The Latest Resistance To Reason

The short version: the person who lost Peanut has provided details about how she was lost and injured to them, but OCAS doesn't care. We've gotten information from the CDC rabies department that tells us that the circumstances around her injury are highly unlikely to have exposed her to rabies. And even if she was, they say it takes at most 2-3 months for the symptoms to show up. It's been just under 2 months since she was hurt. OCAS DOESN'T CARE. We have to make arrangements to have Peanut quarantined by tomorrow or she'll be put down.

We've been in contact off and on with the gentleman from Florida who lost Peanut. I sought him out initially when, after we came back to North Carolina and Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) demanded we hand her over to them. We were told that two veterinary opinions from Florida weren't enough to persuade them to give Peanut back to us (background: The Current (dire, complicated) Situation, The Story Of Peanut, F.A.Q.).

We found him, through a couple of postings Facebook. The first was on the Brevard County Lost Pets group: https://www.facebook.com/BLP123/posts/948545878493131.

The second was on the Central FL Hog Dogs group: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=292959740899782&set=gm.757185687693752&type=1 This second posting confirms the date she was lost and injured.

The man that lost her, JD Drawdy, reached out to me via e-mail and phone. He told me she was injured by a wild hog, as we suspected. He said he wanted to help, and he'd be happy to see Peanut as a pet in a good home (ours). I passed his contact information to OCAS.

This is when I tried to appeal to the director, Bob Marotto's sense of reason, to no avail (screen grab here). So I held out hope that he'd connect with Mr. Drawdy, and straighten this out.

They said they tried for about a week to contact him, and couldn't. He had stopped talking to me at this point, but thanks to the help of Brevard County Lost Pets, we got a new contact number for him, and also sent that information to OCAS.

Just prior to the holiday last week, I received this email from the OCAS director:

From: Bob Marotto <bmarotto@orangecountync.gov> 

Date: Wed, Nov 26, 2014 at 12:01 PM 

Subject: Animal Services Communication 

To: Josh Johnson <XXXXXXXXXXXX> 

Cc: Irene Phipps <iphipps@orangecountync.gov>, Ashley Miller <apowers@orangecountync.gov>  

Mr. Johnson:  

Despite several efforts, we have not been able to reach Mr. Drawdy nor leave a message for him using the new number you provided (see below).  Accordingly, we are unable to gather any additional information and thus we must require that “Peanut” be quarantine for six months pursuant to North Carolina’s rabies control regulations. 

It is important that we transfer “Peanut” to Cole Park as previously discussed no later than the close of business next Wednesday, December 3.  We should be able to have the quarantine document prepared for signature by all parties on Monday and we’ll make the transfer as soon as possible upon completion of the quarantine agreement.   As she will have responsibility for handling that process, please contact Ms. Phipps if you have any questions.  

As I believe we have previously indicated, the daily board for “Peanut” owed at Orange County Animal Services must be paid prior to the transfer.   (It may be paid with credit card, cash or cashier’s check but not a personal check).  As of today), the board owed is $525.00 ($15 per day times 35 days).  Each additional day of board will add $15 to the fees that must be paid prior to “Peanut’s” transfer. 

I also wanted to inform you that no appeal is provided in these cases under North Carolina’s rabies control regulations for such decisions.   However, I have conferred with our Local Health Director, Dr. Colllen Bridger given your concern about our course of action since through delegation Animal Services exercises authority for rabies control vested in the local health director in North Carolina.  She and I concur that our decision to require a 6 month quarantine is necessary and appropriate. 

In closing, I would again relay that we wish that there were responsible alternatives but we don’t feel that there are given what is known and unknown about “Peanut.”  Especially important in our considerations are that the vaccination history of the dog is unknown by all accounts as is the origin of the wound and the significant concerns with human and animal health alike that spring from the ecology and epidemiology of rabies in the southeastern United States. 

Sincerely, 

Bob Marotto 

Director 

Orange County Animal Services 

(919) 968-2287 

Pursuant to applicable North Carolina General Statutes, any electronic mail message sent from this account or received by this account, and any attachments thereto, may be considered a public record; and as such they are subject to inspection by anyone at anytime.

So I redoubled my efforts to make sure Mr. Drawdy connected with OCAS, and reach out to any experts I could find who could give us a better understanding of the real risk in this situation. 

One of the first people I contacted was the CDC. Here's that correspondence: 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rabies (CDC) <rabies@cdc.gov> 

Date: Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 5:36 PM 

Subject: FW: RESPONSE REQUIRED: Topic: rabies feral hog, Priority: Medium, Mode: Email [ ref:_00DU0YCBU._500U0G1yU7:ref ] 

To: "XXXXXXXXX" <XXXXXXXXXXXX> 

It would be unlikely for dog getting rabies from hog after being gored by a task.Although not impossible, hogs are rarely reported rabid.No rabid hog was reported in Florida in 2013, 2012, 2011 or 2010.Overall, it is unlikely that dog would develop rabies following below described incident.Incubation period in dogs may vary from few days (7-10) till 2-3 month, depending on severity of the wounds inflicted by rabid animal and its proximity to head.I would recommend to owner just to remain vigilant and visit veterinarian if there are any neurological symptoms observed in next few months, but as I said below hogs rarely are reported rabid andfrom your description it seems that hog was healthy animal defending itself.Hope this answer your question.If not, please let me know. 

Richard 

---------------- Original Email -----------

From : null  

To :cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

Date :2014-11-28 14:14:39 

Subject :CDC-INFO: Inquiry 

Subject: Rabies and Feral Hogs 

From: General Public 

Contact: Josh Johnson 

Email Address: XXXXXXXXXXXX

Your Question: If a dog is bitten by, or more likely, gored by a tusk from, a feral hog, what is the risk of infection for rabies? The dog in question has been isolated long enough to have shown signs of other diseases (psudeo-rabies, etc), and is in good health. 

