WASHINGTON -- A Longview man has been charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly allowing his dog to starve to death in his back yard.
Jessie Howard Woodruff, 30, has been summoned to appear in Cowlitz County Superior Court on Dec. 20. First-degree animal cruelty is a class C felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Humane Society officials say the case dates back to last winter, when three starving dogs were reported at 336 16th Ave. in Longview. Woodruff's roommate released two of the dogs to the Humane Society's care, but Woodruff refused to give up "Lil Miss," a 5-year-old golden retriever mix, animal control supervisor Mike Nicholson said Friday.
Nicholson said Woodruff obeyed his orders to have the dog vaccinated for rabies, licensed and taken to a veterinarian, and the Humane Society returned once a month for three months to check on Lil Miss. The last time Nicholson saw Lil Miss was in July, when it appeared "everything was going to be OK," he said.
The dog, which spent its days tied to a tree outside, was showing improvement and putting on weight, "wagging its tail, being happy," Nicholson said.
"It was a beautiful dog. It was a wonderful dog," he said, adding that he warned Woodruff that if any more reports surfaced that the Lil Miss was being neglected, Nicholson would recommend animal cruelty charges against him.
Then in mid-September, a citizen reported that a dog was starving to death at Woodruff's residence.
Nicholson said an animal control officer responded immediately, but it was too late. When police arrested Woodruff, he admitted he had been capable of caring for Lil Miss but just didn't feed her, according to court documents.
An autopsy indicated the visibly malnourished dog died of starvation and/or an untreated medical condition. However, no fatal medical condition was documented, court records said.
Nicholson said this was the first local animal cruelty case he knows of that the county prosecutor filed as a felony. Historically, Cowlitz County's animal cruelty charges have been second degree, which is a misdemeanor.
"I think it's huge for animal control authority to be able to actually do what they're required to do... and get something like this. Because bottom line... we have history. The guy has admitted to it," Nicholson said. "It's sad."
(tdn.com - Dec 2, 2011)
