The Mercy Quilt

[Guest guest]

Lonestarbluesboy THE MERCY QUILT AND LEGAL PROGRESS: Our pal Joe Cross sent us a note about a "Mercy Quilt" that is being auctioned on eBay. (That's a photo of it hanging from a clothesline in New Hampshire.) Joe has an emotional attachment -- he lives in the apartment complex where Mercy the Dog lived and he used to walk his dog where Mercy could watch from her balcony -- it may have been the closest thing to human

contact she had in those days. The story of Mercy has just about reached around the globe -- you can read it at www.operationkindness.org. This quilt was made by a woman in New Hampshire, Kathie Sullivan-Parkes, and is being auctioned to raise money for Operation Kindness, the shelter that took in Mercy when she needed help. As it says on eBay, "All proceeds from this quilt will go to the rescue that helped to try and save her." (Go to www.ebay.com and search for mercy quilt.) Jonnie England of Operation Kindness says, "We'll mark the proceeds for our new Cruelty Awareness Program to help spread the message to 'Stop Animal Abuse.'" Jonnie also says there's news on the legal front regarding the abuse case filed against Deshann Quatrail Brown, 21, arrested on April 27, 4 days after Mercy died. He's the fellow accused of stabbing and beating Mercy and setting her on fire. She died in the care of Operation Kindness, a sweet dog pit mix who showed affection in even the worst moments of her life. Mr. Brown's next court appearance in connection with the Mercy case is scheduled in late October, Jonnie says. "At that time they expect to set a trial date for March or April 2007." It will be interesting to see if last week's 8-year prison

term for the torture killing of Tiger the Cat will have an influence on Mr. Brown's attempts to work a plea bargain. Don't know if bargaining out of a trial in exchange for a lighter sentence is a possibility. But you never know. ONE MORE MERCY NOTE: Jonnie got this note from Maria Daines in England --- she wrote and sings Mercy's Song. Maria reports on behalf of partner Paul Killington that "our friend Jayne, who is a volunteer with SPCA in New Zealand, is performing Mercy's song with her young granddaughter for their Thanksgiving & Blessing Service for the animals." Another band will perform it in the USA, Maria says. Noting all of the publicity and fundraising activity still generated by Mercy, Maria says, "I believe Mercy will never be forgotten and that beautiful dog has left a legacy of love and compassion behind. What an angel." Patricia Breen www.petstorecruelty.org

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