Pennsylvania: Police say Joel Davis, 23, killed his girlfriend's puppy by slamming him on the floor and suffocating him with a blanket and then killing her Puggle by stomping and suffocating him.

PENNSYLVANIA -- Bensalem police have arrested a Levittown man after they say he killed two dogs less than a month apart.

Joel Davis, 23, of Falls Township, was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. He was arraigned earlier this week by Bucks County Magisterial District Judge Joseph Falcone.

According to court documents, Bensalem police responded to the 1200 block of Neshaminy Valley Drive on March 3 in response to a report of animal abuse.

Once police arrived, they spoke with a woman who explained she had been letting her boyfriend, Davis, stay at her home for the last several weeks and take care of her two dogs. The woman told police that during a month’s span both of her dogs died while in Davis’ care and without explanation.

Davis allegedly told the woman varying accounts of how both of the dogs died, which led her to believe he was responsible for their death and prompting her to call police, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Davis was allegedly asked to watch the woman’s four-month-old puppy Leo earlier on March 3 while the woman went out with friends. Davis then called the woman to inform her that Leo had become unresponsive.

Court records show that when a neighbor stopped by the apartment to help they found the deceased dog on a small bath mat in the living room laying on its side.

The neighbor recalled to police that they had also come to help on February 5 when Davis was caring for the woman’s two-year-old puggle Sebastian and that the dog was also found deceased on a small bath mat and laying in a similar pose, court documents state.

The woman told police that she had confronted Davis about the death of both dogs but he originally denied responsibility until she told him that a nanny cam had been installed after the death of her first dog. At that point, Davis reportedly admitted to shaking and suffocating Leo.

Once in police custody for questioning, Davis admitted to Bensalem officers that he had slammed Leo on the floor in the bathroom, acknowledged that Leo was severely injured. He then suffocated the puppy with a blanket. 

Davis also admitted to killing Sebastian the Puggle by sneaking up to the dog while he was lying down and stomping on his back, then suffocating him.

According to court records, Davis told officers that he killed both of the dogs because he was “jealous of the attention” that the woman showed them and felt that they “took away” from his relationship with her. Davis also provided a written confession to officers.

According to a humane society police officer with the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Leo suffered a fractured liver likely related to abdominal trauma.

Davis was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $500,000 bail.

(LevittownNow.com - Mar 30, 2017)

Virginia: Megan Campbell, 19, charged with Felony Animal Cruelty after letting her Puggle cook to death inside her car

VIRGINIA -- A 19-year-old Virginia woman was facing animal cruelty charges after firefighters were unable to save a dog that was locked inside a hot car in Virginia Monday.

Emergency crews responded at about 12:30 p.m. to a report of a dog trapped inside a vehicle outside a PetSmart in Falls Church, the Fairfax County Police Department stated in a news release.

Firefighters immediately determined that the dog, described by police as a 5-year-old Puggle, was in distress.

The rescuers gained entry to the vehicle and tried to cool the dog down but were unsuccessful, the news release stated.

The dog was then taken to a veterinarian’s office inside the PetSmart, where the dog was pronounced dead.

The dog’s owner, identified as Megan Kurtz Campbell of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty, according to the Police Department.

Temperatures were expected to hover around the 90-degree mark in the Falls Church area all week, according to the National Weather Service.

(KTLA - July 26, 2016)

Ohio: Dog dies in backyard of Austintown home

OHIO -- An Austintown dog died in the backyard of a Maplecrest Drive home Tuesday after being left outside from 7 a.m. until midafternoon.

Rick Tunison, Mahoning County deputy dog warden, said when authorities arrived at the home around 2:30 p.m., the puggle (pug-beagle mix), on a tie-out cable off the back stoop of the home, already was dead.

Tunison said there was no food or water outside for the dog. He said they don’t know who actually put the dog outside that morning, but neighbors reported hearing the dog barking at 7 and 10 a.m.

“It was an unfortunate situation,” he said. “It was an accident.”

Ashley Rhodes, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals community outreach liaison with the cruelty investigations department, said although the event is a tragic accident, it was a preventable one.

“We hear about tragedies that could’ve been prevented like dogs who die because they were left in a parked car or on a chain, unable to reach water,” she said. “We would just like to encourage residents of Austintown and everywhere, really, to always keep animals indoors and never leave animals outdoors unintended.”

She added: “Incidents like these remind us how important it is to protect them and keep them inside where it’s cool and safe,”

Tunison also suggested to err on the side of caution when it comes to putting dogs outdoors in hot weather – especially puggles.

“From the pug aspect, it has a pushed-in nose, which makes it harder to breathe to begin with,” he said. “That with the combined high pollen count, humidity and heat of yesterday creates a recipe for disaster.”

