(October 2017) Arizona: "Andy got attacked by a pit bull today while running with Mike"

ARIZONA -- Deborah Cartwright posted on Facebook October 9, 2017 ·

Andy got attacked by a pit bull today while running with Mike...his ear and neck bit...poor fella

Deborah Cartwright, October 12 ·
Andy after surgery...attacked by a pit bull...deep punctures...drain holes now till next week

"this pit bull comes flying over the wall and goes after Annabelle first because she was still down there and I grabbed the pit bull and threw her off of Annabel and then she grabbed Andy by the neck and put a hole in his scruff and then grabbed him by the ear - I had a fight with the pit bull to let go of Andy and then she finally did and we took off running.

Two days later Andy's scruff was all puss-ie and draining blood and stinky - so took him to the vet and when they shaved his hair down it was all infected. So they opened him up and cleaned it out and put a drain tube in. He's doing good now! We go back next week so they can remove the drain tube. Annabelle was also treated for a minor injury. Both are doing a lot better now!"

North Carolina: Jeffrey Guelcher charged with felony animal cruelty after shooting neighbor's dog and throwing its body into the ditch

NORTH CAROLINA -- Billy Hyatt treated his English setter, Bones, like one of the family.

"Bones, it’s sad, but he had skin allergies," Hyatt said. "I would get up at four o’clock in the morning, give him medicine, doctor him when I got home in the afternoon."

Every afternoon when Hyatt got home from work, he'd let his two setters, Bones and Si, out to get some exercise for about 10-15 minutes.

Si liked to play catch. Bones liked to run through the woods.

"He would generally make a little run and be gone ten, fifteen minutes at the max. I’d blow my whistle or whatever, and he’d come home," Hyatt continued.

But one day while Bones was out, Hyatt heard gunshots, and Bones did not return.

"I had heard one gunshot, and later on I heard three of four more gunshots, and it didn’t really alarm me because I hear shooting around here all the time," Hyatt said. "But I got to thinking I better get my four-wheeler out and see if I could find my dog, because it was not like him not to be home."

Hyatt moved in the direction of the gunshots. He told News 13 he saw his neighbor, Jeffrey Guelcher, drive away.

Then Hyatt says he saw blood on Guelcher's property.

"I saw blood on a baseball bat and a utility trailer, and also saw a trail of blood coming from behind his house, and at that time I knew he had shot my dog," Hyatt said.

Hyatt called the sheriff's office who confronted Jeff Guelcher when he returned home.

"He confessed to killing my dog, and he also took the deputy and showed him where he threw my dog off the bank on North Fork, and the deputy retrieved my dog for me," Hyatt continued.

 

Information released by the sheriff's office reveals Guelcher told police the dog was injuring his chickens. Hyatt said that was not the case, citing an autopsy from the veterinarian that he says showed no signs of the chickens.

Guelcher was not home when News 13 arrived to speak with him.

Hyatt said he has not spoken to Guelcher since the incident but has a message for his neighbor. "The only thing I would tell him is, a little bit of communication would've saved a whole lot of problem."

An arrest warrant was served to Mr. Guelcher on March 3.

He is currently scheduled to appear in court on May 31, 2017, on a charge of felony cruelty to animals.

(WLOS - March 18, 2017)


MEANWHILE...

North Carolina: Animal cruelty suspect Jeff Guelcher says dog was after his chickens

NORTH CAROLINA -- A man charged with felony animal abuse after allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor's dog said he had no choice after the dog threatened his chickens.

“I hear chickens crying and screeching like they do when something is going on in the yard,” Jeff Guelcher said. “And there is a dog chasing our chickens.”

Guelcher said he's lost several chickens to Billy Hyatt’s dogs over the years.

“I was put into a horrible position because of a dog owner who was irresponsible and reckless, not just once but over a six-year period,” Guelcher said.

Hyatt said his dog Bones did not injure Guelcher's chickens.

Hyatt said he saw a bloody bat on Guelcher's property. Guelcher said he simply used the baseball bat to move the dog's body after he had died.

Guelcher is scheduled for court May 31.


(WLOS - March 21, 2017)

Cyprus: Kyriakos Hadjistefanou gets two months in jail for abusing dog and puppy

CYPRUS -- A 47-year-old man from Larnaca was sentenced on Friday to two months in jail for mistreating and abusing a dog and a puppy almost four years ago.

Kyriakos Hadjistefanou was found guilty by the Larnaca District court of the charges after the dog, an English Setter, and the cross-breed puppy were found in a terrible state at a forest area in Mackenzie on May 31 in 2012.

