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The Story of Phantom.The Story of Phantom.(A dog's journey from cruelty to salvation(A dog's journey from cruelty to salvation .).)

© 2008 copyright – All Rights Reserved

“If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them you will not know them , and what you do not know you will fear.

What one fears, one destroys.”

Chief Dan George © 2008 copyright – All Rights Reserved

A call came to Friends for Animals, “There is a stray dog in our neighborhood.

He is scaring the children.”


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Phantom is a four year old Pit bull . It is believed that he was used as a “Bait” dog. Phantom may have been a living target for owners of fighting dogs to practice their blood sport upon. When Phantom came to Friends for Animals, the top part of his face had been ripped off, a piece of his ear was missing, a piece of his tongue had been bitten off and his teeth had been filed down to have no points. There were plentiful bite scars on the front half of his torso.


Despite all this, Phantom greeted his rescuers with a wagging tail…

And for the strong hearted, kisses.


The question is not, “Can they reason?” Nor, “Can they talk?” But rather, “Can they suffer?” Jeremy Bentham


Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?

Pierre Troubezkoy.© 2008 copyright – All Rights Reserved

“The dog is a gentleman; I hope he goes to his heaven, not man’s.” ~Mark Twain


“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.”William Ralph Inge.


The other dogs at the shelter would not play with Phantom, his missing lips gave him an appearance of snarling. And Phantom had no skills in socializing with other dogs. The other dogs would lunge toward him as he walked by.

Phantom never once showed any dog aggressiveness.

He only wanted kindness.


“If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.”

Woodrow Wilson.© 2008 copyright – All Rights Reserved

Phantom became the unofficial spokes person of Friends for Animals. His picture was circulated with a petition to lobby for stronger animal cruelty laws with in North Carolina.

Pretty soon Phantom had a fan club of volunteers and members who would come by the shelter to walk and visit with him. Just to receive his over wet kisses from a mouth half not there.


One day a member, David Coffin took phantom’s photo and story to a local veterinarian. The Doctor stated, “ This

profession has given so much to me, it is only right to give something back.” So began Phantom’s transition to a new

face so that he could better eat and breathe again .


Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.~ Albert Schweitzer.


Dr Mark McMahon DVM, of Morganton NC, and Dr Alan Moss DVM, of Hickory NC, donated hours of surgery and skill to help Phantom have a normal visage again. The surgery itself took most of a whole day to perform.


Terms like that,”Humane Society,” are devised with people like me in mind, who don’t care to dwell on what happens to the innocent. ~Barbara Knigsolver.


“ You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson.


“It is as if life had said,’I am going to send you into a world of cruelty. I shall make you sensitive to pain, fear, heat, cold, hunger and starvation. In this world of cruelty, I shall make you defenseless. In addition, I shall strike you unable to speak.’ This is the kind of world that animals are born into.” Grace Johnson


“To close your eyes will not ease another's pain.”

~ Chinese Proverb


“My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.” ~ Anna Sewell


A dog is not “almost human” and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such. ~John Holmes.


Phantom is on the road to recovery . Despite all Phantom has endured he is a “lucky one”. Everyday across the nation countless numbers of dogs are tortured to death, in a bloody sport humans consider fun.


There are no bad Pit-bull dogs…

only bad Pit-Bull Dog owners. They

are not innately vicious, they are animals with a strong desire to

please their human owners. A Pit-Bull in a proper home environment is an

extraordinary companion animal.


Reward


The Humane Society of the United States will PAY YOU UP TO $5000 for the

arrest and conviction of a dogfighter.

For more details, call 202-452-1100.

Your identity will be protected.

“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.”

Abraham Lincoln

Update On Phantom

• From Phantom’s foster home:

• With much love and behavior modification, Phantom has evolved into a happy, playful, housebroken companion pet. He loves to play with his new toys and siblings (a black cat and three other dogs). His numerous surgeries are healing and he has learned that all men are not hurtful.

• Phantom is a lover…not a fighter.


Phantom’s friend, David Coffin from Hickory came to visit and brought Phantom a toy. He wanted Phantom to have this stuffed animal he had bought for Cody, David’s beloved dog who had recently died.


"All that is necessary

for the triumph of evil

is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)


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