United Kingdom: Mark Sharp poured boiling water onto his girlfriend's King charles spaniel and beat her, breaking her ribs and pelvis

UNITED KINGDOM -- A thug who poured boiling liquid over a defenseless spaniel during months of secret abuse was also stealing money from the dog’s owner.

Mark Simon Philip Sharp left his ex-partner’s King Charles spaniel, named Daisy, with severe burns to her head as well as broken ribs and a broken pelvis.

He was jailed in October for 16 weeks after admitting animal cruelty, and is now out of prison.

However Sharp, who recently moved to Coventry from Liverpool where the offences took place, has now pleaded guilty to stealing cash from Lyndsey Wakefield by raiding her credit card account between October 2015 and February this year.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to fraud at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Thursday – but disputes the total amount taken.

Angie Rowan, prosecuting, told the court Sharp is accused of stealing £2,200 from Miss Wakefield.

However Rachel Chandler, defending, said her client claims he had permission to spend £863 of that amount.

The case was adjourned for a Newton Hearing in February, where a judge rules on disputed issues which could affect the length of the defendant’s sentence.

At Sharp’s sentencing hearing in October, the court heard Daisy suffered full thickness burns to her head and body and was left cowering away from human contact.

Miss Wakefield, who had no idea of her then boyfriend’s cruelty, noticed a sore on Daisy’s head and took her to a vet in January – who later notified RSPCA inspector Claire Fisher.

Peter Mitchell, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court: “On seeing the dog it was on strong pain relief and appeared very nervous and was shaking in the kennel.

“When (Insp Fisher) attempted to touch the dog she cowered away and snapped. The inspector described seeing an extensive scabbed area over the top of the head and neck with a particularly raw area at the middle of the top of the head. She was advised that the burns were full skin thickness.”

Sharp, who was unrepresented in the animal cruelty case, described how he had been attacked and left needing stitches due to the publicity surrounding the case.

He said: “At that time in my life I didn’t like myself, I was suffering from deep depression. I still don’t believe in my heart I could harm anybody or anything.”

Sharp was banned from owning animals for 15 years.

Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Claire Fisher said the case was one of the worst she had investigated in 13 years on the job.

She said: “I’m just very pleased that the courts have taken these vile acts seriously. This dog suffered for months at Sharp’s hands, and the moment I first saw her there was no way I was getting close to her.

“This is a breed that is so loving and wants human contact but she was cowering in the back of the kennel.”

Miss Wakefield told the court Daisy has since made a full recovery.

(Coventry Telegraph - Dec 23, 2016)

Florida: Marilynne Jones, 70, tried to drown her own dog, say police

FLORIDA -- People say they stopped Marilynne Jones from drowning her dog, Gracie, in the waves at Lighthouse Point Park.

Police arrested Jones and rushed Gracie to the vet. Now, Jones is behind bars, charged with felony animal cruelty.

 

Her dog Gracie is safe - recovering at a veterinary clinic. People are left wondering why anyone would do this to a dog they all describe as quiet and sweet.

Marilynne Jones, 70, made her first appearance in Volusia County Court. Now, little Gracie is homeless - alone in a cage at the Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic, while the staff nurses her back to health.

Police brought her in Wednesday, she was trembling and scared. "She was quite cold, she was conscious but very distressed," says Dr. Katie Malensek, at the Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic.

Gracie had water in her lungs, giving her pneumonia. They had to put her in their hyperbaric chamber and give her I-V fluids. Finally, Dr. Malensek says she started to improve. "She was very tolerant of everything we were trying to do to help her and you can see it today - she's a sweet loving girl. Perfectly fine with us cleaning and brushing her. She's just a lovely lovely dog."

Witnesses say Jones was walking in the water with her dog. The dog appeared to be frantically trying to get out of the waves, but Jones was keeping it there.

They said she was even laughing as she did it. Other people on the beach saw what was happening and stepped in to stop Jones

 

"They grabbed the dog, it was lifeless and unconscious. That's when they initiated CPR," says Capt. Tammy Marris, with the Volusia Co. Beach Patrol, and she says Jones didn't seem to care. "She seemed very unaffected by the incident. She did start becoming combative towards our officers at one point."

 

They all want Gracie to find a good new home with someone who will love her. "I have such a passion for animals. I can't imagine a situation where any person would harm an animal," Dr. Malensek says.

