A Statement from Main Line Animal Rescue regarding a news report airing Wednesday, August 17 at 11 p.m.:
In June of this year, Foxy Lady, adopted from MLAR in 2007 by Colonel and Mrs. Robert Wiltshire of Cheyney, Pa., was picked up by a Good Samaritan who saw her running along a road. She was wearing only MLAR's red tag (no other ID or license) so the person who picked her up called MLAR and a volunteer was sent to pick up the dog. MLAR started calling the adoptive family and left them messages. Bill Smith went to their house in Cheyney, because they had also adopted a black lab in 2007 named Sebastian, and all of us MLAR wanted to know if Sebastian had run away as well. When Bill went to the house there was nobody home, so he left a hand written note asking the Wiltshire's to contact MLAR as soon as possible. We contacted the Chester County SPCA, Bill went to Cheyney University and spoke with the security office. We also called friends of the Wiltshires to see if they could get in touch with them, as we were concerned that something had also happened to Col. and Mrs. Wiltshire. Four days passed with no contact from anyone about Foxy or Sebastian. We were frantic for the safety of the black lab and the family. Then the pet sitter called and said that she had been looking for Foxy (didn't pick up our voice mail or see the note Bill left at the house, nor did she call CCSPCA). When MLAR asked about Sebastian, we were told he had died a year before. Apparently the Wiltshires knew Sebastian had gone missing but didn't even look in their own back yard until a neighbor notified them that there was a smell from the decomposing body of Sebastian. Both Col. Wiltshire and the pet sitter told us that their vet said there was no way to confirm the cause of death because of the level of decomposition, but it was likely from being hit by a car or from being poisoned.
Needless to say this has been very upsetting for all of us and we decided that Foxy Lady was not in a safe home and we would not return her (it is clearly spelled out in our adoption contract that we have a right to remove a dog from a home if we deem it unsafe. Fortunately this has only happened twice) The Wiltshire's have first sued MLAR and Bill Smith and Betsy Legnini in District Court and then withdrew that case and have filed in Delaware County Court where the matter is presently pending.
We will not be bullied into returning Foxy Lady to an unsafe home.
