Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 14, 2011 Page: 3 of 14
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Hi'fityto Olmmtu Press
Thursday, July 14,2011
Page 3A
A painful farewell to Hansel from Hades
M
y grandchildren called him
Tonto but his real name
was Hansel.
Before he came into my
life 14 years ago, Hansel had made a
decision to retire - no amount of coax-
ing or retraining from his master could
change his mind. The riggers of drug-
dog training were behind him.
If the truth be known, Hansel was
never cut out for that life. He was too
enamored with people and playing.
County
Lines
By Kenda Nelson
A
Blotter
with straight, pointed ears and long
heavy body. Those good looks landed
him on the cover of a calendar that a
German Shepherd club published.
Though years passed before I bond-
ed with Hansel, my grandchildren,
Donovan and Quincy, were quick to
make friends. He watched their every
move.
He finally won me over with days,
then months, then years of standing
vigil at the yard gate waiting for me
to return home from work. No matter
how late, he was there waiting, even
while the rest of the household was in
deep slumber. My resolve to detach dis-
solved.
After our house burned down in 2008
and without a place for our two dogs, we
reluctantly gave them away. A neighbor
took Naughty, our beloved golden Lab,
until we could get re-established, and
Hansel went with a family to another
town.
When my husband, Ron, brought
Hansel home, I balked, mostly because
I thought a darker side of the breed
might emerge someday in him. So,
the shepherd and I steered clear of one
another. Frankly, he scared me.
Four months later, we moved into
my parents’ home on the street where I
grew up. Whether by divine providence
or fate, Hansel soon wandered back into
our lives.
Hansel’s habit of running full speed
ahead toward me, then stopping dead in
his tracks, was unnerving. So much so,
I dubbed him Hansel from Hades.
Truth is, his daunting looks were
deceiving - Hansel was never a tough
guy.
He looked the part of a guard dog
Ron retrieved him and Hansel was
content to be home. Naughty, on the
other hand, kept returning to his sur-
rogate family and was picked up by the
Hansel
For whatever reason, his adopted
family allowed him to slip away. True
to his nature, Hansel found a group
of children who took him home. Their
grandmother tracked us down through
shot records.
As his conditioned progressed, Ron
was adamant about not allowing our
faithful friend to suffer.
“I’ll figure out what to do when I get
home,” he said before going to a doctor’s
appointment in San Antonio.
I took a package of hot dogs outside,
not the best treat for a dog in his condi-
tion but he loved them.
For the first time in 12 years, he
refused my gift but his eyes offered an
apology. Breathing heavy and unable to
stand, I attempted to help him up. The
effort was futile so I sat down on the
ground beside him.
Hansel laid his majestic head on my
lap and I stroked his thick fur. My emo-
tions spilled over from helplessness.
His once black and brown-colored face
had turned gray - had the years really
passed that quickly?
authorities during one of the escapes.
The county could find no record of him.
Although neutered and registered, he
disappeared off the face of the earth.
In the blink of an eye, I realized this
old, wonderful friend was almost gone
- the same animal I had mistakenly
tagged Hansel from Hades.
As the old shepherd gazed into my
eyes, I was compelled to break the
Thankfully, 12-year-old Hansel was
back, his penchant for wieners still
intact.
silence.
This year, his heart began to fail. The
vet says 15 for a German Shepherd is
very old, so there was no miracle cure
for his worn-out heart.
I told him what a good boy he was and
how much all of us loved him. I apolo-
gized for my inability to help him.
Like humans with congestive heart
failure, Hansel retained fluids and
started swelling.
Finally, I told him that we would
miss him and that we would remember
him forever - words every bit as much
for my benefit as his.
With his ears still erect and eyes
locked on mine, he drew one last, long
breath of life.
Sheriff Robert Bolcik
reported 2,242 calls went
through dispatch from
July 4 to July 10.
The sheriffs depart-
ment responded to 64
calls; the Refugio Police
Department, 30; Medics,
22; State Troopers, two;
Woodsboro Marshal,
five, Animal Control,
three; Refugio VFD, four;
Woodsboro VFD, two;
Bayside VFD, one; Tivol:
VFD, one.
Three arrested
Three suspects were
arrested following a 911
call from a residence
on Chaparral Street in
Woodsboro on July 10 at
12:12 a.m.
