Georgia: Animal Control officer finds another dog buried alive

GEORGIA -- An Animal Control officer in metro Atlanta stumbled upon what's believed to be another severe case of animal cruelty after finding a dog buried up to its neck in a creek.

Organization Two Tailz Rescue in Roswell posted details of the story and say the officer found the dog "buried in mud in a creek submerged up to his head" on July 15.

The officer was able to dig the dog out and take him to the Animal Control facility where he is being prepared for adoption.

It is unclear where the dog was found, and Two Tailz Rescue is working to obtain more information from the responding officer.

The dog, who Two Tailz has named "Moses" has demodex mange, bacterial and fungal infections, eye infections and stomach issues. The organization also says Moses must be adopted by July 18 because he cannot go to boarding due to his medical issues.

He is a labrador-pit bull mix, approximately 1 year-old and weighs about 60 pounds.

This is the second such incident involving a dog buried alive in the past month in metro Atlanta.

In early June, a man found and rescued a chow mix, which had been buried alive in tightly packed ground on an all-terrain vehicle trail in Tucker. The canine later died.

 

 

(CBS46 - July 17, 2017)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Dog found buried alive on Georgia trail has died; HSUS and PETA offering $15,000 reward

Georgia: Dog found buried alive on Georgia trail has died; HSUS and PETA offering $15,000 reward

GEORGIA -- As soon Eric Purdue saw the dusty, black nose and two tired, blue eyes looking up at him, he fell to his knees and began digging into the dirt with his bare hands.

A dog had been buried… alive.

“It's OK, baby. We're going to get you out. We'll get you out baby,” he said to her in a video, trying to comfort and reassure the fluffy brown, chow-mix, whom he named Lulu.

But, the DeKalb County man said, he almost missed her on the trail near Rock Mountain Boulevard and Lewis Road in Tucker, Ga., on June 6.

She was in tightly packed dirt, unable to move—only her eyes and nose were remained above the underground hole.

Purdue, who was cutting briars along the trail, heard something, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He moved 25 yards in the noise’s direction and stumbled upon her—nearly stepping on her.

That’s when he dropped and began vigorously digging her out by hand.

And soon, his nephew and son joined him and after 30 minutes of frantic excavating, they retrieved her from the firmly packed dirt hole, in which she was tightly wedged inside.

“I think she knew we were trying to help her, so she just laid there. She wasn't super responsive,” Purdue recalled.

After pulling her out from the ground, he took her home, where he and his family bathed her several times that day, and never left her side.

“She was always with us… until we went to bed, she was always being petted.”

From the moment he rescued Lulu, Purdue had already made plans to adopt the abandoned dog. But, despite his and the veterinarians' efforts, Lulu died the following day at the animal hospital.

“I was planning on adopting the dog. I visualized the dog riding around with me in my truck. But they called me around 4:30 the next day to tell me that she'd passed.”

“June was a rough month; it really was. I think about her a lot.”

And a month later, police said, they still don’t have any leads on who did this.

“If somebody recognizes that dog, that's all we need, please get in touch, we can find this person,” Purdue said pleading with the public. “Somebody had to see something.”

According to Purdue, witnesses have told police that they saw a late-model, green SUV two days in a row at the trail head where she was buried. And he believes that Lulu was buried for at least those two days.

Purdue is hoping that possible lead and Lulu's photo and video might help catch her killer.

“This person need help. A lot of it. Or some serious jail time, or both,” he said. “I just couldn't believe that someone would take so much time to do such a terrible thing to a dog.”

“They're sick. Sick. And if they're just plain cruel, maybe someone will bury them for a day or two, see how they like it.”

 

 

Purdue, who walks his own dog there, still comes by the trail nearly every day, and said Lulu is always on his mind.

“The hole is still here,” he said from where he rescued Lulu. “I'm going to come fill it in today or tomorrow.”

“There's a hole here, too,” he said pointing at his chest. “Everyone in my house has a hole in their heart because of this—everyone in my family was traumatized by it. But the dog was loved beyond measure for the last 24 hours of her life.”

Purdue and his family will host a benefit Saturday for Lulu at the Star Community Bar in Little Five Points, Ga. They will donate all proceeds to the Lifeline Animal Project, which helps dogs like Lulu.

“It's going to be free with a donation at the door. And then we're going to celebrate her life with music.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person responsible for this crime.

