Nemo, Chihuahua that survived Riverside irrigation-canal dumping, has a new home

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Nemo, the Chihuahua who survived being dumped in a Riverside irrigation canal with her mouth bound with electrical tape in late November, has a new adoptive home.

When no one came forward to claim the 7-pound dog, who was found in and rescued from the canal by a public utilities worker doing routine rounds, officials with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services decided to put her up for adoption. But the Riverside Animal Shelter received so many inquiries from people wanting to adopt Nemo that the staff eventually resolved to settle the ownership issue with an essay contest.

About 35 entries were received, and the winner was formally announced during a pet-adoption event last week at Riverside City Hall. Long Beach resident Eilene Magedoff, whose sister entered the essay contest on her behalf, was selected to become Nemo’s new owner -- well, ‘owner’ isn’t the word Magedoff would use. ‘I just adopted a daughter,’ she told the Riverside Press-Enterprise after the announcement was made. Nemo’s story, a horrifying one by any animal lovers’ standard, resonated particularly strongly with Magedoff, herself a survivor of violent crime. The resilient little dog will now live with Magedoff and her family -- as well as three other rescued Chihuahuas.

A second Chihuahua, a male, was also left in the canal with his mouth taped shut; he did not survive. A reward -- which started at $500 and has increased to $3,000 as animal-loving members of the public added donations -- is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for abusing the two dogs. Anyone with knowledge about the incident is urged to call the Riverside animal shelter at (951) 358-PETS.

-- Lindsay Barnett