To the editor

On Jan. 22, I adopted a little white and fawn Pekingese from the Suffolk pound (Suffolk Animal Care). She was 10 years old, and I am a senior citizen who wanted an older dog, since I had lost my previous dog, which I had had for 15 years.

I knew that Daphne (her dog pound name — I named her Dekota) had a skin problem when I adopted her, and I felt sorry for the little dog, as some of her hair was missing, and she was scratching a lot.

But I wanted to help her, so I waited a week, because they said she had to be spayed. When I went to get her, I learned that she already had been spayed, so the dog was there in bad shape for an extra week for no reason.

I was told she had allergies, but when you held the dog, you had to change your clothes, because the odor was so bad. I took her to the vet, who put Dekota on three types of medicine, plus eardrops.

The medicine did not work, though. The dog had chronic allergies, plus two infections. The vet said there was some chance Dekota could be helped by a dermatologist.

As it turned out, I had to take her back to the pound, as the vet could not help her. When I did so, they promised me Dekota would go to a shelter where they might have more options to help her.

On Feb. 9, I looked on the Suffolk Animal Care website for dogs to be adopted, and there was Dekota’s picture again. I was very concerned about the dog. The situation is unfair to another person who might adopt her and very cruel to the dog to have been kept at the pound when she needed help.

She looked a little better when she went back, as she had been groomed several times, but she still had a skin problem. I paid $95 for her, plus $5 for her tag, plus $80 for the vet, plus the food and clothes I bought for her.

I am very upset that the people at the pound didn’t do what they were supposed to have done. I thought these people cared about animals, and I thought I was doing a good thing by helping a dog from the pound, instead of buying one from a breeder.

I even bought one of their sweatshirts, because I believe in supporting the care of dogs. All I was left with were an empty wallet, a broken heart and no dog.

Shame on the Suffolk dog pound.

Claudette Hedgepeth
Suffolk