CHARLIE'S ANGEL LOOKED OUT FOR HIM.Byline: DENNIS MCCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
NORTHRIDGE- You want to hear a positive story about a pit bull for a change, Paulette Jolliffe asks me? A story with a sad beginning but a happy ending? Sure, why not? Fair's fair. There hasn't been an animal more maligned ma·lign tr.v. ma·ligned, ma·lign·ing, ma·ligns To make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of. adj. 1. Evil in disposition, nature, or intent. 2. and stereotyped in the media than the pit bull terrier pit bull terrier or Staffordshire terrier Dog breed developed in 19th-century Britain for fighting other dogs in pits. It was created by crossing the bulldog (which at the time was longer-legged and more agile) with a terrier, possibly the fox terrier. , even though most people should know by now that it's not the dog that's dangerous, it's the abusive owner set on turning him vicious. Charlie, the lucky pit bull, doesn't have an owner. It's about the only break this mutt caught in life before Paulette took him in. He showed up one morning about four months ago in the front yard of Sylvia Cazares in South Central L.A. Actually, Charlie collapsed in her front yard. ``He was emaciated e·ma·ci·ate tr. & intr.v. e·ma·ci·at·ed, e·ma·ci·at·ing, e·ma·ci·ates To make or become extremely thin, especially as a result of starvation. beyond belief and curled up into a fetal position fetal position n. A position of the body at rest in which the spine is curved, the head is bowed forward, and the arms and legs are drawn in toward the chest. as if ready to die,'' said Sky Valencia, who runs Saint Martin's Saint Martin's, England: see Scilly Islands. Foundation, a nonprofit, educational program in the Latino community for preventing animal abuse. Pit bulls are hot commodities in certain areas of this city, often sold on street corners right from the litter for $30 each to macho guys looking to turn a pet into a fighting machine, Valencia said. Cazares is one of her volunteers. She called the animal-abuse prevention group, then took Charlie to a nearby vet for a couple of days. Valencia came and took the dog home - calling her friend, Paulette Jolliffe, who operates the Canine Rescue Network in Northridge. ``I've got a blind, severely emaciated, year-and-a-half-old pit bull who needs to be nursed back to health,'' Valencia said. Bring him on over, Paulette said. There was always room for one more - even if there really wasn't. Paulette called Karin Flattery Flattery Adams, Jack toady to his employer. [Br. Lit.: Dombey and Son] Amaziah fawningly complains of Amos to King Jeroboam. [O.T.: Amos 7:10] bolton one who flatters by pretending humility. [Br. Hist. of Studio City, one of a small group of local people who often will sponsor one of the strays Paulette finds. ``My kids saw a picture of the poor dog and wanted him immediately, but we're already full up,'' Karin said Friday. ``But I wanted my kids connected with him, so we're helping pay his medical and feed costs, and my son, Griffin, named him Charlie.'' No one knew at the time, but there was one more injury Charlie was suffering from - a bullet lodged in his cheek that probably caused his blindness. It would be three weeks of small portions of chicken and rice six times a day before Charlie finally started to come around, Paulette said. ``One day, he started to play with me, came up and licked my hand and did a little dance around me,'' she said. Charlie was finally ready to go public, she thought. A few days later, she brought Charlie with her to the ``Good Day L.A.'' show on KTTV, where Jolliffe's group is one of the animal-rescue organizations that often features pets for adoption. Later that night, she got a call from Lisa and Mike Lloyd of Garden Grove Garden Grove, city (1990 pop. 143,050), Orange co., S Calif., a suburb of Long Beach and Los Angeles, on the Santa Ana River; founded 1877, inc. 1956. Many of its residents work in nearby aerospace and defense installations, and there is light manufacturing. , who wanted to know if Charlie was still available. ``We didn't think we would stand a chance at getting him, but my husband encouraged me to call and try anyway,'' Lisa said. ``We're thrilled to have him.'' The couple stopped by to play with Charlie a few days ago, anxious to take him home, but they'll have to wait until next weekend. Charlie still has the stitches in his cheek from having that bullet taken out a few weeks ago by local vet Dr. Joseph Szanto at his Sherman Oaks vet center, and Paulette wants the stitches out before she'll let Charlie go. Besides, she figures Charlie could use a few extra days to say goodbye to all the pals he's made these last four months, including Shana, a 12- year-old blind German shepherd German shepherd, breed of large, muscular working dog perfected in Germany at the turn of the 20th cent. It stands about 25 in. (64 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 85 lb (27.2–38.5 kg). that Charlie's been sharing a bedroom with at Paulette's Northridge home. ``I wish people could see them rolling around on the carpet together playing with the other dogs and cats,'' she said. ``Maybe they'd start to realize that there are a lot of pit bulls out there who are sweet, not vicious.'' It isn't the dog, she says. It's the owner. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Northridge resident Paulette Jolliffe of Canine Rescue Network found a home for Charlie, a pit bull terrier rescued from South Central Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The almost dead dog had been shot with a .32-caliber gun, blinded and starved starve v. starved, starv·ing, starves v.intr. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. Informal To be hungry. 3. To suffer from deprivation. . John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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