Other advice included providing a cool place to lie down and ensuring access to water.

Animal Charity, animal-cruelty investigators for Mahoning County, will be doing an autopsy of the puggle as part of its investigation to determine the cause of death.

(Vindy.com - May 26, 2016)

Pennsylvania: Irene Johnson pleaded guilty to animal cruelty; in exchange, gets some dogs returned

PENNSYLVANIA -- A Philadelphia woman in the city’s Holmesburg section is pleading guilty to animal cruelty for the treatment of 13 dogs and four cats. The PSPCA announced the plea on Wednesday.

Officials say that Irene Johnson was keeping the animals in unsanitary conditions in her home on the 7900 block of Marsden Street.

The animals were rescued on March 19 after the PSPCA received a tip from the Philadelphia Police. Ten dogs and four cats were signed over to the PSPCA and three dogs were returned to Johnson after the home’s conditions were deemed to be suitable.

At this time, one dog named Princess, as well as two cats, remain with the PSPCA and are available for adoption.

Jerry Buckley, CEO of the PSPCA, released the following statement:

“The Pennsylvania SPCA is pleased with the outcome of this case which illustrates that there are situations when it is appropriate to return the animals to their owner. It has always been our mission to protect animals and prevent cruelty, but also to educate people throughout the region on how to properly care for animals.

"The PSPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement team will continue to monitor the situation through inspection, as well as work with Ms. Johnson to ensure she has the tools to properly care for her animals. It is our hope that she will fulfill her obligation to her animals and make the restitution that has been ordered to cover the costs incurred while the animals were in our care.”

The PSPCA urges anyone who may suspect animal abuse to contact their cruelty hotline at 866-601-SPCA.

(CBS Local - April 27 2016)

It's always Ohio: Family devastated after 3 pit bulls attack, kill puggle

OHIO -- A woman is horrified and a family is devastated after their dog is viciously attacked and killed by three pit bulls in a local neighborhood. The owner of two of the dogs is facing criminal charges.

"I never knew I could love an animal like that, and it's gonna be really hard not to have him here," said dog owner, Claudia Siers.

For ten years, Bandit the puggle, a cross between a pug and a beagle, has been a beloved member of the Siers family in Kirtland.

"He was a good dog. He wouldn't hurt a fly. I mean, he loved kids; he loved people," she said.

Around noon on Tuesday, Claudia Siers said she was walking Bandit in the neighborhood when three dogs charged at them.  Kirtland police said they were American Staffordshire terriers, one of the breeds commonly known as a pit bull.

"The one grabbed his neck and then I was trying to get him and at the same time pull on the leash. I was literally on the ground trying to keep them away and then the other one got involved, so it was like pretty much three against, you know, the three dogs against my dog and me," Claudia Siers explained.

Claudia was on the phone with her husband at the time. "My wife started screaming 'no, no,' then she got hysterical," recalled Brian J. Siers.

"Why wasn't it on a leash? Why wasn't he being watched?" asked her son, Brian C. Siers.

Kirtland police charged 57-year-old Peggy Wieland with having a dangerous or vicious dog and having a dog at-large.  They said in May, she was previously charged in connection with one of the dogs.



You choose to have pit bulls you have to pay the price when they attack:
Peggy Ann Wieland's mugshot photo

Christina Wieland’s pit bull also attacked a golden retriever back in May, according to police.

Police said the golden retriever survived the attack, and according to documents obtained by newsnet5.com, the case was thrown out of Willoughby Municipal Court in July due to insufficient evidence.

Court records indicate Christina Wieland paid a $170 fine for a “dog at large” citation in Painesville back in August of 2014.

"As long as one person learns that you need to handle your dog and if you don't handle your dog, it could have serious consequences and we're not lucky enough that we lost our dog, but I'm lucky that my mom didn't get attacked," said Claudia's son.

"Just for him to die in such a way and for me to see it, it was horrible, just utterly horrible," Claudia said.

Claudia Siers said the women who own the dogs actually drove her to the vet, but it was too late to save Bandit.

Police said the dogs will be quarantined at home for ten days.  They said charges are pending against the owner of the third dog involved.

(Fox8 - Sept 22, 2015)

Why do I continually point out Ohio's pit bull problem? Maybe because they repealed their BSL and said pit bulls were no different than friendly Puggles, Shih Tzus, Shelties, Poodles, Malteses, Golden Retrievers and Beagles.

Ohio's pit bull problem:
Pit bulls attack officer, neighbor

Ohio pit bull problem:
Avon Lake residents demand toughest vicious dog ordinance

Ohio's pit bull problem continues: Police use pepper spray
and Taser on pit bull which attacked its family

Avon Lake Municipal Court judge rules two pit bulls
dangerous after fatal dog attack

Village wants answers after dog attacks 9-year-old girl

Missouri: Jimmie Evans cited by city after allegedly stabbing dog and shooting it with pellet gun

MISSOURI -- A Kansas City, Mo., man was cited by the city Wednesday after he was accused of stabbing his neighbor’s dog and shooting it with a pellet gun while children were playing nearby.

