New York: At Anthony Pastor's animal cruelty trial, his ex testified that he has a history of animal abuse

NEW YORK -- An Upper West Side mom testified Monday that her ex-boyfriend brutally beat her poodle to death while she slept in the other room — and it wasn’t the first time he brutalized a lover’s dog, according to prosecutors.

“I looked down and there was Snoopy — stiff, not moving — her eyes were sunken into her head, and there were feces behind her, then I went closer, and I touched her and she was cold and hard,” said Taly Russell at defendant Anthony Pastor’s animal cruelty trial.

The CEO of executive recruiting firm Silverchair, rushed Snoopy’s corpse to the vet Aug. 4, 2016, and insisted on a necropsy, an animal autopsy. She still did not suspect her beau of the horrific attack.

The little pooch, who Russell described as a “ball of fluffy cuteness,” had nine broken ribs, a kidney that was torn in two, a damaged liver and spleen and major internal bleeding, the veterinarian told Russell.

She said she still didn’t suspect that Pastor, a corporate lawyer and father, was involved. “The whole thing didn’t make any sense,” she told jurors in Manhattan Supreme Court before Justice Robert Mandelbaum. “Who murders a dog? It’s just not something people I’ve known do.”

In a chillingly similar incident, in 2013, Pastor’s ex-fiance awoke in his apartment to find her “white fluffy dog” Molly dead, said Assistant District Attorney Tanisha Palvia. 

Days earlier, Pastor’s landlord allegedly saw him beating Molly outside the building, the prosecutor said.

After Russell, 45, told her estranged husband about Snoopy’s mysterious death, he threatened to take custody of their two children, now 9 and 11, if she didn’t cut ties with Pastor, she said.

He was so alarmed by the incident, he hired security and slept in the children’s room.

Defense lawyer Gerald Lefcourt, who is heading a defense team of three attorneys, argued that the dog could have been injured the night before when the couple tied him to a metal fence in Riverside Park while they had sex against a tree.

But Russell insists she was no more than 20 feet from Snoopy, 4, and facing her direction during the entire sex act.

“I wasn’t looking at her the entire time, but she was directly in front of my face,” she smiled, nervously. She claimed she never lost sight of the cavalier-poodle pup even while performing oral sex on Pastor.

Lefcourt grilled Russell for hours as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. He asked her about the four other dogs she owned in the last decade, including one that died and two that she gave away because they weren’t a good match for her family.

Russell met Pastor, 46, on match.com two months after separating from her hubby. A few months into the relationship, Snoopy’s behavior toward Pastor changed and she would cower in his presence and run from him, she said.

But this didn’t stop Russell from leaving Snoopy with Pastor while she jetted off on trips to Indonesia and other exotic locales.

Even after Snoopy’s shocking death, Russell invited Pastor and his son to stay at her Hamptons home, she admitted.

If convicted, Pastor faces a maximum of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison on the top charge of felony cruelty to animals.

(NYPost - May 1, 2017)

United Kingdom: David Mckenzie, 51, pleads guilty to being out of control of a vicious pit bull, which attacked and killed a puppy

UNITED KINGDOM -- A BARROW man has appeared in court after the dog he was walking attacked and killed an 11-week-old puppy in front of its owner's eyes.

David John Mckenzie, of Broad Close, Barrow, pleaded guilty to being in charge of an out-of-control dog.

The 51-year-old was walking a banned pit bull breed off its leash in Flass Meadows, Barrow, when the attack took place.

Mr Lee Dacre, prosecuting, told the court how on July 22, Deborah Daniels was in her garden with her cavapoo, Millie.

A statement from Ms Daniels was read out, telling the court how she saw the pit bull push through her fence, towards her puppy.

She said: "I picked up Millie, the dog then came through the fence into the garden. I was shouting 'get your dog, get your dog!'

"The dog grabbed Millie. I screamed to the man to get his dog away. Millie was making an awful screaming noise."

Ms Daniels' son Jake and neighbour Margaret Stagg came to her aid, but Millie was fatally injured and died.

Mr Dacre said three weeks before the fatal attack, Mrs Stagg had complained to Mckenzie about the dog chasing cats - a warning which was ignored.

The victims suffered physical and emotional damage from the attack, the court was told.

Ms Daniels and Mrs Stagg were both injured by the pit bull, and pictures of their bleeding arms and hands were shown to the court.

Ms Daniels' witness statement said: "My son doesn't want to get another dog."

Mr Sean Harkin, defending, told the court his client and the owner of the pit bull - an elderly woman - did not know the dog was a banned breed, and had no knowledge of previous bad behaviour. The dog has since been handed over by its owner and destroyed.

Mr Harkin said: "He had no idea the dog would behave in this manner."

The Evening Mail reported the attack at the time, and spoke to Ms Daniels and Mrs Stagg.

Mrs Stagg said at the time: "I will see its little face for ever and ever. She was looking at me as if she were pleading with me to save her.

"I tried to pull the dog's jaws apart and Debbie threw water over it but I could see that she had died."

Last month, McKenzie wrote to the Evening Mail in response to our coverage of the incident, insisting that the dog had shown no signs of savage behaviour prior.

Presiding magistrate Mr George Butler sent the case to the crown court for sentencing, believing the offence too severe be be sentenced by magistrates.

Mckenzie will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on November 25.

(NWE Mail UK - Oct 28, 2016)

Earlier:

• United Kingdom: Cavapoo puppy savaged by killer dog as owner played with it in Barrow garden

United Kingdom: Cavapoo puppy savaged by killer pit bull as owner played with it in Barrow garden

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman is urging dog owners to take care after her young puppy was torn to pieces in her garden during a savage pit bull attack.

