The Brooklyn Paper reports that Thompy, the Cocker Spaniel who was dognapped on April 13 was found over the weekend.  He was in the hands of a “new” owner who bought the pooch off of some street thug.   No word on if the new owner would be facing charges on possession of stolen property.

Brooklyn Paper: But all speculation ended on Saturday evening when a Red Hook woman said she was sure she saw one of her neighbors walking Thompy.

The funny thing was that this neighbor never had a dog until just a few days earlier, the tipster said.

At 7 am on Sunday, Crawford-Phillips drove to where the caller had seen Thompy, and sat in his car, scanning the street.

Three-and-a-half hours later his heart almost leapt out of his chest; there was his beloved pooch padding down the street alongside his new “best friend.”

Crawford-Phillips contacted the police before approaching Thompy’s new charge, who said that he had bought the dog on the street 10 days earlier, but wouldn’t say where or for how much.

A quick visit to a nearby vet left nothing in doubt: Thompy’s chip identified Crawford-Phillips as the canine’s rightful owner.

Facing the truth, Thompy’s new “owners” had no choice but to bid their farewells to the brown and tan cocker.

7Online.com: With the help of his friends, they rushed him to the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group in Cobble Hill where doctors and staff brought Walter back from the brink of death.

“Walter was in really tough shape. He was severely neglected. He had a bad case of mange that caused him to lose a lot of protein,” Dr. Brett Levetski said. “We’re past the critical stage. He’s eating and drinking on his own. And it’s pretty playful.”

As awful as his first few months of life have been, Walter loves people. He loves curing up into a ball on laps and falling asleep in the safety of their arms.

“From an isolated corner at 15th Street and 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn, Walter’s story has hit the web: pictures, videos and rows of comments. There are several thousand people following his blog waiting for updates on his progress and pictures of his improvements.”

An update from the Help Save Walter website today:

Just wanted to write a post to thank everyone again for the generous donations towards Walter’s medical care. He is really coming along well, which is a testament to the staff at VERG, as well as to everyone who supported Walter throughout his ordeal. He’s a really special little guy.

We are happy to announce that we are confident that we have raised enough money to cover the cost of Walter’s emergency care. The donation button is still up and active, but please donate knowing that any overages will be donated in Walter’s name to the ASPCA, local rescues, and shelters so we can try to help other animals in need.

Thank you all again for all you’ve done. Walter’s life could have been very short and painful, but thanks to everyone rallying around him he is going to grow up a healthy, loved, and happy dog.

thank you thank you thank you

This four-year-old Cocker Spaniel was stolen from outside a deli at State St. and 3rd Ave. on Tuesday night. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the owner at 646-286-0808. More photos of the little guy after the jump, and keep your eyes peeled for him. He is greatly missed.

Photo from A Brooklyn Life.

A Brooklyn Life reports that there’s a new veterinarian coming to 455 Court Street.

So the signage is up at 455 Court Street (next to Frankie’s 457). It’s slated to be a vet, Carroll Gardens Veterinary Group, in fact. The only other info I have is the phone number of (718) 875-7007, per Google.

Dr. Walter Maddox doesn’t work here anymore.  Over the years, he kept threatening to retire, but I don’t think anyone took him seriously.  I didn’t.  I thought he would always be there, especially during the years when I had a tribe of three cats.  I would arrive early and sit in the crowded waiting room with the other anxious pet owners.

I’ve sat there more times than I would like to count.  There always seemed to be an assortment of gigantic tabbies yowling in their carriers, puppies straining on their leashes, labs, spaniels, terriers, young, old— quivering in fear, bounding around the small room, or primly sitting on their owners’ laps.  I’ve surreptitiously watched other people crying because they were putting their animals down, only to find myself in the same position.

Dr. Maddox understood that you have to treat the animal as well as the human.  He treated me as gently as he treated my animals, and I am grateful for that.  He wasn’t motivated by money.  He would never suggest a test unless he thought it was necessary.  If I had to bring one of my cats back for a second visit, he often gave me a break on the office visit.   He worked by instinct as well as by intellect.  He was the good country doctor who balanced compassion with objectivity.

He had an ego.  Sometimes it seemed his staff tip toed around him.  He definitely ran a tight ship.  Mistakes were rare.  In fact, in the eight years I was a client, I don’t remember a single one.  I’m not saying he was perfect, infallible.  Part of his charm was admitting his infallibilty.  This made me trust him even more.

I called last November to bring in my new dog, Molly, a Shih Tzu, for a routine visit.  Debbie, the office manager, said, “He’s retired.”  I hung up the phone in shock.  He had finally done it.  Retired.  Unbelievable.  The good country doctor had hung up his stethoscope.  But never fear; I hear he still lives in Brooklyn.  Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll see him around the neighborhood.

If you read this, Dr. Maddox, thank you.  I will miss you— as a vet and as a friend.

Brooklyn Heights resident LA Slugocki is one of the colorful columnists featured in The Brooklyn Bugle…coming soon. Read her blog at http://www.laslugocki.blogspot.com.