Tennessee: George Robertson Jr., gets 2 days in the county jail after starving his Rat Terrier. "The left side of the dog's mouth, jaw and tongue were gone by the time the dog was taken to the local animal shelter"

TENNESSEE -- A Dyersburg man who failed to seek medical help for his pet and allowed the dog's mouth to rot away will spend just two days in jail.

George Robertson Jr., 50, 1813 Schaffer St., pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals Tuesday in Dyersburg Municipal Court. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in jail with all but 48 hours suspended. He is to reimburse the Dyersburg/ Dyer County Humane Society for its costs of $233.57 and must also pay court costs. He will be on supervised probation for the remainder of his suspended sentence.

Humane Society President Carol Feather said this was the worst case of animal cruelty she's witnessed. She also believes this may be the first time anyone in Dyer County has received jail time for a cruelty case.

The investigation began Dec. 14 when Judy Robertson took an emaciated black and white rat terrier mix to the animal shelter while her husband was out of town. The dog belonged to her husband, George. She told Animal Control Officer Bobby Turnage that the dog was 16 years old, was sick and needed to be euthanized.

"Although Robertson advised Turnage that the animal had refused to eat, it devoured the food presented to it by the Humane Society as if it were starving," a Dyersburg Police Department report stated.

Judy Robertson told police the dog had cut his lip a month earlier while trying to eat out of a dog food can. The family couldn't afford to take the dog to a veterinarian. Robertson told police the family was attempting to treat the wound and believed it was actually healing.

Dr. Jon Martin of Animal Care Hospital examined the dog and determined that it probably hadn't been fed for two weeks to a month. Martin found no evidence of food in the dog's stomach or intestines.

The wounds on the dog's mouth were at least two weeks old, the veterinarian reported. The skin, muscle and bone on the left side of the dog's face were necrotic and the jawbone was exposed. One-third of the dog's tongue also had rotted away. 

The vet also reported a "horrible, fetid odor" to the dog's mouth. The dog was having trouble swallowing and was panting.

The terrier, which was estimated to be 3 years old, also had scabs on both front legs, fleas and other problems.

The dog's prognosis was listed as "poor to grave." Martin described this as a case of complete lack of care with obvious signs of abuse.

Robertson was cited to city court. The dog was euthanized.

The police report noted that the Robertsons had at least three more dogs, all of which appeared to be well fed and in good health.

(State Gazette - February 6, 2010)