Witness to the case, Stella Stylianou of Argos Sanctuary, told the Cyprus Mail that she was alerted of the case by an American tourist who saw the dogs and brought them food during his stay.

He emailed her once he got to Los Angeles after authorities were unable to take action while he was in Cyprus.

Arriving on the scene, she saw the dog in a cage with wounds on his body and one large wound on his ear. With barely anything to eat and filthy water, it was in a terrible state.

Stylianou said the puppy, about three months old, was kept in a plastic box used to transport baby chickens. Although the tourist would buy it food, he couldn’t open the box to feed it.

Alerting the police who arrived at the scene along together the veterinary services, she got the nod of approval to take the dogs and treat them.

“The puppy had an infection in one of its eyes. It was the colour of marble,” and several painful wounds.

The Setter had Ehrlichia, a blood disease that could lead to its death if left untreated.

Hadjistefanou, a hunter, had the dog micro chipped but not registered. It was the vet who arrived on the scene that managed to link the case, Stylianou said.

“I think the sentence is too low and not strong enough. The fact that he allowed the animals to reach that state is unacceptable.”

Of course, “the sentencing in Cyprus is overall too low” when it comes to animals, she added.

“The public read about this and the message is not getting through to government and the courts… animal abuse is one of the worst crimes which can be committed,” as other matters also stem from it.

“We have a long way to go,” she concluded.

Last month, Attorney-general Costas Clerides filed an appeal at the Famagusta district court against the recent acquittal of the two suspects tried and acquitted of the torture and death of Billy, the stray dog that died in the summer of 2014 after it was thrown alive in a hotel’s cardboard crusher in Protaras.

Last April, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of 66-year-old Andreas Ioannou who was sentenced to two months imprisonment by the Limassol District Court on charges of animal abuse, negligence and assaulting police officers.

Ioannou’s case had shocked animal lovers, since the retired professor was arrested after tying his dog to the car and dragging it to its death.

The Supreme Court also imposed a lifelong ban on Ioannou, who is now forbidden from ever owning a dog again.

Animal Party head Kyriakos Kyriakou had told the Cyprus Mail at the time that while the prison sentence was a success, he was not pleased that the Supreme Court did not impose a stricter penalty.

The maximum sentence for animal abuse is a year in jail and/or a €1,700 fine.

Ioannou’s case was the first time anyone was sentenced to jail for animal abuse.

The crime took place on Christmas Day 2013. The police officers saw the educator’s Land Rover pass by with his dog – a Rottweiler named Bruno – tied on the back and dragged through the streets.

(Cyprus Mail - Jan 15, 2016)

Couple Searches for Dog, Owner in Lower East Side Sidewalk Attack

NEW YORK -- A New York City couple says their puppy was viciously attacked by another dog on the street, and the attacking dog and its owner fled, leaving the couple concerned for the safety of others in the neighborhood and at a loss as to how to hold the other party responsible for the physical trauma incurred.

Tim Bremer said he was walking his and his fiancee's 5-month-old puppy Barnaby on the Lower East Side Tuesday night when they encountered a pit bull near Rivington and Clinton.

The leashed pit bull and its apparent owner were standing in front of a grocery store, and as Bremer walked past with Barnaby, the pit bull lunged across the sidewalk and grabbed Barnaby by the leg with its jaw.

"I thought, how can I get this dog to release my puppy the quickest way?" recounted Bremer. He said reacted instantly, prying open the pit bull's mouth to release Barnaby. In the process, he sustained about 26 bite marks.

 

After Barnaby was released, he fled down the street, and Bremer chased after him. During that time, the pit bull and the woman who had him on the leash left the scene.

Bremer has had to get four rounds of rabies shots and other vaccinations because he doesn't have a shots record for the attacking dog. The traumatized Barnaby has three fractures in his leg and now walks with a limp. Bremer and his fiancee say the emotional toll is worse.

"I'm afraid to take Barnaby on the street because I don't know whose dog it was," said Bremer's finacee Christine Mancuso. "I don't know if that dog will be there again."

The couple said police told them they couldn't get involved because it was a civil matter. But beyond the thousands of dollars they've spent on veterinarian and medical bills, Bremer and Mancuso are concerned about potential attacks on other pets or children in the dense neighborhood.

Security expert and former NYPD officer Manny Gomez said he doesn't see any criminal behavior on the part of the pit bull's owner.

 

"There wasn't any reckless behavior. The dog was on a leash, the owner clearly had control of the dog and tried to maintain control of the dog during this attack," he said. "So I don't see anything criminal here. Civilly, yes. There's absolutely a civil suit."

