Mayor responds to 'Dane' in distress

Brownsville Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr. called the police, fire department and animal control officers to assist in what apparently turned out to be a dog simply sunbathing on a balcony.

The incident took place Tuesday afternoon on the second floor of a building at 12th and Adams streets. Ahumada said he responded to the apartment after "someone" from Channel 23, the NBC affiliate in Brownsville, notified him of a dog in trouble.

"When I got here I saw the Great Dane; he looked to be stuck on the balcony," Ahumada said. "I didn't know the condition of the dog or if the building was abandoned."

The mayor said the "animal's paws were hanging out from the railing and he was struggling to get up," leading Ahumada to think the dog had a broken leg.

Ahumada said he didn't think the occupants of the apartment were home. So, to save the pooch, Ahumada mobilized emergency response services to assist him with the rescue effort. Two patrol cars, one fire engine and one animal control vehicle responded to the scene.

"I called the police (for traffic control), animal control and fire department's ladder so I could get to the balcony and help the dog," Ahumada said. "Luckily the dog was OK and it was not needed."

The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said the pooch is an aging canine with little mobility and its only entertainment is to look down at the downtown traffic.

"I carry him with a towel and place him on the balcony, so he can watch the vehicles pass by," said the man, referring to how he puts a towel under the stomach of the dog and helps it walk.

The homeowner was surprised to hear noises and to find that Ahumada had climbed onto his balcony and was inside his kitchen door.

"He (Ahumada) broke into my house," he said. "My dog is very well taken care of. He shouldn't have done that."

The mayor told The Brownsville Herald that the owner of the dog pulled the stuck dog to safety at about the same time emergency personnel arrived. However, the owner said the dog was not stuck, but was "sunbathing and watching traffic."

Ahumada said the dog was in very good condition.

"After talking to the owner we found out he is an old dog of about 14 years of age and because of its age it has arthritis and mobility problems," Ahumada said. "He is very well fed and taken care of and is on medications."

Ahumada, a known animal rights advocate, has been embroiled in canine controversies before.

In 2007 the mayor picked up a dog he believed at the time to be a stray and appeared to have been struck by a car near Park Street. After unsuccessfully trying to reach the owners, Ahumada said he took the dog to get a medical check up in Matamoros. He then turned over the dog to a family from the same neighborhood where it was found.

A problem ensued when the dog's original owner, Daniel Chapa, claimed ownership to the dog. The family that Ahumada gave the dog to didn't want to give it up. Police were called and the dispute was later settled in court. Municipal Judge Phil Bellamy granted custody of the dog to the foster family after Chapa failed to appear in court.

In 2005 before being elected mayor, Ahumada was charged with theft after he allegedly took a dog from the Brownsville Animal Shelter, a city-run shelter for stray and unwanted pets. Ahumada maintained the dog was not being nourished properly and did not have all the required vaccines. The charges were later dismissed, according to District Attorney Armando Villalobos.