Southern Arizona woman convicted in animal cruelty case

ARIZONA -- A Southern Arizona woman accused of animal cruelty has been convicted after a dog hit by a car was kept from veterinary care.

Francisca Aguirre, 37, was convicted of felony animal cruelty.

According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Pima Animal Care Center got an anonymous report about an injured dog on October 2, 2013.

A PACC officer responded to the property in the 3400 block of E. Milton Road in Tucson to investigate and was directed to the dog’s location.

While investigating, the officer found out that the dog, a male mastiff, had been hit by a car on September 30.

Officials say the dog was suffering from severe infection and extreme pain as a result of not receiving care from a veterinarian.

The dog was also found kept in an area without water and shelter.

The dog was immediately taken to the PACC clinic where his condition was considered too severe to treat and he was euthanized.

(ABC15 - Mar 19, 2014)

Man Moves Out Leaving Dog To Die In Cage

ILLINOIS -- A Rock Falls man faces possible charges after police said they found the man’s pit bull abandoned and dead in a cage.

Neighbors say Joseph Nelson, 38, was renting the home, and he moved out more than a week before the dog was found, left behind in a cage with no food or water.

The dog was discovered by Larry Smith, who was hired by the property’s landlord to clean the house.

“We walked around the backyard because there was garbage to pick up, then we saw a cage. There was something in it. It was a dead dog,” Smith said as he pointed to the spot where the dog was found.

Smith said the dog was a pit bull that he believed couldn’t be more than a year old.  The dog was left in a cage in the back yard, with nothing but a small blanket and an empty food bowl.

Smith called several neighbors, including Edward Kline. Kline then called police.

“When the police got here, they told us to put it in a trash bag,” Smith said.

Smith recalled the stench when he picked up the dog.

“That dog had been there for quite some time,” Smith said.

Whiteside County Animal Control officials confirmed they had been to the house on March 17, 2014.  A statement from them said the dog owner’s ex-wife complained that her ex-husband had moved and left his dog in a cage in the basement.

When animal control officers arrived to investigate the ex-wife’s complaint, they knocked on the door of the residence.

“Not seeing or hearing any signs or sounds or other activity of a dog from inside the house, we hung a door tag and left the area,” the statement said.  “NOTE:  We also spoke with a neighbor who stated the person was moving out but he had not seen the dog since before winter.”

Animal control officials said they did not hear from the dog owner, and heard nothing further about the case until they were contacted March 24 about a dead dog found by a worker cleaning a home on Lincoln Street.

Six days later, neighbors speculated about how someone could do something so cruel.

“This poor dog didn’t have a chance. If he didn’t want the dog I would have took it until I found it a home,” Kline said.

Whiteside County Animal Control says they are investigating, and charges are pending after they consult with the state’s attorney.

(WQAD - Mar 25, 2014)

Ontario County man and woman facing animal cruelty charges

NEW YORK -- Two people are facing animal cruelty charges after the Ontario County Humane Society and Ontario County Sheriff’s Office found an emaciated dog in a home in Shortsville.

Sheriff’s deputies say 41-year-old Shawn Fenner and 42-year-old Kymmberlie Fullagar, both of Shortsville, are charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

Sheriff’s deputies discovered a nine-year-old female Doberman named “Isis” being kept in a metal crate that was covered with blankets and clothes in a child’s bedroom. The dog was found to be emaciated and in need of veterinarian care.

“Isis” is currently receiving treatment from the Ontario County Humane Society.

Fenner and Fullagar will appear in Manchester Town Court at a later date. More charges are pending.

(WHEC - Mar 27, 2014)

Judge: Woman charged in animal abuse case must pay $30K for their care

ILLINOIS -- The owner of horses and other animals seized earlier this month in Kane County must produce $30,000 to cover expenses for their care, a judge ruled today.

If Stacy Fiebelkorn, 44, of Elgin cannot come up with the security bond within five business days, she will forfeit ownership of the animals now in the possession of the Kane County Animal Control department.

Judge Elizabeth Flood issued her ruling after a hearing Wednesday in which an Animal Control official said it cost his department almost $30,000 in expenses to provide medical care, boarding, feed, staff time and veterinary care for the animals.  That total was expected to hit about $43,000 after one month.

Animal Control seized more than 90 animals – including poultry, rabbits, goats, horse, mini-horses – in early March from a farm near Hampshire where Fiebelkorn was leasing space.

Authorities said they found some dead animals and others that were malnourished and did not have access to water. Fiebelkorn, who owned a traveling petting zoo, has been charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

One 1-year-old’s hooves were so overgrown, Wessel said she believes they were never trimmed. The rear ones curled upward, forcing the horse to walk on the back of his hoofs, which led to leg damage. Wessel said it is unlikely he will ever be able to work, or bear a rider.

Another horse, a teenage miniature called Old Man, is about 150 pounds underweight, according to Wessel. He should weigh about 500 pounds.

Several horses had bedsores, she said, from lying on bony hips. One miniature horse lost the tip of an ear to frostbite.

Last week, she voluntarily relinquished ownership of the poultry and small animals, but contested an attempt by prosecutors who want her to give up about 30 remaining animals, mostly horses, ponies and mini-horses.

The judge ruled that Fiebelkorn only had to forfeit an alpaca and a llama, but could – at least for now -- retain ownership of the other animals.

