Abandoned, but not forsaken

The odd sounds coming from outside were nothing unusual.

Maybe a coyote or a stray cat had wandered onto the Hearnes’ property early Monday. It was typical for Alex, the family’s overprotective mutt, to make a fuss over the noise while waking the family.

When Jan Hearne dragged herself out of bed to let out Alex and Buster, a miniature schnauzer, she discovered a 150-pound white German shepherd. It was dirty, disoriented and a daunting sight in the dark.

“At first, it was like a white ghost coming toward me,” Hearne said. “When I realized it was a dog, I thought to myself, ‘This is not good.’ “

Now, the family continues to care for the stray animal, which they named Ghost. Hearne, her husband, Cliff Hearne, and her mother, Edith Cabler, don’t have it in themselves to do anything else.

By all indications, the ailing dog was dropped off at the Hearne property in Airway Heights. The family owns 10 acres and lives in a manufactured home about 600 yards from a street, away from the bustle of U.S. Highway 2.

The family had never seen the dog before. Their neighbors don’t know whom he belongs to.

From the start, Hearne knew the dog was sick. When she held out her hand, Ghost didn’t sniff it. When she waved her hand in the dog’s face, the dog didn’t move. When the dog walked, it was slow. When the dog turned, it turned only to the left.

It became clear the dog is partially or totally blind. Ghost bumps into cars, walls and anything that stands in his way. He moves like a stroke victim.

He has no collar, although the matted fur around his neck indicates he once wore one. Hearne thinks it must have been red, judging from the red-dye stains left on the dirty white fur.

There were indications of neglect: The inside of Ghost’s ears are filthy, which indicates ear mites. There are sores on the ears because the tips have been eaten by flies.

The diminutive Alex and Buster don’t seem to mind that they have a new pal with whom to share their dog food. However, the family cats have issues.

“My cats are deathly afraid of him, although he can’t even see them,” said Hearne, 41, an employee at a furniture store on Fairchild Air Force Base.

The family members are ideal caretakers, the type of good country folks who never met a stray they didn’t love. Cabler feels for the blind dog. The 81-year-old native Californian has macular degeneration, which causes progressive loss of central vision. She cannot drive and does limited reading with a magnifying glass.

However, her storytelling is still sharp. She talked about the time she had a pet skunk she named Throckmorton, which she fed with a bottle. The family can fill a kennel with the number of stray animals it has bottle fed.

“We had a momma cat when we lived in Lackland Air Force Base (in Texas). The only time she came around was to give us her kittens. So, I finally got her spayed,” Hearne said.

About five years ago, the family rescued two kittens they believe were dumped out of a car and left at two separate spots on their street.

One, black and white, is named Suzy. The other, calico, is Abigail. And they both still live with the Hearnes.

“One of (Suzy’s) baby teeth had gone through the upper lip and the little flap on her nose was gone. It must have happened when she hit the ground,” Hearne said.

Still, softies like the Hearnes and Cabler ask themselves what they’re supposed to do when a sick German shepherd appears on their property out of nowhere. Cabler, whom most people call “Grammy,” said she doesn’t want to take it to the animal shelter. She fears, because of Ghost’s failing health, no one will want him and he will be euthanized.

Nancy Hill, director of the Spokane County Regional Animal Care and Protection Services, said animal-dumping is common. Some people dump them at the agency after hours with notes attached. Others take longer drives.

“People do dump them in the country,” Hill said. “They think some farm is going to have room for one more dog or God only knows, I can’t imagine. But I suppose that’s possible that someone would dump an older sick dog out to die. That sounds awful. I would hope that humans wouldn’t do that.”

One of Hearne’s and Cabler’s major concerns is the money it would take to care for Ghost. Then again, he’s already become part of the family.

Hearne said her husband, Cliff, “keeps saying, ‘You know Jan, we can’t keep him, we can’t afford it.’ “

“And I’m going, ‘Yes, but we can’t afford to get rid of him, either. It’s just not right.’ “

The family may have only their own kindness to blame for their predicament.

“We’ve always said we have a silent neon sign out there that says ‘We accept all animals,’ ” Hearne said. “But we really don’t want any more.”