It's unclear if the dog was vaccinated previously. It was given the rabies vaccine shortly after the injury. It has been 6 weeks since it was injured. 

The injury was a 3/8" puncture under the front foreleg (the "armpit" area). It was fully healed about 4 days after the injury. 

The injury occurred in East-Central Florida (Brevard County). 

Thank you for your time and insight, 

Josh Johnson

I was completely upfront about her lack of vaccination, and the nature of her wound, and yet, the rabies experts at the CDC tell us that this situation only warrants a 2-3 month observation period at best. 

We have hard evidence that she was injured on October 10th, 2014. This means that as of today, December 4th, it's been a few days short of two full months since she was hurt.

At this point, even if she was not injured by a feral pig, it's been long enough for her to show signs of infection. 

In spite of that, I held on to my correspondence with the CDC while I re-connected with Mr. Drawdy.

Mr Drawdy told me he sent them a lengthy e-mail (I was not CC'd, I have no idea yet what he said). He also said he called the 4 or 5 times and left voicemails.

He called Bob Marotto, the director of OCAS, on Monday, December 1st, and said he talked to him directly. He said that OCAS wanted to take his statement and wanted a copy of his driver's license. 

On Tuesday, he told me he was contacted by an OCAS officer. I didn't get a chance to call him back, so I don't know what was said, but his voicemail sounded positive. 

This morning, December 4th, Stacy and I were both left voicemails on our phones around 9 AM, from Bob Marotto, telling us that we need to arrange quarantine for Peanut by the end of the week (tomorrow).

I sent Bob this e-mail:

from: Josh Johnson <XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX> 

to: Bob Marotto <bmarotto@orangecountync.gov> 

cc: stacy morse <XXXXXXXXXXXXX>date: Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 9:55 AM 

subject: Peanut 

Stacy and I received your voicemails this morning. I'm sorry we haven't reached out since last week. Looking back, I misread your last communication - I didn't notice that you said the papers would be ready on Monday, I apologize for that (we were waiting for you to call us and tell us the paperwork was ready). 

However, I am a little shocked today to hear that we're still proceeding with quarantine for Peanut.
The man who lost her finally talked to me again and told me that he's talked to you (you personally), and an officer from OCAS this week (officer Miller, if I remember correctly), and gave a statement.
If he told you what he told me, he's confirmed that Peanut was injured by a wild pig, as was always suspected.  

This means her quarantine has to be reconsidered. Further, I reached out to the CDC last week, and they told me: 

"It would be unlikely for dog getting rabies from hog after being gored by a task.
Although not impossible, hogs are rarely reported rabid.
No rabid hog was reported in Florida in 2013, 2012, 2011 or 2010.
Overall, it is unlikely that dog would develop rabies following below described incident.
Incubation period in dogs may vary from few days (7-10) till 2-3 month, depending on severity of the wounds inflicted by rabid animal and its proximity to head.
I would recommend to owner just to remain vigilant and visit veterinarian if there are any neurological symptoms observed in next few months, but as I said below hogs rarely are reported rabid and
from your description it seems that hog was healthy animal defending itself."

(I'll forward the entire message to you after I send this e-mail - I made it a point to mention that the dog in question's vaccination history was unclear).  

We know the exact date of her injury (10/10/2014), we know how she was injured (by a wild pig). This raises many issues: first, the risk of rabies, as the CDC states above, is extremely low. Second, strict quarantine is not recommended. Finally, the observation period suggested is 2-3 months. We're a couple of days shy of 2 months since she was injured. Her injury was very small and healed quickly. She was injured fairly close to her head. 

So even in the highly unlikely event that she was indeed exposed to rabies, it's been so long since that possible exposure, that by now she would be showing signs of infection. That's just not the case. 

Before we initiate any transfer, we're due an explanation of why, even in the light of this new information, quarantine is still being pursued.

Thank you,
Josh Johnson 

p.s.
Please CC XXXXXXXXXX in future correspondence, to keep her in the loop. I'm sure she would have noticed the Monday thing from last week, sorry again about that.

So, I messed up - I was waiting for them to contact me, and didn't realize they were waiting on us. I really wish they had called on Monday when the paperwork was ready.

But I thought that maybe an appeal to reason would finally work. I was sadly mistaken:

Mr. Johnson and Ms. Morse:

 I am following up on the phone messages I left earlier today for the two of you regarding Peanut, and responding to your last email correspondence.   As I suggested in the phone message, we have still not been able to obtain any new information that changes our assessment in Peanut’s case, despite our best and continuing efforts.  We have spoken with the person you referenced, but have yet to receive any of the documentation from him that we have requested.  Therefore, we are still requiring at this time a six (6) month quarantine for Peanut at a veterinary clinic.  

When I last communicated with you by email,  I asked that you make arrangements to move Peanut from Orange County Animal Services to Cole Park Veterinary Clinic by the end of yesterday (Wednesday, December 3, 2014).  Neither Animal Control Manager Irene Phipps nor I heard anything from you about making the necessary arrangements until your latest email from today. 

We understand fully that this situation is difficult, and that not everyone agrees with the decision we have made.  We have tried diligently to work with the previous owner and others to obtain information that would allow a different outcome, but have been unable to gather the necessary information thus far.  Should additional information come available, we will remain open to looking into the case further, but at this time, it is still our policy that Peanut be transferred to a private veterinary hospital for a 6-month quarantine.  