"Our only hope," Capt. Marris says, "is that this dog lives a healthy life after this and isn't too traumatized by the incident. Is well taken care of."

Gracie is being cared for at the Ravenwood Clinic while the case against Jones proceeds. Jones is being held on $1,500 bond.

(Fox35Orlando - Aug 26, 2016)

Dog Severely Injured After Chicken Wire Wrapped Tightly Around Her Neck in Oceanside Animal Cruelty Case

CALIFORNIA -- San Diego Humane Society officials have asked for help locating the person or people responsible for wrapping chicken wire around a small dog's neck recently, leaving the dog with wounds nearly to the bone.

Melody, a "sweet" 4-year-old spaniel, was brought to the Humane Society last week in Oceanside suffering from severe lacerations around her neck, according to a Facebook post from the organization on Wednesday.

"The way the chicken wire was tied indicates that this was an intentional act,'' Steve MacKinnon, chief of humane law enforcement for the San Diego Humane Society, told KTLA sister station KSWB. "The injuries she has suffered cut into her flesh all the way to the bone."

"She's very lucky to be alive," MacKinnon added.

Melody underwent successful reconstructive surgery to repair the deep cuts, the post stated. She has been given a "positive prognosis" for her recovery.

Authorities investigating the incident hope the public can provide any information that will lead to an arrest. To that end, San Diego Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $1,000.

 

"We're asking the community to please report any information or possible leads so we can find the person responsible, or Melody's previous owners,'' MacKinnon told the TV station.

Anyone with knowledge of the case was asked to contact the San Diego Humane Society at 619-243-3466. Additionally, anonymous tips can be reported through the website www.sdcrimestoppers.com, or by calling 888-580-8477.

(KTLA - Dec 31, 2015)

Nancy Burgess, 64, accused of leaving caged animals at pet store in deplorable condition

FLORIDA -- Broward County sheriff's deputies have arrested a Pompano Beach pet shop owner more than a year after an investigation into the conditions of the pets at her store.

Nancy Burgess, 64, was arrested Tuesday on multiple charges, including animal cruelty and confining an animal without food or water.

According to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report, a deputy visited Burgess' shop, Dogarrific, at 2870 NE 17th Ave. and said the odor of urine and feces was so strong that he could not breathe and his eyes were burning.

 

A Pompano Beach animal control officer was called to the business, and found 38 puppies, dogs and cats inside the shop.

 

According to the arrest report, the dogs were confined in their own waste and urine, and feces was spread across the floors and up the walls of the business.

 

The officer reported that the dogs' coats were stained by urine and feces, and said the animals had no food or water in their cages.

Based on an investigation conducted by the deputy and animal control officer, authorities found that Burgess failed to provide the animals with proper medical care and treatment.

 

 

All of the animals were released to South Florida rescue organizations except one.

Burgess is being held in jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond. A Broward County judge also ordered her not to handle or care for animals once she is released.

(Local10 - Dec 2, 2015)

20-year ban for dog breeder, Gordon Laverty, who starved King Charles Spaniels

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog breeder has been handed a suspended jail sentence for causing suffering to King Charles Spaniels.

Gordon Laverty, whose "horrific" neglect sparked the creation of a rescue charity, was also banned from keeping any pets for the next 20 years.

Sentencing him at Belfast Magistrates' Court, District Judge Ken Nixon said he was only being spared immediate imprisonment because of his clear record and guilty pleas.

Laverty, of Red Brae Road in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, admitted 10 animal welfare offences.

They included four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to dogs and six counts of failing to ensure the needs of animals he was responsible for were met.

Laverty's neglect was discovered in June 2013 after one severely malnourished dog escaped and was taken to a vet.

A microchip resulted in council staff finding other animals at his home - all in poor condition.

The King Charles Spaniels were said to be starving, unable to stand, and with badly matted coats.

The court heard that six dogs were handed over voluntarily.

A defence lawyer said middle-aged Laverty, whose age was not given, was sorry for what happened.

Michael Boyd told the judge: "He's deeply ashamed about what happened to these animals in his care."

According to the barrister Laverty has a "long record of keeping animals properly and humanely".

He added that the defendant, who used a walking aid to get into court, has been suffering from a range of medical conditions.

