Woman mourns for beloved dog Mr. Tee
EDEN — He was known around town as Mr. Tee, and his owner, Gladys Jones, was Mr. Tee’s mom.
The English bulldog was Jones’ constant companion, whether he was riding shotgun in her convertible or sleeping next to her. To Jones, he wasn’t your average dog but a “once-in-a-lifetime” pet.
“He was my whole world,” she said.
Mr. Tee was euthanized late last month. A veterinarian determined that the 4-year-old dog had been poisoned with antifreeze, and police say animal cruelty charges are possible against Jones’ next-door neighbor, Donald Carter.
Jones still is trying to come to terms with losing Mr. Tee. “If I eat, I get sick,” she said. “This was senseless.”
A woman who described herself as Carter’s girlfriend answered the door at his home Tuesday afternoon and said he was not there.
Jones, who lives on Long Street, first noticed something was wrong with Mr. Tee on July 22. When she let Mr. Tee out that night, it took him a little longer than usual to return to the porch where she was waiting. Jones noticed later the next day that he was unable to stand on his back legs.
By July 24, he was throwing up and Jones took him to Eden Veterinary Hospital. A veterinarian performed tests that came back positive for antifreeze poisoning, Jones said.
The poison caused kidney failure. Mr. Tee was euthanized July 25, with Jones by his side. “The life just went right on out of those big brown eyes,” she said.
Jones said her son and grandson searched her home for the source of the antifreeze and found a milk container — with some poison still in it — leaning against her fence.
Jones called the police.
Jones said her neighbor, whose name she didn’t know before her dog’s death, had complained about Mr. Tee wandering into his yard. But she’s adamant that Mr. Tee only did so once.
Police had not interviewed Carter by late Tuesday. “I have not had a face-to-face meeting with him yet,” said Eden Detective David Lamberth. “He has left me a message.”
In that July 29 voice mail message, Lamberth said Carter admitted to leaving the antifreeze out, but said he put the container on his property, not on Jones’ property. Carter also said he was afraid for his children to be out in the yard because of the dog, according to Lamberth.
But Jones said Mr. Tee, nearly 100 pounds, was a gentle giant. “My grandchildren climbed on his back and rode him,” Jones said.
Mr. Tee also helped Jones financially. She lives on disability and income earned from raising dogs. Over the past two years, Mr. Tee sired about 70 puppies that she sold to people across the country.
Mr. Tee’s vet bill cost Jones $487, and she sold jewelry to raise the $150 to have him cremated.
This is the second dog Jones has lost recently. Her Chihuahua, Precious, died in her sleep in April. She was also cremated, and Jones plans to have both dogs’ ashes buried with her.
Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com
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