The Story of Gregory

Our Blood is Boiling!

On December 30th, 2016 we got a phone call about a poor dog rescued from a man pulling it behind him on a bicycle! A good samaritan in El Monte, CA (a suburb east of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley) had been walking down the street near her home when she saw a man riding his bike in the middle of the street pulling a dog along behind him with a rope.

Gregory at the vet, Dec. 31st, 2016

She watched as the dog fell, and he dragged it. She then yelled at him to stop, which (surprisingly) he did. She began talking to him about what was going on, and the man appear drunk and told a rambling story about how he took the dog out for exercise, but the dog didn’t like to walk, and so forth. Some other people started to gather as well, and also starting questioning why the man was dragging the dog behind himself while riding the bike.

Being examined at the vet, Dec 31st, 2016

Suddenly the man got nervous, perhaps because a small group was gathering, and he dropped the rope and rode off on his bike! The good samaritan took the dog, and then looked for a rescue to help her, because she was not allowed to have dogs at her apartment.

On New Year’s Eve co-founder of Free Animal Doctor, Sam Bernardo, pick up the dog at her apartment and took him to the vet, basically forcing his way in for a last minute appointment! We named him Gregory.

Gregory had damaged teeth, probably from biting on a metal chain or fence, and had clearly been neglected, but he was not in bad health, fortunately. That New Year’s Eve he went to our kennel in Sierra Madre. It was going to be a New Year for Gregory!

Adoption

Over a couple of months we worked with Gregory, getting him ready for adoption. He was neutered, got on a good diet, and got good attention and socialization. He was a very laid back and friendly dog, and with in a few months he got adopted by a family in Monrovia.

We did a home-check. They had a dog. They had kids. They were excited about Gregory. It seemed perfect. Seemed.

Gregory just before being adopted in early 2017

Found Stray

Then, on May 11th, 2018, a little over a year after Gregory got adopted, we got a phone call from the Pasadena Humane Society. Gregory had been picked up as a stray, dirty, flea infested, and matted to the skin. We had him chipped, of course, and had left ourselves listed as a contact. Having tried to contact his family with no success, the Humane Society had reached out to us.

Gregory’s intake photo at the Pasadena Humane Society

Let me tell you, when we saw him, we were livid. We don’t know how long Gregory was stray, but we can tell from his matting and condition that he had not been cared for in at least six months. The adopters violated our contact in multiple ways, and Gregory in our opinion, had been neglected to the point of abuse.

We had to give him a full shave, due to his matted condition… and he is overweight, almost certainly a condition of a bad diet of crappy food and scraps. He seems more arthritic as well. We are getting him fully vetted. He’s back on decent food, and once he is okay we will be getting him regular exercise too.

After we got him back from the Humane Society, and got him bathed and groomed:

Shock collar that was on Gregory when found (it was wrapped in matted fur)

How you can help

This poor guy has been betrayed too many times. He’s been through too much. And he is still a sweet and gentle boy. We need a real home for Gregory. A loving home. A home that recognizes those that have been treated unfairly, abused, stepped on, and who wants to redeem that behavior. Could that be you? Do you know someone?

Thank you for reading the story of Gregory!

Gregory is now staying at The Shabby Dog in Sierra Madre, at 31 E. Montecito Ave. He can be seen there for parties interested in adopting him.

Contact: Sandy and Ryan at info@freeanimaldoctor.org subject: Gregory

Gregory in January of 2017, a few months before adoption, after a grooming