The owner was unable to control his dog, which means that he broke the 'leash law'. Also, if this pit bull has been declared dangerous, the owner could be facing criminal charges. And if it's not already a dangerous dog, they need to get it declared dangerous. How can this guy say there's nothing that can be done other than a civil suit?

Here is more information about New York Dog Bite Law

"You can't control a dog 24/7, but you have to step up as a pet owner," said Gomez.

Bremer and Mancuo wants to see owners held more accountable by the city. They said they're looking to locate the pit bull's owner and at least find out if the dog has been vaccinated for theirs and Barnaby's safety.

(NBC New York - Dec 18, 2015)

Founder of Minneapolis animal rescue, Amanda Louis Pryznki, charged with torturing dogs

MINNESOTA -- A Minneapolis woman claims she was trying to help dogs in need, but it turns out she was doing more harm than good. She’s now charged with mistreating and torturing animals. 

Flora, a 4-year-old white bulldog, is living proof of what can happen to an animal left in the wrong care.

“Flora came into the kill shelter that we work with and she offered to take them into her rescue,” Teri Thiele, Paws on Wheels, said.  “We had confidence she was doing everything right.

 

The photos of Flora before and after she was placed in Amanda Louis Pryznki’s care are shocking, and it spanned only two months.

“It was very drastic, you could see her ribs and her spine,” Thiele said.

Thiele trusted Pryznski to care for Flora. Pryznski is the founder of Panda’s Pets -- a rescue in question now that she faces several animal abuse charges, namely because of how Flora was found.

“She just wasn’t even being fed because even to this day she wants to eat her own feces and the only thing I can assume was that was all she had access to to eat,” Thiele said.

But Flora was just one of the dogs seized from Pryznski’s home.

“When I got her she had worms, she had a washcloth sized piece of sheet in her,” Thiele said.

According to the criminal complaint, a Great Dane, an English setter and Catahoula mix were also seized. All are now in Paws on Wheel’s care.

“I would hate for this one incident to reflect poorly on all rescues,” Tania Richter, Fur Ever Home Rescue founder, said.

Flora’s story serves as an important reminder: if you suspect or spots signs of animal cruelty, report it. Signs include filthy living conditions, if the home and yard look unkempt or if there are a lot of feces in the yard.

“You really need to make sure you’re supporting a rescue you believe in and has the same values you do,” Richter said.

Pryznski is expected to appear in court next month -- if found guilty, she could face 90 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine.

(MyFoxTwinCities - July 22, 2015)

Texas: Family dog shot and killed after Fort Worth police officer responds to the wrong house

TEXAS -- Cindy and Mark Boling are trying to understand why their dog, Lillie, a Border Collie mix they've had for five years is now dead -- shot and killed in their own yard by a Fort Worth police officer.

"He literally has ripped our hearts out", Cindy Boling said.

Saturday afternoon, the couple had just returned home from shopping and was unloading their truck.

The back gate was open and Lillie and the couple’s other dog, Gracie, were in the driveway with them.

The couple says a Fort Worth police officer showed up and was walking toward the house. The dogs went to meet him.

"I started saying yelling my dogs don't bite please don't hurt them. They're going to come down and just greet you and I'll grab them up and put them in the backyard," Boling said.

Mark caught up to Gracie but Lillie ran up on the porch where the officer was standing. They say within seconds the officer pulled out his pistol and shot Lillie in the back.

"My dog was standing there looking like I got a new friend and he turned and shot her in the back", Mark Boling said.

The dog ran to the backyard where she died within minutes.

The officer was at the house by mistake. He was sent to 4917 Norma Street on a copper theft call. But instead, he showed up two blocks away at the Boling's address which is 4717.

Sylvia Benavides is a neighbor of the Bolings and came to the scene after hearing the gunshot.

"I guess the officer that had shot Lillie I heard him say to the other one he said I was at the wrong house. I shot their dog and he said I thought it was a pit bull", Benavides said.

The Bolings say they didn't get an apology and don't expect to get one, but they do want answers so this doesn't happen to someone else.

"My main concern is if he's going to shoot an animal like that how is he going to react then in a real situation with a weapon”, Mark Boling said.

"We did everything in the world always to protect our girls. We never accounted for a man walking up our driveway with a gun and killing out little girl, our little Lillie", Cindy Boling said.