We care about Peanut and her well-being, and we are trying to work with you as well.  We are therefore extending the timeline to allow you to make these arrangements by the close of business on  Friday, December 5, 2014.  What this entails on your part is making payment for the daily board fees for “Peanut” since she has been at Orange County Animal Services and signing the dog’s quarantine agreement (which will be co-signed by a practice veterinarian and Animal Services representative).  Please be sure to coordinate with Ms. Phipps  today and confirm your arrangements with Cole Park so that we can move Peanut from Animal Services to Cole Park tomorrow. 

In closing, I will add that decisions of this kind are never easy.  We strive to find a balance between being sympathetic to specific cases and in maintaining our commitment to public health.  While it may be unlikely that a risk exists, it cannot be ruled out, and we do take our responsibility to minimize any public health risks seriously.  We hope ultimately that you can understand this and that Peanut will come out of the quarantine healthy and enjoy a long and happy life.  You can contact me directly at 919.968.2287 if you have any questions.   

Sincerely,  

Bob Marotto  

Director 

Orange County Animal Services  

-- snip -- 

Pursuant to applicable North Carolina General Statutes, any electronic mail message sent from this account or received by this account, and any attachments thereto, may be considered a public record; and as such they are subject to inspection by anyone at anytime.

So now we're stuck. We're making arrangements today to put Peanut into quarantine.  

Thank You.

We just found out a little while ago that our story was picked up and featured in the examiner. Because of this likes and signatures of our petition have been rolling in. My heart feels like it is going to swell right out of my chest.

We are hoping good news is right around the corner and we won't stop until Peanut is back home with us so we can get her heartworm treated and get her spayed.

Thank you all so much. Words can not express what I am feeling right now. <3

Link to the article.

Sign the petition.

Peanut's Facebook Page

Fighting the good fight.

Still spreading the word, still working on every possible way we can in which to get Peanut out of this situation. It's not just about money, the burden will be very hard to deal with but this is a life we are talking about, a life is not disposable.

My biggest problem with Peanut having to go to quarantine will be her being confined for 6 months in a small 3X8 run if we are able to get that space (other people might reserve it and in that case she'd be in a little kennel). You can't lock a dog up like that and not expect to do damage to them. It's not right, actually it's just cruel.

The last thing that is destroying me is I still do not know if I will be allowed physical contact with her. Orange County gets to make the call on that. They can say no contact which means I can't pet her, hug her or have any contact other than talking to her. Do you know how frustrating that is for a dog and a human? I'm still bonding with her and I won't be able to touch her. She's not going to understand why I'm just standing there.

There is a slight chance they will allow contact but I will have to get a rabies vaccination which will cost another $800.

I'm feeling as low as I can right now. I miss her and feel awful everyday that I have no control over what is happening.

I really need people to sign the petition. We are so very close to breaking 400.

We also have a Facebook for her that you could like and a twitter account I use for little updates.

The last thing, which I hate to ask, but we do need help paying for quarantine. I know it's a lot to request but doing this is going to be very tough for my family. Even the smallest donation will help.

Thank you all for your time, effort, and donations. I'm sure if Peanut could, she would thank you too.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I've been very stressed the last few, well since this whole thing started. It's been non-stop stress. We got final word from Bob the director over at Animal Services and he's done trying to contact Peanut's previous owner. If we can not put Peanut into quarantine animal services will destroy her.

I don't want to talk about that right now because today is Thanksgiving. I want to first say I'm so very thankful she's still alive.

I'm also very thankful for all the people who have signed the petition and spread the word about it. Thank you so much. As of writing this we are on the verge of 400 signatures.

I want to thank the people who have donated to help Peanut. Elizabeth Owens, Jody Morse, Kristen Hanley, Dave Perrin, Kin Gonyer, Mike Morse, Emily and Lewis Hovenanian. Thank you all so much. A few people wanted to be anonymous but I wanted to thank you as well, you know who you are. I don't think you will ever realize what your kindness has done. Thank You.

I'm thankful for the community around me, I'm thankful for all the people who spend all their free time rescuing animals and fostering them. This is not an easy thing to do and you can only do this if you truly love animals and have a huge heart. I'm thankful for the amazing vets and vet techs who have to work as hard to obtain their education as doctors yet make far less money and don't get the respect they deserve.

I'm also thankful for Josh who has really helped me every step of the way.

Last, I'm thankful for this happening. Not the part where Peanut's life is in danger and her being incarcerated like this but for having this amazing dog come into my world and showing me I still have it in me to fight for something outside of myself. Thank you Peanut, I love you very much.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Please give your fur babies extra hugs and kisses for me.

Good Dog

I wanted to make a post and share some images of Peanut from October 12th, the second day we had her.

We were sitting outside with her, letting her do her thing because she was still adjusting to this huge change that happened in her life. New humans, new place, new bed.

I think at first her sweet little mind was pondering, what is this human doing pointing that weird rectangle at me and smiling all the time.

Hi :)

Whatever it was she was happy because she kept getting closer.

Maybe she wanted me to keep petting her, we had a great routine of I'll scratch your favorite spot under your ear and when I stop you'll lean into my leg so I do it again. See her cute little face leaning into my leg?

 

This one got a little blurry as I was scratching that favorite spot again and she was really getting into it. I swear I thought she was going to jump right up into my lap.

 

She was very affectionate with me, not anyone else yet but I think when you stand for over an hour blocking the sun even when a dog doesn't acknowledge you're there they appreciate it. 

 

This last picture is her coming over and sitting next to me, I started petting her and she just laid her head into my leg.

She's a really good dog. She doesn't deserve what she's going through. A few people have mentioned that they think I'm crazy for fighting so hard for her and that it would just be easier to give up. Giving up is not an option. I will not give up on this dog. She trusted me and I will not fail her, I don't care what the cost is.

Please keep sharing the petition.

