South Africa: Complete moron zip-ties his dogs' legs, throws them in the back of a hot pickup truck bed and takes them to the shelter to surrender them

SOUTH AFRICA -- Photos of two dogs that had their legs cable-tied in the back of a van have sparked outrage on social media.

The dogs were rescued on Tuesday afternoon by the Benoni SPCA who said they would be taking action against the previous owner of the dogs.

In the post uploaded to Facebook, SPCA staff say they were ‘completely horrified’ by the incident.

“The owner who lives in Cloverdene, brought his two dogs, cable-tied at the legs, to the Benoni SPCA for surrender. The poor animals, were transported on the back of a truck, in the sun.

"The treatment of these animals, is completely unacceptable and the owner should know better than to transport them this way. The dogs have been treated for parasites and are up for adoption immediately,” the post said.

(Northglen News - February 15, 2017)

Georgia: James Long, 59, used a zip tie to tighten his dog's shock collar, but didn't notice the "foul odor" coming from the dog's neck or resulting injuries which damaged its vocal cords

GEORGIA -- A Columbia County man faces animal cruelty charges after being accused of using a zip tie to tighten a shock collar around a dog’s neck…causing the dog some serious injuries.

59-year-old James Long is charged with animal cruelty after investigators say he took his dog to Heartsong vet spay and neuter clinic to be neutered last week.

According to an incident report, a worker at the clinic smelled a foul odor coming from the dog and two puncture marks on the dog’s neck that were draining.

Captain Andy Shedd with the Columbia County sheriff’s office says the case against James Long is more about pet owners being aware of the conditions they have for their animals.

“I want to stress that it wasn’t one of those cases where this heinous crime where this guy was targeting dogs that weren’t family pet and that kind of thing,” said Captain Andy Shedd.

“You know checking the collar, checking the collar that was used that kind of thing. You just gotta make sure its not harming the animal,” he added.

Workers at the clinic called deputies, who arrested Long.

“They went by what the vet was telling them. They determined that their were some pretty severe injuries to a dog, it was a terrier mix and based on that we obtained warrants for the suspect and he was subsequently taken into custody.

"We noticed that their were some pretty severe injuries to his neck area, around where his collar was. We determined their was a shock collar involved and also some zip ties that had been involved to try to keep the collar in place and that was the cause of the injuries,” said Captain Andy Shedd.

The dog's vocal cords were damaged as a result.

NewsChannel 6 asked investigators for pictures of the dog’s wounds, but we were told they’re part of the investigation and not being released.

Still– Shedd says the dog is in great condition.

“The dog is doing very well, that the wounds are starting to heal and the animal is basically on its way to try to get back to normal,” said Captain Andy Shedd.

No trial date for long has been set, and the dog is at Columbia county animal services until authorities determine where it will end up.

(WJBF - Dec 29, 2016)

New York: Michael Gallagher, 56, accused of trying to strangle his dog with zip ties and then putting a bag over its head and beating her in the head so badly with a shovel, the Shepherd mix had to be euthanized

NEW YORK -- Police on Long Island are investigating a horrific case of animal cruelty after they say a dog owner is accused of putting his pet in a bag and hitting it with a shovel.

That dog was later euthanized, and now, the Levittown man is under arrest and facing charges.

Nassau County police say neighbors saw 56-year-old Michael Gallagher trying to strangle his Shepherd mix dog with plastic zip ties around its neck on Friday.

"It was disgusting," said one neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "My neighbor across the street called me, screaming that she heard the dog being killed."

The disturbing images still haunt the woman.

"All of sudden, he comes out with this long zip tie," she said. "And he's putting it around the dog's neck. The dog is in the bag."

 

 

She said it was just before 3 p.m. along Silversmith Lane when she noticed Gallagher put the zip tie around 11-year-old Bella's neck before putting her into the garbage bag, which he beat with the shovel as neighbors desperately called 911.

"I screamed at him to stop and said, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?'" she said. "And he said the dog was sick, and he wanted to put it out of its misery. And I called him a couple of things."

