New Jersey: PetSmart employees accused of dumping dead English Bulldog at the vet ‘like garbage’

NEW JERSEY -- A New Jersey woman is heartbroken over the death of her bulldog, who she says died less than an hour after she dropped the pup off for a grooming appointment at a local PetSmart.

Danielle DiNapoli said her beloved pooch Scruffles was an 8-year-old, seemingly healthy bulldog who she considered a member of the DiNapoli family.

“She was just a great wonderful lovable dog, she loved people, she loved being in our house, she loved family she loved playing with the tub she was just a beautiful joy,” an emotional DiNapoli told WPIX as she fought back tears.

It’s been 11 days since Scruffle's death and DiNapoli still doesn’t know how or why her dog died.

“She’s so beautiful and just reliving those moments it’s a trauma," DiNapoli said.

LESS THAN AN HOUR AFTER DROPPING OFF HER DOG, HE WAS DEAD
DiNapoli dropped Scruffles off at PetSmart at 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 29. She says at 10:35 a.m., she was called by PetSmart and told to go to a nearby vet. When she arrived at the veterinarian’s office, Scruffles was dead.

The vet says PetSmart employees dropped her off already deceased.

"I would not want any family to go through it and the most horrifying thing is PetSmart left her there like trash," DiNapoli said. "They just left her there dead, no one was there to answer any questions, no one was there to give us any comfort, no one was there for anything. They just left her there like garbage, dead at the vet.”

DiNapoli says since that fateful day, she has made numerous attempts to get answers from PetSmart to no avail.

DiNapoli said that after the company continued to refer her to corporate, saying only that Scruffles' death is under internal investigation, she called the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.



"They said they had the final report and they gave us some verbal information, which none of it matched with the other two reports, everything changed,” DiNapoli said.

SAME STORE KILLED ANOTHER DOG 
She started a Facebook page "Justice for Scruffles" and was shocked when she says hundreds of people reached out to her with complaints about PetSmart.

In one case, a woman from North Jersey claims her dog went to the same PetSmart in Flemington for grooming the same week as Scruffles. The dog owner says her pup died suddenly just days later.

 

 

PetSmart released the following statement on the investigation:

“We are truly saddened by the loss of Scruffles. We immediately conducted a comprehensive internal investigation and found the associates involved followed all policies and procedures consistent with care and services provided to breeds such as bulldogs. The outstanding piece of the investigation is the result of the necropsy report, which will likely assist in understanding the overall circumstances leading to Scruffles’ unfortunate passing. Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Scruffles’ family, and we continue to be in contact with them during this difficult time.”

It's of little comfort to the DiNapoli family.

“The reason why I’m speaking out today is because this is almost two weeks since my dog died. We were led to believe we would get a written report of the timeline of her death,” DiNapoli said.

DiNapoli also questions her lack of rights as a pet owner. She says she has asked to see any written documentation or report from PetSmart about the incident and has, thus far, been denied by the company.

NOTE: People, do NOT take your pets to these businesses! They hire minimally trained people and don't supervise them. Yes, many are animals lovers who would never hurt an animal, but are you willing to take the chance that your beloved pet will fall into the hands of an abusive killer? DON'T TAKE THAT CHANCE!

Even if your pet survives the abuse, what will happen? The offender may or may not ever be charged for animal cruelty - prosecutors would have to prove the person did it on purpose ("with intent") and that they're the ones who actually did it; that is not easy to prove. The abuser can lie and say the dog tried to attack them. They can lie and say the dog was fine when they left it unattended -- there are no witnesses who can refute their lies. 

