Now, the Saddle Butte Mobile Manor community is coming together in outrage.
Debora Ballard and her husband got their dog Mocha when she was just a puppy. "She was an ornery little thing when she was born, and then she turned out to be a really good dog," said Ballard. "She was an excellent dog."
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| Mocha had to be put to sleep after allegedly being poisoned with antifreeze. |
They say Mocha was a sweet, caring dog who was full of life. That is, until her life was taken from her.
Mocha started to get sick last Friday, and when she hadn't gotten better by Saturday, Ballard took her to Dr. Blair Bailey's vet clinic.
Doctor Bailey said that it was obvious what was hurting the dog: antifreeze poisoning.
Mocha's death was not an easy one. "It causes their kidneys to go into total kidney failure, kidney shut down, and they pass away in a horrible, horrible death," he said. "It's probably one of the most cruel forms of poison out there."
When Debora found out about the antifreeze, she was confused - until she got some shocking news from her husband: he had found the antifreeze in open containers in their neighbor's yard.
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| In pictures taken by Mocha's owners, these containers appear to be full of antifreeze, and one of them appears to have tuna fish in it. Mocha's owners contend that they were set purposely to harm the neighborhood animals. |
Debora was in disbelief. "What kind of crazy type of person would do such a heinous thing? It's inhumane."
Ballard took some pictures of the antifreeze, as well as what appears to be neighbor Bernard Daugherty's wife Mitzy cleaning up the containers.
Debora said that there were two milk jugs on the Daugherty's lawn with the lids cut off and filled with what looked like antifreeze. One of them appeared to have tuna fish inside of it.
Ballard said that she thinks it was deliberate. "It's sad," she said, "it's sad that any animal has to suffer for someone's ignorance. They're just ignorant people. They have no heart. They're just evil."
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| In pictures taken by the deceased dog's owners, Mitzy Dougherty appears to be picking up the containers. |
Debora and several of her neighbors are outraged, and they want the couple to pay.
Andrea Hughes, a nearby resident told KPIC News, "They need to be shown that what they did was very, very wrong. Jail time, fine, whatever it takes to get it in their head that what they was not OK, and this entire neighborhood is not OK with it."
KPIC News went to the Daugherty's home to get their side of the story.
Several members of the community were there and told the couple how they felt.
The Daugherty's said they haven't done anything wrong. Someone in the crowd asked Bernard, "Sir, do you feel like you owe someone an apology for the dog dying?"
He replied, "Absolutely not. Under no circumstances."
A Douglas County Animal Control officer cited Bernard Daugherty for Animal Abuse I. The charge alleges he caused the death of an animal in a cruel way. The charge carries a possible jail sentence and fine.
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| Mocha's owners wanted to show her picture to the public, as an example of what can happen to dogs who ingest antifreeze. |
Daugherty said he's looking forward to sorting the matter out in court.
Whether or not he is guilty of animal cruelty, Mocha is still dead, and Debora is still mourning the loss of her beloved dog.
(KPIC - May 11, 2011)
