Andrea Rosebrock 
Since the story came out about the two families that lost everything in an early morning fire earlier this week, donations have poured in, everything from clothes to food to furniture. People have opened their hearts to Patricia Calvin and her four children and Velma Boyd and of course, the four-legged, furry hero of the story, Tiger.
The Humane Society of Memphis has agreed to accept donations for Tiger’s medical care and to care for him for the duration as well.
“Here he’ll get walked by the dogwalkers, we’ll get him checked out by a veterinarian, we will take care of him, board and food and medical and any donations that come will be allotted to him for his care,” Humane Society Director of Operations Butch Lulloff said.
Yet despite the donations and offers of help, Velma Boyd, Tiger’s owner, who lost her job and was preparing to have Tiger euthanized because of an easily treatable skin disorder, say she still is not sure she’ll be able to financially afford to keep Tiger, the hero dog who saved all their lives.
Luckily for Tiger, at least now she’s talking about surrendering him for adoption rather than euthanization. Both families do believe they owe Tiger their lives for waking them and alerting them to the fire.
I guess I should be pleased that people are opening their hearts to donate and help these two families who lost everything, and don’t get me wrong, I am but I feel angry and disappointed too. People are not only offering help for the families but the hero who saved their lives. A dog, that by chance of fate, was even there and alive to be able to help because the Humane Society didn’t pick him up that day after Boyd’s call to get him and euthanized him. He will be taken care of and his medical problems treated at no cost to his owner. He will be boarded at the Humane Society. And still Boyd is talking about getting rid of him.
At least he no longer has a death sentence hanging over his head and because of the publicity there is no doubt that he would be quickly adopted into a wonderful family that actually wanted him. In the longrun, that would be better anyway if you ask me. Such a sweet, loving animal deserves to truly be wanted and loved.
I can tell you one thing though, if it were me, nothing would make me give up my beloved dog, my furry family member, whether they were a hero or not. I would live in my vehicle… beg, plead, borrow…. whatever it took. And trust me, I’ve been there in my life, so I really do mean that!
Am I being too harsh? Too judgmental?
I THINK THIS WOMEN NEEDS TO FIND A JOB TO KEEP TIGER EVEN IF SHE HAS TO FLIP BURGERS FOR AWHILE & WORK 2 JOBS. SHE OWES HER & HER FAMILIES LIVES TO HIM SO SHE NEEDS TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP HIM.
Those people do NOT deserve that dog! He needs to be rescue by someone who cares and will give him a forever loving home no matter what! You can bet that as soon as all the media dies down and they decide to keep their dog, they will get rid of it the minute it requires any medical expenses. They don’t deserve an animal ..period. The dog did his deed and should be rewarded with a loving forever home!!
Did you see the way she acted twards him she shoved him out of the way and didn’t even acknoladge he was right there by her side!!! I honestly would not stop being able to love on my dog she seems cold and calous I hope for tigers sake she dosn’t get him back. I know thats harsh but he deserves the best and she apperently isn’t!!!
I think that this article was written to harshly. Almost to the point of slapping the owners in the face. I am sure this dog is wanted And loved by the people that own him but ran into circumatances that prevented proper care. But in the same sentence I think the owner should have explored other options, to have him euthanized is not a fair thing for the dog. He was sick not dying. So that means find a way to care for him or find a new home that can. Now it was stated above – get a second job, live in your car – To live in you car with a sick dog – what kind of life is that, not a good one. And maybe she did ask for help….as all of you know a person in financial crisis does not get help for their animals, they are told “get rid of them” Then comes the problem of Who is going to take a dog that needs medical attention? Not many..You might know several people, but in the real world….No one that I know would take over the care of a dog that had medical problems, money is tight for them too. So what option does that leave this family, not many. BUT let their house almost burn down & let the doomed dog be the savior and helpful people come from all over, but slap the family at the same time saying the dog is not loved or wanted. Is that fair?
Chris, I guess this just gets to me. First she was going to have the dog euthanized because of a treatable skin condition and now that he is a hero and saved the live of six people, people are donating goods to them and money to care for him, she still doesn’t even know id she will keep him. Yes, perhaps I was harsh and sure, there are things we don’t know but I think if at this point she is still considering getting rid of the dog, she should just do that and let Tiger have a chance to be adopted by someone.
Maybe I am not being fair but this one really burns me. Sorry if I am coming off as too judgmental, harsh and unfair. It’s just my feelings on this. A pet is for life, not something to just be disposed of when things get tough. Been there, done that and I never gave up my babies. If I had really been in a position that I had no choice, I would have moved heaven and earth to find them a good home, one that I approved of and knew they would be loved and cared for as I would. I would never have taken the chance that they could have lost their life in a shelter.
