By Katie Farrell
Staff writer
April 17, 2008 06:15 am AMESBURY — It was Monday when a door at the Taylors' home on Whitehall Road accidentally got left open. Three of their four dogs ran into the street and were struck by a car. Becky Taylor, who works as the Newburyport animal control officer, witnessed her dogs get hit and rushed to her van. Then things got worse. In the frantic scene that included the distraught driver, Taylor began to back down her driveway to quickly get to the dogs and get them out of the road. In the midst of the confusion, she didn't see her ex-husband, John Taylor, and hit him as she backed up. He was rushed by ambulance to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport with a broken shoulder blade and clavicle, and minor injuries. He is now recovering at home. The dogs weren't so lucky. One of the three dogs, Tess, a 2-year-old terrier mix, died on the ride to Merrimack Valley Animal Hospital. The other two dogs suffered severe injuries. Now the Taylors face a large pile of veterinary bills and medical expenses to treat their pets, so Becky Taylor's fellow animal control officers and friends have put out a call to help the family pay for that medical care. It was Taylor's dream to work with animals, and she has transformed her property into a farm full of rescued animals. Her dogs were all strays that she took in. Her friend Eileen Cashman, Amesbury's animal control officer, sent out an e-mail plea Tuesday, and by yesterday morning, she had been inundated with phone calls and e-mails from people promising help and sending donations. The response came from across the country — including from Mississippi, where Taylor donated her time to provide animal rescue and relief following Hurricane Katrina. "I'm getting hammered with e-mails; I'm getting phone calls," Cashman said. "Everybody is helping." Taylor's 2-year-old German shepherd, King, has gone blind from the injuries he suffered, Cashman said. Following the accident, he was in shock and bleeding internally. He had a head injury, several lacerations and lost a toe. "He's still fighting for his life right now," Cashman said yesterday. "He's definitely not out of the woods yet." The Taylors' third dog, Daisy, a 2-year-old Australian shepherd, left the accident scene after getting hit. Volunteers searched for the injured dog for hours. "It was very hard for the family; we searched all night for her," Cashman said. Daisy was found Tuesday morning by construction workers excavating at an abandoned property two doors away from the Taylors, just over the border in South Hampton, N.H. She had fallen on her injured leg. "She was out behind the barn; she couldn't get up," Cashman said. Daisy was rushed to Merrimack Valley Animal Hospital, where the veterinarian discovered her rear leg was shattered in four places. She was scheduled for surgery yesterday and will need to be fitted with plates and screws to treat the injury. The dogs were transported to Brentwood Emergency Hospital in Brentwood, N.H., for further treatment and care. In addition to the financial assistance, volunteers are also coming forward with offers to circulate buckets to collect donations, Cashman said yesterday. "I am raising this awareness to everyone that it takes a minute for an accident to take place and your world turned upside down," Cashman wrote in her e-mail seeking donations. Cashman said the turn of events has depleted Taylor's savings, which was put aside for mortgage payments on her farm. "I heard her say in tears that to save her animals she will 'lose the farm' in the process," Cashman said. The Taylors have three horses, four goats and one other dog, Taco. "I don't want to see her lose her farm," Cashman said yesterday. "Everything on her farm is a rescue — a life she has saved." Donations can be sent to the Provident Bank, 5 Market St., Amesbury, MA 01913 in care of Rebecca Taylor.
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