The neighbor opened the bag, cut the zip ties and saw a bad cut on the dog's head.

"We just can't figure out why somebody would do that," said Gary Rogers, of the Nassau County SPCA. "Violent animal cruelty like that is a precursor to other violent crime."

"It had to be euthanized from the horrible wounds that it received," Rogers said. "The vet determined that the wounds were going to be fatal, and to put the animal out of its suffering."

“We're still in total shock,” said Kerry Gallagher, 26, the daughter of the suspect, who lives with him in Levittown. “We don't even know what to do. We don't want him coming back.”

The family adopted Bella as a puppy 11 years ago from the North Shore Animal League.

Kerry Gallagher’s ex-boyfriend, who lives nearby, witnessed the aftermath of the attack.

“He saw my mom crying on the floor,” she said. “He saw the bag and saw it was moving. He opened it and saw she had a skull fracture.”

Bella was taken to a nearby animal hospital for treatment, but her injuries were too extensive. Members of the Cornell University Veterinary School will now perform a forensic evaluation.

Cops caught up with Gallagher at a nearby 7-Eleven store about 10:30 p.m. Friday and arrested him for aggravated cruelty to animals and torturing or injuring animals.

"This is a family member that you've been living with for 11.5 years in your house, and then you decide to put a wire tie around its neck, a zip tie, a bag over its head and hit it with a shovel?" Rogers said. "We can't figure out what's going on there."

Kerry Gallagher said her father had quit drinking six months ago after decades of alcohol abuse.

“He was outpatient and he was doing really well,” she said. “He would come home and talk. He was happy I was talking to him again. I'm 26 — that's the first time I remember him being sober.”

But she suspects her dad started drinking again after another of the family’s dogs, Austin, died of liver cancer on Dec. 5.

Her dad doted on both dogs, she said, allowing them to sleep in his bedroom and feeding them cookies.

“I think he either just blacked out or something snapped in his head,” she said of the attack. “He’s never been violent with the dogs ever before. He loves animals.”

Kerry Gallagher was able to talk to her dad as he was being interviewed by detectives.

“He told me that he didn't do it,” she said. “He has no recollection of doing it. I was showing him pictures of my dog on the vet table. He was saying ‘What is that, who is that. Is that Bella?’”

Gallagher draws a $71,212 salary from the city Department of Education, according to seethroughny.net.

(ABC7NY - Dec 23, 2016)

Tennessee: Knoxville man Mitchell Whitt accused of torturing ex-boyfriend's cat

TENNESSEE -- A Knoxville man abducted and tortured his ex-boyfriend's cat after a lovers' quarrel, police said.

Mitchell William Whitt, 34, was arrested on the morning of Oct. 14 after Knoxville Police Department officers responded to an animal cruelty call at the Isabella Towers apartment complex, 1515 Isabella Circle, KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said.

Joshua James Busha, 32, told police he and Whitt were in a domestic relationship that ended on Sept. 13. The break-up angered Whitt to the point that he stole Busha's cat, Suka, DeBusk said.

"Suka" means "female dog" in Russian.

Over the next few weeks, Whitt repeatedly called and texted Busha, threatening to kill, torture and drug the cat, DeBusk said.

On Oct. 14, Whitt showed up at his ex-boyfriend's apartment armed with a baseball bat and a hatchet and banged on the door, police said. When Busha looked through the peephole, Whitt told him Suka was tied up with zip ties inside his backpack, then took the cat out of the backpack and held it in front of the peephole for Busha to see, DeBusk said.

Busha became upset, opened the door and began fighting with Whitt, DeBusk said. While it's not clear whether Busha wrenched one of the weapons away from Whitt, a witness who called E-911 said one man had a baseball bat, and the other, an ax, according to an arrest warrant. Whitt bit Busha on the inside of his right forearm during the clash, the warrant states.