“Someone tortured this dog by packing her in dirt, where she couldn't move, drink or escape the terror of being buried alive,” Colleen O'Brien, PETA vice president, said. “PETA urges anyone with information about this case to come forward immediately so that whoever buried this dog can be held responsible and stopped from hurting anyone else.”

The Humane Society of the United States is offering an additional $5,000 reward--upping the total possible reward to $15,000, HSUS spokeswoman, Katie Feldman, said.

Anyone with information about this case should call DeKalb County Animal Control, at (404) 294-2939.

(11Alive - July 6, 2017)

Indiana: Police rescue 68 dogs from breeder who allegedly performed illegal surgeries; dead dogs found on property

INDIANA -- Nearly 70 dogs were seized from an Indiana home near Crown Point where investigators said a man was performing illegal surgeries on them, CBS Chicago reports.

The Lake County sheriff said the pets lived in filth and that this is the most rescues the Animal Adoption and Control Center has ever had.

Staffers were forced to close the shelter Wednesday and Thursday so they could clean up and medically evaluate the new animals. It still was a busy day as people dropped off money and supplies to help with the influx.

A heartbreaking home life landed the dogs in an Indiana lockup. They will likely be free soon -- and their owner behind bars.

Complaints over the smell and barking brought the Lake County Sheriff's Department to the unincorporated Center Township home before, but nothing happened. But Wednesday brought a much different discovery.

He also says the smell of urine and feces were overwhelming and deputies and vet workers had to use masks so they wound not be overwhelmed by the smell.

"It was dark, poor ventilation and then we removed all the animals and we found a lot of medical equipment," said Sheriff John Bunich.

The equipment included scalpels allegedly used to perform a C-section on a French Bulldog and 10 others.

The remains of several canines were also found buried near the barn where the dogs were being held.

Bunich said he doesn't believe the property owner has any veterinary training. "To our knowledge, none whatsoever," he said.

Police and first responders spent over seven hours at the property.

 

They took out a total of 68 dogs, 50 of them were puppies, three goats and a miniature horse.  A couple of the dogs taken away required immediate medical assistance, and the rest were taken to the Lake County Sheriff’s Animal Adoption and Control Center in Crown Point.  The goats and horse have been placed with a farmer who will be able to properly care for them, and the sheriff’s deputies are now looking into who was buying the dogs he was selling.

In all, 68 dogs now join the rescues at the Lake County sheriff's shelter. They have tripled their patients and needs.

"We brought Clorox bleach, we brought wipes, we brought paper towels," said one donor, Marina Di Santo.

"Food, yea, they gave us a list," said another donor, Jesse Yarnelle. "We read the article on Facebook and we just wanted to see what we could do."

Bunich said he believes the man was selling the dogs. His department has not named him because he hasn't been arrested.

Friends of the family say it’s a misunderstanding and the dogs are in good shape and are pets, not part of a breeding operation.

Um, yeah so he's got nearly 70 dogs but he's not a breeder?? OK well then, by default, he's a hoarder.

Authorities are planning to charge him with animal neglect, unlicensed vet care and unlicensed breeding.

(CBS News - May 3, 2017)

Virginia: Mercy Carrion, 43, tried to say her religion gives her the right to torture and kill animals. The judge disagreed and found her guilty of animal cruelty (but then gives her probation)

VIRGINIA -- Mercy Carrion greeted the officers who arrived at her Loudoun County home in April to investigate a report of animal cruelty in a blood-soaked white shirt, according to testimony at her trial Wednesday.

Blood was smeared around the doorway of the home, a large knife was found next to the kitchen sink, and the decapitated bodies of two roosters were discovered in a filing cabinet, officers told a judge.

Despite the grisly scene, Carrion, 43, of Sterling, Va., argued in Loudoun County Court on Wednesday that the animal cruelty charges brought against her violated her First Amendment right to freedom of religion. She is a priestess in the Afro-Caribbean religion of Santeria, whose practitioners sometimes offer animal sacrifices.

If your religion said you could rape children, I don't think the law would allow you to do that...

“I tried to explain to [the officer] you offered the bodies of the animals to the saints,” Carrion told the court through a Spanish interpreter. “There are elders in my church, and I was instructed to do this.”

A Loudoun County prosecutor sidestepped the religious issue, arguing that Carrion could sacrifice the birds, but she flouted Virginia law by failing to care for them beforehand and then slaughtering them in an inhumane way.

“She has a right to practice her religion,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Alexandra Hazel said in her closing argument. “She deprived these animals of food, water and shelter and then cruelly killed them.”

