Human Error Put an End to the Short Life of Riley

Ready for a real downer at Christmastime? Read on.

Each year at the La Jolla Christmas Parade, the county Department of Animal Control brings a couple of dozen dogs that are up for adoption. The dogs are said to be “marching for their lives.”

Four years ago, Florence Lambert adopted an Irish wolfhound named Mickey from the parade. Lambert, a retired nurse, belongs to Friends of County Animal Shelters, or FOCAS.

This year she was chairwoman of a FOCAS bake sale held in connection with the parade. She spotted a 10-month-old Australian shepherd puppy named Riley.

Riley was not among the 18 dogs adopted that Sunday. He put up a fuss when a handler tried to put him into a cage.

“It was almost as if he knew what would happen to him if he wasn’t adopted,” Lambert said. “I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

An Animal Control employee started to fill out the forms so Lambert could adopt Riley. But a paperwork hitch arose.

A deal was struck: Riley would be returned to the San Diego shelter and Lambert would get him the following Thursday.

On Wednesday, Lambert called the shelter. To her horror, she learned that Riley had been put to death on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to let that little guy die in vain,” said Lambert, her voice breaking. She wrote county officials in protest.

Animal Control Director Sally Hazzard said Riley was mistakenly put to death because an employee didn’t put enough information in the computer to keep him off the “euthanasia list.”

The employee was disciplined, along with two employees who handle the euthanasia chores, Hazzard said. She declined to specify the kind of discipline.

She noted that, last year, Animal Control was forced to destroy 26,000 unadopted animals. She said mistakes like the one that killed Riley happen once or twice a year.

“All we can do is offer sympathy and an apology,” Hazzard said. “It’s devastating to all of us.”

Back and Forth

Necessity is somebody’s mother.

* Fountain Fresh Inc. of Del Mar plans to sell a line of disposable toothbrushes and razors with gel-filled handles.

For the busy executive. To be called “On-the-Go Products” and mass-produced in South Korea.

The gel substitutes for toothpaste or shaving cream. Doesn’t taste bad, either.

* Wolf Freeman, a retired stockbroker living in San Marcos, has invented tennis shoe laces that don’t need tying. A tiny plastic barrel works like a cinch.

“Makes your sneakers feel like slippers.”

* The San Diego Newspaper Guild is selling a 1991 wall calendar, with color photographs from the Union-Tribune and daily labor history reminders.

* A San Diego company has been awarded the contract to provide limousines in Southern California for parties, airport trips and such tied to Super Bowl XXIV in Tampa.

Jon Chester, owner of Limousines by Linda, figures it will take 30 or so limos.

A dozen of those will be for rock performers being feted by MTV executives. Rockers are big football fans.

* San Diego’s first Alternative Care Hotline has been started for people looking for a massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, hypnotherapist or holistic health practitioner.

Manual Dexterity

Come fly with me.

USAir is offering its Fearful Flyers classes at Lindbergh Field starting next month.

The white-knuckle, stomach-churning set will work with a clinical social worker and a veteran USAir pilot to overcome their aviaphobia. Graduation is a one-hour flight, complete with guests.

Some studies say one in six Americans is afraid of flying. Hence the search to reduce airborne stress.

Here’s my suggestion: Flight attendants should be instructed not to stroll down the aisle at 20,000 feet carrying a highly visible Emergency Manual.

An attendant on a USAir flight between San Diego and San Francisco did precisely that recently. Scared the bejeebers out of some of the passengers.