Friday, January 6, 2017

Oregon: Mark Weber, 29, left his dog to suffer with severe open and bleeding sores. Pit bull was in such bad shape it had to be put down.

OREGON -- A 29-year-old Corvallis man faces a charge of animal neglect after police reported finding a dog in his home suffering from severe open and bleeding sores.

Mark Allen Weber was arrested Dec. 24 and charged with animal neglect after Corvallis police responded to a reported disturbance at around 8:23 p.m. Dec. 23 at a home in the 2900 block of Southeast Summerfield Drive.


According to a Corvallis Police Department report, officers on scene found a white Staffordshire pit bull terrier in need of immediate medical attention.

The dog reportedly had “severe open and bleeding sores covering its abdomen and other areas,” was unable to stand, had rough and red skin and was missing fur on most of its body, according to the report. The dog was taken to a local veterinary hospital that night but was later euthanized, police said. 

Hospital representatives told police that, aside from the dog’s injuries, its temperature was 4 to 5 degrees below normal, according to the police report.

Lt. Dan Duncan of the Corvallis Police Department said officers were speaking to roommates in the house about a reported disturbance when they noticed the dog needing immediate care.

“After talking to the other people in the house, it was clear it had not been getting any help related to its health issues,” Duncan said. “The officers got hold of the owner, and in talking to him he said it hadn’t been to the vet in years and he knew it was ill.”

Weber was charged with first-degree animal neglect, a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. Weber was booked into the Benton County Jail and later released on his own recognizance. No court date had been scheduled in the case as of Tuesday afternoon.

Calls to Weber seeking comment were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Duncan said officers rarely arrest anyone on animal neglect charges, but the state of the dog and Weber’s reported statements of its treatment necessitated the arrest.

“It was obvious he knew it was ill. It was an older dog, but there is still a minimum level of care you have to provide for it. It was suffering,” Duncan said. “Luckily, this is not one we see on an extremely frequent basis.”

(Corvallis Gazette Times - Jan 4, 2017)

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