A judge ultimately sided with the prosecutor, convicting Carrion of three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, but not before an unusual trial played out that featured testimony about a rooster autopsy, or necropsy, and an expert on religions of the African diaspora.

Loudoun County animal control officers testified that they were called to Carrion’s home on April 25 for a report of animal cruelty. They found three roosters in feces- and urine-soaked beer boxes in Carrion’s basement. One officer said the birds could not properly move in the boxes.

Officers returned the next day at 1 a.m. to serve a search warrant on Carrion’s home and found her in the bloody shirt. Carrion testified that she killed the birds just before officers knocked on her door because she wanted to follow through on the sacrifice.

Santeria is a religion that combines elements of Catholicism, West African religious beliefs and the traditions of the indigenous people of the Americas. It is often practiced by the descendants of slaves brought to the Americas.

The officers testified that they found no evidence of food for the roosters in the house and that Carrion told them that the roosters she had killed had died over the course of three to five minutes, a period Hazel argued was not humane. They also recovered one live rooster.

Michael Gast, a veterinarian, testified that the dead birds and the live rooster were emaciated and showed signs that their muscles had wasted away. He said the dead birds’ heads were severed in a careful manner after examining them during a necropsy.

“There was an intricate cut,” Gast testified. “It would take some skill to do that.”

Gro Mambo Danthoula Novanyon Idizol, executive board secretary of the National African Religious Congress, testified for the defense that Carrion, who is originally from Ecuador, was a certified priestess in Santeria. Mercy Carrion is her given name.

Idizol said Santeria practitioners should keep animals properly, before they are slaughtered humanely, and should be disposed of in a proper fashion. She said animals are often prayed over and bathed with herbs before they are killed.

Idizol said Carrion’s handling of the animals was not inhumane.

“In this country that we live in, people do not have access to all of the things necessary in our belief systems,” Idizol testified. “If you’re asking me if this is inhumane, I don’t think so.”

When she took the stand, Carrion testified that she fed the roosters and had purchased them in the condition the officers found them. She told the judge that she had owned them for only two to three days before the slaughter.

Michelle Welch, director of Attorney General Mark Herring’s Animal Law Unit, said that under Virginia law, people cannot treat animals cruelly, even if it is for religious reasons.

“The issue is with the manner of the killing of an animal and whether it constitutes cruelty,” Welch said in a statement. “Virginia State Code does not include a specific religious exemption that would allow someone to kill an animal in a way that constitutes cruelty.”

Judge Deborah C. Welsh sentenced Carrion to a suspended jail sentence and ordered her to undergo training in how to properly sacrifice animals through a class Idizol’s group offers. Carrion and her attorney declined to comment on the outcome of the trial.

(Washington Post - Aug 3, 2016)

Earlier:

• Virginia: Mercy Carrion, 43, charged with animal cruelty after admitting to torturing and killing chickens in brutal, horrific ways
• Virginia: Mercy Carrion facing animal cruelty charges denied custody of rooster

Virginia: Mercy Carrion facing animal cruelty charges denied custody of rooster

VIRGINIA -- he woman facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly sacrificing chickens for religious purposes has been denied custody of a rooster that was seized from her home.

Mercy Carrion, who was arrested on May 5,  appealed to Loundoun County Circuit Court Wednesday to regain custody of the rooster, but the appeal was denied by Judge Jeanette A. Irby.

On April 25, Loundoun County Animal Control responded to a call in the 100 block of Sherwood Court in Sterling, Va. It was reported that chickens were being inhumanely killed at Carrion’s home.

According to the warrant from Animal Services, Carrion would kill between 12 to 15 chickens a week, primarily on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The informant also reported seeing Carrion “run around the house, slamming the chickens to the wall, bludgeon them to death with a club, bury the chickens alive, burn the chickens alive and cut them from the top of the neck, down the center of the body, while still alive,” according to the search warrant.

While investigating the scene, officers from Animal Services found evidence that the chickens had been sacrificed.Carrion admitted to taking part in the animal sacrifices at her residence. She was charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Carrion is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in Loundoun General District Court on August 3.

(DCW50 - July 28, 2016)

Earlier:

• Virginia: Mercy Carrion, 43, charged with animal cruelty after admitting to torturing and killing chickens in brutal, horrific ways

Virginia: Mercy Carrion, 43, charged with animal cruelty after admitting to torturing and killing chickens in brutal, horrific ways

VIRGINIA -- A Virginia woman has been charged with animal cruelty after Loudoun County authorities allege she inhumanely killed 12 to 15 chickens weekly for ritual sacrifices.

