Illinois: Havanese named Gus is pulled underneath his fence and mauled by two Pit Bulls

ILLINOIS -- On Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018, Gus experienced the greatest trauma that you could imagine. Likewise, our family has experienced every pet-owner's worst nightmare.

Gussy was attacked by two pit bulls. They dragged him out from under the fence in his own backyard. 

 

Among his most severe injuries, Gus's jugular vein was punctured and he lost one of his eyes. He is stable now, but he is still in critical condition. Gus has already had to have emergency surgery and his veterinary care has ended up totaling over $12,000 at only two days into his treatment.

Gus will require continual care, not only to keep him alive, but also to help him through his long and difficult recovery. We, Gus's humans, love him more than we can put into words. He is such an important part of our family, and we are desperate to heal him and bring him back home.

Please, if there is anything you can do to help, it will be greatly appreciated.

Update 1
Thursday January 8, 2018
Gus had a bit of a rough night last night. The doctors said that he regurgitated a little into his NG tube and they are concerned about that. They also said that they may have to do a blood transfusion today as his numbers are not where they would like them to be. They are changing up his antibiotics and pain meds to get things under control and watching him very closely.

He has been through so much in the last couple of days, but he is fighting to get well and come back home to his family. We were able to bring him his favorite skunk toy yesterday and tell him how much we love him and miss him. He definitely perked up a little when he saw his humans! We’re hoping that today’s visit will reassure him that we are with him and that we cannot wait for him to be well enough to bring him home.

Update 2
Friday January 5, 2018
The last 24 hours Gus has proven what a strong little guy he is. All of his catheter’s and tubes have been removed, he is eating and drinking on his own and he wants to come home to his family. Grandpa, Hailey, Kameron and Brianna were able to go and visit yesterday and it really lifted Gus’s spirits, he was so happy to see his family.

The prayers from all of our family and friends over the past several days means more than you know to our family. We cannot Thank everyone enough for your generosity and kind words.

We will be able to bring Gus home later this evening and continue to care for him and make him comfortable at home, his wounds will need to be cared for and dressed and he will remain on antibiotics and pain medications.

Everyone who has cared for Gus continues to tell us what a miracle it is that he survived this vicious attack. The staff at Premier Veterinary in Grayslake will forever be our hero’s , their fast action an skilled medical care saved our little guys life.

We still have a long road ahead of us, Gus will follow up with surgeon on Monday.

Update 3
I am happy to report that Gus was well enough to come home last night. He is such a strong little guy. He is adjusting well to seeing the world with just one eye, and to be quite honest it looks like he’s always winking at us. He was so happy to be back at home with his family and his favorite things. He is still in a lot of pain and covered in stitches, but he is taking his medication and making himself comfortable.

We can’t tell you how overwhelming your generosity has been, the donations and prayers for Gus are so very appreciated.

And again to the Grayslake Premier Veterinary staff, you are our heroes! Gus is home with us because of you and your excellent care! Thank you Thank You Thank You!

Update 4
Gus went in for his follow up appointment with his surgeon, they are not happy with his chipped shoulder, it is poking through the skin and causing Gus a lot of pain. They have decided to take him back for another surgery to clean it up and try to ease his pain. Everything else seems to be healing nicely. Gus will go back for another surgery in the next few minutes and hopefully will be home with us again tomorrow.

Thank you all again for your kind words, prayers and generous donations. We know their is a long road to recovery for our poor little guy, but we also know how strong he is. We will keep you updated as we know what’s going on.

Update 5
Gus came home after yesterday’s surgery and was resting comfortably. This evening his neck incision began to show signs of infection, he is on his way back to Grayslake to be seen and treated. We will update when we have a better understanding of what is going on. Please continue to pray for Gus. Hopefully this will be a minor setback and we will be back on the road to recovery soon!

Update 6
Gus followed up with the Vet today and had his drain removed, he is getting stronger and will hopefully be able to get his stitches removed on Tuesday. It looks like what was thought to be infection is part of the healing process and nothing to worry about. He’s eating and drinking on his own and walking outside to go potty on his own. We cannot get over what a strong boy he is. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for Gus!