I could say more about the “real world” but that would be getting too personal for me, just suffice it to say even without friends or family to cover my butt, I cared for my family, yes, the furry, four-legged ones, the only ones I had, first and foremost.
D.
Personaly I have never givin away any animal that we “adopted” and we have had several. We were the ones that Would take that sick or injured animal get it medical care or nurse it back to health and then find him/her a great home. At one point in my life we lived in an area that did not care for their animals as we believe they should. They did not have the importance in peoples lives like they do ours. You, me we think that people should do the very best that the can for their pets. But I have known how a sick or injured animal gets put off to fend for itself because no one would help. No support was ever offered. It is very sad. I did all that I could but it was not enough….I do agree with you, it was just not taking into consideration what their situation might be. Had they asked for help? No vet I know will take on a dog with something as simple as a treatable skin issue & treat it and take payments or do it free of charge….it cost a small fortune….so its the vets fault too….to a point. They could have helped.
I dont know Chris but you got to be kidding right? gosh. would you do anything to save this dog? The owner of this dog had no business having a dog in the first place if she cant control herself from having kids she cant take care of! Do you know these people? and if so why aren’t you helping? hey?
No I do not know them, I have just been in a place that was simular to theirs. Having a pet, kids, a home, a job, a life, just to loose most of it after I lost my job. No jobs were to be found. I was in the country, no transportation and my dog got into a fight with a stray. I called the vet, no help was offered….come up with the office visit, the treatment cost and we will see your dog. Fortunatly I had my mother to fall back on….she paid the $150 bill…..but what if she had not been able to help? I loved my dog, had him since he was a puppy, took great care of him….but then I found myself in a financial crisis…..I then was forced to entertain the thought that I was going to have to find my dog a new home if I could not find a job. I cried for a long time over that single thought. I was out of work for 6 months with bills still coming in….had to go to the church for food at one point just to feed my family. But then I got a job and was able to keep my family intact, including my dog. I guess I just have a part of me that can “understand” what she was thinking. No I do not think the dog should have been put down. But her thoughts leading up to having to think “what amd I going to do”……I understand them because I have been there. Once I got out of my crisis and was back on my feet I made sure I helped who I could help, I ended up adopting 5 dogs that people could not afford to take care of. The last one of that group just passed on last year at the age of 15.
Hi group deanna you are not being harsh enougth if you ask me I don’t care about the cost even in this day of hard times you have LIFE because of that dog he did not ask you to get him but now that you do have him you got to do the rigth thing and giving up is not one of them did he give up on you I think not that dog will be a better person then she ever could be I hope she does give the dog up that would be the best thing ever someone will be happy to kill that dog with kindness and all the love he can get …..jeffrey
exactly..that dog did not ask her to take him to begin with but since she did in no way shape or form does she have any rite before or after the fire to have the dog put down just because! point blank dog needs to go with a better home and someone else said something good too….if she cant afford her family etc why did she go an get a dog to begin with?
id give my life for my dog fire or no fire bottom line!..i too would do whatever i could to keep my dog!
oh and chris i guess u dont have a myspace…well i do and its a huge group of animal lovers on there that find homes for dogs all over this country and by transport get them to their new home…do you know what kind of dogs most of these are??? sick,big time medical problems, abused, last change dogs at a pound, all most starved to death dgos
so yes there are many many people that will take a sick animal, no matter the cost..because of the groups all of myspace people that dont even know one another help!!
if you have a profile on there look me up and ill add you so then u can see the hundreds of bullitens that go through in a day about dogs….its truly amazing..i live in Va and saw a bulliten of a dog getting ready to be put down…because of those people…i now have that dog! because of those people and myself that beautiful dog is alive and well and with me! along with 2 others i have and i know if i get in a bind ,,,there is help out there!!!
if you are anyone else would like to see how amazing this all is ..add me
u can find me under my name
karen eastes or my email
karenkrs2@yahoo.com
(and i am also one of those people who didnt have a pot to piss in a while back and i struggled like no one business and i made it…with 2 dogs that never left my side when i felt i had no one to fall on..i managed! and my dogs lived with me until they were old and to this day still with me as i have their ashes right beside my bed! 13 years later!
same here karen……and I will look you up..
mine is cdraven30 on myspace
Mit Liebe German Shepherd Dog Rescue
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WI70.html
Admin…no way your being too harsh!!
i forgot to add the dog that got transported to me i rescued,..came from ohio……no excuse to begin with for this lady specially before the fire she just plain and simply didnt want to b bothered by looking for help ..because there is help out there and lots of it
The deities above have spoken to Velma Boyd and she’s not listening.
