“INDIANOLA – The white pup bounds over the best she can, eyeing the fluffy gray tail belonging to Hazel – a cat about four times her size. The pup nips at the tail that flicks with annoyance. Hazel’s eyes are more green than gray. The feline, showing little patience or affection for her new housemate, gives her a warning. Maizie, like most puppies, takes it all in stride and finds some other adorable puppy way to entertain herself and her new owners. A few weeks ago, however, Maizie had more than a jealous cat to contend with. The six-week-old husky mix was near death when she was found on South Kingston Road. The dog, recently weaned, was emaciated, her right front paw had been completely severed, and her head was trapped in a plastic peanut butter jar. I thought maybe it was a possum. It was just flopping around in the road, said Eve VanKleeck, who found Maizie. VanKleeck was driving home at about 12:40 a.m., Jan. 31 from her job at the Kingston Ferry when she saw the dog in the northbound lane of the road. She stopped the car, put her high beams on and saw the jar on the animal’s head. I thought, even if it is a possum I just can’t leave the jar on its head, she said. She removed the jar and realized that under all the filth was a puppy. And, she realized, the puppy needed immediate medical attention. She took the puppy, which was stinking of rotten peanut butter, to neighbor Karen Kinnaird, a veterinary technician with Appletree Cove Animal Hospital. It was a clean cut, Kinnaird said of the dog’s paw, cut off by something sharp, something fast, she said. The dog was cold and weak and VanKleeck considered having her put to sleep if her injuries were too great. But with a lot of puppy love and a little luck, Maizie is recovering nicely. Her leg must be amputated in March and she has suffered some seizures. The seizures have seemed to all but disappear during the past few days, which is a good sign said Kinnaird. Rescuing an animal comes with some risk, said Kathy Cocus, director of development for the Kitsap Humane Society. They should contact animal control, she said. The animal may have internal injuries or lash out and bite the person trying to help them, Cocus said. She reminds would be pet owners that taking on a new dog or cat means years of responsibility for that animal. It’s a real commitment. It’s not just fall in love with that little puppy, she said. But, if the commitment of owning a pet is too great, people can find help rather than abandoning the animal. Sometimes people aren’t aware there’s lots of people in the community who want to help an unwanted pet, Cocus said. VanKleeck and Kinnaird suspect that maliciousness could have been involved, based on the dog’s condition. Despite this the pup seems happy, is friendly and is normal other than the bandaged paw. I think it’s so sad and I think she is so cute, said Eir VanKleeck, 18. The family took a few days to agree on a name for the dog. People suggested Skippy or Peanut, but that just wasn’t right. We don’t need to be reminded of the trauma she’s been through, VanKleeck said. There are enough reminders she said. The hefty vet bills, the yelps when the paw bandage is changed and driving by the spot where Maizie was found are enough. I slow down and get kind of this anxious feeling like is there going to be another one there, she said. VanKleeck said they will keep the dog, which is busy bonding with the other animals-three cats, two chickens and a turtle. The family never expected to own a dog. Somehow the universe decided I am going to have a dog, VanKleeck said. Hazel it seems has some cat ttitude adjustments to make about the furry twist of fate. Perhaps she needs a reminder that nine years ago she too was shown the same kindness by the VanKleecks. They took her in along with her mother and littermates, who were also abandoned. “