Jimmie Evans, 80, was cited on suspicion of misdemeanor animal abuse following an animal control investigation.

A complaint filed with animal control states on April 1 Evans stabbed Nizmo the dog with a stake and shot him with a pellet gun.

The dog’s belly opened up and bled profusely. The wound required eight inches of stitches to close up, said Jan Ballard, whose name appears on the complaint.

Ballard is the mother of Ashley Macken, the woman whose family owns the 7-year-old puggle breed dog.

Nizmo lost half of his stomach and suffered a lacerated spleen that had to be stitched back together, Ballard said. The dog is expected to recover.

Ballard said the veterinarian told the family the examination revealed Nizmo had also previously been shot with a pellet gun and stabbed at some point. The family’s other dog also showed signs of past trauma from an unknown stabbing, the veterinarian said.

A police narrative report states Evans admitted to shooting Nizmo and jabbing at him with a stake because the dog was barking and scratching at a shared fence. A six-foot tall privacy fence separates the yards.

 

Kansas City police said they are not involved in the investigation; they deferred it to animal control officers.

Ballard said Nizmo and the other family's dog are brought inside each night. Ballard also said Evans had never complained about the dog before to the family.

Evans could not be reached Wednesday night for comment.

Macken said she cannot comment on the situation, as her family has hired legal counsel and is considering a lawsuit.

(KSHB - April 15, 2015)

More photos added: Pit Bull picked up by animal control after attacking another dog

NORTH CAROLINA -- Two New Bern dog owners are without their pets after a deadly encounter.

A Pit Bull in the Sellhorn Heights neighborhood darted out of its front yard and attacked a Puggle that was on a walk with its owner, witnesses said.

 

 

The Pit Bull started biting the Puggle and shook it by its neck, said witnesses. The Puggle later died as a result of its injuries. The Pit Bull was later picked up by a New Bern Police Department Animal Control officer, and will most likely be put down, animal control said.

 

We spoke to both of the owners about what happened.

The owner of the Pit Bull is Charles Webb. His dog, Cookie, often plays outside of the home but is guarded by an electric fence. On the day of the deadly encounter, Webb says the dog darted through the fence to attack the Puggle. He doesn't understand why Cookie was provoked to do so.

"I just hope people don't view me as a bad person," Webb said. "Because I've never raised my hand to the dog. I have never trained her to be violent. Basically the neighborhood has turned against me and I don't blame them because the dog did something horrible."

Story of the Scorpion and the frog:
 One day a scorpion asks a frog to carry him across the river. The frog, afraid of
being stung during the trip declines helping the scorpion. The scorpion argues
that if it stung the frog, both would sink and he would also drown, so for his
benefit he would never sting him. The frog eventually agrees and carries the
scorpion across the river until midway, the scorpion does indeed sting the frog,
dooming them both to drown.

As they slowly sink into the water asks why he had stung him, crying out,
"Now we shall both die!". The scorpion simply points out that,
“I had no choice; it's in my nature“.

Webb was issued a city ordinance citation, for violating New Bern's leash laws. He will have to appear in court come August to deal with the charge. Webb says he was advised to turn the dog over to animal control, after officials deemed the dog "vicious" and "dangerous."

New Bern Police tell us that since 2008, they have responded to that area five times related to dog complaints-- and the Pit Bull's owners confirms he's the person people have been complaining about.

Just like the scorpion in the fable, it cannot help itself.
“I had no choice; it's in my nature“.

The owner of the Puggle, Ashley Gollahon, says her dog Brutus will be missed. Brutus was 2-years-old at the time of his death. Gollahon says the family bought the dog when they moved to North Carolina. Gollahon's husband is a marine who is stationed at Cherry Point.

RIP Brutus

"Brutus was right there with me through the whole deployment and he was the one I relied on to put a smile on my face to get me through the day and it's hard knowing that he'll [my husband] be deployed next month and I won't have Brutus," Gollahon said.

"He was just a little Puggle, he was just 20 pounds, he was the dog that everyone wanted."

(WCTI - June 25, 2014)

Child gets 29 stitches from dog bite

OHIO -- A 3-year-old girl had to get 29 stitches on her face after a puggle bit her Wednesday.

The beagle-pug mix attacked the girl without provocation after she leaned down to pet him, police said.

The girl and her family were visiting a family friend at the time, according to police. The family friend had owned “Pudge” the puggle for only a week.

The girl was taken to EMH Elyria Medical Center for her injuries.