A Woodsboro man was
arrested for assaulting a
peace officer and public
intoxication. Two female
subjects were also arrest-
ed, one for public intoxica-
tion and resisting arrest,
the other for furnishing
alcohol to minors.
The 911 caller reported
the male subject allegedly
hit a female subject with
a beer can. The male sub-
ject allegedly left with a
baby. The grandmother
requested to speak with
an officer.
Dispatch previously
received a 911 call on the
same incident. The sub-
jects were heard yelling
in the background and a
female was heard scream-
ing for subjects to leave
her alone. Dispatched was
able to trace the call to
verify address.
Stolen wallet
A Bayside male on
Barker Road reported
that he allegedly caught a
female trying to steal his
wallet on July 10 at 11:16
a.m.
The victim claimed that
the woman had stayed
the night with him then
he caught her trying to
steal his wallet. She also
was accused of letting the
air out of the tires on his
truck.
The victim said he
believed the woman
walked to the neighbors
and was taken to Bayside
Grocery.
Deputy Jamie O’Reilly
investigated the incident,
going to a Barker Road
residence, then to Third
Street, then to Burton
Street in Woodsboro and
to the Woodsboro Dairy
Queen and the Shell and
Fastbreak and then to
Shelly Road in Refugio.
The caller later found
his wallet at his residence,
according to the report.
Accident
On July 9, at 9:18 p.m.
a 60-year-old male was
transported to Citzens
Hospital in Victoria fol-
lowing a vehicle accident
on U.S. Hwy 35 north of
Tivoli.
According to the report
the male had head inju-
ries. A 16-year old male
passenger complained of
neck pain and a nine year
old suffered a laceration to
his right arm.
Assault
A Refugio woman report-
ed that her boyfriend drug
her by the legs down the
road causing bruises and
cuts on her legs and knees
on July 4, at 2:18 a.m.
The female stated that
after the incident she went
to pick up her son from the
boyfriend’s mothers house
and she would not give the
child to her.
According to the report
the female had her step
brother drive her to meet
an officer Bill Schaffer to
pick up the child.
Facebook threats
A Woodsboro woman
reported on July 5, at
Village Pharmacy
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from the other guys, so save yourself the trip,
because if you're not shopping at Village
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8:30 p.m. that she felt
threatened by people writ-
ing “stuff’ about her on
She told officers would
like to press charges.
According to the report
extra patrols were set up
in the neighborhood.
Trespassers
Several kids on 4-wheel-
ers were told to go home
on June 6, at 7:10 p.m. fol-
lowing a 911 call reporting
there were trespasser’s on
the Little League Field in
Woodsboro.
Grass fire
Refugio VFD andBayside
VFD quelled a grass fire
on FM 774 approximately
two or three miles east of
Refugio on July 7, at 2:23
p.m.
Grass fire in median
On July 8, at 12:48 p.m.
Refugio VFD put out a
grass fire on U.S. 77 south
of Hwy. 239 following sev-
eral reports of the fire.
Fire
A caller reported a fire
at Hilcorp on July 10.
at 11:29 a.m. Refugio
VFD was dispatched to
a contractor’s location. It
appeared that something
was left out that caught on
fire. Fire was under con-
trol, call was cleared
Criminal mischief
A caller reported that
someone broke into the
press box at the Refugio
High School Stadium on
July 7, at 8:38 p.m.
Officer Bill Schaefer was
dispatched to investigate.
According to the report
nothing was taken, but the
door was broken.
Medic calls
An eight-month-old baby
was taken by ambulance to
Refugio Memorial Hospital
on July 4, at 10:47 p.m. fol-
lowing a 911 call from a
resident on Johnson Street
in Woodsboro. The caller
reported that the baby was
choking on her vomit and
that she had been run-
ning a temperature of 103
degrees.
According to the report
the baby was taken to the
emergency room two days
previously.
In another unrelated
incident, medics were dis-
patched to Texas Star on
June 10, at 7:46 a.m.
A female reported that
a little girl was passed
out outside of the store.
She woke up but appeared
dazed. The subject was
taken to Refugio Memorial
Hospital.
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Nelson, Kenda. Refugio County Press (Refugio, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 14, 2011, newspaper, July 14, 2011; Refugio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740312/m1/3/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library.