Source: Associated Press, Nov 19, 2009
A shelter’s decision to euthanize a dog that was thrown from the sixth-story roof of a Brooklyn building has inspired new state legislation.
State Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner said on Thursday that he introduced a bill requiring shelters to release any animal they plan to kill to a legitimate rescue group that offers to take in the animal.
Animal activists were outraged last week when the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals put down the pit bull mix named Oreo. The ASPCA said it tried to rehabilitate Oreo, but she was too aggressive.
Before Oreo was euthanized, at least one upstate sanctuary had offered to take her in. The ASPCA said sanctuary was not appropriate in her case.
ASPCA attorney Debora Bresch says the agency is reviewing how the bill fits with existing law.
Source: Associated Press, Nov 12, 2009
A mother of seven is accused of running a house of horrors for pets at her suburban Long Island home, forcing her children to help torture them and burying at least 20 dogs in her backyard — animals neighbors now fear were beloved pets that mysteriously disappeared over the years.
Sharon McDonough pleaded not guilty last week to six counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty on suspicion of abusing five dogs and a cat found crammed into cages, covered in feces and urine, their coats matted with filth. A judge has taken away custody of the 43-year-old woman’s six young daughters.
McDonough’s neighbors began fearing their missing pets met a worse fate than the abused animals after her son led officials to a backyard filled with the shallow graves of 20 dogs.
Douglas McDonough, 21, who turned his mother in to authorities on Nov. 5, called the home “a concentration camp for the animals” in comments to reporters after the arrest.
“She would have the oldest kids hold down the dog while we duct-taped his mouth and she would hit him,” he said, adding that he and his sisters were all forced to take part in the abuse.
On Tuesday, a judge removed the six girls — ages 18 months to 13 years — from the custody of McDonough, who is widowed. Her court-appointed attorney, James D’Angelo, called the animal cruelty counts a “low-level offense.”
“She’s not charged with killing animals and is entitled to a presumption of innocence,” he said. No one answered the door at McDonough’s home this week.
Dozens of people have called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since the case broke, fearing their missing pets had been victimized, Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.
“My daughter is still crying every day over her lost Chihuahua,” said neighbor Sharyn Padula of the family’s dog Bally, who disappeared just over a year ago. Two cats, Annabelle and Sylvester, also went missing.
After the dog disappeared, the family “posted pictures everywhere, Craigslist, and went doorbell to doorbell asking people if they’d seen him,” said Padula, who lives a few houses from McDonough. “I really hope they don’t find my pets there.”
McDonough’s two-story red brick house sits on a middle-class block of closely placed, well-kept homes buffered by manicured lawns and festooned with holiday decorations — except for McDonough’s, an unkempt structure with peeling paint, surrounded by fallen, matted leaves.
Since the dog carcasses were found, vandals have spray-painted “killer” on the garage and “guilty” on McDonough’s mailbox. Rotten eggs were splattered on the house and on an SUV parked outside. A New York tabloid has dubbed her the “Cruella De Vil of Long Island.”
Gross was summoned to the home after Douglas McDonough contacted Rescue Ink, a group of bikers who stage animal rescues in the New York metropolitan area for a television program of the same name on the National Geographic Channel. Efforts to reach the group, created several years ago by a former NYPD detective and ex-security guards and bouncers, were unsuccessful. Its messaging system was full and an e-mail seeking comment went unanswered.
Authorities found the animals — a shepherd mix, a beagle mix, an Italian greyhound, a cocker spaniel mix, a pug and a tabby cat — in wretched cages in the house. A “sickening” smell in the back yard nearly overcame animal control officers and firefighters, Gross said.
“This is one case I’m sure I will never forget out of the thousands and thousands I have seen,” said Gross, a 25-year veteran of abuse investigations. “It’s probably one of the most horrific cases of animal cruelty.”
After Douglas McDonough told investigators about the animals buried in his family’s backyard, SPCA authorities returned to the house with a search warrant and began digging. In all, 20 dogs were found in varying states of decomposition, suggesting they had died over a period of years.
Gross said necropsies were being conducted and veterinarians would search the bodies for implanted microchips that might help identify them. That could be the only way to determine whether any of the dead dogs had been stolen.
Upgraded larceny or grand larceny charges might be filed by the police if it can be proved any of the animals were stolen, Gross said.
It wasn’t clear why McDonough’s son waited until last week to alert authorities, and contact information for him could not be found.
A note from the Suffolk Division of Public Health was taped to McDonough’s front door Monday, saying the agency wanted to know about “bags of human feces in the backyard and garage.” A health department spokeswoman did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Two of McDonough’s daughters have been placed with their older brother, two with neighbors and two in foster care. Suffolk County social services officials would not comment on the status of the child welfare case and whether charges were possible.
McDonough, whose husband, Darren, was killed in a car accident last year, faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count of misdemeanor animal cruelty if convicted. If authorities upgrade the abuse charges to a felony, she could be sentenced to up to two years in prison on each count if convicted.
Padula said she hopes the necropsies do not turn up her Chihuahua or other pets.
“I’d rather think that they’re wandering around still,” she said. “I don’t even want to imagine.”
Source: TimesUnion.com, Nov 13, 2009
A Saratoga County man hunting on his property found something he was not looking for Sunday: A dog bound in duct tape and discarded in a trash bag.
