Questions were also subsequently raised about the teeth of a new law in Illinois that was designed to punish those responsible for careless disregard of pets left in extreme weather.
Norma Jean Fultz, an administrator of area Lost & Found Pets Facebook page, is close to the situation — she has relatives living in the area who apprised her of the details.
“My granddaughter texted me earlier this week about her neighbors who’d left their dog out in freezing weather,” she said. “She asked who was in charge of the Livingston County Humane Society, and I told her it was Karen Gregory.
“Karen told her to call the police about it. But they’d already called the Pontiac Police multiple times, and they referred her to Animal Control.”
Pontiac Police Maj. Dan Davis said that they were aware of the situation and had turned it over to Livingston County Animal Control, operated by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Tom Hardyman, who operates the division, was unavailable when reached for comment.
Fultz said that her granddaughter and her immediate relatives were certain that the dog was suffering some form of frostbite. They could not be reached for comment.
“My granddaughter was heartbroken,” Fultz said. “She wanted to know what could be done and why nothing was being done other than the people who own this dog just getting talked to by the police and by Animal Control.
“I told her that Karen (Gregory) has rules and regulations she has to follow — she can’t just go to someone’s house and grab their dog; same with Tom (Hardyman). So I told Cathy Strait, who’s been rescuing dogs for over 40 years, to see if anything could be done.”
Strait, who has been the subject of several stories in the Daily Leader regarding her animal activism, created a Facebook post about the incident, hoping to get the word out so that something could be done to make the animal’s life better.
Fultz did, however, hope that the new Illinois law enacted to prevent animal abuse would be taken seriously by Animal Control.
“I know Tom loves animals,” she said. “I fostered a kitten for him one time. And he has to follow certain steps to enforce that law and I understand that. But I know that my granddaughter has called them multiple times, and it seems like nothing has been done.”
The law, cited as the “Humane Care for Animals Act,” was amended to add, effective Jan 1, that “No owner of a dog or cat that is a companion animal may expose the dog or cat in a manner that places the dog or cat in a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time in extreme heat or cold conditions that results in injury to or death of the animal.”
However, it is unclear whether the alleged frostbite in this instance, which may have occurred before the law was enacted, would be an example of abuse that’s “grandfathered in,” preventing the proper authorities from taking action on it besides consulting with the pet’s owner.
“In the end, I just want that dog to be taken care of,” Fultz said. “I don’t know why someone would take on a responsibility like that if they are just going to end up ignoring it like that.”
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