The abuser will be fired, PetSmart will swear they would never purposely hire an animal abuser and you'll be stuck with the vet bills and a crippled dog. And the abuser will simply go get another job.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Fox5 - January 10, 2018)

PETSMART horror stories:

• Ohio: Painesville family devastated after dog dies following routine grooming appointment at PetSmart
• Indiana: Dog strangled to death while getting nails trimmed at Mishawaka PetSmart
• California: PetSmart Groomer, Juan Zarate, Arrested on Suspicion of Animal Cruelty After Dog Dies
• Illinois: PetSmart sued after woman says she was attacked by a dog inside store
• New York: Woman's Great Pyrenees attacked by a pit bull while leaving Petsmart
• Georgia: Man stabs pit bull inside PetSmart to save his Westie
• Georgia: PetSmart stabbing shows that the humane society repeatedly dragged this pit bull into public settings despite knowing it had issues with other animals
• Georgia: Boy recovering from bite to face by Pit Bull at PetSmart
• Massachusetts: Cliff Gardner tells PetSmart groomer his Pit Bull mix is "sweet as can be" so she removed its muzzle. Then it attacked her.
• Pennsylvania: Bichon named Brewster is mauled to death by a pit bull at PetSmart after being dropped off for grooming
• Massachusetts: Pit Bull mix that attacked PetSmart groomer had previously attacked an elderly woman, BREAKING HER ARM - yet Police Chief Peter Wack refused to order the dog euthanized. I smell a lawsuit coming!
• Arkansas: Little Bichon named Brewster mauled to death by a Pit Bull while at PetSmart. Anna complains that we were told it was a Pit Bull, calling it "breed shaming". Seriously.
• Washington DC: "My little poodle Lucky was attacked by a Pit Bull" at PetSmart

Other pet store/grooming store business horror stories:

• California: 'Perfectly healthy' cat dies suddenly at pet grooming center - and staff cremates it BEFORE owner can find out why it died
• Canada: No charges out of dog death at groomer's
• New Jersey: Bordentown pet groomer charged with animal cruelty in dog death
• Canada: Dog groomer accused of abusing animals
• Rhode Island: Cranston pet owner claims groomer hurt her dog
• Louisiana: Owner of Slidell pet salon charged with animal cruelty
• Pennsylvania: Chalfont dog groomer waives hearing on animal cruelty
• Canada: Calgary dog groomer charged with animal cruelty
• Louisiana: Animal Cruelty trial postponed for pet groomers Michelle Jeanmard and her daughter Sheri Dugas
• Ohio: Family Devastated After Dog Dies at Groomer’s
• Florida: "I hope they can forgive me one day for not saving them" Owner blames herself after groomer allegedly leaves her dogs to die in hot car
• Hawaii: Petco employee allegedly cuts off dogs ear, glues it back on
• Missouri: 8-lb Maltese killed by groomer last month; no one doing anything about it
• Georgia: Alleged Animal Abuse at Dog Grooming Businesses
• Georgia: Petco employee fired after rough grooming video goes viral
• Iowa: Police say vet employee Lucas Van Orden viciously beat and kicked Corgi
• New York: Facebook pet owner warns against taking your pets to be groomed at PetSmart
• Georgia: Pit bull attacks dog and its owner at Georgia PetSmart
• Arizona: Scott Beadles suspected of stomping small dog to death at PetSmart
• Texas: Owner claims dog gets staples after attack at PetSmart
• Ohio: Painesville family devastated after Newfoundland dies following routine grooming appointment at PetSmart
• Virginia: Family dog died 'after Petco groomer left him in 105 degrees heated drying cage while she went to her graduation'
• Michigan: Rottweiler that bit 7-year-old at Petco adoption event will be put down
• Rhode Island: Pug named Ollie dies during grooming appointment at Petco, investigation underway
• Illinois: Woman's beloved Maltipoo is 'attacked and killed' by an unleashed dog while they were visiting Santa at Petco
• Texas: Police officer shoots pit bull to save small dog being attacked inside pet store

 

 

 

 

 

  

In the video, it appears that she punches
the dog several times when it
innocently it pulls its paw away from her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pennsylvania: Ten-year-old and 17-year-old arrested, charged with illegally shooting and killing ten deer for fun over a two-nigh period in Beaver County

PENNSYLVANIA -- A tip to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's “Operation Game Thief” led to charges filed against two boys for illegally slaughtering at least ten white-tailed deer with a high-caliber rifle during two nights recently in Beaver County, according to an Oct. 31 report from the Game Commission.

