Category: Grrr

Would You Buy Food from a Company Whose CEO Abused a Puppy?

FEB. 23, 2015 UPDATE: Des Hague pleaded guilty today to one count of animal cruelty.

If you purchase a hot dog at the brand-new Levi’s Stadium after it opens next month in San Francisco — or buy food at hundreds of other venues — you’ll be putting money in the pocket of Centerplate catering company’s CEO Des Hague, who was caught on surveillance camera late last month kicking a Doberman puppy in an elevator.

Hague can be seen repeatedly kicking the puppy’s stomach and then choking her — he yanks up her leash so she’s suspended in the air. The video was taken July 27 at the upscale Private Residences at Hotel Georgia in Vancouver.

When BC SPCA investigators tracked down Hague in one of the condos, they found the puppy, named Sade, in a urine-soaked crate, with food and water bowls beyond her reach. When Sade was removed from the crate, she was skittish and appeared to have been physically abused.

“The dog was removed from the owner,” Mary Moriarty, BC SPCA chief prevention and enforcement officer, told Global News.

But Hague, a friend of the puppy’s owner, is not yet facing any animal cruelty charges, although they have been recommended by the BC SPCA.

Hague also remains the CEO of Centerplate.

“Centerplate does not condone the mistreatment of animals, and since learning about the situation late Friday night, have reached out to local authorities to better understand the facts and circumstances related to the incident,” the company said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing review, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Hague released a contrite statement yesterday through his attorney, claiming the incident was “completely and utterly out of character. I am ashamed and deeply embarrassed … a minor frustration with a friend’s pet caused me to lose control of my emotional response.”

Crisis management expert Steve Paskoff told Fortune what a lot of us are probably thinking: “My immediate reaction to this news was, this is a guy who will kick and drag a friend’s dog — what else is there to say about him? And if he treats defenseless dogs this way, how is he treating people?”

So far, no venues — including Denver’s Mile High Stadium, San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium and the Los Angeles Zoo — have cancelled their Centerplate contracts.

“The 49ers organization condemns the abuse of animals and was disturbed to learn of the recent news regarding Des Hague,” it wrote in a statement sent to Fortune. “We believe his actions are not reflective of the efforts and service provided by the hundreds of Centerplate employees working to present our fans with a tremendous experience at Levi’s Stadium.”

In the meantime, stadium guests have started boycotting Centerplate. At BC Palace in Vancouver Sunday, Canadian Football League fans told the media they would not be purchasing any food, and that Hague should be fired immediately.

Hague conveniently deleted his Twitter account, but animal lovers are using the hashtag #DesHague to condemn the puppy-kicking CEO.

You can contact Centerplate via email at info@centerplate.com.

If you’re still planning to buy food from a venue that uses Centerplate (here are all their North American partners), I highly recommend that you watch this surveillance video first.

The Ice Bucket Challenge Going to the Dogs is Just Plain Cold

We’ve all seen them by now — videos of celebrities and civilians getting a bucketful of ice water dumped on their heads to raise awareness of ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The dumpee then nominates someone else to go through the same ordeal — hence the name “Ice Bucket Challenge.”

But in what TIME refers to as a “cutesy turn,” dogs — including Sutter Brown, the Corgi belonging to California Gov. Jerry Brown — are now being subjected to having ice water dumped on their heads.

What’s so cute about that? The dogs have no idea what’s going on, and most of them look downright miserable in the videos.

Jennifer Fearing, deputy director of the Humane Society of the United States and a friend of Sutter’s, told Carla Hall of the Los Angeles Times that she doesn’t think the dog dunkings are cruel.

“I wish people would worry more about serious animal abuse issues,” she said. “Would you like a list? It’s unfortunately long.”

If humans want to participate in this insanely popular fad, fine. Overnight Wednesday, $6.1 million was donated to the ALS Association, which has raised $31.5 million in just one month. That’s 16 times more than the association raised in July and August 2013.

But please, people, even if it’s not considered abuse, don’t subject your dogs or other pets to an ice dunking. Just go ahead and donate the money to the ALS Association — or perhaps to your favorite animal shelter or rescue group — instead.

Sorry, Sutter Brown.

Photo via Facebook

Physician Faces Cruelty Charges for Leaving 9 Dogs in His Car While He Worked

The heat index rose to 90 degrees outside Charles A. Bickerstaff’s SUV Monday. Inside the vehicle were the South Carolina physician’s nine Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, who’d been left without food, water — or even a window cracked slightly open — while Bickerstaff went to work at a hospital.

