Cooper & His "Help Me, Please Take Care of Me" note
 

'Help Me': Dog abandoned with note asking for help

Added by Jill McLane Baker on April 1, 2009 at 9:56 AM

Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement Officer Mark Vanderberg recently responded to a call in which a dog had been hit by a car. Taped to the dog's collar was a bag with a note which said 'Help Me.' The note gave a list of the dog's attributes and the message, 'Please take care of me. My name is Copper.' Instead of taking the dog to a shelter, the owners let it loose in the Oshtemo area, where it was hit and killed. Vanderberg wants people to know that abandoning animals is illegal and that there are many options if you cannot take care of your pet, including the county animal shelter and various animal rescue operations.

Jill McLane Baker / Gazette
Tags: Animal control | dog | Jill McLane Baker | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement | Kalamazoo Gazette | MLive | photography | photojournalism | photos | pictures
This photo is part of the 04_01_2009 Kalamazoo Gazette Photojournalism gallery

This was in today's Kalamazoo (Michigan) Gazette. I tried to attach a copy of the note downsized to fit.
Why take all of that time to write the note? If you're just going to...so sad.

Oh man :( I have tears running down my face. How very sad for poor little Cooper!

Oh, that is the saddest thing! I will hold all of mine, including my fosters, a little closer tonight and give them extra hugs & kisses.

The Note says:
 

I Can Sit (with hand movements drawn)
I Can Crawl (with hand movements drawn)
I Can Play Dead I Can Roll Over "

I Can Lay Down(two lines drawn) slice thru air w/hand flat from left to right
I Am House Trained
I Can Sit
I Can Give A High Five
I Can Shake

Please Take Care of Me My Name Is Cooper


Cindy, I haven't stopped crying since I saw it. I don't know how I can be so angry and so sad at the same time. What is wrong with people?
The article did not say what breed or size this dear one was. RIP Cooper

This is heart breaking...poor Cooper, R.I.P
My aunt runs a missionary & a old couple brought their dog in & told her they couldn't take care of her any more. My aunt, being a dog lover, took her in. She renamed her Sarah & is 14 yrs old now...if only Cooper had a chance.

ARGH. I wonder if the owner was mentally ill. :(

This is so sad :( God Bless little Copper's soul. That baby was probably scared to death and so confused.... My heart is breaking........

Oh gosh...I can't stand this. That poor baby! How could anyone let their baby loose to run the streets and risk all the dangers out there. That poor little guy must have been so filled with fear and wanting to go home. I feel utterly sick that he had to die in a tragic accident. If his owners ran into tough times and couldn't afford him anymore, then why in the world didn't they turn him over to a rescue? Cooper would still be alive and with a new family. RIP Cooper.

how terribly sad. shelters around here require a drop-off fee. maybe that is what happened and they just couldn't afford it?

Most of the shelters in the counties around here have a "night drop" for dogs. It's a fenced area with a gate that can be opened.

That is wonderful that your area has that...I wish more did for the sake of the animals. Around here the SPCA charges a fee to take an animal to them. They euthanize though, so many try the shelters, but they are always over capacity...especially in these times. I just can't imagine having to let my pet go, out on the streets in the hopes that someone will find them safely and give them a home. Just a HORRIBLE situation all the way around....:(