The two boys, who were not identified in the Game Commission report, included a 10-year-old from Pennsylvania and a 17-year-old Ohio resident.

Why isn't the 17-year-old being charged as an adult - and identified??

There's a difference between legitimate hunting and the two-day 

slaughter. Were these even kill shots or were the animals 
purposely shot in a way that would have inflicted the most 
suffering and pain? 

Each suspect has been charged with four misdemeanor and six felony counts for unlawful taking of big game, including numerous summary offense charges for other violations.

Anyone with information about wildlife crimes can call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-888-PGC-8001 or visit http://bit.ly/PGCOGT to fill out an online form.

There's a difference between legitimate hunting and the two-day slaughter. Were these even kill shots or were the animals purposely shot in a way that would have inflicted the most suffering and pain? The animals not immediately killed were left to slowly suffer and die. And their meat, which could have been donated to a soup kitchen, went to waste. This is not normal.

(Tribune Live - Nov 3, 2017)

Idaho: Dead Siberian Husky puppies found inside trash bags, dumped in Payette County

IDAHO -- Authorities are investigating after the remains of three puppies were found in bags in a Bureau of Land Management area in Payette County.

Mike Rohrer from Fruitland was in the area of Pearl and Elmore roads, which is a popular place to shoot guns and ride ATVs, on October 18 when he stumbled across those three trash bags.

"I just thought that somebody had just left trash behind," said Rohrer. "As I walked past them I noticed some legs coming out of the one."

Rohrer looked closer at the other two bags and says he saw two more bodies.

"I was mad, I was sad, I couldn't believe anybody did that," Rohrer said.

Lieutenant Andy Creech with the Payette County Sheriff's Office says the puppies were Siberian Huskies, and were about three to four months old.

"This is uncommon for us to have animals that are discarded out in the desert like that," Creech said. “Payette County deputies respond to an average of 163 animal calls per year," Payette sheriff's Lt. Andy Creech said.

"Approximately 33 of those calls are reporting possible animal cruelty. The Payette County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate this case and all possible leads that are reported to us.”

This incident has left many people concerned, and with a lot of questions.

"What happened to them?" Rohrer said. "Why were they tossed in bags and just thrown out there like garbage?"

As far as charges go, Creech says they need to continue with the investigation to determine what charges the person or people responsible will face.

"We're not sure exactly what all charges they could be charged with," Creech said. "Depending on how they died will determine whether or not it's animal cruelty or not. If they died from natural causes then animal cruelty wouldn't be something."

Creech says there aren't any signs of trauma or any indications pointing to how the puppies died.

Anyone with information about the dogs is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (208) 642-6006 or Crime Stoppers at (208) 414-2677. Officials also ask whoever is connected to these dogs to come forward and meet with deputies.

(KTVB - Oct 23, 2017)

New York: Police say Hank Smith strangled his ex-girlfriend's mother's Miniature Pinscher to death then threw his body into a dumpster

NEW YORK -- Police say Hank Smith, 26, faces three charges from his arrest on Wednesday: aggravated animal cruelty, possession of a weapon and possession of a stolen property.

Terri Brewer says she wants justice for her 12-year-old dog, Nick - who police say was strangled and dumped in the trash by Smith, who was arraigned in Clifton Park town court and remains in Saratoga County Jail on $20,000 bail.

"Hank threatened to kill my dog," Brewer told CBS6.

 

"He was my best friend, he was always there for me and my daughters and my grandson."

Court records show Smith admitted on Wednesday to killing the miniature pinscher dog by suffocation on October 14th, and throwing him away in a dumpster at the Fox Run apartments off Huntridge Road, where Terry lives and says Smith was staying.

"He was my daughter's ex-boyfriend, [but he was still] was staying with [me and] my daughter."

