"Meet Cocoa Day" Scheduled for April 2 at Avon Canine Shelter

If donors had not given more than $2,000, Cocoa the springer spaniel might not have received all the medical attention he needed, Avon Animal Control Officer Beverly LaPlume said.

To thank everyone who donated and showed concern for Coco after he was rescued from a local home, the Avon Police Department and Cocoa's foster family are hosting a "Meet Cocoa Day" on April 2 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Avon Canine Shelter at 11 Arch Rd.

"Without the outpouring of support, Cocoa wouldn't have gotten all of the medical attention he needed. This wasn't a one-person rescue. Everyone helped his welfare," LaPlume said. "I wanted to have people come and meet Cocoa and see how well he’s doing ... I can't thank everybody enough for what they did for Cocoa."

Petals & Paws in Canton raised about $800 alone, and staff will be at the event giving out coupons to all attendees for free ice cream at the store. Sandy McCollough, store manager of Petals & Paws, held a fundraiser for Cocoa on Feb. 5  and donated 10  percent of the proceeds to the Avon Police Department's fund for Cocoa. Patti Fehr of Canton also donated $150 she made clipping dogs' nails at the fundraiser. McCollough left a donation bucket near the cash register, and many customers contributed.

LaPlume said that she received a call nearly every day asking about Cocoa's health.

The two tumors on Cocoa's stomach and an ulcerated tumor on his right paw were removed at Animal General Hospital on Feb. 11. LaPlume said that Cocoa also "suffered from a high count of Lyme and a urinary track infection." He has received medical attention and is doing well, LaPlume said. The foster family that took care of him during former owner Juliette Givens' court proceedings has agreed to adopt him.

No one could legally adopt Cocoa until the court made a final ruling on Givens' appeal to keep the dog. The Avon Police Department received paperwork on Tuesday confirming that a Hartford Community Court judge upheld LaPlume's initial order for Givens to surrender Cocoa on Feb. 22.

LaPlume removed Cocoa from Givens' Waterville Road home on Jan. 21 after she found him out  in the cold  on a three-foot leash attached to a runner. His fur was caked in feces and dried urine, his eyes were bloodshot, he had fleas and he had three tumors, she said. 

Givens, Farmington High School boys varsity volleyball coach and a district special services paraprofessional, was arrested on charges of cruelty to animals, illegally confining or tethering a dog and failure to comply with dog ownership requirement. She denied the charges, which the judge dropped on the condition that Givens surrender the dog, according to court documents.

Patch left a message on her home phone on Tuesday, but the call was not returned as of the evening.

“Unfortunately the neglect issue was dismissed, but that was not my priority," LaPlume said. "My priority was to get dog and let him live the remainder of his life in a comfortable home and [be] well taken care of."