Update 7
Gus is getting better every day, he is off a lot of the very strong medications, and his personality is getting back to normal. He is eating and drinking and begging for treats. He started to chew his favorite sticks and play with his toys. Thank you to everyone who brought over goodies for Gus, he is thoroughly enjoying everything, from the delicious food to the treats and all of the toys and blankets. The plan is for Gus to have all of his stitches removed tomorrow!!

Update 8
Gus had all of his stitches removed yesterday, he is starting to feel more like himself everyday! Today he decided he wanted to play with all of his new toys!

Gus, when he was much younger

Update 9
Gus was able to have his first bath today since the attack, he still has so many scabs everywhere from the puncture wounds so it was a very gentle bath.

His neck incision seems to be healing nicely, as well as his shoulder. The eye removal also seems to have healed up quite well, and Gus has really adjusted well to losing his eye.

He still has moments when he overdoes it a little and will let out a yelp reminding him to slow down. All of the muscle damage that he endured is going to take time to heal.

With that being said, we couldn’t be happier that he is home with us, he has been extra snuggly and really seems to be enjoying the comfort of his humans laps.

Hailey, Gus’ favorite human spoke to the Waukegan City Council to try to amend the city ordinances that allowed the dogs who did this to Gus to be labeled  dangerous! We will keep you posted on updates when we know more!

Thank you again for the generous donations, they are so helpful to our family!

Update 10
We haven’t updated in a while, because Gus has been keeping us very busy, every day his energy level increases and so does his his desire to play and cuddle with his humans. He is healing and getting back in to the swing of things.

We’ve made arrangements to have him groomed after hours while no other dogs are present to make sure that it goes smoothly, his puncture wounds have healed nicely as well as his surgical incisions, so he’s ready to get rid of his funny haircut from all of the shaving for surgery!

Again our family would like to thank you all for your very generous donations and kind words and thoughts. It’s a miracle that Gus is still here with us, and we will treasure every moment that we have with him!

GoFundMe: Gussy's Emergency Medical Fund
Created January 3, 2018
Jamie Schueneman
  Animals
  WAUKEGAN, IL

Pitbulls-Just Say No - While yes everyone is happy the dog survived but with the pits still there, for how long? We all know pits, when they don't kill their intended victim, return to finish the job. Those pits should not have been allowed to return and should have been put down. This is why killers need to be put down on spot to ensure no further victims from those individual dogs.

Hailey Renee Schueneman - This is of course the thought I share as Gussy’s owner. Our city’s animal control is run by a bunch of pit bull apologists and pits are the main breed in their shelter. They found the dogs that mauled Gus to be not dangerous.

Suzanne Gilmore Taylor - So glad he is healing, poor babe. Please get yourself to your city hall at the next monthly' meeting. Put those pictures in front of the mayor face-along with a copy the vet bill Oh and police report.. And demand they do something with these pits.YOU have rights!!!

Hailey Renee Schueneman - I have taken all of these steps! I spoke at my city council meeting on the 16th and gave these photos to the mayor and to all of the aldermen, this issue is on their agenda!

Suzanne Gilmore Taylor - GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!I'm very proud of you!!!!I'm trying to do something in my town but it's a tourist town,they bring money with their dogs.But,the city and police are more aware

Louise Castello - Do the dogs still live next door? No way these animals should still be alive and the owner of the Pits would be paying medical bills.

Hailey Renee Schueneman - Owner is 23, renting an apartment with 2 roommates and is unemployed. He isn’t paying anything so we are stuck with the bill that’s over $8,000. Dogs are still alive and living a couple houses down.

Earlier:

• Illinois: Father asks for prayers after his daughter's Havanese named Gus pulled under his fence and mauled by two Pit Bulls
• Illinois: Waukegan's city council doesn't care that citizens' pets are being mauled by vicious Pit Bulls

Illinois: Father asks for prayers after his daughter's Havanese named Gus pulled under his fence and mauled by two Pit Bulls

ILLINOIS -- Rick Rojas posted on Facebook January 3, 2018 ·

PRAYERS FOR GUS: This is Hailey’s (my daughter) Instagram with prayer requests for her best friend and companion. This is NOT about Pitbulls. This is about my daughter’s request for prayer that her puppy survives this attack.