Judge Nixon told Laverty: "It's only on the basis that you have come to this court with an entirely clear record and entered pleas at an early opportunity that the 10-month sentence of imprisonment is suspended for two years."

He also ordered: "You are banned from keeping any pets or animals of any kind for a period of 20 years."

Laverty must pay veterinary costs and legal fees of just over £700 as part of the sentence.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said it brought the charges under the Welfare of Animals Act.

“Today's sentence demonstrates that councils will take action through the courts and we trust that it sends out the clear message that any form animal cruelty will not be tolerated," it said.

“If anyone has any concerns about any domestic animal's welfare, they should contact their local council's animal welfare service.”

(Irish News - May 20, 2015)

Earlier:

• Gordon Laverty’s starved spaniels like 'walking skeletons'

DJ's dog left fighting for its life after an out of control Staffie attacked them both while they were out walking

UNITED KINGDOM -- A DJ was seriously injured and his dog was left fighting for its life after a Staffordshire bull terrier attacked them while they were out on a walk.

Musician Dan Baxter was left in hospital for three days after he needed surgery when his hands were bitten by the out of control dog.

His King Charles spaniel Giz meanwhile had a chunk bitten out of his stomach during the attack.

Mr Baxter, aka Peter Parker, a DJ and turntablist with jazz outfit Fingathing, was forced to pull out of his band's tour because of his injuries.

 

The attack took place as he was coming to the end of a walk in Alexandra Park, Manchester, last Wednesday.

Mr Baxter said: 'I called Giz but noticed a big dog between us. The dude walking him was on his phone nearby. The Staffie was wagging his tail at first - but then he stopped, and I began calling Giz more sternly.'

The Staffordshire bull terrier then ran at Giz and grabbed the dog between its teeth.

Mr Baxter, 37, from Whalley Range, jumped on the two dogs in an attempt to break them up while the man walking the Staffie stayed on his phone.

Mr Baxter said: 'The Staffie clearly wasn’t this guy’s dog - he was on the phone asking someone how to control it. There was no command he could use.

'It was horrible and just went on and on. In the end I ran out of strength trying to get him off - the guy walking it tried too, he was pulling at the Staffie, but we couldn’t do anything.'

When the dog finally let go of Giz it turned on Mr Baxter and sank its teeth into his hands.

He said: 'Its eyes were bulging out of its head. When he let go I looked down and blood was gushing from the puncture holes. I was in shock, holding Giz by me and telling him it was going to be okay.'

After the staffie let go it was punched in the face by its walker, before it was walked off.

Residents rallied to help Mr Baxter and his dog, offering towels and taking them to the vet. Mr Baxter was later referred to Wythenshawe Hospital for surgery.

Giz died on the operating table but was resuscitated. With the vet bill at £1,000 and rising, friends have set up fundraising sites to help pay for it.

Mr Baxter hopes to use any extra money to fund ‘Paws for thought’ signs for Alexandra Park, warning dog walkers against letting potentially dangerous pets off their leads.

Mr Baxter and girlfriend Fiona Daniel, 30, who is also a musician, have had Giz since he was a puppy.

He said: 'The vet has warned us it will get worse before it’s better. I can’t use my hands to DJ so I’m spending all my time caring for Giz. I’m even sleeping with him on a mattress downstairs.

'What’s shocking is that when I was in hospital three out of the four beds had people with dog attacks in. One had had his ear bitten off.

'These kids are buying dogs for the same price as a knife and training them as weapons. It needs to be stopped. It’s not the dogs - it’s the owners.'

Police confirmed the incident and said officers are investigating.

(Daily Mail - Dec 13, 2013)

Man arrested and rottweiler seized after alleged attack on pet spaniel

UNITED KINGDOM -- A 26-year-old man has been arrested and a dog seized after a spaniel was allegedly attacked while it walked with its owner.

 

Jenny McEvoy was walking her King Charles spaniel, Charlie, with her mum near their Coulby Newham home when she says the incident happened.

She says one-and-a-half-year-old Charlie suffered puncture wounds including injuries to his leg after he was set upon by a Rottweiler which was off its lead.

The 23-year-old claims that she also received minor injuries to her arm and hand as she came to Charlie’s rescue.

Jenny, a sports development officer for Middlesbrough Council, said: “Normally I walk the dog alone but mum said she would come with me.

“We got to the top of the street and it was pitch black when I saw this dog.

