United Kingdom: Firefighters spend 9 hours digging to rescue dog from drain

UNITED KINGDOM -- Firefighters have rescued a pet dog that was stuck 15 feet underground for 27 hours.

Eight officers carried out the nine-hours rescue with specialist excavation, videoing and listening devices usually deployed in the event of a natural disaster or building collapse.

After an exhausting effort, which involved sending cameras underground and drawing maps of what was visible, Moppit the Patterdoodle, was recovered from a tunnel.

Operation Moppit concluded when the pet was pulled through a narrow crevice in the ground and reunited with relieved owner, Rachel Stormonth-Darling.

The eight-year-old dog, a Patterdale Terrier and Mini Poodle cross, ended up underground after making her way from an empty stream at the end of her garden into a tunnel.

Moppit became trapped after she caused part of the tunnel to collapse while trying to dig her way out.

Rachel, 53, heard her pet whimpering from underneath the next door neighbor's garden patio, in Iwerne Minster, Dorset, at which point she had already been missing for 18 hours.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service station manager, Stuart Gillion, attended the address and found Moppit stranded 15 feet below the earth in a tunnel usually full of water.

Due to her precarious position he called in a fire crew, a technical rescue team and the urban search and rescue unit from Exeter, Devon - a highly trained underground rescue team.

Mark Greave, the owner of the property, gave officers permission to excavate two holes in his garden.

By using specially made cameras they were able to establish the layout of the tunnels and draw up a map, which allowed them to safely dig into an area of earth with a piece of specialist ground-breaking machinery.

They were assisted by neighbor and local history buff Michael Orham who has lived in the village for over 30 years and knows the formation of the underground tunnels. He advised the firefighters where to dig.

Moppit assisted proceedings by barking the entire time to show her position.

Nine hours after help arrived a smaller member of the team entered the tunnel through the small hole in the patio and retrieved the dog, which surfaced covered in dirt and was badly dehydrated.

After giving her some water Rachel was relieved to see her pet make a full recovery.

Rachel, who runs a Dorset travel website, said: 'I was scouring the garden when I noticed the stream had gone dry, which had never happened before.

'I put my ear to the connecting tunnel and heard Moppit.

'Then I walked into my neighbors garden and heard her again, this time much more clearly, through a drain and called the fire department.'

She added: 'The rescue team was incredible, I thought there was no chance she'd get rescued - it was against all odds she survived.

'The drilling through the ground was extraordinary - like a knife through butter. It was amazing to have her back in my arms, I was in complete shock.

'I'm so relieved that the whole ordeal ended happily for Moppit, she's the luckiest dog alive. It makes you realize how lucky we are in this country to have people who can do this.'

Mr Gillion, who led the rescue, said: 'After a call from a concerned member of the public I attended the scene and found the owner trying to shift the dirt with her bare hands, we had to convince her from going underground herself.

'I decided we needed additional expertise and called in the Urban Search and Rescue Unit, whose highly trained officers made the rescue possible.

 

'After identifying the dog's location we drew up a map on a whiteboard and dug a hole before one of our smaller team members recovered her. Moppit was very dirty and thirsty but the owner was very relieved. It was a good rescue with great teamwork and a happy ending.'

Both Rachel and Stuart gave thanks to the work of the urban search and rescue team, which was set up in the wake of the September 11 attacks. They generally use their special recovery equipment for incidents such as cliff collapses and floods.  

(Daily Mail - Dec 1, 2016)

Canada: Michael Hill, 32, pleads guilty to taping small dog's face, binding his legs and abandoning him to die

CANADA -- A man who taped a dog’s muzzle shut, bound its legs and and left it to die in a field will spend the next two years in a federal penitentiary.

Michael Earl Hill, 32, entered a surprise guilty plea Monday to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Hill had been scheduled for a closed door meeting about his case, but insisted on pleading guilty instead, said lawyer Ahmad Ammar.

After his release, Hill, who formerly lived in Kingston, will be on probation for three years and is banned from having a pet for 25 years.

“There is no other way to describe this act; it’s a despicable act of depravity,” assistant Crown attorney Craig Houle told the court in Windsor.

Denied bail last month, Hill has spent the time since his Dec. 18 arrest in solitary confinement. His lawyer says Hill has been segregated from the rest of the inmates at the South West Detention for his own protection.