If you are able we are taking donations. Thank you so much for the donations we have received.

If anything please just spread the word, tell everyone you can. Not for me, for her.

Thank you. <3

-Stacy

 

Petition

We are doing pretty good with our petition of Orange County NC Animal Services and are up to 363 signatures. That is awesome and thank you so much but we really need so many more. If you could take a minute to follow the link here and sign and re-post, tweet or blog about it that would really help.

Thank you to everyone, this isn't for me, this is for Peanut.

F.A.Q.

We've gained a lot of support and momentum! Thanks to everyone who's shared Peanut's story and helped us in our endeavor to spare her any unnecessary hardship.

As the story has gotten around, and this is quite a complicated story, some questions are coming up repeatedly. This post will try to clarify as much as possible. Please send us a message via facebook if you have any questions that aren't answered here.

If you've landed here directly, please read The Story Of Peanut and The Current Complicated (dire) Situation for full details about what's been going on.

Follow Save Peanut on facebook for the latest updates.

Questions And Answers

• Who's Who?
• How Can I Help?
• Are You Planning To Keep Peanut?
• How Did Animal Control Find Out About Peanut's Wound?
• I Thought You Had Other Dogs, Are You Allergic To Them?
• Where Did You Find Peanut?
• Why Did You Take Peanut To North Carolina?
• Why Didn't You Take Peanut To A Shelter In Florida?
• How Exactly Was Peanut Injured?
• Is Her Wound Healed?
• Can You Do A Home Quarantine?
• Most Dogs Suspected Of Rabies Are Held For 10 Days. What's Up With The 6 Month Quarantine?
• Can't They Do A Titer Test?
• Wait, Aren't Stray Dogs Rescued With Wounds All The Time And Not Put Through This?
• Did Peanut Bite Anyone/Is She A Vicious Dog?

---

Who's Who?

Stacy - wife

Josh - husband

Peanut - dog we found

Animal Control, or OCAS - Orange County Animal Services (that's Orange County North Carolina)

---

How Can I Help?

See What can I do to help?

---

Are You Planning To Keep Peanut?

Yes. Her previous owner has given us the OK to keep her once we get her out of this awful situation. 

---

How Did Animal Control Find Out About Peanut's Wound?

Stacy reached out to Orange County Animal Control via their website. She was told by some local rescues that they were a really good resource (they have a very high placement rate at their shelter). Here's the complete email thread. The next thing Stacy knew,  an animal control officer was on our doorstep. 

click for full size

Stacy assumed she was having a severe allergic reaction caused by Peanut. This hasn't been confirmed - she's touched Peanut's blankets and harness since Peanut has been gone (a full month now) and hasn't shown the sort of severe reaction she was having when we first got back home from Florida. It may have been something else.

Stacy was trying to treat her reaction with over-the-counter drugs, as is somewhat obvious by her tone and mistyping in her e-mail to animal control.

We are planning to get Stacy's allergies tested and treated by a doctor; when this initially happened we didn't have health insurance, hence the self-medication - this will be changing very soon, and we'll get this sorted ASAP.

---

Lucy

Flash

I Thought You Had Other Dogs, Are You Allergic To Them?

We have two other dogs, Lucy and Flash, both miniature Dachshunds. 

Lucy is 14, Flash is 12. We've had them both since they were puppies. Lucy is a smooth, short hair. Stacy is not allergic to her at all.

Flash, however, is half long-hair, half sort, and as such, has a fine undercoat that makes him kind of fuzzy.

Stacy is mildly allergic to Flash, but has coped with this, quite well, over the years.

The severity of an allergic reactions to an animal has little to do with the breed or type of hair, and can vary from animal to animal.

From WebMD:

" You may have heard that some dog breeds trigger allergy symptoms while others don't, or that short-haired dogs are safe while long-haired dogs prone to shedding are not. But on the whole, experts say that isn't the case. In fact, two dogs of the same breed can each give off very different levels of allergen.

It's not the dog's hair or fur that's the real problem. Instead, people are usually allergic to the dander -- flakes of dead skin -- as well as the saliva and urine. So, no matter how long or short the hair, any dog can potentially cause an allergic reaction. "

---

Where Did You Find Peanut?

My parents live in Palm Bay, FL. It's in Brevard County. Just south of town, near the border of Indian River and Brevard County, there is a state park on one side of Babcock St (Brevard County Road 507), called St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park. It's beautiful, and a great fishing spot.

On the other side of Babcock, there's the The St. Johns Water Management Area , more commonly known as The Stick Marsh/Farm 13. This is another broad use area, where people fish and hunt. We specifically found Peanut in the parking lot by the boat ramps.

We were in the area taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. We were on a mission: Stacy wanted to see some unique Florida wildlife (she's originally from New England) - we wanted to take pictures of manatees and alligators. We saw both, but didn't get very good pictures of either.

Instead, we found a sweet dog that barely moved, with a noticeable sunburn on her nose. We asked the fishermen that were around if she belonged to them or if they knew who she belonged to. Nobody had any idea. We ran into a group of people who had come in before dawn - it was around noon when we found her, so she had been sitting there for at least 5 hours.

---

Why Did You Take Peanut To North Carolina?

We live in North Carolina. We found Peanut on October 11th while we were on vacation, visiting my family in Palm Bay, FL. We had to get back home by October 20th, since I was starting a new job. 

We weren't sure what to do with her after we got her treated by the emergency vet. This was our first rescue, we were in completely uncharted waters. 

We knew we didn't want her to end up in a kill shelter, so we started trying to connect with rescue organizations, and put some ads out to try to find her owner - the initial goal, if we couldn't find her owner right away, was to find her a foster so we could get back to NC and pick the search back up from there.