(Chicago Tribune - Mar 28, 2014)

Earlier:

• Dead baby goats found on northern Illinois farm in animal cruelty case

How many horses have to die before authorities remove the rest?

INDIANA -- Another Clydesdale horse has been found dead near a Huntington County farm where four others died two weeks ago.

Huntington County Animal Control Officer Lori Vanover says the horse was found Thursday in Lynn Creek Waterway, downstream from the farm.

Animal control officials have since removed from the horse from the creek, and will bury the horse.

All five horses share the same owner, who had entrusted the care of the horses to someone else, Vanover says.

On Mar. 14, authorities received an anonymous tip that a number of horses were either dead or malnourished on the property, Vanover says. Officials found two horses dead, and had to euthanize a third.

[So two weeks ago they found suffering and dead animals -- and left this one behind to suffer in agonizing pain for two whole weeks until it died as well. Good job morons.]

The owner has been cooperative during the investigation, she adds.

Vanover and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health will file reports with the Huntington County Sheriff's Department. From there, the sheriff's department will forward the case onto the Huntington County Prosecutor's Office for review.

(Indiana's NewsCenter - Mar 28, 2014)

Three husky puppies and their mother left in tiny cage for 23 hours a day by cruel owners

UNITED KINGDOM -- Three husky puppies and their mother were left to fester in their own urine in a locked crate before being dumped by their owners.

The female Alaskan Malamutes were severely malnourished, had ammonia burns on their paws from being left in their own mess and their coats were stained yellow.

The 16-week-old puppies and their three-year-old mother, called Megan, are believed to have been kept in a tiny cage for 23 hours a day before being taken to a pet rescue centre in Liverpool.

 

The four puppies and their mother Megan are now being nursed back to health after suffering malnutrition and ammonia burns on their paws from being kept in their own faeces and urine.

The underweight dogs are now being nursed back to health by John Duxbury and his partner Christine at their husky rescue centre in Nelson, Lancashire.

Mr Duxbury, 52, said the dogs were so scared that they walked hunch-backed while shaking their heads.

He said: 'They were not behaving like puppies when we brought them to the centre because all their mineral and vitamin levels are so low. Megan, the mum, has suffered a great deal from being locked in a crate for 23 hours a day and I don't think her pups saw the light of day at all since they were born.

'Their immune system is very weak and Megan weighs just 19kg when she should be between 35-40kg. The puppies should weigh between 15kg and 17kg but instead they weigh just nine kilograms.

The four puppies are now in the care of John Duxbury and his partner Christine, where they and their mother will be nursed back to a healthy weight

The dogs' coats are returning to a healthy state after being stained by urine and left matted through neglect.

'They were the most well-behaved dogs I have ever transported in a crate because that was their life and ll they were used to. We are expecting to have them in our care for a good couple of months.'

Mr Duxbury's centre, Sibes and Sled Dogs Husky Welfare, is caring for 45 neglected huskies and have found homes for 24 of these.

He said: 'There is a huge problem in this country with “fashion dogs” which are bought because they are cute as pups but grow into big dogs.

The pups were so used to their crate that they were 'the most well-behaved dogs' rescuer John Duxbury had dealt with during their car journey

The canine family are now recovering with the freedom to run around at the Sibes and Sled Dogs Husky Welfare centre in Nelson, Lancashire

'Animal rescue centres have had a surge in numbers of Staffordshire Bull Terriers in recent years and now it is happening with Huskies.'

An RSPCA spokesperson said: 'Taking on any animal is a huge responsibility and the decision to become a pet owner needs to be thought through very carefully.

'People should never choosie a pet because they look cute or because they are fashionable.

'It's incredibly frustrating and soul-destroying for the RSPCA to know we – and other animal charities – end up having to pick up the pieces when animals bought as accessories are put up for rehoming, neglected or simply abandoned. The suffering it causes is all so pointless and avoidable.'

(Lebanon Times - Feb 6, 2013)

Texas: Off-duty deputy shoots, kills pit bull that attacked him

TEXAS --  An off-duty deputy shot and killed a pit bull after it attacked him Friday morning, according to the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.

The Precinct 4 deputy saw two pit bulls come into his unfenced backyard on Rolling Glen near Tomball.

He walked outside and said the dogs charged at him. The deputy said one of the pit bulls began to jump on him and then bit him.

"When the dog bit him, it broke the skin—possibly may have broken his hand as well," said Lt. Wayne Schultz with Precinct 4. "He discharged his weapon attempting to save his life."

The other dog ran away.

The dog’s owner later told deputies it bit him earlier in the day.

"He was out looking for the dog because the dog did leave the area," said Lt. Schultz. "And he was actually trying to find the dog after the incident happened at his house."
 
Neighbor Elizabeth Burkett says she has seen the same dog wandering around the area. With the second pit bull still on the loose, she was keeping her dogs inside.

Burkett said even though she understands why the deputy shot the dog, she feels bad for its owner.
 
"If my dog got out, he looks mean, but he’s not. If someone shot my dog, I’d be pretty upset," she said.

[Is it a requirement that everyone who speaks to the media be complete idiots? She understands why the officer shot the dog -- yes, well, thank you. He was attacked, y'know -- but feels bad for the owner.]

The deputy was treated at the scene for his injuries.

(KHOU - Mar 26, 2014)