While the two humans fought, Suka ran inside and hid under a bed. Busha and a neighbor later retrieved the cat from under the bed to find it was "tangled up" with a harness, collar, leash and zip ties, and had a "substantial open wound around its neck," DeBusk said.

Suka was treated at Young-Williams Animal Center and returned to Busha on Monday, DeBusk said.

Whitt was arrested on a charge of domestic assault, according to court records. Police reviewed the details of the case and consulted with prosecutors, who instructed officers to file aggravated animal cruelty charges against Whitt "since the suspect with no justifiable purpose intentionally caused serious physical injury to a companion animal" in a "depraved and sadistic manner," DeBusk said.

(News Sentinel - Oct 20, 2016)

Oregon: Former Eugene man Matt McMichael investigated for possible animal cruelty after social media post showing zip-tied puppy

OREGON -- A screenshot of a Snapchat message quickly spread on social media Wednesday after a former Eugene man appeared to brag about zip-tying his dog’s muzzle shut, angering others who saw it and reported him to police.

But in response to the multiple reports — close to 50 calls Wednesday to the Central Lane 911 dispatch center and 83 Facebook messages, according to Eugene police spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin — a city animal welfare officer and patrol officer responded to the claim and learned that the man, Matt McMichael, no longer lives in Lane County.

Eugene police forwarded the case to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, where Mc­Michael now lives.

Linn County Undersheriff Jim Yon said McMichael lives in Harrisburg, and that a follow-up investigation is underway.

An initial investigation on Wednesday did not reveal any evidence that a crime had been committed, said Yon, who added that he had not yet seen the images. The investigation is continuing and charges still are possible, he said.

It is unknown when the photo of the zip-tied puppy was taken. However, photos posted on the Facebook page of “Exposed,” a national anti-animal ­cruelty group, had been shared more than 1,500 times as of Thursday ­afternoon.

Originally, the photo was captioned: “When you’re tired of the (expletive) barking!!!!!”

When people began to comment on the photo, a Facebook user that appeared to be McMichael responded with the words “laugh out loud” and claimed it was a joke.

“The zip tie wasn’t even tight, everyone chill out,” the user wrote.

The dog appears to be a dachshund and is named Hank, according to other photos posted on McMichael’s profile.

McMichael since has taken down his ­Facebook profile.

Snapchat is a smartphone application that allows users to send photos that disappear after they are viewed — unless the receiver saves the picture.

(Register Guard - Feb 19, 2016)

Cat found with front legs zip-tied in Westfield river

MASSACHUSETTS -- Two men fishing in Westfield discovered a cat in a river with its front paws bound together on Tuesday.

The men took the cat to the Westfield Regional Animal Shelter, where it was then rushed to a veterinarian.

The cat received medical attention and after a day of treatment was able to walk a few steps.

On Thursday, the cat, which the shelter is calling "River," was sent back to the hospital after the staff became concerned about the condition of her feet.

Anyone with information about this cat is urged to contact the animal shelter and Westfield police.

(WHDH-TV - July 31, 2015)

Massachusetts: Byron Snowton tied his dog's legs together with zip ties and left him outside crying in pain. For this he gets 4 days in the county jail - Oh, and Judge Michael Malone ordered the dog to be given back to his abuser

MASSACHUSETTS -- A 23-year-old Lawrence man was sentenced to four days in jail Friday for injuring his dog by tying its hind legs together.

Byron Anthony Snowton was sentenced in Douglas County Court Friday after being found guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty in a January 29 bench trial.

PROBATION VIOLATION


Snowton was ALREADY on probation for a 2007 theft at the time of his arrest. 

Snowton had been arrested Oct. 24 after animal control officers found a dog "sqeualing and yelping", tied by its hind legs and unable to stand in a yard outside an apartment building in the 800 block of Michigan Street.

The dog had bitten Snowton, who tied the dog outside while he went to the hospital and received 12 stitches in his hand.

The dog’s legs were bound with plastic ties used as handcuffs by military police, which Snowton said he possessed because of his service in the Kansas National Guard. 