Brewer says Smith told her the dog passed away, and that he had buried it in the back yard. She grew suspicious and called police.

She says she just found out that Smith trashed Nick in the dumpster yesterday.

"I knew something wasn't right and my gut was telling me that Hank did it," she said.

 

 

According to police, Smith claimed the dog was elderly, and needed to be euthanized eventually. He also admitted to drinking alcohol at the time.

"It's tragic, but it's happening all too often," said Senator Jim Tedisco, who is an outspoken animal rights advocate and proponent of Buster's Law - which Smith was arrested under.

"It's a bridge crime" Tedisco said. "People who hurt animals in this way go on to hurt people, and that's why the FBI last year put it up on an A level as an indicator."

A quote from the court records says the "defendant did this act in a depraved and sadistic manner which led to its death."

"I hope he gets what he deserves," Brewer said.

Police say when they arrested Smith yesterday, they found him with a knife on him as well as those stolen prescription drugs, reported missing in September from a car down the road from the apartments.

Police are now saying they're very interested in Smith for other recent car larcenies in Clifton Park.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(CBS6Albany - Oct 26, 2017)

Florida: Don Daggett is accused of being a poacher; illegally killing alligator

FLORIDA -- A Palm City man illegally shot and killed an alligator near Lake Okeechobee for its meat, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Officers arrested Donald Daggett in Palm Beach County on Oct. 21 and charged him with illegally killing the alligator.

A woman reported the March 12 incident to authorities on June 26, according to an arrest report.

The woman gave investigators a plastic bag full of alligator meat and video and pictures showing Daggett and another man taking an alligator from a ditch, the report states.

The men are accused of loading the alligator into Daggett's truck at an Army Corp of Engineering construction project on Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County. More photos show the two men cleaning the alligators and then dumping them.

Records show Martin County sheriff deputies arrested Daggett in July for sexual cyber harassment toward the same woman, unrelated to the alligator investigation. Daggett was driving his same work vehicle seen in the pictures and videos at the time of this arrest.

A search of the vehicle by FWC scientists found alligator blood traces in the bed of the truck.

The woman said she went with Daggett, another man and the man’s girlfriend to the construction site with a rifle in March, an officer wrote in the report.

She said the four of them drove around a canal until they found an alligator. Daggett shot the alligator and then handed her the spent rifle cartridge, the report states.

The two men went into the ditch to get the alligator, noticed it was still alive and shot it again. They then loaded it into the back of the truck.

Later on they all drove down the road toward the 16500 block of SW Conners Hwy. The men could be seen in the pictures and video cleaning and bagging two alligators, according to the report.

The woman told officers Daggett then drove to a bridge and threw the alligator carcasses off the bridge.

Daggett was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Oct. 21 on $4,500 bond.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Donald Arthur Daggett
Aliases: Don Daggett, Donny Daggett, Donnie Daggett
Race: White
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 05/03/1979
Arrest Age:38
Date:10/21/2017
Time: 6:04 PM
Arresting Agency: Palm Beach Sheriff's Office
Charges
#1 CONSERVATION-ANIMALS - LVL4 KILL INJUR POSS GATOR OR EGG WO AUTHORITY
STATUTE: 379.409-8220
Bond: $4,500

PREVIOUS ARREST:
Palm City man accused of sexual cyber harassment
TC Palm - July 20, 2017

A 38-year-old man was arrested on a warrant Wednesday, less than a month after a woman complained he had posted sexually explicit pictures of her online, along with her address and phone number, according to a Martin County Sheriff’s Office affidavit.

Donald Arthur Daggett, whose permanent address is listed as being in the 4500 block of Southwest 83rd Street in Palm City, was charged with sexual cyber harassment, records show. He was released from the Martin County Jail on Wednesday after he posted a $5,000 bond.

The images were posted to two private pages on Facebook in late June and the woman notified deputies of the matter July 8, the affidavit said. Records of an email conversation between the two indicated Daggett was angry with the woman, it said.