Here's what Officer Daniel Segura with the Forth Worth Police Department had to say about the shooting:

"The officer responded as an assist unit in the investigation of a copper theft offense that occurred in the 4900 Block on Norma st. The assist officer started looking for suspects in the surrounded area from the offense location; he stopped at 4717 Norma where he made contact with an adult male, the officer waited by the driveway when suddenly two dogs started barking at the officer and in an aggressive manner charged towards his direction. The officer ran towards a pillar and asked the male repeatedly to call back the dogs. The officer jumped on top of the pillar and continued pleading the male to call the dogs back. As the dogs were getting closer to attack/bite the officer, the officer fired his duty weapon striking the dog closest to him.

 "No arrests were made in reference to the copper theft call."

[OK, I normally vigorously defend law enforcement. They put their lives on the line for us every single day. However, the description of what transpired, according to the police, is ludicrous. The officer climbed on a pillar 'pleading' for the man to call his dogs back?? Give me a break. Police officers are not trained to plead with people to do things. They are trained to take charge of a situation and scene, not be seen as a weakling who pleads for the suspects/citizens to do something. If he was on top of a pillar, he had plenty of time to grab a baton to wave at the dog to keep it at bay or to grab his taser or pepper spray.

The police should not be adding insult to injury by flat out LYING about what happened at this address.]

(CW33 - May 27, 2012)

Man charged with animal cruelty; two dogs removed

OHIO -- Two dogs which police described as neglected and malnourished were taken from a Blanchester residence late Wednesday morning.

The Blanchester Police Department had received a call from a person concerned about the welfare of a dog in a yard at an East John Street residence. Blanchester Police Chief Scott Reinbolt said police found the two dogs outside the home at 616 E. John St., Blanchester. A third outside dog appeared to be healthy, he said. Patrolman Brian Noah did not find anyone at the John Street residence at the time.

“Clinton County Dog Warden Rex Doak was called to the scene, observed the conditions of the two dogs outside, then took custody of them,” Reinbolt said.

“One of the dogs was suffering from an untreated back injury.”

[An experienced animal control officer/dog warden knows when and when not to use a control stick. It does not appear that it is necessary in these photos, especially for the dog with the 'untreated back injury'. Certainly there are times it is needed - for a fearful or aggressive dog, but when an officer/warden uses it unnecessarily it simply makes that officer/warden appear to be either inexperienced, unsure of how to handle dogs and/or afraid of dogs.]

The owner of the dogs, Jonathan Rossingol, who lives at the residence, was charged Wednesday night with two counts of cruelty to companion animals, both first-degree misdemeanors, one charge for each of dog taken into custody, Reinbolt said.

Rossingol was issued a summons to appear in the Clinton County Municipal Court. Reinbolt said a number of apparently healthy dogs were found inside the house.

“We are grateful to the person who called police with concerns about the dog, and appreciate the quick and effective response by Dog Warden Doak,” Reinbolt said. While Reinbolt did not know why the dogs were neglected, he said in many cases people are experiencing financial difficulties during the current economic recession.

“This sometimes makes it difficult to find the financial resources to adequately care for animals, however, there are alternatives to leaving animals unfed or neglected, and we encourage animal owners experiencing difficulties to explore those alternatives,” Reinbolt said.

“We will continue to aggressively investigate cases of this nature and bring charges accordingly.”

(Wilmington News Journal - May 10, 2012)

English Setter and owner mauled by Bull Mastiff

UNITED KINGDOM -- A DOG owner and her pet are recovering after both were savagely bitten during an attack by a pack of three other dogs.

Lynne Potter says she fell to the ground as she tried to protect her animals during the incident on Blackpool Promenade.

The NHS worker, 50, was returning from walking her two English Setters when she says they were set upon by three bull mastiff dogs.

One of Lynne’s dogs, Gypsy, suffered the brunt of the assault and needed an emergency operation after one of her legs was ripped open, while Lynne herself was bitten twice on her left leg.

Now she wants to warn others to be aware of the danger.

She said: “I heard a commotion and saw the three dogs off the lead and I knew they were going to attack. I had a dog in each hand and nowhere to go. It was horrific.

“I was on the floor screaming and hysterical. Some youths came up and pulled the dogs off and then they just walked off.

“My dog was bleeding heavily and her front leg was torn open.

“Thankfully a member of the public took me to the vets with the dogs, and they were able to do an emergency operation on Gypsy. She would have died if her artery had been cut.

“I was bitten twice on my left leg, just below the knee. I didn’t need stitches but I have had to go for a tetanus jab.”

The incident happened at around 5.15pm on Tuesday when Lynne was about to cross the zebra crossing on South Promenade opposite the Solaris Centre.

A Blackpool Police spokesman said they had spoken to Lynne and passed the case on to Blackpool Council’s dog warden. The council said they had been to visit Lynne to take some details.

(Blackpool Gazette - Dec 1, 2011)