Poor Bentley the Dog Needs You to Buy 67 Items From His Amazon Wish List

What a lame "journalist". It would not have taken much effort to read closely or do a little research before popping off and vilifying one of the better public shelters in the state of Texas.
Donations to DAS help dogs who need help, and Bentley is just one. I sincerely hope he will be the only pet in the United States in such a situation. Dogs are not a vector for ebola...if they were, everyone in Africa would be dead by now.
Meanwhile, Bentley is just one of many good dogs in bad circumstance that DAS helps. They help all dogs without discrimination abut cuteness or breed. If a pit or a chihuahua or a mutt comes in and can be healed and rehabilitated to be ready for adoption, they do so with the help of rescue groups, volunteers, and support from the public.
Follow them on Facebook for real accounts of the day-to-day work they do that extends far beyond Bentley and his mistress.
My friends in other cities WISH their local shelters were as dedicated. With a real budget, they'd be even better.

Waaaaaaait a minute. So, the Dallas Animal Shelter can use Ebola and Bentley as a way to raise money and other goods for completely NON-Ebola, NON-Bentley-related activities and animals (an action it was clearly embarrassed about given that their post was taken down after the posting of this article), but Emily Mathis is the horrible person- idiot, bully, sub-journalist slanderer -for writing about this with the tongue-in-cheek tone that we've all come to expect from the Dallas Observer Blog?

That "writer" [insert sarcasm and eye roll] is no journalist, but definitely is an idiot.  With so many of her articles [blah blah blogs] under the "We apologize in Advance for this particular item" category, why the hell is she still allowed to write for them?  Bentley may very well be the thing that is helping Nurse Nina fight for her life...knowing he is alive and being cared for.  Personally, I don't give a sh*t if all 67 items on the Amazon wishlist are for Bentley, but anyone with half a brain would know better by reading the list!  DAS has done an excellent job in caring for her baby and for keeping the public updated...because many of us do care!  We certainly like animals more than we do the Emilys of the world...that's for sure!  Thank you DAS for all you are doing...it brings many of us a lot of comfort...most of all, Nurse Nina! 

I feel like a jerk just by reading this post, was that the intended response? Cause if so, well done! The author's jerky-ness is... contagious! Get it? Ebola? Stranded animals in desperate need of donations but get snarky, pointless articles instead? Yeah, not funny.

This is just sad.  I now understand that the Observer is just another trashy tabloid.  Maybe you could rename it the Dallas Enquirer.  Ebola is frightening.  Ebola in your neighborhood is terrifying.  We could all use a little levity, and I have to hope that's what you were going for here, but you failed miserably.  The things you've written are harmful to the financial welfare of DAS, which is harmful to the survival of homeless animals.  That's really big of you to use a horrible situation like local Ebola cases to create another horrible situation for DAS.  Is there not an editor at DO to catch trash like this before it's published?  And Emily, quit criticizing others for their typos, when there is a typo in your story!

I find it interesting that many "Top Commenters" have showed up and are burying the early Comments criticizing Emily and this Crap Rag about the snarky article! Hmmm, maybe friends of Emily's since they have the same shitty personalities as Emily. Employees of this crap Rag??

Did any of you A*holes at the Observer stop to wonder why the shelter has to beg for a lawn mower via donations on an Amazon wishlist in the first place?  Oh yeah, that's because our city hasn't funded them proportionately to the VOLUME of animals they have to take in every year.  While most city buildings are supposed to have their maintenance taken care of, they have to not only borrow a lawn mower but do it themselves (or get volunteers to).  SORRY that they have to ask for something that they aren't provided a budget for by City Hall on their general Amazon wishlist that has been posted on their facebook for months.  And because they are not 5013c, accepting donations has to go through an approval process, hence why they directed people to their main wishlist at first.  BULLSHIT article.  I know 5th graders who are better journalists. 

I don't understand the point of this article. Is Emily criticizing that a focused group (animal shelter) is asking for help from another focused group (people who would want to help a pet) or is it something else? Is Emily's thought that DAS is trying to take advantage of of people's sympathy by using Bentley to buy things that DAS needs? I don't understand the point of this other than to just be vitriolic. Does The Dallas Observer allow anything to be printed either in the physical paper or the website? I don't have an agenda here. I just think this a terribly ugly piece and I don't understand the point of writing it.

Oh, it's now OK to be snarky about a charity that does good work?  Stop making fun of people b/c they love their pets and want Bentley to receive love.  If this horrible situation leads to increased donations to DAS, is that really so bad?  This article highlights what is wrong with society today - people focused on being negative to get a laugh instead of understanding what is really going on.  You want to be critical?  Go write about politicians, crime, etc.  But leave an animal charity alone.  Bully.