Court heard Monday and at Hill’s bail hearing the history of the 13-pound dog Hill abused. Jessica Hems and Adam Esipu had given the dog to Hill on Dec. 15 to surrender to the humane society. The couple had a newborn daughter who was allergic to the seven-year-old Patterdale Terrier named Nos.

Hill took $60 from the couple to cover the fee to drop off a dog at the shelter. Two days later, Hems and Esipu were subjects of an intense social media campaign aimed at finding the dog’s owners.

Dean Cresswell took to Facebook after finding the little dog in a field beside the Canadian Tire on Walker Road on Dec. 17. The humane society renamed the dog Justice and a campaign called Justice for Justice was born. By Dec. 18, Esipu was at the humane society turning Hill in.

Cresswell presented the court with a petition signed by 65,000 people calling for the maximum sentence in the case coupled with a lifetime ban on pet ownership.

Ontario court Justice Micheline Rawlins explained the maximum ban allowed by law is 25 years and that maximum sentences are reserved for “the worst offender in the worst circumstances.”

Hill has no previous convictions for animal abuse. However, he does have a long record that includes convictions for robberies and domestic assault. He was paroled in 2009 after being convicted in 2005 of two counts of assault with a weapon. He breached his parole in 2010 and was jailed again. He’s been free since 2011.

He had been living in Kingston until five months ago. The mother of his child has family in Essex County, so she helped him find work at a local landscaping and snow removal company owned by Esipu’s father.

Fred Doughty said he worked with Hill. He and the Esipu family helped Hill settle in the area, finding Hill a place to live in Amherstburg with another co-worker.

“It’s a family business. We’re all family. We treated him like family. For him to do this…” Doughty said outside the courtroom, cutting off his sentence as tears of anger swelled in his eyes.

Moments earlier, Doughty had stormed out of the courtroom after swearing at Hill. Despite the judge warning the packed courtroom outbursts would not be tolerated, Doughty said he could not restrain himself.

Rawlins told the packed courtroom she has a dog given away by its previous owners because of allergies, too.

“Is an animal’s life only worth $60?” she asked.

Rawlins ordered Hill to get psychological counselling. “People who become serial killers begin with small animals,” she said.

Hill is also prohibited from possessing weapons during his probation and he must provide a blood sample for the national DNA databank police use to solve crime.

In a similar local animal abuse case, a Belle River man in 2014 was sentenced to four months in jail for killing a dog by taping its muzzle shut.

(The Kingston Whig-Standard - Feb 2, 2016)

Earlier:

• Tiny dog bound by electrical tape and left to die behind Windsor shopping centre
• Amherstburg man, Michael Earl Hill, 32, arrested in dog cruelty case

Canada: Amherstburg man, Michael Earl Hill, 32, arrested in dog cruelty case

Update to story: "Canada: Michael Hill, 32, pleads guilty to taping small dog's face, binding his legs and abandoning him to die"

CANADA -- As he recovers from his injuries the future is looking brighter for Justice, the small Patterdale Terrier found bound and left to die in a field late last week.

The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming, Windsor-Essex Humane Society executive director Melanie Coulter said after charges were announced in the animal abuse case on the weekend.

Windsor police officers arrested Michael Earl Hill, 32, of Amherstburg, Friday evening at the humane society. A staff member had called police when several people showed up to retrieve the injured dog.

Hill is not the owner of the dog, police said. He has been charged with wilfully causing unnecessary pain and suffering or injury to an animal. He is to remain in custody until a bail hearing can be held, likely sometime this week.

Because the case is still under investigation, neither the police nor Coulter would discuss who owns the dog or why Hill allegedly had the animal in his possession.

The 13-pound dog was found bound at the feet and mouth with electrical tape, which caused extreme swelling that was slowly cutting off his airway. He was left to die in a field near the Canadian Tire on Walker Road.

Dean Cresswell, 47, discovered Justice lying in the grass around 1 p.m. Thursday as he walked his dogs beside the store.

“I had gone shopping at the Canadian Tire, came out and the dogs were in my vehicle so I thought I’d give them a little walk,” Cresswell said of his two huskies, Bandit and Phoenix.

“For some reason they went down further than they normally do … so I went to see where they were at and I saw the little head poke up. That’s when I saw the little dog.

