WASHINGTON -- A Gig Harbor man is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly duct taping his dog Daisy's snout and front legs and leaving it out in the sun with no way to drink water.
According to probable cause documents from the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, a passerby walking on a trail behind Paul Sweeney's property reported a dog bound by duct tape and foaming at the mouth, a sign of heat stroke, around 3 p.m. June 17.
A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy came by the house, and Sweeney reportedly immediately assumed it was for his duct-taped dog.
According to the probable cause documents, the deputy found the dog lying outside not moving in direct sunlight during the hottest part of a warm day. The dog reportedly had duct tape wrapped several times around its muzzle and front paws.
The deputy noted there was a dry water bowl near the dog that looked like it had not contained water anytime recently. Anyway, the dog would not have been able to drink the water if it had, according to the documents.
When Sweeney called Daisy to him, the dog reportedly moved slowly and struggled to get up. According to documents, the dog whimpered in pain as Sweeney removed the duct tape.
According to the probable cause documents, Sweeney told the deputy he duct taped the dog because it would not stop barking and digging in the yard (the deputy noted he has visited Sweeney in the past, and the yard has never been well-maintained).
Sweeney said Daisy had been bound for about four hours, something he has done to her at least once in the past, but acknowledged it was not an acceptable means of restraint, according to the documents.
Sweeney has been released from custody and ordered not to possess any animals until further court orders.
Daisy reportedly recovered after more than an hour in an air-conditioned environment.
(KOMO News - June 19, 2013)
