A stray puppy that survived being put to sleep in an Oklahoma animal shelter is now dealing with his new-found fame, complete with a national television appearance and thousands wanting to adopt him.  Wall-E was among several dogs abandoned by the Sulphur Animal Shelter less than a month ago. A local veterinarian tried to euthanize the puppy due to overcrowding, but he somehow survived.

Veterinarian technician Amanda Kloski, who works at Arbuckle Veterinarian Clinic, began caring for Wall-E after he was found alive in a trash bin a day after he was injected twice –once in the foreleg and once in the heart – with a lethal dose of a sedative.  She noted the dog’s survival on a pet adoption website, drawing the attention of Marcia Machtiger of Pittsburgh, who helps rescue dogs. After Machtiger shared Wall-E’s story on Facebook, the offers for a new home began pouring in.

Nearly 3,000 people have expressed interest in adopting the puppy and $1,200 has been donated for his care so that there won’t be any more attempted euthanasia. He was flown to New York City to appear on “Good Morning America.” Concerns about his safety have arisen as some people have said they want to breed him to make money.

Kloski has been surprised by some of the phone calls and e-mails the clinic has received. She said one man traveled from Arkansas to the clinic in Sulphur, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City, offering to take Wall-E off her hands and breed him.  “It’s been crazy,” Kloski said.

Since that incident, Wall-E has been going home with a designated individual each night, rather than staying at the clinic. Also, the clinic plans to have Wall-E neutered before he is sent to a new home.  The more serious applicants receive a formal application to fill out.

The good news about this pup’s story is that the national attention has provided some donations to the Sulphur Animal Shelter.  Donations from Texas and Washington have brought in about $220 for a new county-wide shelter in Murray County, said Audrey Ridlehoover, president of the Davis Oklahoma Animal Volunteers. Officials are hoping to raise $5,000 to $6,000.

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The prized red Tibetan mastiff, thought to be one of the world’s oldest and most venerable breeds, is now the most expensive.  Legend suggests that Genghis Khan and the Buddha owned the large, fluffy breed.  And now, an 11-month old puppy was recently purchased for $1.5 million, making it the most expensive dog every sold.

The 3-foot-tall, 180-pound dog named, “Big Splash” or “Hong Dong” in Chinese was sold in the Chinese city of Qingdao. Tibetan mastiffs are believed to have guarded nomad camps and monasteries, and are rarely seen outside of Tibet.  Over the past several years, they have become status symbols among China’s growing wealthy classes, driving up their price from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands, according to the U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper.

But even among the top class of canines, Big Splash is unique.  Raised on a diet of beef, chicken, abalone and sea cucumber, “he is a perfect specimen,” his breeder, identified only as Mr. Lou, told the British newspaper. “He has excellent genes and will be a good breeding dog. When I started in this business, 10 years ago, I never thought we would see such a price.”

Lou declined to identify Big Splash’s new owner, other than to say that he is a multimillionaire who made his fortune in coal. And given the rising popularity of the breed, it may be that the owner can make some of his investment back by offering the dog’s services at stud. Some breeders are willing to pay as much as $100,000 to get a dipper out of Big Splash’s gene pool.

There are thousands of dog and puppies available for adoption and waiting to go to a good home at shelters all across the United States.  Look on www.petfinder.com to find your new best friend and save your millions for something else.

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