Rescued pup dies from illness

5/1/2008

A 9-month-old Rottweiler has died a week after an anonymous donor provided the money needed to have it sprung from the Lucas County dog pound.

Andrea Coleman said her dog, Momba, died yesterday from a combination of parvovirus, a highly contagious and often-fatal viral disease in dogs, and pneumonia, according to the veterinarian.

Momba was confiscated by a Lucas County deputy dog warden April 21 because it was unlicensed and loose. Ms. Coleman's boxer, Capone, was shot by a Toledo police officer earlier that day after the dog charged the officer "barking and acting in a vicious manner" in a driveway at 3323 Mulberry St., according to a police incident report.

Police went to the Mulberry address in response to a roaming-dog complaint from a resident there who reported the dog as "possibly vicious."

After hearing about her situation, an anonymous woman stopped by Ms. Coleman's home last week and gave her $90 to get Momba out of the pound.

Ms. Coleman picked up Momba from the dog warden's office April 24. She said the dog appeared sick after returning home and was on antibiotics for kennel cough.