Two River's Article on Rex, dog shot by Hoopa Police

The Two Rivers Tribune has put their article on-line now.  Here is the link. Though, if you are local, they are a small paper and I do encourage financially supporting them by buying a copy if you can.

http://www.tworiverstribune.com/2012/09/police-say-dog-escaped-during-shooting/


Karin reported Rex is doing fine and is starting to  look quite "debonair".

Another Update on Rex and how to adopt an animal like him

Rex is mending well today after his tooth extraction.

The Two Rivers Tribune came out today with an in depth article about Rex.  I encourage people to read it to get a bigger picture.

I did find it disheartening that the Tribal Police confessed to shooting at least one dog a month. That just shows how severe the issue is. The police state they don't have enough resources. Perhaps the Hoopa Tribe needs to consider setting aside some of their $49 million settlement to provide for the animals the Creator has entrusted them with.  Just a thought.

Also, if you are in the place to adopt a dog or a cat, you might want to consider rescuing a Hoopa animal like Rex.  You can contact the Greater Rural Rescue in Hoopa at 530-625-1078. They have lots of animals in need of a loving home. They also aren't financially supported by the Hoopa Tribe. They are just a bunch of animal caring people trying to fix a desperate situation and using their own personal resources. They are the Hoopa Valley's equivalent to Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna (only smaller).

Thank you Allie for a wonderful article. I thank all of your for your support for Rex and other animals like him.

Update on Rex, black lab puppy shot by tribal police

Rex went in to have his teeth worked on because they were in danger of being infected from the gun shot wound to his jaw. The good news is he only had to lose 5 teeth.  He is back in his safe foster home recovering.

The treating vet has cleared me to share photos of the tongue injury.  It is graphic, but is also proof that this dog was not found 4-5 days after being shot. He was found probably within an hour of being shot at.  I now have a witness that stated the dog arrived back at the school before the Tribal Police dispatcher who did the shooting made it back down the hill.

Today Karin Glinden shared the letters the students of the elementary school wrote with the Tribal Council. I'm not sure what their response was.

We are hoping the Tribal Council will step up and pay Rex's medical bills. Currently they are being paid by donations from individuals, with the rest being put on Karin's vet tap.

Tomorrow The Two Rivers paper releases their article. It should be well researched, and I do hope all the other individuals who were upset by Rex are mentioned. Many other people at are site want to stand up for him, but every article I read only mentions Karin and me.

I also want to thank the Humboldt Sentinel for picking up the story and passing it on.

The Story of Rex hit the paper today!

I am glad people are hearing about Rex and the abuse to animals by Tribal Police.

Alas, the reporter got some details in his article wrong. Rex was found hours after he was shot, not days.

The link to the Time Standards Article is

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_21607858/hoopa-dog-shooting-upsets-teachers-tribal-police-animal

The Two Rivers paper will have another article out on Tuesday. That should have more details for all who are interested.

Rex is still mending. He is going in to have his infected teeth removed on Monday, since the rest of his wounds are stable now. 

I told my students on Friday part of what happened (they are too young for full details) because I felt it better they heard it from me and to give them a chance to talk and share feelings before it hit the paper. One of my students claimed the dog as his and cried for the last 45 minutes of class. Four other students wrote about Rex and how he would lick their faces and play with them.

Rex is a very loved dog.

Rex, Black Lab shot by Tribal Police in Hoopa, continuation

I just received the photos and the vet report from Rex's treating vet.  I want to cry again.  I'll include the pertinent part of the report.  The bet prefers the photos aren't shared.

The treating vet is Malcolm Richardson at Sunny Brae Animal Hospital.

"Brief summary:  2 bullet wounds, one to the head, one to pelvic region, no
bullets remained in dog.
Head: penetration from the lower mandible, fractured teeth lower mandible,
lacerated tongue, maxillary canine and first premolar fractured, exit upper
right lip.
Pelvic: penetration near right anus, exit through left hip."

Rex, Black Lab Puppy shot by Hoopa Tribal Police

Exit wound on face

Rex's story is getting out there. People are learning the truth. I thank all of you for what you have done and will be doing. Here are some more photos of Rex.

I will keep you posted on Rex's story.

Bullet wound

Exit wound

Black Lab Puppy Escapes from Torture by Hoopa Tribal Police Dispatcher on September 11!

 I write a monthly church article for the St. Alban's Newsletter "Tidings." This is the article for October. I have to share this story here too, because what happened is so cruel and unjust.  People need to know what is really going on, and that this abuse doesn't stop with just the animals.

The Other Side of the Mountain

by Heather Hobson Lewis

            I had a church article all written for this month, but an incident occurred this week that demands attention and has absorbed my thoughts and heart. This article shall run longer then my others and may disturb some.

            Most of you know I teach on the Hoopa Valley Indian reservation. The reservation has its own set of laws and is not under the jurisdiction of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.  The reservation is not bound by most of California’s state laws. They follow their own created Tribal Law that as I have observed tends to favor those in power. That is why state taxes are not charged at reservation gas stations, and that is why we have been told by the Sheriff’s Office can’t assist in the following case.

            On the Hoopa reservation live many stray dogs.  Dogs there are rarely fixed and allowed to roam.  Other dogs are dumped along the river when owners from the city decide they no longer want them. This adds to the population. Rex is one of these dogs.

            Rex is about one year old and a black lab.  About three weeks ago he started visiting the elementary school. Rex would arrive about the same time as the students and make his rounds.  He greeted everyone with a dog grin and a tail wag. He allowed the kids to play roughly, even kick him, and he never harmed anyone.

facial bullet wound on muzzle

            Then on September 11 that all changed. Someone called the Hoopa Tribal Police. According to the police the caller said the dog had bit someone, but that someone can’t be found, and there is no verification of this happening.  The dispatcher was sent to pick Rex up.  Later Rex returned to the school, his safe place. He had two gun shot wounds through his jaw.  His lower jaw was shattered and most of his lower teeth knocked out.  His tongue had almost been completely severed.  He had a shot near his anus that exited out his side leg.  Bullet graze wounds ran along his back and his legs.

            As a teacher rushed Rex to Sunny Brae Medical Center the story began to unfold. Rex had been taken off by the dispatcher to a wooded area.  There had been shot at with a hand gun in what appears to be a target practice torture session. This is a break away from past practices where dogs that bit someone were to be quarantined for ten days observation.

bullet entry

            How Rex managed to escape we will never know, but he did.

            This is not the first incident of dog torture on the reservation.  Several people have confided to me stories of animal torture by the Tribal Police going back as far as twenty years.

            What makes this even more disturbing is there is an animal rescue group on the reservation only about a mile from the school. They are called the Greater Rural Rescue or GRR. They would have taken Rex.

bullet exit

            I also find it amazing that a tribe that has received a Federal settlement of over $20 million dollars, with $16,000 ear marked for each tribal member, can’t afford $50 to drive a dog 10 miles to Willow Creek to a veterinarian to have a dog euthanized properly.

            I and many others who work and/or live in Hoopa are disturbed by this. I have been left filled with anger, disgust, and rage. I want justice for Rex and for all that have suffered before him.

graze wound from bullet

            At this point, as I know some of you must have felt at some point in your life too, I question if I want to be Christian. I don’t want to forgive this injustice, though I know that is what is expected of me as a Christian.  I don’t want to love “my neighbors as myself” if these are the type of neighbors I have.  All I want is justice and safety for the animals.

            Pray for Rex. Pray for me.  Pray for the Hoopa people. We all need it.

P.S. The doctor was able to reattach Rex’s tongue.  He is now healing in a safe foster home.