A dog which bites a person must be quarantined for at least 10 days, per Ohio law.

(The Morning Journal-Jun 6, 2013)

Dog rescued from car after up to 6 days without food, water

WASHINGTON -- A small dog was rescued early Sunday after spending up to six days trapped in a car in a West Seattle parking lot without food or water, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Security guards at the QFC in Westwood Village noticed Zipper, a pug-beagle mix, shaking and frightened in the back of a car around 1 a.m. on Sunday and called 911.

One guard told police he believed the car had been parked in the same spot for at least six days and wasn't sure how long the dog had been alone in the car.

Zipper survived the potentially deadly mix of sun and cars, but the responding officer noted she could even see his ribs.

"The dog appeared frightened and was shaken and appeared to be in distress," says Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt.

Don Baxter, manager of animal care and volunteer programs for the Seattle Animal Shelter, said it was a bad combination for the little dog.

"Even on a relatively cool day it can get deadly in there for them," he said.

Police were unable to find the car's owner because it had been recently sold, so they removed Zipper and handed him over to the Seattle Animal Shelter after the store's security guards gave him food and water.

Despite the dog's distress, the man responsible for caring for it hasn't been charged. Investigators say he's the owner's boyfriend, who was taking care of Zipper while the owner is away.

Now police are trying to figure out how long the dog had been left alone without something to eat or drink.

"That's a big concern for us, and that would actually be animal neglect," said Witt.

"We're going to have a conversation with this individual, try to educate them about the proper care for the dog and let them know that it's not acceptable to leave a dog inside a car on a warm day like today," added Baxter.

A lesson learned as weather gets warmer, a dog possibly cheats death and police try to figure out if something criminal took place.

(KOMO NEWS - April 24, 2013)

Dog found with collar embedded in neck

INDIANA -- A man found a Puggle running loose near the intersection of West Till Road & Huguenard Road on Tuesday that had a chain being used as a collar embedded in her neck, according to Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (FWACC). 

The man took the dog to a veterinarian in Waynedale who transferred the dog to FWACC. The dog had to undergo surgery to remove the chain as skin had grown around it.

Officials think the seven to nine-year-old Puggle outgrew that collar, but it was never removed. 
There was an infection around its neck along with a bad smell.  It took about an hour in surgery for Animal Care to get the chain off.

On Tuesday, FWACC said the dog was on antibiotics and recovering well.

"Aside from the embedded collar, the dog was a generally healthy weight.  The dog is heartworm negative, so somebody's been feeding this dog or at least overseeing this dog," said Laura Rowe, animal care supervisor at FWACC.  "Somebody has seen this dog for a while. It's not a starvation case with an embedded collar.  So somebody's been providing this dog with food and water, just not any kind of veterinary care."

Rowe said the Puggle will most likely have to go to a foster home to heal before being ready to be adopted out.

Charges are possible for the owner.  Anyone with information on the owner of the dog can contact  FWACC at 260-427-1244.

(WANE - Feb 13, 2013)

Ohio: Elderly woman's Puggle attacked and killed by American Bulldogs; owner gets to keep his killer dogs

OHIO -- A dog died after suffering an attack from two canines that got loose from their home. The incident occurred at 2:47 p.m. Oct. 31.

An officer responded to a call about the two dogs attacking another in front of a house. He went there and saw someone leading two American Bulldogs down the street.

A woman, 69, with blood on her hands and jacket approached him and said she was walking her Puggle dog on the sidewalk when the dogs attacked it. She carried it to a nearby garage.

The two-year-old dog was bitten in the throat and had difficulty breathing. It was wrapped in a blanket. Someone took the woman and her injured dog to a nearby animal hospital.

The wife of the man who owned the two dogs said the dogs got out of the house when her husband did not properly close a door that was not shutting properly. She found them attacking the other dog. The officer noted the dogs were "friendly to humans".

Oh, then it makes it OK for these dogs to have killed the Puggle. What is the point of saying, "Oh it was covered in blood but friendly to me." Well, so is Ted Bundy -- until he decides to kill you!

The woman said the dogs often chased and kill groundhogs they find on her property. She and another person were bitten when they tried breaking up the fight.

The injured dog had to be put down. It also had to be checked for rabies due to a recent case in Summit County.

The officer learned a witness went to the hospital due to chest pains because of the dog attack. She, however, seemed fine later, the report said.

KILLER DOGS BEING HANDED BACK TO OWNER
The officer told the resident to fix the door and keep the dogs quarantined for the required 10 days.

He cited the 40-year-old owner of the dogs, which was the woman’s husband, for allowing the dogs to run at large, animal bites, no registrations and no rabies vaccinations. He also said the dogs should be declared “vicious” due to the nature of the attack.

(Cleveland.com - Oct 31, 2011)