Well said!!
All that matters is the dog has medical care now and is healing. If someone steps up to provide a new home…..all the better for that pup.
You got that Chris! Well, said!
yup that is the bottom line..that this dog gets what he deserves. “life”………………..but then again all dogs deserve life..we shouldnt be playing God and put perfectly healthy dogs to sleep…ok im actually tired of saying put to sleep ….its death and that shouldnt be….ever~~~!!!
Well,
I do not think you are being too harsh or judemental. Just the fact that yo are concerned that you might be, says a lot about your character in that you are willing to examine the opinions of others on your thoughts. That screams humility, something that too many in this world could use a lot more of ~
Perhaps this is not a bad thing. With no job and all the children she has to take care of, I think that giving Tiger up for adoption might be the best thing for him.
Hopefully she will do that and he will find a great home with those that can give him the time and attention that he deserves and good medical care when her needs it.
Sometimes when bad things happen, good things come out of it and people pull together and great changes are made.
Reminds me of poor Adam Walsh! Look what his father did with all that pain! Rather than sit around and cry his life away, he used his pain to help so many. Perhaps Tiger will get a better home out of this horrid fire and loss that happened to this woman and her children and everyone will benefit from it.
I don’t think you are too harsh. I completely agree with you. And I also would do anything i had to to keep my precious fur kids with me. I think Tiger will be a lot better off with a new family. Where he will be loved more.
I’D CLEAN TOILETS TO KEEP FEED MY DARLINGS
I just hope Tiger gets a good home and out of the hands of someone (I don’t care what you say, Chris)that has no heart or love for this precious baby. Absoloutly impossible to have compassion for this prcious love bug if, because she’s down on her luck (like 3,000,000 others today), she’s willing to MURDER poor Tiger……not fair! I have been down on my luck for two years now and still find a way to PROPERLY care for my babies. I can’t predict the future for my life, but if (God forbid) anything ever happens to where I can’t PROPERLY care for these gifts from GOD, they will get wonderful, loving, caring homes. I thank my Lord every day for giving me one more day with them. Just one other little note…..I have an opinion on animals saving people from fires and other desasters…..they are very frightened by these things and come to their human partners to help get them out of the situation. I know we all want to believe the wonderful fantasy that they are saving us, but in reality, they are only trying to get us to get them out. BUT, I too like to believe otherwise.
If you believe that it is fantasy that animals aren’t saving us. Then you haven’t been saved by an animal before. Just recently our puppy, Comanche alerted us that our propane kitchen stove was leaking propane. Somehow the oven knob got partially turned on. He woke us up at 2 in the morning. He was running back and forth to the kitchen from our bedroom. We went into the kitchen he was barking furiously at the stove. As soon as we got to the kitchen we smelled the propane. He saved us from a disaster. Then last year our GS, Dakota alerted us that something was going on outside. That night our son that lives to the back of our property had a home invasion by 4 armed men. The police said she saved our son and his girlfriend’s life. One of the men had them laying on the floor with pillows over their heads and a gun to their heads. And that man didn’t leave until he was startled by my husband that went running over to our son’s, because Dakota alerted us. That man ran out and jumped into the back of the pick-up that the other men were waiting in. The police said he probably would have shot them if he hadn’t been scared that he would be left behind. A few nights later some people were shot in a home invasion by 4 armed men. We don’t know if they were the same men but we are so thankful that Dakota was here that night. Dakota always lays under my computer table when I’m on it. That night she was asleep then jumped up and started running back and forth to the kitchen and to the back door. She saved lives that night.My opinion is that God puts these animals in our lives to be our guardians. We got Comanche from a shelter last April. He was listed as a Shepherd. But when we got there we seen that he wasn’t. But we brought him home. There was just something about him. I couldn’t leave him there. I’m so glad we didn’t. He is so precious to us and he is Dakota’s best friend.
i am in agreement with you dee, i do believe animals do know when danger is approaching…just like in the wild, they can sense it..even domesticated they still follow their intstincts..and yes it probably is to save themselves too…but they are protecting us as well..as they/I say no better love than the unconditional love of a dog!!!!!! i know my dogs would save me from harm…just as i would for them with every breath in my body!