Poor Emily. She clearly wasn't assigned to cover the big news so decided to go negative and write a ridiculous, shitty article based on false assumptions. Shame on you. You're now getting national attention, but I'd venture to guess it's not the kind you'd hoped for to break into the big time. Hopefully this ridiculous news "article" just continues to raise (positive) awareness of the wide range of legitimate needs present in our community.

What a ridiculously shitty article. Could you be any more sarcastic and rude?

SMH

Dallas Observer you should be ashamed to allow such a misleading article to be published! Emily Mathis this is not reporting, this is just sensationalism! You would do better reporting on such things as the Kardashians.

What a total bunch of childish idiots! Shame on you...

What a dumbass article...

The phrase "responsible journalism" is the last one that comes to mind whenever I see another article with completely errant statements by Emily Mathis. It's a shame that the Dallas Observer has continued to publish such outrageously false articles for far too long.

As many others have corrected, Ms. Mathis simply took the existing DAS Amazon Wishlist and assumed it was created specifically for Bentley, the dog of current Ebola patient Nina Pham. For those that are reacting without reading or clicking through to the list, here is a breakdown for you:

• DAS has always had an Amazon wishlist. Yes, it contains a lawnmower and can opener, among other items
  
• Items for Bentley's care were added to the Amazon wishlist, which is why you see all of the items listed together. DAS did not create a separate wishlist for Bentley's care.
• Donations will go towards Bentley's care. Items and funds donated over what is required for Bentley's care will then be used to assist all the animals in DAS' care.

Sarcasm and snark are at the core of Dallas Observer's writing; however, when it is used at the expense of slander, the Dallas Observer staff needs to be held accountable.  

So this is what I'm gathering here: Emily Mathis is, yet again, irked because Dallas Animal Services is doing its job. Was A/C supposed to leave this dog there to die while his person was hospitalized? Was DAS supposed to care for this dog and all other animals with nothing? And Ebola is hilarious, you guys. Oh, bawhawhawhaw. 

Emily has toured the shelter. She knows firsthand how desperate this underfunded city service is right now. She's got ALL the details, so, heck, I guess she's got half a heart to go with this half a story. 

Emily, stop. You're totally shooting yourself in the foot, kid.

You've confused the DAS wish list, which has been around for years, with their requests on behalf of Bentley. The most minimal attention to detail would have stopped this ridiculous article before it was written. If you are interested exposing irony, perhaps you should start your quest with news reporters who don't take the time READ.

Let's not overlook the obvious here...that's one DANG CUTE DOG!!!

What a silly, misleading article.  Dallas Animal Services has always had a wish list.  It has nothing to do with Bentley.  It's a wish list for a city shelter that processes 27,000 animals a year on a budget that doesn't cover all their needs.  The items on the wish list are listed there because the responsible leadership of the shelter will not use precious dollars on items that are not included in the budget. Maybe you'd like to pay for lawn maintenance, Emily.  Guess who has been paying for it?  The city?  Nope - coming out of the managers' pockets, so she can spend the allocated money on frivolities like dog food and vaccinations.

A gas lawn mower?

What was the point of this article?  Do you think the shelter was trying to get one over on us?  Do you think they are not doing good work?  They have taken down the list now people cant donate.  Emily why don't you try doing something useful with your day instead of this crap!

Please delete or fix this article.  You are slandering the shelter for them doing nothing wrong.  This is their general donation wish list, not for Bentley alone.  This article is soooo wrong.

Listen, I love animals, and I feel as bad for Bentley the dog as much as everyone. But maybe we should be feeling worse for, oh I don't know, People the humans? In West Africa? Our own kin?! Maybe they are more worthy of a lawn mower, although I'm sure they wouldn't even ask for that much in the name of the Ebola epidemic? Maybe that's the point of this article? 

Agreed. If they aren't Emily herself!

@TheRuddSki

Oh, please!  This is not "news" and this is clearly not "reporting".  There is not one iota of journalism present in this article.  It just sounds like snarky backlash from someone who has some freakish prejudice against a group that does nothing but good with very few resources.

It was clear in the FB posts Emily clearly skimmed through and in the actual Amazon wish list that there were a small handful of items for Bentley and a long list of needs for DAS that had been added as far back as March. She was just flat out wrong and clearly decided to write a shitty article and ignore the facts.

@maeleska1 Ooh, they're in town? 

