Paula Getz Pease, 35, gets six months in jail for starving her dog to death

VIRGINIA -- A Fort Defiance woman is headed to jail after being convicted in a case where she nearly starved her dog to death last year.

The emaciated animal eventually had to be euthanized.

Paula Getz Pease, 35, was initially charged with felony torture of an animal, causing death. But the charge was amended to misdemeanor animal cruelty prior to her trial.

Why was the charge dropped from a felony to a misdemeanor? Clearly, Virginia law allows for her to be charged with a felony for what she subjected this poor dog to:

Any person who: (i) tortures, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain not connected with bona fide scientific or medical experimentation or cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims or mutilates any dog or cat that is a companion animal whether belonging to him or another; and (ii) as a direct result causes the death of such dog or cat that is a companion animal, or the euthanasia of such animal on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian upon determination that such euthanasia was necessary due to the condition of the animal, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. 

Alexandra Meador, an assistant commonwealth's attorney for Augusta County, said when authorities first spotted the male dog after receiving a tip in December 2014, they thought the pit bull / labrador retriever mix was already dead.

"And then it raised its head," Meador said.

But Meador said it was already too late for the 14-year-old dog, which couldn't stand. A veterinarian recommended humane euthanasia and the dog was put down, she said.

A necropsy revealed the dog, which should have weighed 80 pounds and once tipped the scales at more than 100 pounds, was just 46 pounds at its death, according to Meador. The dog also suffered "severe muscle wasting" and had an untreated infection ravaging its mouth.

"The evidence was the dog had starved for quite a long time," Meador said.

While Pease noticed changes in her dog, Meador said she testified that "she didn't realize how bad it was."

Following her conviction, Pease was sentenced to 12 months in jail with six months suspended. She is scheduled to report to Middle River Regional Jail on Jan. 4, court records show, but is eligible for home electronic monitoring.

Pease, who also was placed on one year of probation, cannot own another companion animal until she is deemed to no longer be a danger by Blue Ridge Court Services, Meador said.

Pease's trial was held Wednesday in Augusta County Circuit Court.

Augusta County Animal Control Officer Bill Hobgood said his agency handled 39 animal cruelty complaints last year, but he noted that many of those investigations didn't rise to the legal definition of animal cruelty, and said most fell under "duties of ownership" where animal owners weren't giving their pets or livestock the minimum requirements under Virginia law.

Hobgood said state law dictates that dogs, at a minimum, must have shelter if kept outdoors, must be fed on a regular basis and must always have access to water. Hobgood said in some cruelty cases authorities aren't notified early enough to save the animals.

If anyone has suspicions about a neighbor or someone they know who owns an animal, Hobgood said, "We would much rather they call us."

(News Leader - Dec 11, 2015)