“I don’t want to say too much because I’m going to get all upset again.”

To his dismay, he couldn’t release the dog’s bindings because he didn’t have scissors or a knife with him when he found Justice, Cresswell said. But police assured him it was better that he didn’t because the dog may have tried to run away.

He was later told by police the dog will make a full recovery, he said.

The Windsor resident called his dogs “heroes” for their discovery.

Coulter, of the humane society, said Justice is improving; he is bright, alert and eating well.

There have been more than 100 requests to adopt Justice and people have been dropping by or going online to donate to the cost of his care, she said.

As of late Sunday, an online GoFundMe campaign had raised $998.

“He’s obviously touched a lot of people so we’re hearing from a lot of people,” Coulter said.

Justice will need more medical care.

“Because some of the dead skin is starting to slough off there is a potential that he might need skin grafts on his jaw,” Coulter said. “At this point, we’re just taking it day by day.

“Our medical team are doing everything they can … to get him well. But his injuries are definitely more serious than they first appeared.”

Little Justice has since recovered

He has also tested positive for heartworm.

Donations can be made directly to the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society.

(Windsor Star - Dec 20, 2015)

Earlier:

• Tiny dog bound by electrical tape and left to die behind Windsor shopping centre

Canada: Tiny dog bound by electrical tape and left to die behind Windsor shopping centre

Update to story: "Canada: Michael Hill, 32, pleads guilty to taping small dog's face, binding his legs and abandoning him to die"

CANADA -- A helpless little dog was bound at the feet and mouth with electrical tape, then discarded to die as extreme swelling slowly cut off his airway.

Outraged animal cruelty investigators are calling it a horrible case of torture after the 13-pound dog (later discovered to be a Patterdale Terrier) was found abandoned and dying next to Canadian Tire on Walker Road.

“It’s definitely disturbing to see it,” said Melanie Coulter, executive director of the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society. “This is just such incredible cruelty for absolutely no reason. This dog suffered a lot and almost didn’t survive.”

Investigators believe the dog, now named Justice, was dumped late Wednesday or early Thursday.

A man discovered Justice lying in the grass around 1 p.m. Thursday as he walked his own dogs beside Canadian Tire.

Humane society officers responded to find the tiny dog with his muzzle, paws and neck tightly bound by electrical tape. The dog couldn’t move. He was having a hard time breathing. His mouth and paws were extremely swollen. Officers rushed the dog to a veterinarian where it received immediate care.

Even after the tape was removed, he was initially unable to stand. His mouth and feet were still swollen Friday.

Coulter said the dog ikely wouldn’t have survived much longer if he hadn’t been found.

“His mouth had become so swollen that he would have been unable to breathe,” said Coulter. “He was already having difficulty breathing. With the swelling continuing, he likely would have been unable to breathe within a few more hours.”

Despite his extreme suffering, the humane society said Justice should make a full recovery.

“It will take some time, but fortunately because he was found in time we expect him to be able to recover,” said Coulter.

Justice is about seven years old and is not neutered. He is a small breed dog with a cropped tail and only weighs about 13 pounds.

The humane society said he had a pre-existing dental and mouth issue that would have caused him to have bad breath for some time. There is some kind of growth in his mouth that will have to be taken care of.

“He will definitely need some work there, but right now we’re focusing on the immediate swelling and other issues as a result of the experience yesterday,” Coulter said.

The humane society is working with Windsor police to find out who tortured the dog.

“He is a very distinctive looking dog, he is a very small dog, so we’re hoping that someone recognizes him,” said Coulter. “That will definitely assist the investigation if we could trace who the owner was.”

One irate dog-lover is taking matters into her own hands.

Jennifer Ozyer-McMillan started a GoFundMe account called Justice for Justice to help the humane society pay for the dog’s care. But she also plans to put up some money raised as a reward for anyone who can help track down the torturer.

“This guy has to be found,” said Ozyer-McMillan.

She said she’s worried that if the person isn’t caught, another animal or even a person could be at risk.

Little Justice has since recovered

 “This is where it starts and it will escalate into something else,” said Ozyer-McMillan.

Anyone with information about who tortured and abandoned Justice can call the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society at 519-966-5751 ext. 16 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477. You can also reach Crime Stoppers online at catchcrooks.com.

