Olivia Zhou, of the prosecutor’s office, said charges filed include first-degree animal cruelty for the dog’s owner, Robert Leatherman, of Bucoda, and second-degree animal cruelty for Jeffery Gavin, the person who shot the dog, also of Bucoda.
The dog, commonly known as Wolfy, caused an outcry on social media sites in October 2014, gaining international attention, after photographs of the animal were posted online. The dog, who was well known for wandering the streets of Bucoda, was determined to be an extreme case of animal cruelty after a necropsy was completed.
Erika Johnson, field officer and cruelty investigator with Thurston County Animal Services, said the dog “suffered long-standing neglect.”
Johnson filed a consideration for first-degree animal cruelty charges on Oct. 28, 2014.
The necropsy revealed the dog has several maggot-infested wounds, and rocks were found in his stomach, an indication of starvation.
Vicky Smith, who performed the necropsy on Wolfy, said evidence of old metallic fragments were found in the animal’s hind end and a BB was lodged in his chest.
After attention to the dog’s state of health mounted, the dog was shot, but the report showed the animal did not die immediately afterward, and hemorrhaging showed his death was a slow one.
“In my professional opinion, this patient suffered tremendously from chronic severe skin, oral, joint and ear disease as well as neglect and starvation in life, and also likely suffered painfully in death,” Smith said in documents obtained by The Chronicle through a public records request.
According to a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Leatherman, the owner of the dog, told deputies the dog had suffered a bad seizure on the neighbor’s porch, causing paralysis. After the incident Leatherman had asked a friend to put the dog down. The report indicates Leatherman at first lied about who shot the dog in order to protect his friend.
On Oct. 18, 2014, Leatherman admitted to the deputy that he had lied and a friend identified in the report only as Harley, agreed to take the deputy to where the dog was shot. Although Harley did not shoot the dog, he said he was present when it happened.
The incident report indicated that Harley and the deputy drove approximately 2 miles out of town on Tono Road to a clear cut in the 20000 block. After walking approximately 30 feet, Harley pointed to one of three perk holes and said “he’s in there.”
“I then looked down into the hole and noticed something was wrapped and covered with a sleeping bag,” the deputy stated in his report. “As I looked closer I could see a paw and tail somewhat protruding from the sleeping bag.”
After the shooter was later identified as Gavin, he admitted to shooting the dog, and stated he shot the animal in the back of the head three times with his .22 caliber firearm.
In an earlier interview with Johnson, she said there are no laws or policies preventing an owner from shooting an animal to put it down as long as it is done in a humane manner. Hemorrhaging showed this was not the case.
Gavin has no prior felony convictions or restrictions from possessing a firearm.
The preliminary court appearances are set for at 10 a.m Tuesday, May 5, in Thurston County Superior Court.
(The Chronicle - April 23, 2015)
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