Hailey is in my most recent Cover Photo holding Gus during the holidays. We need a miracle. And more than anything we pray God teaches us what He wants us to learn from this terrifying incident. #HisWillBeDone

Although Rick claims "This is not about Pit Bulls" it absolutely is about Pit Bulls. 

Pit Bulls are far more likely, than any other dog - even Rottweilers, Mastiffs, German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers - to do this type of damage on a regular basis to pets, livestock, children, elderly people, their owners. 

This is what the Pit Bulls did to Gus:

Update:

• Illinois: Havanese named Gus is pulled underneath his fence and mauled by two Pit Bulls
• Illinois: Waukegan's city council doesn't care that citizens' pets are being mauled by vicious Pit Bulls

Oregon: "They wired his jaw, removed broken teeth and now we wait to see how he does through the night. He will lose one of his eyes"

OREGON -- Kristine Hayes posted on Rockaway Coast Community & Surrounding Areas On the Tillamook Coast Facebook page December 8, 2017

Our beautiful family cat Stanley was attacked by a pit bull that lives off of S. 6th & Coral.

Only one day after the same pit bull was reported to RBPD for aggressive behaviors toward a woman jogging through our neighborhood.

Stanley’s jaw is broken, and he has a pierced trachea. We do not yet know if he will make it through the weekend.

The pit bull has a blue grey coat, and is EXTREMELY aggressive. Please monitor your children & animals in that area. He is let off leash daily, and often freely roams the neighborhood unsupervised.

This is not at all about the breed of dog. I firmly believe in good owners cultivating good dogs. It saddens me to see an animal act so aggressively. I also believe the RBPD is doing everything in their power to monitor the situation.

Please no controversy in this post. Keep our cat in your thoughts. I just thought it was imperative for those in the neighborhood to be aware of the situation.

UPDATE
Update on Stanley: he made it through surgery. They wired his jaw, removed broken teeth and now we wait to see how he does through the night. He will lose one of his eyes probably. He is very strong and was a little fat to begin with, so that’s in his favor.

  

  

 

Louisiana: Police say while pet sitting a friend's Yorkie, Sam Smith tortured him by spraying him with hot water, ripping out his fur then locking him inside the freezer

LOUISIANA -- A West Monroe man has been arrested for animal cruelty after he agreed to pet sit for a friend and then tortured and "mutilated" her tiny Yorkie.

Samuel Smith, 24 of West Monroe, was arrested Thursday around 9:00 p.m.

According to the report, deputies with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office spoke with the victim who stated she left her Yorkshire Terrier named Bitty Boo in the care of her friend Sam Smith at her residence at the Ashford Apartments on December 13, 2017.

Less than two hours later, she received a call from Smith saying her dog left the apartment without his knowledge and returned with injuries to his face.

The dog had severe, bloody injuries to his face and head as well as missing skin and hair. His eyes were also swollen and injured.

The dog was taken to a nearby veterinarian's office for treatment and at this time it is unknown if the damage to its eyes will be permanent.

The dog's owner, Sara Durbin, said she initially thought it was either a horrible accident or that some unknown person had hurt her tiny dog and that Bitty Boo escaped and made his way back home. She never suspected her friend Sam Smith of being the abuser.

 

 

However, later Sara found a chunk of Bitty Boo's fur inside her freezer. She said even then it didn't dawn on her what had happened. She said she thought to herself, "What's that doing in there?" But then she discovered more of Bitty Boo's fur inside the freezer as well as frozen blood spatter inside.

She said the fur didn't appear to have been cut off her dog as you would see with fur that's been cut off with scissors; it appeared to have been brutally yanked out of the dog's head.

On December 14, 2017, deputies met with Smith.

He admitted to spraying the dog with hot water in the bathroom of the apartment. Smith also stated he then carried the dog into the kitchen and shoved him inside the freezer. He claims that he only left Bitty Boo inside the freezer "for about 30 seconds".

The owner said the suspect also used a hair dryer on the dog after he was removed from the freezer.

It was either the boiling hot water or the hair dryer that caused the burn-type injuries to the dog's face (as well as the injury from having all of its hair forcefully jerked from its head and face - look at that dog's face. He wasn't able to yank all that fur out in one attempt. He held this little dog down and repeatedly grabbed chunks of hair and yanked, then yanked, then yanked, over and over again while the tiny dog cried and struggled).