Loudoun County Animal Services received a complaint on April 25 claiming that animals in a home on Sherwood Court in Sterling were “being cruelly killed,” said Angela Chan, a deputy chief with the department.

After an investigation, an animal services officer found evidence of chickens being treated inhumanely for “some sort of ritual practice,” Chan said.

Mercy Carrion, 43, has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty in connection with the case, authorities said.

Carrion, “admitted to participating in animal sacrifices at the residence as recent as two months ago” and told the officer that animal sacrifices take place in her home’s living room, according to the warrant.

Chan said it was unclear how long the alleged sacrifices had been taking place at the home or how many chickens in total have been sacrificed.

Chan could not detail the evidence found in the investigation, but a warrant obtained by the Loudoun Times-Mirror, which first reported the story, indicated an animal control officer saw “what appeared to be blood splatter on the walls of the accused’s living room, religious idols, a club with a metal shield covered in dried blood and feathers, a large human bone, animal heads and parts skewered on sticks in a vase.”

The warrant also stated there were “two cauldrons with various animal torturing devices” along with bowls filled with animal blood and two dead roosters in the home, according to the Times-Mirror.

The informant also reported seeing Carrion “run around the house, slamming the chickens to the wall, bludgeon them to death with a club, bury the chickens alive, burn the chickens alive and cut them from the top of the neck, down the center of the body, while still alive,” according to the search warrant.

The officer reported seeing a dish with animal parts, salt and blood in a bathroom; two cauldrons with various animal torturing devices in a closet; several bowls filled with animal blood; chicken bones in jars and candles; sacrificial religious pamphlets in a dresser drawer; animal skins; two dead roosters and a plastic container with a syringe and a powdery substance.

Documents filed in Loudoun County indicate that at least one rooster was seized from the property, according to a court clerk.

Erin Peterson, deputy chief of LCAS, said her department hasn’t seen a case like this in at least five to 10 years.

“We typically see companion animals when it comes to inhumane euthanasia cases,” she said. “Sometimes we also see livestock inhumanely euthanized.”

There are no state laws that allow for religious exemption to inhumane euthanasia that LCAS is aware of or privy to, said Peterson.

In order for animal euthanasia to be considered humane, the method must involve instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death or anesthesia, said Peterson.

Online court records indicate Carrion is due in court for trial on June 10.

(Washington Post - May 20, 2016)

3 Ala. boys accused of torturing kittens

ALABAMA -- Tuscaloosa police say three teenage boys accused of torturing kittens have been arrested.

Lt. Brad Mason says authorities were called Saturday and found boys ages 12, 14 and 15 throwing kittens in the air, kicking them and trying to bury them alive.

Police say the boys are facing animal cruelty charges and one of the kittens suffered severe injuries and had to be euthanized.

The surviving kittens are in the custody of animal control officials.

(Greenfield Daily Reporter - June 18, 2014)

Connecticut: Accused of beating her poodle puppy to death, Rommy Rodriguez, 24, ordered into rehab after violating her bond conditions and testing positive for drugs

CONNECTICUT -- It began in November, when Rommy Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly beating her 8-month-old poodle puppy to death, then burying its body in her backyard.

It continued in March, when she was arrested for allegedly whacking her mother during a dispute over a misplaced iPad charger. At that time, she was reported to have been intoxicated.

And it resumed this month, when Superior Court Judge Richard Arnold pulled Rodriguez's bond and ordered her detained for violating conditions of her release by repeatedly testing positive for drug abuse.

On Friday, Superior Court Judge Earl Richards ordered Rodriguez, 24, of Ellsworth Street, to enter the in-patient substance-abuse program at Crossroads Inc. in New Haven. The program will file a report with the court on June 27 as to Rodriguez's compliance.

None of this sat well with the nine animal rights demonstrators who have been appearing in growing numbers at Rodriguez's court appearances.

"We're concerned she is seeking delays in order to sweep this under the rug," charged Jocelyn Baum, of Fairfield.

"But we're not going to let that happen. We will continue to come to her court appearances, but in larger numbers."

On Friday, they filled a front row right behind Rodriguez.

Sherri Pasquale, who made the long ride from Litchfield, wore a red T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Abuse Animals Go to Jail. It Should be That Simple" in large black letters.

