Brian Kenney charged in animal cruelty case

RHODE ISLAND -- A North Providence man has been arrested in the animal cruelty cases involving Moses, an elderly dog that had to be euthanized due to severe malnutrition.

47-year-old Brian Kenney was arrested after turning himself in to police on Wednesday, charged with unnecessary cruelty, a misdemeanor.

RIP Moses

Kenney originally told authorities that his wife brought Moses to their home after finding him emaciated in the Pet Smart parking lot on Atwood Avenue in Johnston on August 7th. He claimed Moses was in his home for three to four weeks as he tried to nurse him back to help.

Neighbors then contacted animal control, concerned about Moses' appearance, before he was taken to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA). Moses was euthanized Wednesday after testing determined he was suffering from chronic renal failure.

After an investigation, North Providence Police learned that Kenney's story about finding Moses was fabricated and he was the dog's owner from the beginning.

"It was their dog to begin with, the story of the abandonment was fabricated, that never happened," says Joe Warzycha, Animal Cruelty Investigator for the RISPCA.

Kenney told the RISPCA he did not have the money to take care of Moses, a lab who only weighed 37 pounds when he was brought in, one of the most emaciated dogs they've ever seen.

Neighbors still can't wrap their heads around the situation. "Horror, disgust. I don't know how anybody could look into the eyes of any animal and not feel compassion for it," says Erik Scalavino, a neighbor of Kenney.

"No living being should be mistreated or neglected. Human, animal or otherwise," says John Costa, another neighbor.

 

Kenney was arraigned in front of a Justice of the Peace on the misdemeanor charge of unnecessary cruelty and released on personal recognizance. A penalty the RISPCA says, doesn't fit the crime.

"Under the current law, you can abandon a dog, and if the dog dies, you can be charged with a felony. But you can neglect a dog to the point where it dies and it's only a misdemeanor. There's no equality there," adds Warzycha.

Animal Control Officials have removed two more dogs from Kenney's home on Thursday, but they say the dogs do not show any signs of neglect and they will eventually be returned to the home.
Kenney is scheduled to be formally arraigned September 10.

(WLNE-TV (ABC6) - Sep 3, 2015)
Earlier:

• Brian Kenney arrested for animal cruelty after abandoning skeletal dog in parking lot