Though there wasn't a way to reply to this mass-mailed email there was a phone number in it which AAS phoned twice, leaving messages of offers of help. Our calls were not returned, nor were we emailed, though I twice left our email address as well as my phone number.

Not one person who knew of Peppy's suffering and left her there has a right to call themselves an animal-lover in my opinion. She should have been removed, taken to a vet, and then refused by her rescuer to be returned to her owner, as did Tammy Grimes of Dogs Deserve Better did for Doogie.

This egotistical paean of self-praise that was appended to the email is embarrassingly typical of many people in the rescue community who love to talk the talk (endlessly... in chat rooms) but when it comes time to walk the walk, they fall silent, failing to be the dog's last hope in the world. The betrayal is heart-wrenching:

I am an animal rescuer...
My work is never done,
My house Is never quiet,
My wallet is always empty,
But my heart is always full.