Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 27, 1995 TAG: 9505300039
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It was "Pico," that "crazy little dog who broke my heart when he disappeared" three months ago, Kane said.
But the dog in the newspaper photo was "Elvis," rescued three months ago from Interstate 81 near Troutville by a motorist who took the injured animal to a Roanoke animal hospital. For two months, he had been at the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter.
And he needed a home.
Despite the name change, Kane said she was certain the dog was "Pico," the seventh of her seven dogs who had the run of her 15 acres, her house and her home-cooked meals. She phoned the SPCA to claim the dog.
Now, she is sorry she made the call.
The SPCA has refused to hand the dog over without proof of ownership.
Kane didn't have a license for the dog. The only identifying tool she had was a scar on his left paw, a remnant of surgery four months ago. It hadn't been determined Friday whether "Elvis" has such a scar.
What's more, someone else has tried to lay claim to "Elvis." Another woman came into the SPCA shelter Friday and said the dog belonged to her. She asked SPCA employees to find out if the dog answered to "Spike."
Elvis/Pico/Spike was recuperating Friday at Valley Animal Hospital after having a pin removed from his leg, oblivious to the trouble he'd stirred up.
"Golly, the controversy," said Frank Van Balen, president of the SPCA board of directors. "We're going to have to straighten this out. But we just can't let someone waltz in off the street and take Elvis and leave."
The shelter received eight to 10 calls about the dog Friday. One woman interested in adopting "Elvis" brought her spaniel in to meet him, just to see if the two dogs were compatible.
But Kane is convinced that "Elvis" is "Pico." The last time she saw him, he was heading off into the woods after a rabbit, she said.
"It's very unusual for my dogs to leave the property," Kane said. "I had actually thought that he had run so far, he'd probably reached another home."
Kane said she believes she is being perceived as a neglectful dog owner for allowing "Pico" to run away.
"I've been advised to kiss the dog goodbye and let some other family have him," she said. "Now, I'm supposed to look at the picture of the dog and say 'This probably isn't my animal,' when I know it probably is."
by CNB