The Herald News – Joliet (IL)
April 18, 2006 | By Jeanne Millsap
Liz Bagley of Channahon hugs her miniature pinscher, Chrissie, that she credits with helping her through a bout with cancer in 2002. Bagley, who adopted another dog, a Labrador retriever-springer spaniel mix named Oreo, helps pet owners find good homes for animals they must give up.
Liz Bagley of Channahon has always been an animal lover, but she began to see pets differently while battling cancer in 2002. The experience changed her into one of our area’s biggest animal advocates. While sick going through treatments, she spent a lot of time at home cuddling her miniature pinscher, Chrissie. Bought from a pet store that got animals from puppy mills, Chrissie had many medical problems, as many of these puppy mill dogs have. Chrissie’s pain heightened Liz‘s sensitivities toward animals.”When I got sick, Chrissie was my little buddy,” Liz said. “She would lie in bed with me and gave me licks. That’s something I’ll never, never forget.”
Her loyal pet listened to her day after day when Liz didn’t want to burden her family any more.
But also during her illness, she would stare out her window at two neighborhood dogs who weren’t living the life little Chrissie was. (She was living in Joliet then.) They weren’t being taken care of, Liz said, and she would sneak food out to them whenever she could.
She prayed, “God, when you get me through this, I’ll make a difference in the world.”
And Liz has been working to fulfill that promise ever since by helping owners who must give up their pets find good homes.
She started volunteering at the Will County Humane Society and through her contacts there, began discovering the seedy world of what happens to “free to a good home” puppies, dogs, kittens, and cats.
One day, she read a newspaper ad that offered a free pit bull. That’s a dangerous proposition, she thought. That dog could end up in the wrong hands.
She picked up the phone and called the owner and warned him to be careful who he gave his dog to.
“I get very emotional about it,” Liz said. “I do a lot of praying. They use these dogs for practice and bait for their pit bulls. And when these other dogs get in a fight with a pit bull, they will lose.
“They get these dogs and use them for whatever, then leave them by the side of the road mauled and mutilated, but sometimes still alive,” she said. “I’ve seen dogs mauled so badly their faces were just gone.”
For the past several years, the first thing she does every morning after feeding her own pets is scan the pet ads in her newspapers.
She makes the calls before going to work and warns owners of give-away pets what to watch out for in those responding to the ads.
The dogs could be used for pit bull baiting or could be sold and used in research experiments, she said. She’s also seen dogs and cats used as breeding machines, locked away in dark basements, perpetually pregnant or nursing.
They can end up in some really miserable situations, she said. Kittens that are used to feed large snakes have their claws pulled out first, so the snakes won’t be scratched.
People will tell lies over the phone to get these animals, she said.
The owners often have good intentions. They have to give up the pet due to understandable reasons like illness, divorce, a move.
“Owners think it’s a nice person who lives on a farm where the dog will get to run and play and have a nice life,” Liz said, “but that’s not what always happens.
Liz said those wanting help screening for a good home for their pet can call her at (815) 258-5892 or e-mail her at [email protected].
Liz said she can even post the pet on a trusted Web site for them.
Liz will never forget the first dog she saved, Chico, a pit bull, from the very first call she ever made.
Liz, an animal-loving friend of hers (Joyce Drzal) and the owner all worked together to find the animal a good home.
“I still think of him quite a bit,” Liz said of Chico.
“Our pets don’t have a voice to speak out for themselves,” she said. “Take it upon yourself to go that extra step. Once that animal is in its new home, it’s too late. You need to be that animal’s voice.”
