03/02/10

Pete the Dachshund was apparently hit by a car in late January, and his owners brought him to the Rupert Animal Clinic for medical care.

Bonnie Heins, Rupert Animal Clinic said, “The owners authorized that we go ahead and do the X–rays, so we've done that. And we find there were no indications of any fractures or anything broken. And so he felt it was just soft tissue damage, so we treated him for that.”

Heins contacted Pete’s owners several times, but they didn't pay for his treatment.

Heins and her husband, Veterinary Doctor Jeff Heins, went through the legal process of having Pete declared abandoned so that they could find him a good home.

Tuesday, Pete was auctioned off to the highest bidder to help take care of his medical bills.

According to Heins, “Medication, the X-rays, the boarding, taking care of him, at this point, it comes up to 692 dollars and 50 cents. What we can get, I don't know how much we'll actually get out of that.

In the end, the winning bid was $325 even; now it looks like Pete will have a small kennel in the garage and a big fenced backyard to play in.

Pete’s new owner, Lamar ‘Marty” Gillette said, “My sister has two of 'em, an Archie and a Tuffy. And she heard I was gonna come over and bid on Pete today, and she says don't come home without him. And so my wife says don't come home if ya got him. Just kidding.”

Pete has done a good job of recovering from his injuries; and while he has no shortage of personality, Pete didn't have a whole lot to say about his new home.