(WPTV - Oct 23, 2017)

Illinois: Joe Abts send grieving owners ashes of their pets when really he threw their pets' bodies into freezers to rot

ILLINOIS -- A pet cemetery in Illinois is being accused of deceiving their clients and giving them random ashes after the remains of dozens of animals were discovered decomposing in a freezer.

Investigators began looking into Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Tazewell County earlier this month after allegations emerged that they were giving away the ashes of animals that did not belong to their owners.

Animal rescue volunteer Richie Rich said he made the discovery while he was searching for a lost dog in South Pekin.

'We were out there searching for a dog named Cosmo, a great dane,' Rich told local CBS broadcaster WMBD on Thursday.

'When we were making our rounds, close to a pumpkin field where she was last seen, and Kayla noticed some standing water of the cemetery.'

Rich, who works with the Trap and Animal Rescue of Peoria (TRAP) organization, said he began searching the cemetery because it would have likely provided the right conditions for a domesticated animal, including water and shelter.

'We pulled in to check for paw prints, didn't see anything, we're immediately met with the smell of what we thought at the time was roadkill... There was a chest freezer outside, along the side of the building that, the closer we got to it, the stronger the smell.'

Tazewell County Chief Deputy Jeffrey Lower later told WMBD: 'There were three animals inside it that had been there for some time. One of those animals had a microchip in the animal. We were able to identify that animal and the owner had received ashes.'

The animal was a cat that was supposedly cremated in 2013 at Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory.

Lower said that another 15 were discovered, and '10 more in another freezer and we have 12 of them.'

'We only took possession of those that had the microchip in them and the rest of them there's just no way for us to identify,' Lower added.

Lower said that they even found an animal from as far back as 2001.

Lower said that the owner had not done anything illegal 'as far as the disposal process' was concerned.

'The only part that was illegal was representing ashes of an animal that was not truly that animal,' the law enforcement officer noted.

What about theft? Fraud? Improper disposal of a dead animal? If he said he was sending the animal out of state for cremation, now you've got interstate crimes which involves the federal authorities.

Joe Abts, owner of the pet cemetery, committed suicide on Wednesday soon after authorities opened an investigation into the claims, hindering police from pressing charges.

Pet owners affected by the alleged scheme still have the option to file a civil complaint against Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory.

In remains unclear why the cemetery kept the animals in the freezer.

According to their website, the pet cemetery was opened in 1984, offering pet cremation and burial, as well as online obituaries for deceased pets.

An email seeking comment from Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory was not immediately answered.

An answering machine for Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory said that the establishment was closed on Sunday's after a phone call was placed.

(Daily Mail - July 30, 2017)

North Carolina: Danny Knotts gets 75 days in the county jail for slowly strangling two kittens to death and dumping their bodies in a shallow grave

NORTH CAROLINA --  A New Hanover County man will spend time in jail after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges on Wednesday in New Hanover Criminal Superior Court.

Daniel Eligha Knotts, 20, of New Hanover County, entered guilty pleas to two counts of animal cruelty, class H felonies.

On May 3, Knotts strangled two kittens that were only a few weeks old and when Officer Rose with the Wilmington Police Department responded to the scene after getting a 911 call, the kittens' tiny bodies were found by police in a shallow grave behind a residence at 2825 Graham Street.

Knotts admitted his guilt to his roommate and law enforcement.

On Wednesday, Knotts received two suspended sentences of 6-17 months with 60 months of supervised probation with the Division of Community Corrections, the maximum time allowed under state law.

He does not have to go to prison. Instead, he must serve 75 days in the county jail prior to being released on probation.

Knotts will also be required to complete mental health and substance abuse evaluations and treatment, comply with prescribed medication, and he is not allowed to possess or care for any animals during the course of his probation.

 

 

 

 

 

(WECT - July 28, 2017)

Earlier:

• North Carolina: Danny Knotts, 19, admitted to police that he strangled two kittens to death them dumped them in a shallow grave together behind his house