Update on Dogs Need A Home After Tragedy Strikes

Orphaned Dogs Still Need Home

Pictured: Brenda Schmalfeldt with, from left, Baby, Tinker and Sassy.

Update by Cathy Scott

Tinker, Baby and Sassy were taken out of the Lied Animal Shelter in Las Vegas late last week and driven to their temporary foster home with Janet Adams.

Brenda Schmalfeldt, their "mom" who was killed two weeks ago, had toys, beds and matching sweaters, T-shirts and Halloween costumes for her dogs. Brenda's brother, Tom "Buddy" Dean, gave Janet the dogs' plastic crates with their beds inside. When the trio arrived at Janet's, they perked up when they saw their beds. They ran in and out of them, then, shortly after, laid down to go to rest. It was something from home, and they couldn't have been happier.

But all three dogs contracted kennel cough during their nine-day stay at the shelter. Sadly, it appeared to be too much for little Tinker, the Yorkie, the oldest at 11 years old and the smallest at 5 pounds, She passed away tthe next day. "She laid down and went to sleep," said Janet, who was good friends with Brenda and knew her dogs. "I think she died of a broken heart. Tinker had a sadness in her eyes the other two didn't have."

But Tinker, she said, is with Brenda now. "I think she was calling her home," Janet added.

Baby, the Bichon, and Sassy, a Pomeranian, have both been to a local veterinarian at VCA Spring Mountain Animal Hospital, where they were examined and treated with antibiotics for kennel cough (VCA waived all fees).

A Las Vegas home that was a possibility did not work out, plus the dogs are still recuperating ffrom kennel cough. Brenda's family is hoping for a forever home in the Las Vegas area for Baby and Sassy.

In the meantime, arrangements are being made to place Tinker at Angel's Rest at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. "Brenda would have liked that," Janet said.
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Three once-happy girl dogs -- Tinker, Sassy and Baby -- are now orphans being held in a Las Vegas animal shelter.

That’s because their mom, Brenda Schmalfeldt, disappeared more than a week ago. Three days later an acquaintance of the woman admitted killing Brenda and stuffing her body in a Dumpster.

Police went to the victim’s home, discovered Brenda’s dogs, who had been alone for a few days, and called animal control. Tinker, Sassy and Baby were then taken to the county shelter, where they have been since January 17.

According to friends and family, 45-year-old Brenda treated her dogs as if they were her children. And because of that, they want all three to go to a new home together. No one in her family is in a position to keep them.

“She loved those dogs,” said Janet Adams, a friend who has been helping Brenda’s brother get the dogs out of the shelter. But first they have to get past the red tape, which includes her brother proving Brenda was his sister and that she has died. Because Brenda’s body has not been found, there is no death certificate. The newspaper articles and TV coverage surrounding her death, however, should be enough, said Diane Orgill, executive director of Lied Animal Shelter.

To get them out of the facility without having to pay hefty fees, the shelter needed to confirm veterinary records that show up-to-date vaccinations and proof of being spayed. But the shelter’s vet was able to determine that all three dogs have already been spayed, Diane said, which will save the family money. The brother and Janet expect to pick up the dogs this week while they are still within a 10-day hold, to prevent them from being adopted out individually by the shelter.

In the meantime, Janet has found a home for two of the dogs. But that’s a last resort. “I know Brenda would want them to stay together,” she said. “We want to do what’s right for the dogs and what Brenda would want. We owe it to her.”

Baby, a Pomeranian, was Brenda’s first dog. “She spoiled her,” Janet said. “Pretty soon she got two more. She had T-shirts for them. And she had mugs made with Sassy’s photo on them. On one side there’s a picture of Sassy (a Yorkie) and on the other is Brenda holding Sassy,” Janet said.

The third dog is a Bichon named Tinker.

“They’re happy dogs,” Janet said. “She played with them. She had a house and they had a yard. She gave them freedom of the whole house. At night, they slept with her. She spent a lot of money on their vet care. If they needed it, she spent it.”

Tinker, Sassy and Baby are being kept together in a kennel at the shelter until the family picks them up.

“They’re in a wall cage -- a run -- by themselves, so they don’t have to deal with other dogs. We put a blanket in there. They’re huddled together, comfortable and settled in,” Diane said, adding, “They’re fine, but I’d like to see them go home.”

Anyone interested in giving Tinker, Baby and Sassy a home where they can be together can contact Cathy Scott at cathys@bestfriends.org

Pictured: Brenda Schmalfeldt with, from left, Baby, Tinker and Sassy.

Photo compliments of Fox-5 TV in Las Vegas.