Debbie Daniels, of Flass Meadows in Barrow, is looking to raise awareness about the dangers of not keeping dogs on a lead after her 11-week old puppy was killed in a grisly attack.

The 50-year-old was playing with her puppy, Millie, in her garden when she caught sight of a larger dog on the other side of the fence.

 

Ms Daniels said: "I was sitting on the step and she was playing by the fence when I saw the dog across the road and noticed it was off its lead. It had come over and was pushing its nose against the fence so I picked Millie up and started to walk back to the house.

"I didn't think for a minute that it was going to burst through the fence."

As Ms Daniels ran back to the house, the dog jumped up and grabbed Millie out of her hands.

The dog then clamped its jaws around the tiny Cavapoo and started to shake it around.

Despite being in a state of shock, Ms Daniels grabbed hold of the dog and tried to keep it still until help arrived.

After hearing the commotion, Ms Daniel's friend and neighbor, Margaret Stagg, ran down the lane and dove on top of the dog.

She said: "I just heard this scream and I knew there was something horribly wrong. I ran out of my front door - I didn't even put any shoes on. I ran as fast as I could. Debbie was crying her eyes out.

"I just got on my knees and got on top of it and put its head to the floor."

Mrs Stagg did her best to release Millie by trying to pry open its mouth but found the dog too strong.

She said: "I will see its little face forever and ever. She was looking at me as if she were pleading with me to save her.

"I tried to pull the dog's jaws apart and Debbie threw water over it but I could see that she had died."

Mrs Stagg's sister, Mavis Lakeland, ran to the house after hearing the scream and believes the dog should have been on a lead.

She said: "The dog walker just stood there saying 'I didn't know the dog would do that', but what was he doing walking a dog like that off the lead?"

The friends are now calling for dog owners to take more responsibility and keep their dogs on leads to prevent another vicious attack happening again.

Ms Daniels said: "That incident could have been kids playing in the garden with a fluffy toy. Please, just be aware when there are little dogs about."

(NWE Mail UK - Aug 5, 2016)

Dog’s owner finds peace after conviction of 11-year-old boy who beat animal to death

TEXAS -- The owner of a dog that was beaten to death earlier this year by an 11-year-old neighbor said she’s happy the boy will get the help he needs.

“It turned out as well as we could have hoped for,” Jennifer Knittel said.

The Fort Worth boy was found guilty Thursday in juvenile court of an animal cruelty charge that’s equivalent to a felony in adult court, said Sam Jordan, spokeswoman for the Tarrant County district attorney’s Office.

The 11-year-old, who is not being identified because he’s a juvenile, will be sentenced after court-ordered mental exams, Jordan said. Authorities will also assess his potential for violence toward people and animals.

He was released until his sentencing but was ordered to not have contact with animals, be supervised by adults at all times and not contact Knittel. The testing will take four to six weeks, Jordan said.

On May 11 the boy used a stick to beat the dog to death, fracturing its skull and severing its spine, before leaving the body on a porch in his north Fort Worth neighborhood, Knittel said Friday.

The boy’s family lives about four blocks away from Knittel, she said. She hasn’t talked to them since the Cavalier King Charles spaniel was killed, but said the family sent her an apology letter.

Knittel said she was shocked and devastated when she heard about what happened to her dog, Cookie.

“A few days later I was still expecting Cookie to walk through the door,” she said. “I just had so many emotions and didn’t really know what to think because it was a boy who did this.”

Knittel said her other dog, a German shepherd puppy named Sam, spent weeks looking for Cookie and whining.

Cookie was beaten to death by this little boy

People from all over the world reached out to support and console her, she said.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with support,” Knittel said. “The amount of love and people that Cookie brought together is amazing.”
(Dallas News - July 24, 2015)

Earlier:

• Future serial killer: 10-year-old boy stole dog from fenced yard and beat it to death with a stick

PHOTO ADDED: Future serial killer: 10-year-old boy stole dog from fenced yard and beat it to death with a stick

TEXAS -- Police filed a case of delinquent conduct/animal cruelty or torture Thursday with juvenile authorities, saying they have evidence that a 10-year-old boy in far northwest Fort Worth beat a neighbor’s dog to death with a stick.

Juvenile authorities will now review the case and could investigate further, place the boy in a first-offender program or refer the case to the Tarrant County district attorney’s office for prosecution in juvenile court.

RIP Cookie

“We’re in communication with them,” said Sam Jordan, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, on Thursday.

As of Thursday, the boy was not in juvenile custody, officials said. In Texas, 10 is the minimum age at which a child can be prosecuted.

The dog, a 15-pound mix of Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle, was found dead Monday afternoon on the porch of a house across the street from its owner’s on Sleeping Doe Drive.

Cookie was beaten to death by this little boy

Jennifer Knittel, Cookie’s owner, told WFAA Thursday that the boy’s parents gave a police officer a written apology, which was passed on to her.

“For whatever reason, our son felt threatened, and felt better to defend himself,” the letter read, Knittel said.

Knittel said Cookie and her other dog, Sam, were in her fenced back yard that day while she was at work. Knittel told WFAA that she believes the boy unlatched the gate and later beat the dog with the stick.

A witness told police she saw a boy try to kick two dogs as they hid under a truck. The woman said a short time later, she saw the boy walk from the scene with a stick as one of the dogs was slumped over on a porch.

When she confronted the boy, he told her that he did not hit the dog, but she became suspicious and followed him.

Officers located the boy, who lives three to four blocks from where Cookie was found dead, police have said.

The boy allegedly confessed to the beating, but told authorities he felt threatened by Cookie, a 15-pound Cavalier mix poodle.

(Fort Worth Star Telegram - May 14, 2015)