I just received this from my old running coach...Im devasted reading the story. If you can help please FM me!

Thank you so much!
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Wednesday we lost our pet, our friend and our family member of sixteen years, Wally. To make matters horribly worse, the Department of Health in NYC required his head to be severed to test for rabies because he scratched a technician the night before when they were sticking large needles into him. The NYC Department of Health and the Animal Bite Unit will not give us Wally's head back so that we can appropriately and respectfully allow him to go on his journey whole even after the tests come back negative which they will because he was just cleared two days earlier and he has only lived in our bedroom and at the ICU at the Animal Medical Center.

Below is an e-mail I've sent to a reporter pleading for any help she can provide. If anyone has any insight into how we might be able to rectify this situation, please let us know. Cindy and I have been calling and sending e-mails to everyone from the mayor's office down since Wednesday night. Even if I can find the location of the lab, I'd drive down there and try to appeal to someone's humanity in person but they won't even tell us that.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
-Adam

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Julia,
My name is Adam Krajchir an I was referred to you by Marsha Krane. The reason I'm e-mailing you at 7:30am on the Friday after Thanksgiving, while the rest of the world is shopping or enjoying their family, is because I'm desperately hoping you might be able to help me in some way.

I am looking to speak with a senior contact at the Health Department or the Animal Bite Unit that might be able to help me retrieve my cat's head which was decapitated after death because of a completely unfounded fear of rabies and even after the tests come back negative they refuse to give it back so that we can bury our pet, our friend and our family member of sixteen years, whole.

I've posted the entire description of the issue on my blog at www.racewithpurpose.org/coachadam?p=80. This also includes all of the relevant case information necessary to speak with the NYC Department of Health.

I've also posted a link to Wally's photo so you can see just how beautiful he was: http://www.racewithpurpose.org/coachadam/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/imgp0857.jpg

Earlier discussions of Wally's illness can be found at http://www.racewithpurpose.org/coachadam/?cat=12

Beyond what is happening to us, we were totally unaware that our beautiful cat's body would be desecrated like this and I'm sure others will be just as horribly surprised and should consider this when taking their animals to the vet when and if that time comes. I can only tell you that yesterday was Thanksgiving for most and beyond losing our friend, we have been urgently waiting for Friday morning to arrive so that we can do whatever is necessary to plea for the return of the head of our cat. Our cat was tested less than ten days before - he scratched an attendant at the vet because he was defending himself from having large needles stuck into him and for this, he had his head removed and will not be able to be kept intact as he goes onto his next life. On Wednesday he scratched another technician and the polices state that if the pet dies, they cut off the animal's head to test for rabies, even though in our Wally's case, he was just cleared the days before and he has only been living either in our bedroom or in ICU at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. Of course he didn't have rabies.

This is unconscionable and we are so hoping that we can find a way to right this wrong. Up until last year we would have been able to retrieve the head after testing comes back negative but a NYC employee at the Department of Health, Ed Boyce passed away and when he did, they no longer allowed pet owners to do this. They wouldn't explain why, which is probably just because they don't want to be bothered with the extra effort. I have called the department and all they say is that they no longer do this but could give no reason why.

If you have any way to help us at all or if there is a way at least to let other loving pet owners know that they too might have to face this horrible outcome, please let us know. All of Wally's case information is included in the blog link above and I can be reached at [email protected] or at 310-991-2468. I am planning on spending the morning trying to find where they took his head and if they will tell me I will go down there to plead in person. Julia, we will do anything to right this tragedy, and I will pay any price to offset any inconvenience. If we had known this we would have taken our cat's body and paid the $1,000 fine for not following policy but we have tried to abide by the laws and do what's right. All we're asking is that the City of New York does the same. Neither Cindy nor I have been able to sleep since Wednesday knowing that Wally will not be able to go on even in our memories in one piece.

Thank you for reading this and anything you might be able to do to help.

Kind regards,
-Adam Krajchir