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Brandon High Students Raise Money To Help Dogs

News Channel 8 photo by PAT BRAMMELL

Volunteers wash dogs at Hillsborough County Animal Services.

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 7, 2008

BRANDON - Columbus, a 12-year-old husky mix, is no threat to anyone.

He is a smart, sweet old dog who looks you in the eyes and has a great soul, Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said. But prior to being removed from his owner's care, Columbus had been chained to an air conditioning unit, was emaciated and likely hadn't been given veterinary care for years.

Because of the neglect Columbus faced, his story is typical of roughly 100 dogs currently within animal services' care. He and the other dogs are placed in kennels in a separate, locked room away from adoptable animals.

They might not be available for months or years, if ever. Some are castaways who bit humans, and others were trained fighting dogs or were mistreated by their owners. Often the animals are tied up in legal cases so they can be removed from their abusive owners permanently, Ryan said.

Brandon High School's student government is working to raise funds to help these dogs. The students have collected about $765 by soliciting student donations, and they hope to raise about $3,000. They hope the community comes forward to help as well.

Laura Howard, a 16-year-old Brandon High junior who owns four dogs and a cat, has helped the school's student government spearhead a fundraising effort. The goal is to fund about 40 sturdy beds and durable toys for the dogs, she said.

Several Brandon High students recently visited the dogs.

"Some of them were really sad," Howard said. "There were dogs that had been put in fights. Some had scars on their faces. Some couldn't even stand up because their back legs were shaped funny and they slid and fell down."

Many of these dogs come to animal services frail or scared of humans, but veterinarians work to make them healthy again. Their ages, sizes and species vary greatly.

Smoke, a pit bull in animal services' care since September, used his mouth to carry his water bowl around his kennel today. Smoke's owner was charged with animal cruelty after beating him with a chain, said Sgt. Pam Perry of animal services.

Five puppies washed in a tub at animal services today were born at the Falkenburg Road building. Their pregnant mother had been removed from an abusive owner, and the owner recently lost a case to keep her. Their owner has 30 days to appeal, though it seems unlikely he will, Ryan said.

Dogs deserve good things while they wait in a kennel for courts to allow them to break free from bad owners, Howard said.

"They've lived in bad homes for long enough," Howard said. "It's really not fair for those animals. They've had a hard life."

The student government plans to spend another month getting the word out and accepting donations, Howard said.

People who wish to donate to Brandon High's efforts for animal services should make checks out to Brandon High School Student Government. The school's address is 1101 Victoria St., Brandon, FL 33510.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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