Cancer patient's dog needs new digs

HAMMONTON - A Staffordshire terrier with floppy ears and a preference for cuddles needs a new place to stay while his owner digs out of a bad situation. 

Shore Animal Control Officer Chelsea Lippincott found the wandering dog on Oct. 19, off a dirt road in Estell Manor, Atlantic County. Though he was scared and barking, Lippincott noted, he looked healthy and well fed.

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"I said, 'Oh my God, somebody loves you ... You have to be somebody’s dog,'" Lippincott recalled.

The encounter set off a manhunt to find the animal's owner. Brought to Shore Veterinarians in Seaville, animal control officers scanned the dog's microchip and learned he was owned by Eddie Alicea of Camden, but the phone number was disconnected. Camden County Police visited the owner's address, but couldn't find him. An animal control officer in Camden recognized the dog's picture and provided the pet's name: Dutch.

In the meantime, Lippincott searched online and found a Facebook account for Eddie Alicea. Up popped photos of the owner and a now-familiar dog. She reached out.

"When we did get a hold of him, he was so happy, he was crying," Lippincott said. "Eddie and Dutch are best friends."

But the officer's dogged search turned up a sad story.    

Now living in Hammonton, Alicea said doctors found an inoperable tumor on his spine in 2012. Dutch helped Alicea cope with the diagnosis and stayed by his side as he struggled to walk again.

But the 29-year-old has undergone periodic rounds of radiation therapy since then to shrink the tumor whenever it grows. Unable to work during his recovery, Alicea was forced to live with family members. Eventually, he wasn't able to keep his beloved dog with him.

Dutch was given to a relative's friend and Alicea lost touch with his four-legged buddy for more than a year. He didn't hear anything more about his dog until Lippincott found him on Facebook and told him Dutch had been found running loose in the woods for a few days.

"He didn't deserve that," Alicea said, during an interview conducted through Facebook. "I would love to have my best friend back."

Once, while suffering a transient ischemic attack (a kind of stroke) at home alone with Dutch, Alicea recalled, "he sat right down beside me (and) didn't leave my side for a second with his head on my chest to calm me down. He let me know I wasn't alone."

 "I just want him to be happy," Alicea added. "He doesn't deserve to go through it anymore. He has been through enough." 

Healthy and house-trained, Dutch is staying temporarily at Shore Veterinarians, while Shore Animal Control searches for a foster home and Alicea searches for a place where the two can live together. Officer Holly Gavrilow, who helped capture the dog, said he deserves a chance to be reunited with his owner, instead of going to an animal shelter.

"We are hoping that someone will step up and help save this dog," Gavrilow said. "Mr. Alicea is heartbroken that he cannot be with Dutch now."  

Lippincott has been spending time with the dog since he was rescued. She discovered he's a happy "lover," who enjoys his food and giving kisses. He also gets along with other dogs.  

"He just needs a place where he can be a dog, just for a little while," Lippincott said. 

To help, call Shore Animal Control at 1 (800) 351-1822. 

Kim Mulford: (856) 486-2448; kmulford@gannettnj.com