Each story in The New Barker dog magazine offers up some kind of hope. While the story may start out sad, there is always an ending that will make the reader feel good.
In its 10th year of publishing, The New Barker features the Florida lifestyle. The quarterly magazine is all about dogs and the people who love them. Each day we sort through press releases, phone messages and emails from people who have a story to tell about a dog. We review the news-feeds of the good, the bad and the ugly to determine which ones we want to pursue to develop a story. Most of the time, we are heartened by the stories. Other times, we cannot believe how cruel humans can be towards the creature known for its devotion. Man’s best friend.
There is so much negativity in the news already, and many of you dog lovers are most likely already aware of the atrocities occurring. We usually make the decision not to write about the bad or the ugly, unless there is a good side to it.
The following story, however, does not have a good side to it. And yet, we cannot look away. It makes us angry.
In a court appearance last week, Ronald Wilson, the former police chief of Opa-locka, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill. “He’s a really nice guy, very honorable,” said his defense lawyer, Sky Smith. “He has tremendous guilt over what he’s charged with.”
Really nice guy? In the yard of his Miami Gardens home, authorities discovered two German Shepherd mixes named Lady and Thug. They were severely emaciated. Their skin was cracked and bleeding. Most of their teeth were missing, their eyes oozing. Tremendous guilt? The dogs were removed while Wilson was out of town on a cruise.
Wilson has voluntarily turned over the dogs to Miami-Dade Animal Services.
Lady had to have several surgeries to remove 28 growths from her body. She needs eye surgery. Putting on a little weight and regaining some of her fur, she is faring better than Thug. X-rays revealed he has two bullets lodged in his body and suffered broken bones that have not properly healed. He is barely able to walk. Both dogs are currently being cared for by volunteers at Dezzy’s Second Chance Animal Rescue, a five-acre animal sanctuary in Palm Beach County.
“Mr. Wilson had no explanation why the two dogs were in horrible physical condition,” county animal services investigator Lisa Yambrich wrote in her report.
The Art Of Dog.™ 
It is heartbreaking.
I am speechless ! I am retired from the Criminal Justice system. All LE is very compassionate towards animals and children. Unbelievable !
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