United Kingdom: No jail time for Wayne Waithe, 59, who admitted he stuffed his sick Pit Bull named Missy into a bag and drowned her

UNITED KINGDOM -- A CRUEL pet owner stuffed his Staffordshire Pit Bull terrier in a backpack and drowned her in a river to avoid paying a vet to put her down.

Wayne Waithe, 59, swaddled his dog Missy in a dark green jacket before trapping her in the navy bag and dumping her in the water - but has avoided jail for the sick crime.

Missy's head was left exposed but she drowned after struggling to swim to safety.

WAYNE WAITHE THREW MISSY INTO THE WATER HERE 

IN NORFOLK AND WATCHED HER DROWN

Paul Croker told Norwich magistrates that Missy was "alive and breathing when put in the river".

He added: "As it (the rucksack) was bound up, it was unable to swim to safety."

The court heard how Missy, who was around five to seven years old, was found to have number of tumours, including a large one on her belly.

After her body was found near at a bridge in Norfolk, police interviewed Waithe, who admitted he had a dog, but claimed it had died.

Mr Croker said Waithe then refused to be interviewed and became aggressive, asking officers to leave his property.

Waithe, of Norwich, Norfolk, admitted causing unnecessary suffering by drowning the dog on May 9 this year.

However, he claimed he thought Missy was dead when he put her into the water, but this was rejected by magistrates.

Chairman of the bench Jim Agnew told Waithe: "We think you deliberately drowned the dog because you did not want to pay for it to be put down."

NO JAIL TIME FOR THIS HORRIFIC CRIME
He imposed a six-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and also imposed a 10-year ban on him keeping animals.

Waithe, of Norwich, Norfolk, was also ordered to pay £200 towards costs and pay a £93 vets bill, as well as a £115 victim surcharge.

Mr Croker said the RSPCA considered the case as serious and asked that Waithe be banned from keeping pets in future.

"The RSPCA's view is that this individual should not be trusted with animals," he said.

(The Sun UK - Nov 9, 2017)

Australian Police Find Baby Koala Stuffed In A Backpack

AUSTRALIA -- An adorable koala in a backpack — it's what you didn't know you needed during the final stretch of the exhausting U.S. presidential race.

Police found this bundle of joy in the town of Wishart in Queensland, Australia, during a traffic stop Sunday night.

Authorities said in a statement that the officers asked the 50-year-old driver if she had anything to declare. She then mentioned that she had a baby koala in her bag.

"Not quite believing their ears the officers cautiously un-zipped the bag and found this gorgeous boy," the police said.

They added that the woman, who was subsequently arrested "on outstanding matters," said she found the little guy the night before and was taking care of him herself.

 

The police have since turned the koala over to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — but not before he tried to give typing a shot at the police station.

The young koala is thought to be about 6 months old and appears to be healthy, though he was dehydrated.

"He's been on fluids but is doing well and will shortly be going out to a carer," Queensland RSPCA spokesperson Michael Beatty said in a statement. "He weighs 1.5 kg [about 3.3 pounds.] and we've called him Alfred."

A koala also happens to be the mascot of the Queensland Police Service. Fun fact: Like baby kangaroos, baby koalas are also called "joeys."

The police are urging people who find koalas to turn them over to authorities, rather than try to take care of them themselves. "Often the animal may have no obvious signs of injury but it can have internal injuries that need immediate attention," they say.

Koalas are protected in parts of Australia, including in Queensland, where they have been designated as "vulnerable" under the Nature Conservation Act.

(APR - Nov 7, 2016)

Iowa: Family seeking answers after someone tied their dog's legs, put him inside a bag and threw him into a river to drown

IOWA  -- A Linn County family wants answers after someone found their dog Bella dead in a bag near a river.

Ashley Ray says her dog may have somehow slipped out of her house earlier this week. Her family posted in Facebook groups, put up fliers and called local animal shelters searching for Bella. She says they searched throughout the night Monday.

On Tuesday, she received a call from the Cedar Valley Humane Society asking her to come identify her dog.

"We went there, they took us in the back and my mom pulled the blanket off of Bella and she was still soft, and she was so wet, and she was so cold," Ray said.

A man who says he found Bella contacted KCRG-TV9. He says he wishes to remain anonymous, but says he found the dog near a creek off of Mt. Vernon Road.

Ray says her dog Bella was a companion and a beloved member of her family, and she says she doesn't understand how anyone could do that to an animal.

"It's disgusting. I don't know how anybody could take a poor, innocent, tiny dog that's not even seven pounds, tie their feet together, while they're screaming and crying and yelping for help, put them in a bag, take them and throw them in a river where they know that they are not going to be able to fight for their own life," Ray said.

She says her daughter shared a special bond with the dog.

"When she's old enough, I'm gonna tell her she needs to know there are people like this out there," Ray said.

She says she hopes authorities are able to find the people who did it.

"I don't think it would make me feel better, because it's not going to bring Bella back, but I feel like Bella needs justice," Ray said.

