Cute Pooch Leaves Behind Tale Of Abuse
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A cute pooch adopted a few weeks ago looks well-cared for.
But his past was, in a word, horrific. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reported Wednesday on a true rescue dog and how his new owners discovered the abuse.
The rescue dog, Cooper, has quite a tale to tell.
"Cooper has so much energy I was afraid we couldn't handle him," said Nancy Faust of Mundelein.
He knows how to sit and knows not to jump on the furniture. But his history was kind of a mystery.
"I think he might be some golden doodle terrier-kind of dog," Faust said.
And it took his new owners some digging to learn more.
"Ultimately this dog was in a lot of trouble," Faust said.
Nancy Faust adopted Cooper just weeks ago from Mundelein's Reach Rescue, where they only knew he was now healthy and came from challenging conditions in Texas.
With a detective's eye, Faust looked closely at her adoption papers, tracing Cooper to a rescue in south Texas, then a Facebook page with his picture.
"I said 'that's Cooper' and then I went nuts," Faust said.
But more details online reveled Cooper was rescued from a multi-state hoarding situation. In all, 270 dogs, in Missouri and Texas, crammed into cages, with over two dozen dead.
Tiffany Woodington is among two in custody on animal abuse charges. Missouri authorities said they are frustrated current laws limit jail time to a maximum four years.
"I felt bad for him having gone through so much in his life and I said maybe I should let him jump on the furniture," Faust said.
Faust is also serenading Cooper, and boy is he a lucky dog. You might remember Faust as the Chicago White Sox longtime organist, and her music, maybe has helped cooper become such a lovable survivor. When CBS 2 visited, Faust played, "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?"
"I just looked at him and said maybe I did rescue a dog after all," Faust said.
And like most doggies in the window, Cooper is priceless.