“Straight away he came bolting. I screamed at my mum to get my dog.

“I was trying to punch and kick the dog. The owner came up and pulled the dog off.”

She added that Charlie was left shaken by the incident. He was taken to the vet’s for treatment and later released.

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said that a dog had been seized in connection with the incident at 6.30pm last Thursday.

(Gazette Live - Dec 13, 2013) 

Little boy nearly attacked, family pet mauled to death by large dogs

MICHIGAN -- A little boy is saved from a vicious dog attack, but his family pet wasn't so lucky.

The 4 year old and his family's small dog were playing in the yard of a home on the city's west side Thursday, when the neighbor's Pit Bull and German Shepherd ran over and attacked.

"The two dogs came from the side... at first I didn't see them... but I hear them, then I hear my dog crying," said the boy's uncle Gregory Raymore.

Raymore managed to grab his nephew and get him to safety inside the house. When he came back out to rescue his mother's King Charles Spaniel, it was too late.

"I can't bring her back but I mean come on, it was a four year old, he could've got killed. I keep thinking about that," said the boy's aunt Lakesha Crowther. "It wasn't a pretty scene for my nephew. He was scared and ran back in the house crying," said Raymore.

The small dog died on the way to the veterinarian's office. "These people have been living here for no longer than a week. And they came over, two dogs -- vicious dogs -- out of a fence that's not properly gated obviously," Crowther said. The boy's mother called animal control, but they were told it would take at least a day to get a response.

"Meanwhile we can't go back and forth out of our house because we're scared that the dogs are going to jump the gate again," said Crowther. Now they're just hoping animal control responds before somebody else gets hurt.

Detroit animal control handles at least 800 bite cases every year, and there's only one investigator to handle the enormous caseload. Detroit police officers did take a police report, and checked out the house next door but no one answered.

(MyFox Detroit - Aug 15, 2013)

Hampton woman wants stricter controls on dogs after a pit bull killed her pet

VIRGINIA -- Every time Encie Teets closes her eyes all she sees is a pit bull with her tiny pet dog in its mouth, shaking her.

This memory is accompanied by the sound of her own voice "screaming to high heaven," as she describes it, for somebody to help her because the dog was going to kill her pet, Muffin. Teets was out walking Muffin early on the morning of May 29 when the other dog attacked, and Muffin died from her injuries later that night.

Teets, 77, is now trying to get tougher warnings put into place for potentially dangerous dogs. She is also telling anyone she sees walking near her Chesapeake Avenue home about the location of the dog who attacked hers, trying to keep other people and their animals safe.

Emotional connections to Muffin run deep because Teets' daughter gave her the puppy six weeks before she died. Already widowed Teets lost her only child, Christopher Newport University professor and vice provost Tracey Schwarze, when she passed away in 2010 at age 48.

"When Tracey was in the hospital the last week that she was alive, I'd come home and pick up that little dog and sit on the kitchen floor and cry," Teets said.

Muffin was her reason for getting out of bed each morning for the last three years, she said.

"That little dog was just the sunshine of my day," Teets said.

Muffin, a tiny Pekingese and King Charles Spaniel mix, weighed nine pounds when she was grabbed up at the intersection of Hollywood Avenue and Shatto Drive. Teets held onto her leash as long as she could during the pit bull attack, with the leash eventually breaking and leaving bruises on her wrist and a deep cut on her hand.

The pit bull took Muffin behind its house, leaving puncture wounds on her stomach and mouth. Teets said she "begged her not to die," and though veterinarians tried to save her, she did not survive.

The next day once one dog walker found out, word spread and there was a steady procession of visiting dogs and owners to Teets' house. One big Bassett Hound, Gus, gnawed some of Muffin's chewy treats and cleaned up stray Kibbles she had left around the house.

"I wasn't able to get dressed until after two o'clock that day from the people who walk their dogs who had heard this and were coming up, bringing their dogs and coming in my house," Teets said.

Teets has filed a complaint with animal control about the dog attack. The pit bull's owner has offered to pay vet bills and to get Teets a new dog, but she said that she worries a neighborhood child will be the next victim of a dog attack.

RIP Muffin

Hampton allows animals to be off leash as long as they are under voice command by their owners and prohibits the tethering of animals. Teets thinks there should be more precautions, especially for animals with a history of violent behavior.