 

 

Smith reportedly told police he did not like the dog but did not mean to mutilate it. The affidavit states, "arrestee described his actions as just 'messing' with the dog."

When he realized how much he had injured the little dog by torturing it, that's when he called the owner, Sara, and made up the lie that Bitty Boo had escaped the apartment and then suddenly shown back up with these horrific injuries.

Sara said she'd talked with mutual friends and "they don't understand either. None of us saw any signs that he was even capable of doing something like this".

I guess it's a good thing he panicked and called her so soon. Otherwise, the tiny dog may have been tortured for days before he finally killed him and disposed of his body. Then he could have simply lied to Sara, the owner, and told her Bitty Boo ran away - and they never would have found his body and Sara would never have known that her friend is a psychopath who enjoys torturing and killing defenseless animals.

Smith has been booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center on one count of aggravated animal cruelty.

His bond has been set at $5,000.

NEWS VIDEO CLIP:

ARREST INFORMATION:

Full name: Samuel Clayton Smith

Race: White

Sex: Male

Birthdate: 05/12/1993

Address: West Monroe, Louisiana 71291

Booking Date: 12/14/2017

Booking Time: 11:29 PM

Release Date: 12/15/2017

Release Time: 3:22 PM

Prisoner Type: Felony Pre-Trial

Booking Origin: Ouachita Parish Sheriff Office

Offense Date: 12/14/2017

Disposition: Bonded Out

Crime Class: FELONY

Arresting Agency: Ouachita Parish Sheriff Office

Charge Description: ANIMAL CRUELTY, AGGRAVATED

Statute: 14:102.1/B1

Bond Number: 2017-00013505

Total Bond Amount: $5,000.00

  

 

  

 

 

 

GoFundMe: Justice for Bitty Boo!

Created December 16, 2017

Sara Durbin 

  Animals

  WEST MONROE, LA

My 3.5lb Yorkie was burned with scorching hot water and put in a freezer! I'm asking for help to get a lawyer to make sure he doesn't get away with this! So far, I have missed 3 days of work to be with her and the vet bills are getting higher. Please help me make this happen! She is a sweetheart and didn't deserve this!

 

 

(MyArkLaMiss - Dec 15, 2017)

Georgia: Puppy lives after shotgun to the face, left with one eye

GEORGIA -- A Glasscock County woman became hero to a dog severely injured and fighting for his life.

“I couldn’t let him just die,” Holly Paris Black told NewsChannel 6 while visiting with her new friend.

Not even a bag of fluids with an IV kept this dog’s tail from wagging with peculiar puppy excitement. But that’s not how Black found him last weekend at her Glasscock County home.

“For me seeing a lot of injured dogs, it was one of the worse cases I had ever seen in my life, ever,” she said.

Jack walked up to Black’s home Saturday where her daughter caught an awful sight.

 

 

“She screamed,” Black explained. “I mean scream for me telling me that his eye was missing and his face was falling apart.”

Black quickly called her local vet and rushed him there where surgery happened right away. Dr. Darrell Wester, who works with Jack’s surgeon, said he’s seen these types of gun shot wounds before.

“It was a shotgun with birdshot that has a lot of small pellets,” he explained. “It blew the upper cheek muscle out, cracked some of the front facial bone and blew away the arch, the cheek bone itself and ruptured the eye.”

Jack will need additional surgery. Wester told us the wounded warrior will be just fine.

“He won’t have a right eye,” Wester said. “He’ll have severe scarring. It should heal and he should be able to have a normal, longevity life.”

And Black said she’s prepared to take care of the bill and her new, strong, loving, best friend.

“And he’s just as sweet as he can be,” she teared up.

 

 

We reached out to Glasscock County Sheriff’s Office to see if anyone will be charged with animal cruelty in the shooting of Jack. We did not receive a call or email back before this report.

To help donate to Jack’s medical fund, call Wester Veterinary Clinic at 706.597.9200.  The clinic is located at 905 Whiteoak Road, Thomson.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Justice-For-Jack-132890643995725

(WJBF - August 29, 2017)

Florida: Deputies praised for rescuing blind dog from vehicle after owner accidentally locked him inside

FLORIDA -- Facebook comments gave kudos to two deputies after they rescued a blind dog from a hot car Tuesday.

