Maddie’s Fund Awards Grant to Purdue and PAWS Chicago
In September of 2008, the first three years of Purdue’s Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program was funded in the amount of $1.1 million. Should the Program meet expectations, another $1.2 million will be given in 2011, bringing the total grant to $2.3 million. This is one of the largest Shelter Medicine Programs funded by Maddie’s since its inception.
As a result of this program, Purdue will be able to dramatically expand its shelter medicine educational program and PAWS Chicago will benefit from significantly increased medical and behavioral resources at the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, the Admissions & Recovery Center and the Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center. Purdue veterinary students, veterinary technology students and graduate students will support the PAWS Chicago team in all aspects of the organization’s medical and behavioral operations.
This involves working on the full spectrum of activities at the fast-paced, high-volume environment of the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, including the initial exam, surgical prep, spay/neuter surgery and recovery. The students will also be a valuable resource to PAWS Chicago’s adoption program, assisting with the initial health assessments and exams, vaccinations, micro-chipping, diagnostic testing, and the daily care of the many sick and injured animals that are part of the adoption program.
Research initiatives will focus on minimizing the spread of disease in a shelter environment; how to prevent and/or shorten the recovery times for common shelter illnesses through innovations in technology, medical protocols and disease prevention; and the prevention of the deterioration of behavior that is sometimes seen in a shelter environment.
There are three principal objectives of the Purdue University program:
- to educate and train future leaders in the field of Shelter Medicine,
- to conduct research in the areas of Shelter Medicine and Pet Homelessness, and
- to develop leadership in public education, dissemination of information and continuing education in Shelter Medicine.
When asked why they chose PAWS Chicago as a partner to collaborate with on this grant, Annette Litster, Director of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Purdue responded: “PAWS Chicago is a wonderful example of what can be done when dedicated and smart people work together to achieve something that they are passionate about.
The facilities at both the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic and the Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center are state-of-the-art and they set a new benchmark for what can be achieved for pets in a shelter environment. These factors make PAWS an ideal learning environment for our students and I feel there is a real meeting of minds between PAWS and Purdue regarding the importance of our work and the areas we need to pursue to help improve the lives of shelter pets all over the USA.”
Maddie’s Fund is a family foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft Founder David Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a No Kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.
To achieve this goal, Maddie’s Fund is investing its resources in building community collaborations where animal welfare organizations come together to develop successful models of lifesaving; in veterinary colleges to help shelter medicine become part of the veterinary curriculum; in private practice veterinarians to encourage greater participation in the animal welfare cause; and in the implementation of national strategies to collect and report shelter statistics. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.
Purdue University is one of the top Veterinary Schools in the country, and is one of only two educational programs in North America that integrates the education of the veterinarian health care teams by training both veterinary technicians and veterinarians and incorporates animal behavior. This comprehensive team approach is ideally suited to advancing shelter medicine in this relatively new field. PAWS Chicago is looking forward to working with and proud to be partnering with Maddie’s Fund and Purdue University in shaping, positively influencing and setting a new standard for the future of Shelter Medicine.
Laurie Peek, DVM, Maddie’s Fund Veterinary Program Director is excited to see the results from this new partnership. “The wealth of new knowledge that will result from the collaboration of Purdue University and PAWS Chicago is incredibly exciting. We are glad to be able to bring these outstanding organizations together to advance shelter medicine for the benefit of homeless pets throughout the nation.”
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Angel Tales is now Online!
Click to go to a random story!
If you love Angel Tales Magazine, you’ll be excited to know that you can now connect with your favorite stories 24 hours-a-day. That’s because we’ve just launched a brand new website at AngelTales.org that’s designed to provide you with everything you love about Angel Tales Magazine and much, much more!
- Explore – Browse articles from current and past issues, and enjoy exclusive content available only online.
- Connect – Join discussion forums and share your feedback on stories and issues. Plus you can click on any of our online ads to connect directly to pet friendly businesses located throughout Chicagoland.
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- Get Involved – Learn how you can become a PAWS Chicago volunteer or make a donation to support PAWS Chicago’s mission to create a no kill Chicago.
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Unsung Heroes in Major U.S. Dog-fighting Bust
News outlets across the nation were abuzz this past February when it was announced that Pima County Sheriff deputies and the FBI executed a major raid on one of the largest fight-dog operations in the United States, seizing at least 150 dogs and making three arrests of dog breeders suspected of links to organized dog-fighting operations across the nation. Not as well publicized, much of the information enabling the arrests originated in Burbank, Illinois and was collected and pursued by the Chicago Police Department’s Animal Crimes Unit.
Mid-July last year, the Burbank Police Department stopped a vehicle carrying seven dogs on South Cicero Avenue. Without an animal expert on staff, Burbank reached out to Chicago’s Animal Crimes Unit. When James Conlan and Thomas Barker responded to the scene, they immediately recognized that further investigation was needed. They secured felony charges against the driver and passenger, Brian Baley and Tony Self, well-known and trusted couriers of specially bred dogs for the dog-fighting community, who were held without bond at the Cook County Jail.
After skillful interrogations by the Cook County Sheriff’s police, Brian Degenhardt, and James Conlan at Cook County Jail, it was evident that the Burbank PD has unwittingly uncovered a nation-wide dogtrafficking transportation system. Baley would pick up dogs from O’Hare Airport and house them in southside safe houses. He also made frequent trips to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. After funds were received for the dogs, he would personally deliver them to the residence of a well-know dog-fighter in Pima County Arizona.
Conlan and Degenhardt made contact with the Pima County Sheriff’s office, providing information with sufficient probable cause that they could initiate their own surveillance. The Pima County Sheriff detective was able to execute two search warrants.
The Raid
On February 19, a coordinated effort by SWAT team, Animal Control, and the FBI raided four separate properties simultaneously in Tucson, Arizona. Six people were arrested and indicted on a total of 69 felony and misdemeanor counts, allegedly operating the dog-fighting ring for the past eight years in Pima County. The primary culprit, Mahlon Patrick, had been involved in dog-fighting since the 70s and was known worldwide for originating two blood lines, going by the names Tombstone and Bolio. Regarded as one of the top three breeders of fighting dogs in the country, his dogs ranged in price from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
All total, law enforcement recovered more than 150 dogs, $10,000 in cash, and 60 firearms, varying from revolvers to assault-type guns. Investigators also suspect ties to organized crime.
The Victims
At least ten of the dogs required immediate medical attention for foot infections resulting from standing in their own waste and others showed signs of fighting, including scars on their faces, necks and front legs, signs of a poorly healed broken jaw, and missing teeth. One timid neutered male dog with substantial scarring licked investigators hands when they approached his kennel, which showed signs that bebe pellets were fired at him to torment the poor pup. Dog-fighting paraphernalia, such as a rape-stand and training equipment such as treadmills, were also confiscated.
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