We didn't have the right connections, and we just ran out of time. We had no place to take her, and my parent's already were at their limit for dogs, so we did the only thing we could: took her home with us.

---

Why Didn't You Take Peanut To A Shelter In Florida?

The people we talked to (the emergency vet, the park ranger at the Stick Marsh) told us that the shelters in the area were high-kill shelters. We would not put her at risk of being put down. In the event we couldn't find the person who lost her, we wanted to see that she was given a fair chance to get healthy and get adopted, or worst-case, get into a temporary foster home.

We were then, and are now, willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy - when we found her in that parking lot, she became our responsibility. That's something we take very seriously.

---

How Exactly Was Peanut Injured?

We really don't know for absolute certain, since neither of us were present when it happened, but her wound was consistent with a dog hunting a wild pig, or being impaled by a stick running through brush.

We feel confident saying this, even though we are not vets, because Stacy has had EMT training and has studied different kinds of wounds.

When we found her initially, we thought she may have broken her leg - she was holding one paw closer to her chest, and didn't want to move.

It was approximately 3/8 of an inch in diameter, and not very deep. It wasn't accompanied by any additional marks. It was located under her forearm - in a human it would have been deep in her armpit. It's hardly an easy area to bite someone in.

I never got a good look at her wound. Stacy got a good look at it when the emergency vet was examining Peanut the day we found her. It was not easy to see from where I was sitting.

In fact, I had trouble getting the gauze in there when I was cleaning it the following week. It's important to note, she never once scratched at it, or even acted like it was bothering her at all. She didn't struggle when I'd clean it.

It takes the full weight of a mighty Dachshund to expose the "armpit" area on this Sheppard mix.

During our brief correspondence, Peanut's owner gave me some details about what they were up to the night she was lost. He used an airboat. He said for sure she was stuck by a pig.

Here's some up-close video of some wounds on a couple of dogs that were injured during a hog run. Note the wound at 0:24 - this is exactly what happened to Peanut, but by the time we found her, the blood had gone and it was just oozing pus.

Here's a video that was taken in the same general part of Florida where we found Peanut, that gives a fairly accurate (and not terribly violent, compared to other videos out there) account of what it's like to do the kind of hunting that Peanut was used for, the night she got injured.

It's intense, and chaotic, and wet. It's easy to see how a dog could get lost in all that, especially as the sun starts to set.

Note all of the brush in the patches of land. This is extremely common in swampy areas in Central Florida. I'm fairly certain this is where the term "Stick Marsh" came from. If she hadn't been injured by a pig, a stick is the most likely cause - this is especially obvious to anyone, like me, who grew up spending time outdoors down there.

Again, pigs rarely contract rabies, and I have not found a case yet in my research of a pig transmitting it - and it seems when pigs are discussed, they mean domesticated pigs, not wild, feral hogs and boars.

I know for sure that sticks most certainly do not contract or transmit rabies.

---

Is Her Wound Healed?

As for the current status of her injury: it was fully healed before we left Florida. I cleaned it every day while she was on antibiotics (7 days total), with a gauze pad and saline. After maybe 3 or 4 days, it stopped producing any marks on the pad - by the time Animal Control got a hold of her, she was fully recovered.

---

Can You Do A Home Quarantine?

A lot of people have asked this. We asked Animal Control. They discussed it with the North Carolina Public Health Vet, and they've denied our request.

The reason why the request was denied wasn't explained to us. We guessed it was because we live in a small condo (about 1100 sq ft) in a community with many other people and dogs. When we asked initially, we were told that a basement is a minimum requirement. That may have been enough to disqualify us, but it's unclear if it was our situation or the idea of home quarantine at all.

---

Most Dogs Suspected Of Rabies Are Held For 10 Days. What's Up With The 6 Month Quarantine?

When we first surrendered Peanut they assured us it would be a short 10-day quarantine. The following day Animal Control called Stacy and told her that Peanut would need to be quarantined for 6 months. 

People offering to help us are not the only ones who are confused about this - we had no clue there was a requirement like this at all, and it seems Animal Control staff were also caught up by this misconception.

Note how they changed their mind. We only saw this because they forgot to give Stacy our carbon copy when she initially surrendered Peanut.

When we pressed the Animal Control Manager about the change, she repeatedly said "we're just going by the CDC".

She didn't cite anything in particular, but we did find this information on the CDC website:

Any animal bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies. 

Unvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately. If the owner is unwilling to have this done, the animal should be placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1 month before being released.

From reading about other people fighting quarantine, it's seems the 10-day holding period is typically only in cases when a healthy dog has bitten someone - if a dog has contracted rabies, the bite is assumed to be due to infection, and if it's sick, it will show acute signs of infection or die within that time period (source).

There is a summary of the NC law is available here.

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Can't They Do A Titer Test?

A rabies titer test shows levels of rabies antibodies in an animal's blood. It can stand as proof that an animal has sufficient vaccination to resist infection by the virus. 

I'm not entirely certain, but since we got Peanut vaccinated for rabies before we brought her to North Carolina, a titer test would be positive, but not relevant since they can't determine which antibodies came from the vaccination we got her, and which came from previous vaccinations. 

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Wait, Aren't Stray Dogs Rescued With Wounds All The Time And Not Put Through This?

They are indeed. We've heard from rescuers all over who have made this point. It's unclear what makes this case different.

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Did Peanut Bite Anyone/Is She A Vicious Dog?

Peanut has shown absolutely no signs of aggression. She's gotten along with a diverse set of people, including my parents, the vets, a groomer at PetsMart, some random folks at PetCo, and my sister who has Cerebral Palsy and walks with a noisy walker. She's been around 4 other dogs, mostly small ones, and has shown no signs of anything but curiosity and playfulness. 