The Linn County Sheriff's Office says it is investigating how the dog ended up in the bag.

(KCCI - July 28, 2016)

Wisconsin: Terri Lynn Benson, 56, turns herself in after hunters find her injured dog, beaten in the head, zipped up inside a duffel bag and dumped to die

Update to original story: Are there two Terri Lynn Benson's living in Pardeeville, Wisconsin (population approximately 2,000) who look similar? Readers insist there are. Therefore, the social media photo of Terri Benson has been removed leaving the arrest photo of Terri Benson.  


WISCONSIN -- A humane society said it's furious about the suffering of a dog with head injuries that was thrown away like trash on hunting grounds.

Friday afternoon, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office arrested the owner of the dog that was found abandoned, according to a release.

The release said that the owner voluntarily reported to the Sheriff’s Office as a direct result of the wide range media and social media coverage of the abandoned and abused black lab.

According to a release, the owner of the dog that was arrested has been identified as Terri Lynn Benson, 56, of N5957 Dunning Rd, Pardeeville, WI 53954-9563.

The Columbia County Humane Society said sheriff's deputies asked humane society staff to assist with a report of an injured black lab Thursday in the town of Fort Winnebago, north of Portage. Four men found the dog near hunting grounds zipped up in a large camping-type bag at about 4:45 p.m. Thursday.

The lab was left abandoned at the French Creek Wildlife Area, in a DNR parking lot on County Road F, just south of County Road CM, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said.

 

 

It wasn't clear if the dog suffered the blunt force trauma before or after she was placed in the duffel bag. Sheriff Dennis Richards said investigators believe the dog was left for dead.

I believe they beat the poor dog in the head to kill her and then dump her to die. If she'd been attacked by another dog, the dog wouldn't have just focused on the top of her head. She would have had bites all over. 

"A situation like this is very disturbing," Richards said in a news release Friday afternoon. "These family pets deserve to be treated humanely. If you do not have the resources to have your pets euthanized at a veterinary clinic, please do not take the matter into your own hands to prevent family pets from suffering like this black lab has."

 

Humane society workers immediately took the female dog to the Portage Veterinary Clinic, where Dr. Michael Cooper examined her and provided emergency care, the sheriff's office said.

The humane society said the doctor scored the black lab's body condition as a 1 out of 9. She had a very large mammary tumor and needed immediate attention to head injuries.

The dog needed 19 staples to close her head wounds. CCHS said the dog is on antibiotics and pain medication.

"We are furious this dog suffered whatever trauma and was discarded like trash," CCHS said on its Facebook page Friday.

 

The dog is being cared for at CCHS and "hopefully on the mend," the humane society said Friday. "We don't know what her future holds at this time but we and the Portage Veterinary Clinic will do what we can to help her."

Richards thanked the four young men who found the abandoned dog and immediately called the sheriff’s office.

(FOX47 - Jan 22, 2016)

Injustice in Iowa: In Cerro Gordo County, you can pay $100 and they'll let you zip a cat into a duffel bag and throw it into a river to drown

IOWA -- A Mason City man who threw a bag containing a live cat into the Winnebago River in March has been fined a paltry $100 and no jail time (Did he even get any probation time? Did they go to see if he has other animals on his property that he's planning on drowning???)

William Nathan Hill, 69, originally was charged by the Mason City Police Department with first-offense animal torture, an aggravated misdemeanor.

The Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office later reduced that charge to abandonment of an animal, a simple misdemeanor. Hill pleaded guilty to that charge and was sentenced on Tuesday by Magistrate Patrick Byrne.

Court records say the state did not seek jail time for Hill.

One person posted on the Globe Gazette's website that she was disgusted at the action of the Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office as she had to pay $100 to reclaim her cat from the shelter after it slipped out her door one day. 

Clearly, the Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office doesn't take animal abuse and torture seriously if both of these people - one a loving cat owner and the other a horrid cat killer - get the same fine.

Police say Hill threw a gym bag containing his own calico cat into the river on March 21. It was witnessed by two people who went down to the river and found a live cat in the bag, officials say.

Hill turned himself in to police on March 24.

The cat survived and was nicknamed "Winnie" — short for the Winnebago River — by shelter staff at the Humane Society of North Iowa.

Ken Avery of St. Paul, Minnesota, has adopted Winnie.

(Globe Gazette - May 26, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown
• Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown
• Iowa: Winnie, the cat thrown into a river to drown inside a duffel bag by William Hill, finds a new home
• Iowa: Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office thinks that trapping cat inside duffel bag and throwing it into a river to drown is not torture; that's only abandonment of an animal

Iowa: The Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office thinks that trapping cat inside duffel bag and throwing it into a river to drown is not torture; that's only abandonment of an animal

IOWA -- A Mason City man accused of throwing a bag containing a live cat into the Winnebago River will be sentenced May 26.

William Nathan Hill, 69, originally was charged by the Mason City Police Department with first-offense animal torture, an aggravated misdemeanor.

The Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office later reduced that charge to abandonment of an animal, a simple misdemeanor. Hill pleaded guilty to that charge.

Court records say the state is not seeking jail time for Hill.

Police say Hill threw a gym bag containing his own calico cat into the river on March 21. It was witnessed by two people who went down to the river and found a live cat in the bag, officials say.

Hill turned himself in to police on March 24.

The cat survived and was nicknamed "Winnie" — short for the Winnebago River — by shelter staff at the Humane Society of North Iowa.

Ken Avery of St. Paul, Minnesota, has adopted Winnie.

(Globe Gazette - April 2, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown
• Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown
• Iowa: Winnie, the cat thrown into a river to drown inside a duffel bag by William Hill, finds a new home

Iowa: Winnie, the cat thrown into a river to drown inside a duffel bag by William Hill, finds a new home

IOWA -- Winnie, a calico cat rescued after being thrown into the Winnebago River in a duffel bag last month (by William Nathan Hill) in Mason City, has found a new home.

Winnie’s story of survival made it all the way up to Ken Avery, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Avery lost his longtime feline companion to cancer in January and had been waiting for the right time to bring a new cat into his life, according to a news release from the Humane Society of North Iowa.

When he heard Winnie’s story, he knew the time was right.

Avery came to the Humane Society to meet Winnie last weekend.

“Winnie deserves a good home where she is safe and happy," Avery said. "I knew I could provide her that home."

Winnie’s story made headlines when a Mason City couple witnessed a man throwing a duffel bag into the river on March 21 near the bridge at South Kentucky Avenue and fished it out of the chilly waters. They discovered a live cat inside the wet bag.

The cat was brought out to the Mason City Stray Animal Shelter, co-located and managed by the Humane Society of North Iowa, and was given the name Winnie.

A few days later, William Hill of Mason City turned himself in and was charged with animal torture, a simple misdemeanor.

Avery returned to the Humane Society of North Iowa on Thursday to finalize Winnie’s adoption and take her home.

“We are so happy that Winnie is going home with Ken," said Sybil Soukup, executive director of the Humane Society of North Iowa. "She survived her horrific ordeal and is now getting a second chance at a happy ending."

(Globe Gazette - April 2, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown
• Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown

Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown

IOWA -- A Mason City man has confessed to throwing a bag containing a live cat into the Winnebago River, police say.

William Nathan Hill, 69, was charged with misdemeanor animal torture on Wednesday.

Police say Hill threw a gym bag containing his own calico cat into the river on Saturday. It was witnessed by two people, who went down to the river and found a live cat in the bag, officials say.

Hill turned himself in to police on Wednesday morning, said Mason City Police Sgt. Tiffany Creekmur.

The cat survived. It was taken by Mason City Animal Control.

Shelter staff nicknamed the cat Winnie — short for the Winnebago River — and hope to adopt it out to a good home, said Humane Society of North Iowa Executive Director Sybil Soukup.

The Mason City animal-rescue organization has heard from many angry animal lovers since news of the alleged incident broke on Tuesday.

"They want to see justice served, so this arrest will definitely give some resolution to this whole issue and hopefully we can move forward and adopt her into a forever home," Soukup said.

Hill was cited and released.

A phone number for Hill couldn't be found on Wednesday. It wasn't clear if he had retained an attorney.

(Globe Gazette - March 25, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown

Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown

IOWA -- Police are searching for a man who threw a cat trapped in a gym bag into the Winnebago River in Mason City.

The man threw the gym bag containing the adult calico cat into the river near the bridge at South Kentucky Avenue about 6 p.m. Saturday, officials say.

A Mason City man and woman saw the man throw the bag into the river, officials say.

The witness was suspicious, "so he checked on the bag and there was a cat inside it — a live cat," said Mason City Police Sgt. Greg Scott.

The cat survived. It was being held on Tuesday in quarantine at Mason City Animal Control.

Shelter staff nicknamed the adult female cat Winnie — short for Winnebago River. Unless claimed, she will soon be available for adoption at the Humane Society of North Iowa.

"She’s in good shape, (but) she’s a little scared," said Sybil Soukup, executive director of the Humane Society of North Iowa.

The case was under investigation on Tuesday afternoon. No arrests had been made.

“It’s just a shock that anyone would dispose of an animal in this method,” Soukup said. “Zipped her up in a duffle bag and threw her into the freezing cold waters of the Winnebago River. That is a certain death that is cruel and painful.”

Mason City Animal Control is tasked with taking in stray animals in Mason City. To report a stray, call Mason City police at 421-3636 and ask for an animal control officer.

The cat's survival was due entirely to the Mason City man and woman who saw the animal thrown into the river, Soukup said.

"Fortunately, curiosity saved the cat when the couple that saw it happen went over and fished it out of the water," she said.

Anyone with details about the case can call Mason City police.

Update: The man has been identified as William Nathan Hill, 69, and he was charged with animal cruelty.

(Globe Gazette - March 24, 2015)