The beagle, named Daisy, had been missing for two weeks. She is now recovering at home.
Her rescuer, Ed Dandaraw, 64, was hunting in a swampy area on his property when he spotted a small black bundle that he said at first looked like a bear cub.
Upon closer inspection, he thought it was just a black garbage bag — until it shifted and he saw two of the dog’s brown legs sticking out.
“When I pulled open the bag, she hardly moved,” said Dandaraw, who said the dog’s skin beneath the tape was hairless and appeared to be rotting. “I don’t think she had much time left.”
The dog’s entire head was wrapped in the tape as was the midsection of her body. Her two front paws were taped together, so that she couldn’t escape, Dandaraw said.
Saratoga County Undersheriff Michael Woodcock confirmed the dog had been found, but would not provide any details.
“(Whoever did this) was a very sick, deranged person,” Dandaraw said. “They left the nostrils open so she could breathe in the bag.”
He took the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic and using information from a microchip under her skin, Daisy was identified and returned to her owners.
The owners, who do not wish to be named, live about 5 miles away from where she was found. Dandaraw said the owner had been going around the town of about 1800 residents searching for Daisy.
Dandaraw said he spoke to the owners Wednesday night and they told him that Daisy, who lost about 20 pounds, is recovering well, though she can only eat very small meals and consequently is being fed six to seven times a day.
It was the first time in three years that Dandaraw walked into the swamps on the back of his property, a life-saving coincidence, he said. Now he wants justice brought to those responsible.
“I did my job in saving that dog,” Dandaraw said, “and now whoever can help to find out who can do this needs to stand up.”
Reach Humberto Martinez at 454-5057 or hmartinez@timesunion.com.
Source: wset.com, Nov 6, 2009
A dog has been rescued after being stuck in the mud for more than 24 hours. Danville Humane Society officials found him on the Riverwalk trail near Dan Daniels Park after walkers reported hearing the dog whimpering.
The humane society knows this dog. They say a woman came to the shelter on Wednesday to drop off the dog, but when she took him out of the car, he got scared and ran away.
Meko Purdue was out walking on the Riverwalk trail with family, when she heard something strange.
“I heard the whimpering and the crying and we looked over we saw the dog,” Meko said.
She and her sister, Chablee, called 911.
“I looked over the ledge and I saw his face, and I was like it’s sitting there and I kept hearing it and hearing it and then that’s when everyone came over police and everything and they were like ‘we don’t see it at all’ and I’m like ‘it’s still under there’,” Chablee said.
Animal Control and Humane Society officials found the dog down a steep bank.
“You could just see his head through the branches and leaves and everything stuck in there, he was hiding underneath the tree,” Linda Cottrell with Animal Control said.
Rescuers were able to get him out. Paulette Dean with the Humane Society is sure he was out there overnight. She says a woman tried to bring this dog to the shelter on Wednesday.
“When she got him out of the car he got scared and he ran and she let go of the leash so she told us that this dog was now running towards the river,” Dean said.
If it hadn’t been for Meko’s call, they might not have found him.
“I’m glad we walked back through here, because a lot of people have been walking back and forth and I can’t believe no one heard him. It was pretty loud. I just feel like we were in the right place at the right time,” Meko said.
He really is a sweet dog. He was taken to the vet and expected to make a full recovery, and he’s available for adoption immediately. If you live in Danville or Pittsylvania County, call the Humane Society.
Source: WREG.com, Oct 27, 2009
The City of Memphis Animal Shelter was the scene of a early morning raid by Shelby County deputies Tuesday morning.
Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons and Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell say deputies with the Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the shelter located at 3456 Tchulahoma Road and temporarily secured the facility as part of an investigation into alleged animal abuse and cruelty.
District Attorney Gibbons requested the Sheriff’s Office investigation of the City of Memphis Animal Shelter earlier this month after receiving a tip from a citizen on the conditions at the shelter.
Sheriff Mark Luttrell told us, “We are finding that some of the allegations that we have heard are true. That will just take a more through investigation to determine just how bad the situation is but on its face, we can definitely see that there are some problems here.”
According to the search warrant, “detectives have learned that some animals have been deprived of food and water while at the Memphis Animal Shelter…” and while in the shelter’s care, “some dogs have been starved to the point of requiring euthanasia.”
According to the search warrant, some of the dogs “are involved in court cases involving dog fighting and have been marked ‘Hold for Court.’”
Additionally, the warrant says that shelter employees keep “…dogs that are to be quarantined for rabies with dogs that are not required to be quarantined in the same kennel.”
“The information we received about the conditions of the Memphis Animal Shelter clearly warranted a criminal investigation, and it is very possible that one or more individuals could face criminal charges based on the outcome of the investigation,” said District Attorney Gibbons.
Janet Hooks, Director of The Division Of Public Services and Neighborhoods, suspended 12 employees to allow investigators unfettered access to the shelter and the animals. No one has been charged.
While deputies are executing the search warrant, the facility will not be open to the public, and deputies will supervise limited employees inside the shelter. Animals brought to the facility during this time will be transferred to another shelter in Shelby County.
Trained investigators with ASPCA and emergency responders with the American Humane Association are at the shelter assisting the deputies.