When we took her to the vet, even though she was in pain, she didn't growl or struggle. She took her shots like a champ. 

Peanut doesn't even bark - it's a feature of a good bay dog, and part of her breeding. Once in a while we've heard her howl a bit, similar to the vocalizations of a beagle, but only a couple of times while we had her. 

What Can I Do To Help?

As you've read about the situation with Peanut you may have asked yourself, "what can I do about it"? It can be hard to figure out how to contribute, so here's some help. 

Bear this in mind: 

THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CAN LET HER OUT OF QUARANTINE WITHOUT ANY PARTICULAR REASON. Her situation is entirely under the discretion of the county. These people can be compelled, it's happened before: http://myfox8.com/2014/06/12/forsyth-co-couple-reunited-with-dog-feared-to-be-quarantined-for-six-months/

Here are some things you can do, that will actually make a difference:

1. Share the story with anyone who can see it. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Here are some pictures you can link to and/or use when you post: https://www.flickr.com/photos/34174874@N07/sets/72157648472335638/
2. Contact Orange County Animal Control, and tell them how you feel: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices/Contact.asp
3. Contact the county commissioners, tell them how you feel: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/contact.asp
4. Contact local media - if you know anyone who works at a newspaper, tv station, or blogs - tell them about it, get the word out.
5. Sign our petition: https://www.change.org/p/orange-county-animal-services-free-peanut
6. Finally, if there's nothing else you can do and you still want to help, help us pay for her quarantine - the easiest way to do this is to donate here: http://www.gofundme.com/savepeanutthedog. Every dollar helps.

This situation is tearing us apart - we feel helpless at the hands of unreasonable people abusing their power. I still hold out hope that these people have good hearts deep down, and can be compelled to change their minds, if enough people express to them how wrong this whole situation is.

Thank everyone so much for helping us out.

Donations To Save Peanut

We are doing all we can but we need help. Quarantine is very expensive. We have been told anywhere from $4937-$5265 plus she still needs to be treated for heart worm which they told us another $874. I was warned on the phone that sometimes costs can exceed this estimate because a dog will get sick and need extra care.

I have set up a GoFundMe for her. Any donation helps, if you can't donate I understand. Just sharing this and getting the word out goes a long way.

http://www.gofundme.com/savepeanutthedog

Thank you.

The Current (dire, complicated) Situation

Sorry for the radio silence. We ran into a tough situation over the past month. Local animal control has taken Peanut from us and is forcing us to either quarantine her for 6 months, at our expense,  or put her down. (more, heart-wrenching details about the whole ordeal: The Story Of Peanut)

Since we found her with a wound we couldn't explain, in spite of the fact that she was seen by two vets in Florida, cleared, and fully vaccinated, the county animal control in Orange County, North Carolina is taking a hard line and essentially "throwing the book" at this poor sweet dog.

The wound was a simple puncture wound, under her forearm - the sort of wound typical of dogs used to bay and hunt wild pigs. The sort of wound that any other animal would have a very hard time inflicting.

We didn't know for sure that's what happened, but the emergency vet, and the park ranger we talked to in Florida seemed confident about it. Swine don't typically carry rabies - it's not out of the realm of possibility, but it's rare - in fact it hasn't been reported in the state (the entire state!) of Florida since 1969: http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/rabies/_documents/20-year-rabies-species-summary1994-2013.pdf

This "wound of unknown origin" business seemed to be the crux of animal control's stance. The law states notion of "reasonable suspicion", and defers to the discretion of the local authorities: http://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_130a/gs_130a-197.html

After pleading with the manager to no avail, we decided to ramp up efforts to find the person who lost her. We came to understand that the article of clothing we found next to her (a pair of men's underwear), is a common way for hunters to leave a marker for their lost dogs to find.

I made a post on craigslist, a local lost/found dog database, and shared it with some local dog rescues.

I even made a flyer, and got it posted at the local Bass Pro Shops (super awesome people by the way), and on their Facebook. I had some printed and sent to my mom to start posting around the areas where we found her.

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About a week later, we were contacted by the person who lost her: https://www.facebook.com/BLP123/posts/948545878493131

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This man also reached out to us via phone and e-mail.

I did some digging. Any doubt about this person being the guy who lost Peanut was cast aside when I found this post on a hog dog facebook group, dated the day before we found her: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=292959740899782&amp;set=gm.757185687693752&amp;type=1

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The man I talked to assured me that Peanut was definitely lost during a pig hunt, and that she was most certainly injured by a wild pig. He only owned her for a few months. He was OK with us keeping her, and he said he would do whatever he could to help get Peanut out of this situation.

I also managed to find a listing in another group from a few months prior, offering her up to a good home - but also indicating at least two previous owners in the last 6 months: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=830818350270066&set=gm.631004343679399

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All inquiries about rabies vaccination seemed to go nowhere. Attempts to reach out to the earliest owner I could find were fruitless.

At this point, I decided to appeal to reason - I read more information about rabies, the law, and wrote a letter to the director of animal control. The argument boiling down to this:

We know how she was injured. We know that the animal that injured her is not known to carry rabies. She's been in custody for weeks, and it's been a month since she was injured. She's shown no signs of infection. It is no longer reasonable to suspect that she's been exposed to rabies.

We went back and fourth a little bit, but ultimately animal control could not reach Peanut's previous owner, or he has decided not to cooperate anymore. Now they are pushing for quarantine again.

Here's the e-mail thread (there's an e-mail missing where I give them the e-mail and phone number that Peanut's original owner used to reach out to us, but otherwise this is complete):

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So at this point, we're at a loss. We've been, after a lot of runaround with the clinic where she has to be quarantined, finally quoted between $4500 and $5200 dollars. We were, after much debate, allowed to treat her heartworms while she's incarcerated. That will run about $875, which we've always been prepared to pay. However, facing $5k in costs will be a hardship for us. 