He tied this dog's legs together BEFORE he was bitten. If the dog bit him, why would he take the time to zip tie her legs together and THEN go to the hospital? Why wouldn't he have locked her in the bathroom or in the bedroom and just gone to the hospital? 

There's no reasonable explanation as to why he would take the time to go find zip ties, grab the same dog that had already bitten you, hold her down while you're bleeding and she's not cooperating, zip tie her legs together and then leave her there in your yard while you then drive to the ER... If it doesn't make sense it's not true. 

Animal control officers took the dog to a local veterinarian and then to the Lawrence Humane Society, where it remained Friday.

The dog had suffered abrasions on its legs, according to court testimony by a veterinarian at the Humane Society.

JUDGE FEELS SORRY FOR ANIMAL ABUSER...

Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone sentenced Snowton to four days in jail rather than the four-month maximum sentence because, he said, Snowton injured the dog through poor judgment and not malicious intent. He also ordered Snowton to pay more than $2,195 for the dog's care at the Humane Society.

Seriously? Four days in the county lockup? OK I see feeling sorry for him and not giving him the pathetic maximum of 4 months in the county jail, but 4 days? Why not 1/2 the maximum, 2 months? Why not 1/4 of the maximum, 1 month? Four days is laughable Michael Malone, especially since this moron WAS ALREADY ON PROBATION WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY.

...AND GIVES HIM BACK THE DOG HE ABUSED

After Snowton completes a court-ordered anger management course, he can reclaim the dog, Chloe, from the Humane Society, Judge Malone said.

(Lawrence Journal World - March 8, 2013)

Earlier:

• Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, arrested after his dog was found with its back legs tied together with zip ties
• Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, found guilty of animal cruelty after tying dog’s hind legs with zip ties
• Massachusetts: Bench warrant issued for Byron Snowton, who was found guilty of animal cruelty after zip tying his dog's legs together.

Massachusetts: Bench warrant issued for Byron Snowton, who was found guilty of animal cruelty after zip tying his dog's legs together.

MASSACHUSETTS -- Douglas County District Court Judge Michael Malone issued a bench warrant Thursday for a 23-year-old Lawrence man who was found guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty earlier this week.

Byron Anthony Snowton failed to appear Thursday for sentencing after being found guilty in a bench trial Tuesday.

The court found Snowton had knowingly, but without malicious intent, injured his dog by binding its hind legs with plastic ties and leaving it unable to stand in a yard outside an apartment building in the 800 block of Michigan Street.

The dog’s legs were bound with plastic ties used as handcuffs by military police, which Snowton said he possessed because of his service in the Kansas National Guard. 

Thursday’s hearing was also meant to decide the future custody of the dog and hear a probation violation in Snowton’s case.

PROBATION VIOLATION

He was on probation for a 2007 theft at the time of his arrest. 

Court testimony Tuesday suggested the dog may be euthanized by the Humane Society if its history of aggression makes it unsuitable for adoption.

Snowton has said he would seek to regain custody of the dog.

(Lawrence Journal World - February 2, 2013)

Earlier:

• Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, arrested after his dog was found with its back legs tied together with zip ties
• Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, found guilty of animal cruelty after tying dog’s hind legs with zip ties

Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, found guilty of animal cruelty after tying dog’s hind legs with zip ties

MASSACHUSETTS -- A 23-year-old Lawrence man was found guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty Tuesday in a bench trial in Douglas County District Court.

Byron Anthony Snowton was arrested Oct. 24 after animal control officers found a dog tied by its hind legs and unable to stand in a yard outside an apartment building in the 800 block of Michigan Street.

The dog’s legs were bound with plastic ties used as handcuffs by military police, which Snowton said he possessed because of his service in the Kansas National Guard. 

Animal control officers took the dog to a local veterinarian and then to the Lawrence Humane Society.

Jennifer Stone, the staff veterinarian for the Human Society, testified Tuesday that the dog had suffered pain, swelling, and minor abrasions from the bindings but no permanent damage.