and one more thing…if these people really appreciate what this dog has done …saved their life…then the best thing they can do for the dog is let someone else adopt it…because should this woman decide to keep this dog because it saved their life…when the warm and fuzzies leave her…she could very well later on decide once again she cant afford the dog and have it put down…and this time it could actually happen
Karen I agree with you. She should give Tiger to people that will treasure him as a companion. And will take better care of him. I thank God every day for my fur kids, that I treasure.
yup i live and breathe for my dogs, all dogs actually..they are my world…ask my husband lol he always tells the story if there was a car accident and both he and the dog were in the car who i would go to first…he says the dog hahaha
Yep, I know what you mean. My husband tells everone that the dogs come before him. ha ha I live for my dogs too.
If anyone watched “the victim’ in the video she had no feelings what so ever for her dog except to push him down. I’m sorry if my dogs had saved my kids and myself from burning up I’d be hugging the snot out of them. And yes I have been down on my luck too and nothing could get me to give up my dogs. My animals come first as my son grew up being the exact same way. We already had 4 dogs and he rescued a min. poodle who was living outside and has epilepsy and tumors so no there is no excuse if you can’t afford to keep your dog or any animal you find it a home. How was she going to pay to have it put down? It costs money to have a vet put an animal down so wouldn’t it be more economical to find it a home or sign him over to the spca. Sorry I just get so angry when people treat their animals like a dirty diaper and put them down just because. I know there aren’t too many Vets in our area that would put any animal down ‘just because’
Becky, that was the impression I got too. With me, pretty much whenever my pups are around I am usually petting them or hugging on them or even just talking to them. They are gluttons for attention and I am a glutton for them… LOL
To me, my babies are heroes everyday and the greatest gift I have ever been given.
D.
Never saw a video of her…..do u have the link>
Chris, just click on the link to the first story, it’s in the first paragraph above – “hero of the story, Tiger” for the first video and the second is at the bottom of this article, the big burgundy box.
d.
Just a note to say……sorry to have ruffled your feathers Dee and Karen. Just makeing a point. I do believe they love us enough to help us, but what I was saying was, it’s also to get them out of a dangerous situation. They are our gifts from God….I say that all the time. But, they have that wonderful sixth sense to alert them of a dangerous situation that we can not feel or see just yet. That’s one of the very wonderful things about having our pets. They are very intellegent. We are blessed to have them in our lifes. Also, I too have always said I would save the animal before the human if ever put in that situation…..LOL I think that’s just the way we animal lovers are. I also believe in the fact that they will die from loneliness after loosing their human/animal partners in life. My dad’s dog Midnight, did just that. Not too long after my dad passed away. She got a wonderful new family, that loved her very much, but she just up and died one day, very shortly after dad died. She was a healthy dog, but I beleive she missed dad terribly and just wanted to be with him. We all have our own believes about our four legged companinons and I think that is part of the reason Deanna has put this comment section in. So we can all voice those oppinions. Bottom line………….we all love them with every ounce of our soal and heart. Be well out there everyone.
no your fine..no feathers ruffled ..but i just had to mention it isnt a fantasy but that they do indeed have that sense of danger not just to protect themselves but their people too
Thanks Karen. Sure don’t want to upset anyone on here. Deanna doesn’t appreciate that…..remember the war on the Ferris, Tx. story…LOL. Take care Karen.
Jessie, you didn’t as you say, ruffle my feathers. I have seen too many times where an dog rescued people or other animals when that dog wasn’t in danger itself. I just think that God sends us these dogs, cats or even some other kind of animals that rescue.Just like the night our Dakota alerted us that there was something not right at our son’s house. She wasn’t in any danger that night. She wasn’t anywhere near his house to be in danger. But she let us know. You have your opinion and that is good that we can talk about our dfferences here. And one thing we all agree on, we know our companions love us unconditionally.
Wow – this one has me irritated beyond belief. No, I do no think the original story was harsh……but I also understand where Chris is coming from. My oldest ‘baby’ is almost 11 – when we picked him up from the shelter 10 yrs ago life was good – jobs were plentiful and there was no question. Well as we all know the economy has taken a nose dive…I didn’t know this would happen 10 years back. But I am doing what I can to make sure my babies and my human teenage baby have what they need. There are things you can give up.
But the attitude of this woman has me PO’d beyond belief….euthanize for a skin condition? Oh puh-leese. And to be alive today BECAUSE of this dog and to not care one iota…..she doesnt’ deserve this dog.
And as another poster said – once the media frenzy dies down you know darn well this woman will dump this hero.