at 451-8220.
The Note on Charley
“This is Charley — he needs a good family or a humane end. I was unable to find him either. I can’t watch him suffer cruelty and don’t know what else to do ... please help him in whatever way you are able. God bless you,” said the writer of the note that was stapled to Charley’s collar.