(Windsor Star - Dec 18, 2015)

Owner Upset After Pets Attacked by Pit Bulls - Animal Control does nothing (where have we heard that before?)

CALIFORNIA -- “She was screaming really loud.”

Wajid Nadeem is talking about his basset hound Lottie. On Friday, the two were walking on Shell Street in North Highlands when two pit bulls came running out.

“They ran across the street and then they locked eyes onto my dog. They charged towards my dog and both of the pit bulls started to attack. One was pulling at the neck and one was pulling at the leg,” Nadeem said.

 

 

 

 

Nadeem says he called 9-1-1, but he didn’t get the response he was hoping for.

“They ended up telling me that they were too busy to send a deputy out at the time and that they would send one out tomorrow. They referred me over to Animal Control. They told me it was after hours and they would send someone out tomorrow to get a report too,” Nadeem said.

But the next day no one came.

“So in the end no one really came out to see if the dogs were secured,” said Nadeem.

At the home where Nadeem saw the pit bulls come from, no one answered our knocks. But across the street, Walter Budka says his dog Tami was also attacked by the same animals.

“They busted through the door when somebody came out. They came from there to here directly to the dog on my property,” Budka said.

Walter Budka talks about the pit bulls attacking his little dog, Tami

 

It doesn't say, but she kinda looks like a Patterdale Terrier

Budka tells us the pit bulls are Aristotle and Poka, who had both lived in this home for years. But according to Budka, two weeks ago their owner passed away, and his son was temporarily taking care of the dogs while the family cleaned out the home.

That’s why Aristotle and Poka were getting out so much.

“It cost me about 200 and some dollars and he said yeah I’ll pay the bill,” said Budka.

Nadeem wants those owners to pay similar medical expenses for Lottie. But since Animal Control never responded, he has no record of the attack, no way to contact the owners responsible.

“I thought it was standard for law enforcement or Animal Control to do a standard investigation, so I can have that information and pursue a case. But now it looks like it might not even happen, because now apparently the owner has left.”

Unfortunately, there are a LOT of lazy animal control officers. For example -- They lie and don't go search for the aggressive dog running loose - they lie and tell dispatch they couldn't find the dog when they never even left the Bojangles parking lot. Or they lie and say that they left a notice at an owner's house when they're really hiding out behind a church watching Netflix on their laptop. You know who you are.

(Fox40 - Sept 28, 2014)

Two-year-old pooch Benji mauled by a pack of dogs

UNITED KINGDOM -- TERRIFIED pet Benji needed two life-saving operations after he was mauled in an attack by a pack of dogs.

The two-year-old – a cross between a jack russell and a shih tzu – was chased by nine other dogs while out with owner Rob Redfern in Eaton Park.

Mr Redfern's other dog Molly, a four-year-old Patterdale terrier cross, evaded the animals, none of whom were on a lead.

But one Staffordshire bull terrier caught Benji's side twice, leaving him with two detached ribs.

And as he tried to free Benji, Mr Redfern suffered four puncture wounds to his cheek. He said: "The whole episode was horrendous.

"My two dogs have never harmed anyone. They're such friendly and bubbly characters and should be allowed to enjoy themselves in public."

The dogs were attacked on Monday at 6.55am while Mr Redfern was walking them in Drake Close.
Benji underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday at the Churnet Valley veterinary clinic.

He was back in surgery yesterday to repair the muscle, tissue and bone damage to his sides.


Mr Redfern, aged 60, of Eaton Park, said Benji will now be forced to stay at home for a few weeks.

He added: "Myself and the two dogs were just doing what we do every morning and going for a walk.
"Prior to the attack, I hadn't seen the owners or the nine dogs before, but from the moment the dogs saw us they charged very quickly.

"Two of the men managed to gain some control over the dogs after Benji was caught for the second time."

Mr Redfern said three men were with the pack of nine dogs – two of whom he said to be in their 20s with another man believed to be in his late 40s.

 

He added that the incident was out of character for the 'quiet and respectable' Eaton Park area.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "It was reported that at around 6.55am on Monday 21 April, a man was walking his two dogs off lead in Drake Closet.

"There were several other people also walking with their dogs off lead.