But what's worse is the hardship for poor sweet Peanut - she's facing minimal contact, solitary confinement, and will always have death looming over her - if she shows any signs of aggression she will be put down without notice.

We have until next Monday, November 24th, to convince the folks at animal control that they've made a huge mistake. We really don't know what to do, so we're reaching out to anyone who can help us. My understanding of the law and the situation tells me that this really comes down to the opinion of people who are not vets. People who I believe have good hearts and are reasonable, rational people. We need to compel the people who can make this decision, to end this nonsense.

In my searching (and I mentioned this in my correspondence with animal control), I ran across the recent story of a couple in Forcyth county who faced a similar situation. Their dog was merely SPRAYED by a skunk - not bit, not scratched, merely SPRAYED, and that caused a similar over-reaction by animal control. Their story had a happy ending, and their dog was returned - without explanation. I hope that if enough people hear what's going on, that something similar with happen with Peanut.

Please spread the word! We've set up a petition, please sign it!

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UPDATE (11/22/2014): We've attempted to start the quarantine process, and due to some folks being out of the office at Animal Control, Peanut will likely not be put into quarantine until sometime after the initial deadline of 11/24. It's highly likely that it won't happen until after the Thanksgiving holiday. We've gotten a ton of signatures on the petition and lots of shares and support - thanks everyone! The delay means we have more time to get signatures and spread the word. See What Can I Do To Help? for suggestions and links to continue the momentum!

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UPDATE (11/28/2014): We have a new deadline of 6/5/2014 to get Peanut into quarantine. We're waiting for OCAS to send us the paperwork. This buys us more time to collect information and get more signatures. See What Can I Do To Help? We've also added a FAQ to clarify some things about our situation.

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UPDATE (12/4/2014): We've been forced to start the process of putting Peanut into quarantine. The full story of how we got where we're at since the last update is documented in The Latest Resistance To Reason. OCAS is not listening to us at all - we've verified how Peanut was injured, the man who lost her is in contact with them now, and we even got some general advice from the CDC indicating that anything more than a 2-3 month observation period would be excessive, even in the unlikely event that Peanut was exposed to rabies. OCAS just doesn't care about our evidence.

Our story has been picked up by The Examiner, and our petition has nearly 5100 signatures now. The FaceBook Page has nearly 2100 likes. Momentum is really growing.

Peanut entering quarantine is a setback, but not the end of our fight! OCAS can still be compelled to change their mind and let us take Peanut home!

Please see What Can I Do To Help? for ideas and links to things you can do to help us convince OCAS to release Peanut from her quarantine. 

The Story of Peanut

No good deed goes unpunished.

-Clare Boothe Luce

I've never rescued a dog before, not like this. She was laying on the dirty asphalt baking in the hot Florida afternoon sun her nose sun-burnt. Near her feet a discarded pair of men's underwear. I observed her for a few minutes from a distance. There were quite a few men around fishing and she could have belonged to one of them. She barely moved, she looked thin and very dirty.

I was with my family at an area called The Stick Marsh which is a boat launch area at a state park. It is open 24 hours and people come and go all the time. A few of the fishermen who were packing in their equipment told us that she had been there when they arrived that morning close to 5am if not a little earlier. That means she had been out in the direct sun for 7 hours with no food or water.

We offered her a bowl of water and she had no interest. I sat next to her trying to shade her from the oppressive rays. From what it looked like she may have been a hunting dog because of the very thick pink collar. That is speculation, we don't know. I tried to get her to stand up but she wouldn't budge. The park ranger came over to check on the situation and he said he'd call animal control but it would be a while and it's a very high kill shelter she would be taken to. I needed to get her into my car and now. I wasn't going to let her be put down. Attempts were made to get her to stand up but it wasn't until I moved my car close to her that she popped up and walked a few steps away. Thankfully that meant she didn't have a broken leg.

After a few minutes and everyone telling me to be careful not to get bit (she never even made a noise forget be aggressive in any way shape or form) she was lifted into the car. She was a sad sweet heart, I'm sure being in the heat all day just made her dehydrated and confused.

We were still a little concerned about an injury so we brought her to the Brevard Animal Emergency Hospital, it was a Saturday afternoon so we didn't have many choices. When we arrived the vet tech said they were not an intake for strays, she didn't realize that we were willing to take on the responsibility of paying for her to see a vet. At this point I was calling her Peanut.

The vet checked and saw that there was a very small puncture wound under her left leg up in the pit area. The wound was very small, when I looked it was no bigger than the end of my pinkie finger and not deep. We were given some antibiotics because there was some puss and some saline solution so we could clean it up at home. Other than that she was fine. The vet did mention we would want to bring her to a regular vet and get her shots which is exactly what we did that Monday.

We made an appointment and took her to Florida Aid to Animals. The vet was great, she was given all her shots and was a little trooper not flinching or making a fuss at all. I specifically asked about the wound and if she would be ok to have around our other dogs. We were given the green light and now we could introduce Peanut to my two dachshunds. As I was standing outside with Peanut the vet tech did come out and told me she was heart worm positive and that we would need to get her treatment but it was expensive. I didn't care, I all ready loved her.

Everything went great with the introduction. Unfortunately for me being around her was not great. This had nothing at all to do with how she is as a dog, she's an amazing sweetie. I just happen to be allergic to dogs that have any under coat what so ever. Because of this my throat was closing up, my skin was breaking out into hives and sores and my eyes have never been so itchy. I supposed if I could have stopped myself from hugging her and kissing the top of her head it might not have been as bad but it still wouldn't be pleasant.