"The law needs to be changed and I'm going to work very hard," she said. "That's what my mission is going to be. Pit bulls need to be labeled as dangerous dogs, and they need to have a sign posted on their property warning there's a dog here that is not a friendly dog.

"They will say that not all pit bulls are like that, and I give you that. But none of us know when our animal will become vicious. I mean who knows what could trigger it."

Dog regulations

Leash, tethering and other regulations to restrict dogs vary by locality. To check the state's Dangerous Dog Registry, go to vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/dogs.shtml.

(Daily Press - June 20, 2013)

The terrifying moment a pit bull mauled my King Charles spaniel

UNITED KINGDOM -- A terrified dog owner took pictures of a horrific 25-minute attack on her beloved King Charles spaniel – as she desperately tried to drag a pit bull off her pet.

Mafalda Clewlow believed her dog, Spot, was just moments from death, clamped in the pit bull’s jaws, and wanted to capture evidence of the ordeal and the dog’s owner so he could later be traced.

The 40-year-old mother-of-two, married to Ade, 46, a former lieutenant colonel in the British Army, had been walking her dog on a public footpath when it was suddenly set upon in the vicious attack.

The shocking incident, near Ouse Valley golf course, Biddenham in Bedfordshire, only came to an end after two good Samaritans stepped in to help wrench the dogs apart.

The owner of the pit bull and his girlfriend handed over fake details after the attack before they fled.

However, Mrs Clewlow took pictures of the man, believed to be in his 20s, before he left.

Despite being covered in huge bites, vets later managed to save Spot.

Last night, Mrs Clewlow, who has spent £566 on vets bills so far, said: ‘It’s horrendous, I felt I was attacked myself.

'Spot has bites all over his body and on his legs. There was blood everywhere. He’s still in agony.’
After the incident on Friday, Mrs Clewlow, from Biddenham, posted her pictures on Facebook in the hope of tracking down the dog’s owner.

By last night her pictures had been shared nearly 5,000 times on the social networking site.

She says she has been contacted by people with information about the dog owner which she is passing on to the police.

Bedfordshire Police confirmed the incident had been reported and said officers were taking a statement from Mrs Clewlow today.

(Daily Mail - Mar 16, 2013)

Pet dies after dog attack on beach

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman who says her dog was mauled to death in a horrific attack has warned people walking their pets in the same spot.

Nicole Cross was walking on Sand Bay beach, near The Commodore Hotel, when she watched a Staffordshire bull terrier take four-year-old Sapphy in its jaws and shake her until she was limp.

Within 30 minutes of the attack on Saturday afternoon the King Charles spaniel, pictured, had died.

Nicole, who was walking with partner Pete at the time of the incident, says she is scared to go back to the beach to walk her other dogs following the attack.

She says it was about 3pm when the Staffordshire bull terrier jumped on Sapphy, sinking its teeth into her and causing multiple puncture wounds.

When it backed off, Nicole, aged 41, and Pete, rushed their wounded pet to a vets, but she was bleeding heavily and suffering from shock.

Nicole, who lives with Pete part of the time in Kewstoke, said: “Sapphy had been walking behind my heel as normal, when the other dog tore past Pete’s leg and jumped on her.

“It sunk its teeth into the back of her and we couldn’t get it off.

“The owners came over and put it on a lead and asked if Sapphy was okay, but I said ‘does she look okay?’ and rushed her to the vets.

“I’d tell other dog owners to be careful when going down there – I’m fearful of going again.”

Police say they are looking into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call 101.

(Weston & Somerset Mercury - Nov 19, 2012)

Dog dies after attack on Weston-super-Mare beach

UNITED KINGDOM -- A King Charles Spaniel died after being attacked by another dog on a beach near Weston-super-Mare.

The female owner was walking her spaniel along Sand Bay at around 3.30pm on November 10 when another dog - thought to be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier - attacked it.

When the owner tried to separate the dog, which was not on a lead, she was bitten.

The owners of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier collected their dog and there was an exchange of words.

The woman took her King Charles Spaniel to the vets but it was pronounced dead on arrival.

A police spokesman said: "We believe there were people in the area at the time who may have witnessed the incident and have information to help the police enquiries.

"We would like them - and the owners of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - to contact us."

(This is Bristol - Nov 14, 2012)