The dog is currently in good health and in the custody of the Humane Society, she said.

PROBATION VIOLATION

He was already on probation for a 2007 theft at the time of his arrest.

Snowton testified that he left the dog temporarily to seek medical treatment after the dog bit him, leaving a wound that required 12 stitches on one finger.

He said he first took the dog outside to calm it and bound its legs to prevent it from biting others while he was at the hospital. Later that evening, police arrested Snowton at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone said Snowton was guilty because he had knowingly injured the dog by his actions, even if there was not malicious intent. A hearing on Thursday will decide sentencing and the future custody of the dog.

(Lawrence Journal World - January 29, 2013)

Earlier:

• Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, arrested after his dog was found with its back legs tied together with zip ties

Massachusetts: Byron Snowton, 23, arrested after his dog was found with its back legs tied together with zip ties

MASSACHUSETTS -- A 23-year-old Lawrence man was arrested early Wednesday morning at Lawrence Memorial Hospital on a charge of animal cruelty.

Lawrence police spokeswoman Kim Murphree said an anonymous caller reported a dog squealing and lying on the ground in the 800 block of Michigan Street.

Animal control officers responded just after 1:30 a.m. and found a yelping dog, which was unable to stand because of a plastic tie, or flex cuff, tied around its back legs.

The dog also did not have any food, water or shelter.

Animal control workers removed the plastic tie from the dog, which did not suffer any broken bones, Murphree said.

Police then received a report of a man being treated at LMH for a dog bite. They interviewed the man and arrested him.

The man was booked in Douglas County Jail and released on a $750 bond.

Although the original article did not reveal the defendant's name, he was later identified in numerous news articles as Byron Anthony Snowton.

"The dog’s legs were bound with plastic ties used as handcuffs by military police, which Snowton said he possessed because of his service in the Kansas National Guard."

PROBATION VIOLATION

Snowton was already on probation for a 2007 theft at the time of his arrest.

(Lawrence Journal World - October 25, 2012)

Mississippi: Patsy Payton, 52, guilty of cruelty to animals

MISSISSIPPI -- A 52-year-old woman has been found guilty of 11 counts of animal cruelty and ordered to pay $1,100 to the animal shelter where she tied 11 puppies to the fence after hours.

A Hattiesburg Municipal Court judge gave Patsy Payton of Bay Springs six months to pay the Southern Pines Animal Shelter, and ordered her to have all her current pets spayed or neutered, WDAM-TV reported.

The judge suspended an 11-month jail term, Police Lt. Eric Proulx told The Hattiesburg American.

Payton allegedly tied the pups to the shelter's fence July 10 with baling wire and zip ties, WDAM reported.

Shelter employee Elizabeth Swann said one of the puppies hanged itself during the night, and the other 10 had to be euthanized because of the injuries sustained from being tied to the fence.

"We showed up for work at 7:30 in the morning," Swann said in an earlier interview. "They had been tied with plastic twine - each and every one of them had it tied around their neck tight to the fence."

Shelter manager Lara Hudson said she had to euthanize the remaining 10 puppies the next day in an interview following the incident.

"(They) had their collars embedded so far into their necks that they weren't savable," she said. 

Hudson said the woman, Patsy Payton, who tied the puppies to the fence was caught on videotape.

Shelter manager Lara Hudson called the verdict a mini-victory for abused animals.

"I'm pleased there are laws in the state that are going to protect animals," Hudson said. "It's nothing personal against the lady. I don't think she intended for it to happen but I'm glad for it (the verdict). It's a victory for the thousands of abused animals that never get heard of because of neglect and abuse."

A state law passed this year changes the rules on how animal cruelty prosecutions for domesticated cats and dogs. Anyone who intentionally tortures, burns, starves or disfigures a dog or cat can be charged with aggravated cruelty. A first offense would remain a misdemeanor, but a second within five years would be a felony.

(Columbus Dispatch - Oct 24, 2011)