Animal Protective Society provides care
and refuge for Laredo's less fortunate pets

By Sandra Iruegas

When I would watch Animal Planet on TV I could never understand those people sobbing over their pets. That seemed so unusual, even funny to me, until I became one of those people.
I have no children and the closest thing to one is Sapper, my two-year-old Rottweiler. We got Sapper at Fort Irwin, California, and right away he was a handful. It was more the husband's idea to get a dog, yet somehow I took over as mom, and Sapper knew that, too, and took advantage. He was only six weeks old when we took him home and I never imagined what was up ahead. It seemed as though Sapper cried every minute, especially during the night. I would poke in to see if he was okay, and as soon as he could see me, the crying stopped. The moment I walked away, the crying started again. I would hardly get any sleep at all at nights. He was a baby, my baby.
As all puppies do, he chewed everything in sight, and no matter how many toys he had he enjoyed mom and dad's things best.
For a while he got the nickname "Headbanger" because he got into the habit of running into things and banging his big head against them. He eventually grew out of that, and boy did he grow. He is about 120 pounds now, and we have always been told how attractive he is. Maybe it's the mother in me, but I have never seen a more beautiful Rottweiler in my life.
When Sapper was about eight months old he was left unsupervised and got into dad's fishing tackle. When I got a call from my husband saying that our "kid" had a little accident, I immediately rushed home and found our "kid" with a fishing hook in his lower lip. We tried to unhook the thing but it was impossible, and we knew we had to take him to the vet. We knew they would probably have to cut his lip open to get the hook out.
I was nervous about the whole situation but I never expected to lose my composure the way I did. I could not bear the sight of seeing Sapper under anesthesia and with an oxygen mask to help him breath; I began to cry. I had become one of those people crying over the welfare of their pets, the ones I use to make fun of on TV.
Sapper has become a part of my family and my life and when I think of him and how excited he gets when I come home, it upsets me to see so many neglected pets in Laredo. Why keep a pet if you lack time or patience to care for them?
In Laredo and Webb County there is a place that provides care, control, and impoundment of stray, abandoned, or unwanted domestic animals -- the Laredo Animal Protective Society (LAPS) Animal Shelter.
Animals may be brought to the animal shelter by animal control officers who work for the City of Laredo Health Department, or by any individual.
Each animal that comes to the shelter is evaluated to determine what is to be the next step. Is the animal a stray? Is it abandoned, injured, or ill? If so is it treatable or contagious?
LAPS' objectives include returning pets to their original owners and placing adoptable animals in good homes. They also assist in the investigations and prosecution of animal abuse, abandonment, or cruelty.
About 1,000 animals are brought to the shelter in a month. Isabel Mendez, director of the animal shelter, said she has seen a lot of animal cruelty through the 12 years she has been director. "Having an animal tied up is slavery, inhuman. It is neglect," said Mendez. "We hope to continue to educate the public on animal care."
LAPS provides continuous educational presentations and materials for school children regarding the necessary care of pets, the importance of vaccinations, health, and the benefits of spay/neuter surgery.
The City of Laredo provides the funding that maintains the impoundment facility. The animal shelter is much more than a dog pound, it is an organization that gets involved in trying to give animals the best quality of life and the total expense of operating the shelter is depended on donations. "The shelter is a way of life, emotionally it has meant so much. We want to continue to give good homes to animals," said Mendez.
For more information on pet adoptions or to donate to LAPS call 724-8364.