The group also built a Facebook page titled "Justice for Puppy Dora," which has photos the black poodle puppy and "a gazillion followers," according to Baum.

"She's hasn't learned anything," Pasquale said of Rodriguez. "It's one thing after another with her."

Kelly Patrignelli, of Trumbull, termed Rodriguez's assignment as "a waste of a bed" that could go to someone more needy.

Rodriguez, who is in custody, could not be reached for comment.

She is charged with cruelty to animals in the dog's death and third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and interference in connection with the assault on her mother.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney Judy Stevens, who is prosecuting Rodriguez, said the state is taking this case very seriously.

"My position is it deserves a period of incarceration," Stevens said.

Rodriguez is accused of killing the puppy following a nearly half-hour beating because it wouldn't stop barking.

A neighbor told police he heard the dog's distressing cries grow fainter and fainter before stopping altogether.

Later, he saw Rodriguez and a man bury the dog in the backyard of her home.

The neighbor dug up the battered puppy's tiny body and brought it to the animal shelter. A necropsy determined Dora died from blows to the head.

(CT Post - May 24, 2014)

Earlier:

• Connecticut: Rommy Rodriguez, 23, beat her poodle mix to death and then dumped its body in a garbage bag and buried it
• Connecticut: Already accused of beating her poodle mix named Dora to death, Rommy Rodriguez is now accused of assaulting her own mother

Connecticut: Already accused of beating her poodle mix named Dora to death, Rommy Rodriguez is now accused of assaulting her own mother

CONNECTICUT -- A woman awaiting trial for allegedly beating her poodle puppy to death was arrested again Wednesday – this time police said she assaulted her mother.

Rommy Rodriguez, 24, of Ellsworth Street, was charged with third-degree assault, disorderly conduct and interference with an emergency call. She was released after posting $5,000 bond.

Police said Rodriguez came home intoxicated and began screaming at her 43-year-old mother about a missing iPad charger.

The mother became afraid of Rodriguez and picked up the phone to call police but Rodriguez ripped the phone from her hand and punched her in the face, police said.

Police said the victim had a large bruise on her left cheek. They said when officers nabbed Rodriguez outside the apartment she was holding both her mother’s cell phone and the land line phone.

In November, Rodriguez was arrested on animal cruelty charges after police said she beat her puppy Dora to death to stop it from barking.

A neighbor told officers he often heard the puppy crying after allegedly being beaten by Rodriguez. But on a recent day, the neighbor said he heard the dog’s crying growing fainter as the beating went on for 20 to 30 minutes until finally, there was no sound from the dog.

Police said the neighbor later saw Rodriguez and an unidentified man in the backyard with a large plastic garbage bag. The next day, the neighbor went into the yard and saw a freshly dug area. He dug it up to find the dog’s body, police said.

The neighbor carried the body to the city’s animal shelter. Police said a necropsy determined the dog died from blunt force trauma to the head.

(CT News blog - March 19, 2014)

Earlier:

• Connecticut: Rommy Rodriguez, 23, beat her poodle mix to death and then dumped its body in a garbage bag and buried it

Pennsylvania: When weirdo John Paly's cat died, he took it over to his neighbor's garden and dumped it in a shallow grave

PENNSYLVANIA -- Police in Pennsylvania said a man who buried his dead cat in a neighbor's tomato garden was charged with trespassing.

Patricia Lapsanky Lutz, 55, of the Slatington area, said she was preparing to plant tomatoes Thursday when she came across the carcass of Patches the cat, the Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call reported Tuesday.

"All I did was turn the soil over maybe 10 inches, and there were paws sticking out," she said.

Lutz called state police to have the cat exhumed and it was identified as Patches, a cat belonging to neighbor John Paly, 49.

Paly admitted to police that he buried the cat in the garden May 30.

"He said he didn't have anywhere else to bury it," Lutz said.

Paly, who said he expects to pay a $30 or $35 trespassing fine, said he felt he had the right to use the plot to bury his cat because he had tended the garden for 16 years before Lutz moved in and another three years after she arrived. He said he does not believe the police needed to get involved.

"All she had to do was come over and say, Hey, I don't want the cat buried there," he said.

Patches is now at rest in a Slatedale, Pa., pet cemetery.

Lutz said she does not plan to plant any tomatoes in the cat's former resting place.

"I won't touch that soil now," she said. "I just can't. I don't know where I'm going to put them now."

(UPI - June 9, 2009)