Joint Press Release from the
Lucas County Dog Warden and the
Toledo Area Humane Society

For Immediate Release

Update on Sarge, the German Shepherd Shot Six Times 7/9/2010

On Friday, July 9^th, the Lucas County Dog Warden (LCDW) Deputy on call responded to an emergency request from the Toledo Police Department to pick up a dog that had been shot. The deputy transported Sarge, the wounded German Shepherd, to an emergency veterinary clinic. He was bleeding from the head and upon x-ray was found to have been shot with six bullets that were lodged in his head, neck and chest. Sarge was treated and kept over the weekend at the emergency clinic.

The LCDW has a bite report on file from multiple bites occurring on July 1^st. One of the bite victims was treated at a local area hospital on that date.

Sarge has a license on file and thus by law the LCDW must hold him for the 14 day period that the license requires unless otherwise ordered by a judge. The LCDW does not adopt out adult dogs with a bite history.

In the State of Ohio, animal cruelty falls into the jurisdiction of humane societies and in our area this is the Toledo Area Humane Society (TAHS). Dog Wardens do not charge people with animal cruelty and are not normally involved in these cases. The Toledo Area Humane Society is the entity responsible for charging people with animal cruelty and is now seeking custody of Sarge through the court system although an ultimate decision on his disposition has not been made at this time. Both men charged with the shooting of Sarge are facing multiple charges, including animal cruelty.

The LCDW and TAHS greatly appreciate the public’s concern about Sarge and his case but are not able to respond to the volume of calls and emails that they have been receiving. The LCDW and TAHS accept and greatly appreciate donations, both monetary and of inkind items. In the case of LCDW they are used for general operations and for dogs in their care, but cannot be specified for the care of one particular dog.

Once Sarge is transferred to the Toledo Area Humane Society following the 14 day waiting period or court order, he will be evaluated medically. If he is deemed ready medically, he will be evaluated behaviorally by their trained staff of animal trainers and behaviorists. TAHS also has a policy to not adopt dogs that test to be aggressive. Once he has been evaluated medically and behaviorally, the decision will be made to put Sarge up for adoption, transfer him to a rescue or humanely euthanize him.

For questions about the disposition of Sarge, please contact the Toledo Area Humane Society at 419-891-0705 or the Lucas County Dog Warden at (419) 213-2800. We will do our best to respond to as many calls and emails as possible.

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