This depressed me but with her being such an amazing girl I knew I would have no problem finding her a forever home.

I made a small effort to find her owner but with little time it was limited to internet posting.

With only a week till we needed to be back in NC I frantically tried to find a rescue to help me. I had no luck at all. It was disheartening to say the least. There was no choice, Peanut was coming home to NC with me and we would be a three dog family until I could find her what I envisioned as her dream home and family. This would also give me time to have her spayed and started on heart worm treatment.

I started reaching out to people in NC with no luck. My allergies were getting worse. I ended up reaching out to Orange County Animal Services because I thought with all their experience with dealing with rescues I could maybe get a name or two.

That's when the nightmare began. Shortly after emailing them I got an email at the same time my phone rang. It was Orange County Animal Control asking me about Peanut and this wound. I told them she had her rabies shot and that she was fine. This wasn't good enough. They had a meeting and determined that Peanut was suddenly a huge threat to public health and suddenly they felt that she could have been exposed to rabies. I explained that even if the wound was from an animal there was no way it was a bite or a scratch. Any person with even a rudimentary knowledge of animal attacks knows what a bite or scratch looks like and that the area in which her tiny wound was it was impossible for most all animals to get at her there.

This was not good enough I guess because while Peanut was at the vet to get spayed (which didn't happen and that whole experience is a rant for another day) I was called and told an officer would come by to check on the situation.

There was no situation, had Peanut been found a day later no one would have even seen she had a wound at all and then according to them an animal like that is watched for two weeks and then adopted out or a rescue comes for them. If Peanut is such a risk to public health then why are other dogs adopted out that they are not aware of their background? Either they are letting potentially dangerous animals out into the public or they are putting down every dog in that situation.

Office Mike Hess came by my home and talked to me about Peanut. He said it would be ok, that it's only a ten day thing and it's just a safety precaution. I wanted to comply, I don't want to put anyone at risk. Before he left it got a little upsetting. He said it's in my best interest if I bring her in, that I don't want him coming back for her. I felt threatened. I began to panic.

I made the mistake of not going to get Josh from work and having him come with me. That was a bad judgement call on me but I was very upset and on a ton of allergy medications. I was also assured that it wouldn't be a big deal and everything would be fine that they would take good care of her.

I picked her up at the vet and brought her to Orange County Animal Control on Eubanks rd. I was clearly upset as the woman behind the counter found me a box of tissues. I could barely hold a pen but they pushed a piece of paper in front of me and told me to fill it out. I tried to ask questions but Officer Hess suddenly had to attend to another woman who had come in with a dog even though I was there first. I filled out the form sobbing and full of fear. I saw at the top that 10 day quarantine had been circled and I was worried because Peanut is all ready shy, what would 10 days alone do to her.

I asked if I got a copy of the paperwork and was told no and that I should “just leave.” I demanded they give me her harness and the guy behind the desk asked me what I was still doing there. I knew I had made a huge mistake. It was too late, they had Peanut. I sat in my car and cried.

I rushed to pick up Josh and he asked what happened, I explained and then he said we should go back and demand a copy of the paper work I filled out. A different woman was behind the counter and Josh told her I was in earlier and that we wanted a copy of the papers I signed. She hemmed and hawed for a minute but finally turned over the carbon copy. I was shocked when I looked at it. No longer was 10 days circled, that was crossed out and 6 months was now indicated.

I thought I was going to die. My heart felt like it stopped beating.

Josh knows an ex-coworker who deals with rescuing animals. He asked her to come to the shelter with us so we could talk to Irene Phipps and sort this out. We tried to reason with them but Ms Phipps and Officer Hess were going to hold on to this rabies thing as hard as they could. No budging would happen at all. There was even a point where Irene grossly misquoted statistics about rabies deaths in orange county as in the thousands where there is only one or two people in the entire United States of America that die a year from rabies. That's right one person in the entire country might die from rabies in a given year.

We were told we had two options. Put Peanut in 6 month quarantine at our expense or have her put down. I became hysterical with emotion. My body shook and uncontrollable sobs took over.

Irene suggested a vet, which is apparently the only one in the area who can take care of a dog being quarantined for possible rabies exposure. I called that vet and started asking how much and what will happen. We needed to know if we would be able to have her heart worm treated because if it goes untreated it will kill her very painfully by cardiac arrest.

We were first quoted around $5000 for the six months then were later told $6000 or possibly more. We would also have to add flea treatment, heart worm treatment monthly preventative which she wouldn't be able to take while getting the treatment to kill what was all ready there. The costs kept piling up and at the end was told that there would be a chance that it would require more money at the end. Now with boarding and all the other things we are tipping the scale over $7000. We still need to have her approved to be treated for heart worm positive.

We were told Orange County would NOT allow us to have her treated while in 6 month quarantine but they would call the State vet and see if he would allow it.

If we can't get her treated she will likely die while waiting to be cleared of the impossibly tiny chance that she even came in contact with an animal with rabies. No cases of rabies had been reported in the area of Florida where we found her since the beginning of the year. Not one single case. Two vets cleared her in Florida yet now she's suddenly this huge public health risk.

I'm facing a tremendous finical burden or killing this sweet dog. A dog that I just wanted to save. I know I can't save them all but this one, this one would be different. She would get a chance but now it doesn't look likely.

I've set up a savepeanut.com web site, crowdfunding and a change.org petition.

I would never want to put anyone at risk of being hurt but I know that she is not a risk, I know that wound is not a bite or a scratch from a rabid animal. She's just a dog who has gotten a raw deal in life and now I'm being punished because I wanted to save her and not just let her die from starvation in a hot Florida parking lot.

Please help me Save Peanut.