@allisoncollister Then maybe spell Nina's name right, if you're going to use her and Bentley to buy supplies for DAS. 

https://www.facebook.com/dallasanimalservices/photos/a.106612369408042.9639.101535076582438/717755041627102/?type=1&theater

@skeeterskier1  All Cavs are cute! Terrific, loving and loyal breed. Mine sleeps at my feet as I type this. She never lets me out of her sight. Typical Cav trait, along with separation anxiety!! Bless Bentley...

And how about @dallasshelter? The organization is very keen to point out the mistake in misinterpretation from Emily Mathis and the CBS DFW article but has not yet apologized for using such a low hook to reel donors in, at least not to this commenter's knowledge? Sharing Bentley's story in solidarity and community-building is one thing, a smart and sensible thing. But using it for the shelter's own financial benefit beyond Ebola? That's stinks of emotional coercion. And though my love of animals stays intact, my resentment for any sort of coercer letting its followers attack an article's author on its behalf grows with the shelter's lack of action on this matter. That doesn't make the shelter's cause any less noble, but the people behind the scenes are certainly not proving their grace.

Last I checked animal lovers, especially Dallas animal lovers, were smart, loving people. But being smart and loving takes work, as we can see from many of the comments here. Let's do our job then, folks. Our reputation precedes us. Or perhaps it awaits us.

You're incredible. Do your research and publish articles that raise awareness based on facts not sarcasm.

@EMathis Sure thing. If I ever become the one in charge of creating communications for DAS, I'll be sure to update the spelling of Nina's last name on that graphic. I'm not sure why you have assumed I was involved with that. 

@TheRuddSki I don't see where she has credited CBS as the source of her information. How are readers supposed to know this? 

@TheRuddSki Allison wasn't passing herself off as a reporter/blogger. She doesn't have an obligation to check which news outlet the Observer recycled. What ever happened to doing a little research?

@RonW78 For those of us who follow and support DAS, this is hardly a "low hook"...we see posts for various good dogs in need all the time from DAS. the response allows them to help many animals. this is just one of many stories, and it happened to get a sneering article written about it.

When they asked for help for animals who were the survivors of a house fire recently, we did not scold them, we helped.
EVERY event that involves any animal is pretty much put out there and there are people who want to help. Try following DAS on FB and realize that this was not an attempt to "profit" but just what they do all the time...try to stay afloat. 

They have had an Amazon wish list for quite some time. I sent towels several months back.

@RonW78 If Emily had read through all the original comments, she'd have seen that DAS started by posting a local drop-off location for donations after many people asked how they could help. What is clear from the very earliest FB comments:

- I, along with many others, do not live in Dallas and thus asked how I could help from afar. 

- I, and many others, suggested to DAS that they set up an Amazon wishlist for donations. DAS did not come up with that idea; people like me who wanted to help did. They published the existing wish list for only a few items added for Bentley. 

- I, and many others, happily donated items for use with Bentley or any other animals in need. 

The issue (and thus reasons for the comments about the article) isn't whether people should be helping animals vs humans but that Emily, the author, didn't do enough research to report on this accurately. DAS has a public FB page where one can easily see the history of how all of this came about. Emily just picked and chose specific comments to further the vitriolic tone of her article.

In short, it is unfair and wholly inaccurate in any way to claim that DAS used this situation for their own gain (which is actually the animals' gain). They opened this up as a way to respond to many, many requests from people who wanted to help.

And there's no reason to judge people who are leaning in to help animals in this situation. You don't know that they (we) aren't also sending donations to help people and/or medical organizations in the US or abroad....

@TheRuddSki Thanks Emily. I am glad to hear you finally address that you just plain got the facts wrong. Oh wait.....

@TheRuddSki Interesting that you a) point a finger at those with "anonymous nyms" but use one yourself and b) continue to prove yourself as a hopeless troll with little to do but poke at things like this. If it's so un-important, why do you continue to respond and comment?

@TheRuddSki Oh please. Get over yourself. You come in her day in and day out, and most times you've come up with some bizarro link from whatever weirdness is of the day in Dallas to Obama. And NOW you're retreating, calling it merely "a blog"? WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR TIME EVERY DAY???? It's maddening reading your stupid posts!!!

@TheCredibleHulk @cfd95 True. I board dogs in my home, and many are ones who don't do well in traditional kennels and lack confidence.
King Charles Cavalier Spaniels are available through rescue groups, and fanciers of the breed will adopt, I hope. One of my clients is a rescued Cav.

@cdr75 @TheRuddSki Lolz. Thanks RuddSki!

@TheRuddSki 

Reading the ACTUAL WISHLIST. Wow.