Deputies Stacy Brandau and Luke Sniegowski rescued a dog from a vehicle after he was accidentally locked inside for more than 45 minutes, according to a Facebook post from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said in the post that the incident was accidental and occurred in the parking lot of a veterinarian’s office.

The owner quickly called 911 for help. Brandau and Sniegowski arrived and used tools to unlock her car, according to the post. The blind 16-year-old dog was safely removed from the vehicle.

Then Sniegowski offered the dog a drink from his water bottle. Thanks to the deputies, the dog is now doing well, the sheriff’s office reports.

Several comments on the sheriff’s office Facebook post thank and praise the deputies for their efforts.

(Bradenton - July 18, 2017)

(June 2017) Florida: Joseph Shepherd and his girlfriend Diana Harrelson charged after leaving emaciated, blind, deaf, matted dog covered in maggots tethered to trailer

FLORIDA -- Sarasota County Animal Services has dealt with many animal abuse cases but there’s a recent case deputies say rates among one of the worst they’ve seen.

“If you look at the photos, it’s horrific,” says Lt. Daniel Tutko, Sarasota Sheriff’s Office.

 

So horrific, half of the photos we can’t show you. Sputnik, a 14-year-old terrier mix, had to be euthanized.

Tutko says, “When the person picked him up, found it lethargic, matted, filled with maggots infection in its eye, one eye was missing, foul smell from the dog…it was suffering.”

Tutko says a Good Samaritan found the dog tied with a cord around its collar to this trailer on Walnut Avenue.  “I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. To let a dog get in that state you can’t imagine why someone would let that happen.”

Tutko says the reason the owner gave for tethering the dog outside is upsetting. “She wanted to let it die a natural death and that natural death was full of pain and suffering should not have occurred,” says Tutko.

Animal services officers in Sarasota were first made aware of the dog's condition on June 5, when a person rescued the animal.

The dog was reportedly in extreme distress, with matted fur and extreme dental decay. The 14-year-old terrier mix, named Spunik, who is both deaf and blind, was covered in maggots and attached to a cable tether without shelter.

Officers transported the dog to a veterinarian who performed humane euthanasia to end Spunik's suffering.

Deputies charged the homeowner, 55-year-old Joseph Shepherd, with abandoning an animal and animal cruelty.

Shepherd says, “All we ever gave our dogs is love, it’s an unfortunate situation.”

Shepherd says they placed Sputnik outside for a few days after Shepherd returned from the hospital and couldn’t care for him.

“He was defecating on the floor, urination more than I can take of it at the time. The dog was fed, given water, the skin condition I had no knowledge of,” explains Shepherd.

“This shouldn’t happen. There are resources available, we’ll come over, we’ll take the dog,” says Lt. Tutko. He adds, “It’s an excruciatingly painful death he shouldn’t have had to endure.”

 

Through a continued investigation, deputies learned that Shepherd's girlfriend, 62-year-old Diana L. Harrelson was aware of the dog's condition but moved to Mississippi in the months prior.

On June 7, Harrelson contacted Animal Services in order to retrieve another dog the couple owned named Bella, who was impounded due to excessive parasites and fleas.

Tutko says Bella is a 10-year-old terrier mix and is fairly good shape suffering from some fleas and parasites. The Sarasota County Animal Services wants the couple to sign over ownership so it can put the dog up for adoption but Shepherd says they won’t give up their dog.

During interviews with deputies, Harrelson admitted the last time she took Spunik to a veterinarian was in August 2016. 

Harrelson claimed she didn't have enough money to pay for euthanasia and claimed she wanted Spunik to "die a natural death" [eaten alive by maggots].

Harrelson was given a notice to appear Monday and faced the same charges as Shepherd. She was released on a $2,120 bond.

Bella remains in the custody of the Sarasota County Animal Services Section and will more than likely be transferred to a rescue facility at a later date.

Name: JOSEPH NILES SHEPHERD
Born: March 02, 1962
Age: 55
Residential Address: 4118 WALNUT AVE, SARASOTA FL 34234

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WXYZ - June 30, 2017)