"One of the man's dogs was reportedly attacked by the other dogs. Somehow the man received a small scratch to his face but it is not clear how this happened.

"The man was not able to describe any of the people and from the information given there were no offences committed."

(Stoke Sentinel - Apr 26, 2014)

Staffordshire bull terrier killed precious pet in Guisborough attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A Staffordshire bull terrier named Tyson has been destroyed after attacking two dogs and their owners

A terrier named Tyson ran amok attacking two dogs and their retired owners, killing one precious pet.

Lee Boville, 40, was looking after his cousin’s Staffordshire bull terrier when it escaped and attacked dogs walked by two retired women in Guisborough.

The first dog owner was screaming and terrified when the white bull terrier ran up and encircled her growling and baring its teeth at about 7.55am.

It pushed her over and bit the face of her 13-year-old Patterdale terrier Taz.

A passer-by kicked and grabbed the attacking dog until it let go and ran away on Prior Close, prosecutor Sue Jacobs told Teesside Crown Court yesterday .

Minutes later, Tyson fixed its mouth around the neck of a retired woman’s Papillon dog, Marco, on Westgate. When she tried to stop it, the terrier attacked her, biting her right arm.

Her dog died from the assault. Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC said she still couldn’t begin to live comfortably without her cherished companion.

Boville, of Windmill Terrace, Stockton, realised his cousin’s dog was missing, went to look for it and heard screaming. He saw the first victim and apologised.

He admitted two counts of being in charge of a dog causing injury while dangerously out of control in a public place, from July 27 last year.

Tyson has since been destroyed. There had been no previous complaints.

Ian West, defending, said: “He’s absolutely mortified at what happened.”

He’d known Tyson for nine years, looked after it before, had never known it to behave aggressively and couldn’t understand why it did so on this occasion. He thinks Tyson left via a fire escape in a first floor flat while his back was turned as he helped his cousin fit a kitchen.

Judge Bourne-Arton, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, accepted that Boville did not know of the dog’s propensity to escape or attack.

“But you did not look after that dog with sufficient care, and that dog was dangerous,” he said.

“Two attacks, two people injured, and also one dog dead, as a result of essentially your carelessness.”

He gave Boville an 18-month community order with 120 hours’ unpaid work.

(Gazette Live - May 25, 2013)

Warning as dog savaged in Myrtle Park, Bingley

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman is warning dog owners to be vigilant after her family pet was “almost killed” in a savage attack by another dog in a Bingley park.

Benji, a Parson Russell Cross Patterdale Terrier, suffered a large gash to his shoulder and puncture wounds to his stomach after a dog set upon him while he was being walked by Donna Lewis, 32, in Myrtle Park.

Miss Lewis said she watched in horror as the dog – a black and white bull terrier – bounded towards Benji, grabbed his shoulder in its jaws and started shaking him.

She said: “I thought it was going to kill my family pet. It had hold of it that tightly and it was shaking him so much. When I got home I was shaking and crying and couldn’t talk. It was absolutely awful.”

Miss Lewis, of Denholme Road, Oxenhope, had been walking Benji, who belongs to her 72-year-old grandmother, when the attack happened.

She said the dog had hold of Benji “for what seemed like ages” as its owner tried to pull it away by its leather harness. Once the dog finally let go, she demanded the owner, who was with a woman and another dog – a whippet-type puppy – apologised and asked for his details, which he refused to give.

She then took Benji to The Gatehouse veterinary surgery in Bingley.

Miss Lewis, who walks Benji every day, said: “The vet said there were at least another two people who had gone in and said that this had happened to their Dogs. People need to keep an eye out for this black and white dog. If it had been an old lady walking a Yorkshire terrier, it could have been a very different situation. I just want people to be vigilant.”

Miss Lewis reported the attack to the police, but was told that officers were powerless to take any action because it had been a “dog on dog attack.”

The RSPCA also said officers could not investigate without the owners’ details. She also contacted Bradford Council’s dog warden service, but was told it could not patrol the park because the service did not have enough staff.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said under existing laws, the owner of a dog could be prosecuted for it being “dangerously out of control” under the Dangerous Dogs Act only if it attacked or if it was poised to attack a person.

He said that “dog on dog attacks” could only be dealt with through a civil action.

(thetelegraphandargus.co.uk - Oct 9, 2012)