When Bickerstaff returned to his car three hours later and found the dogs unresponsive, he took them to Mt. Pleasant Animal Hospital to be examined.

The dogs weren’t just unresponsive — they were dead, and rigor mortis had set in. They showed symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a condition that causes clots to form and block the flow of blood to vital organs.

When Bickerstaff — who didn’t tell anyone his name — left the hospital, the staff notified police. It was apparent the dogs “succumbed to their injuries as a result of ill treatment,” according to an affidavit.

“This is a medical doctor. This is not acceptable,” said the woman who called 911, reports WCIV. “He had asked, ‘So, leaving the windows open is not adequate?’ No. Not when they’re in kennels and they have full coats, and you have them two by two in each kennel.”

Police were able to track down Bickerstaff, who admitted he had left his nine dogs, whose ages ranged from 5 months to 9 years, inside his vehicle in the hospital’s parking lot.

In even mildly warm weather, the interior of a car can become like an oven — whether or not the windows are left slightly open.

“The temperature inside of a car during spring and summer, and early fall, in South Carolina will rise so much that, for a dog, seconds can cost them their life,” Dr. Sarah Boyd, of the Charleston Animal Society, told WCIV.

For example, when it’s 75 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can rise to 100 degrees in only 10 minutes.

Bickerstaff’s attorney, Bill Thrower, told The Post and Courier that the gastroenterologist got sidetracked with an emergency at the hospital, and couldn’t attend to his dogs, who he thought would be safe in the car.

“This was a tragedy that he feels as bad as anybody about,” Thrower said.

Bickerstaff has been charged with nine counts of cruelty, and his bond has been set at $90,000. Each count could result in up to five years in prison, with a minimum sentence of 180 days.

Joe Elmore, CEO of the Charleston Animal Society, told The Post and Courier that if Bickerstaff is found guilty, “we believe the maximum penalty should be applied by the judge in this case.”

Photo credit: Hugh Macdonald

Viral Facebook Photos of Dog Tied to Trailer Lead to Investigation

While stopped at a red light in Farragut, Tenn., Saturday, a driver spotted a Jack Russell Terrier sitting on the railing of a utility trailer attached to a Toyota Prius. A chain was wrapped tightly around the dog’s lower hind legs.

The driver snapped a picture of the dog. Someone else took another photo when Bob Hill, the Prius driver, emerged from his car and untangled the dog (but left him standing on the trailer, just a foot or two above the roadway).

Both photos were posted on social media, including the WBIR Channel 10 Facebook page.Within a few hours, the photos had been commented on and shared more than a thousand times, with most people demanding that criminal charges be filed against Hill.

The reaction caught the attention of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), which is investigating the incident.

“We’re seeing a lot of how social media affects law enforcement,” Martha Dooley, a KCSO spokeswoman, told WBIR. “We can go back several months and talk about pictures that have been taken on crime scenes and how that makes a story explode. Well, look at this.”

Dooley said the KCSO is investigating how the dog was being transported — “If it is injuring the animal in any way and also how an animal is restrained. Is that causing pain or injury?”

She told WVLT that additional photos of the dog, taken from other angles, are being scrutinized by the KCSO.

According to a KCSO news release, Hill told animal cruelty officers that his dog, named Buddy, had been inside the car, but was whining and wanted to go outside. So Hill said he used the dog’s leash and collar to tie him to the trailer railing.

He said that as soon as he noticed Buddy’s situation, he got out and untangled him.

“We agree that placing the dog on the trailer was not the best choice,” Hill’s family said in a statement released to WBIR. “However, the pictures posted do not show an accurate representation of the events. The dog was thought to be secured safely and at no time was ‘hog-tied,’ and was being watched by the driver.”

Facebook commenters disagree. “There is no way in hell that dog hog-tied itself like that! If you think that’s possible, you’re crazy as the SOB that did it!” wrote one woman.

“I was in the white car pictured beside this jerk and yes, I will freely admit I called the police on him,” wrote another commenter. “This poor dog was scared to death, falling around, trying to get free, causing the rope to cut into his leg. The man had some kind of small black rope clipped to his collar, pulling his neck down towards his back leg, which was hog-tied to the trailer. This jerk had no passengers in his car and even had blankets on every seat. Even if he had passengers, this poor pup should have been inside the car.”

While many states have laws against transporting dogs on trailers and truck beds, Tennessee is not one of them.

“We highly recommend that you always put your animal in a crate,” Amy Johnston, director of the Young-Williams Animal Shelter in Knoxville, told WBIR. “If your car is not big enough for a crate, there are seatbelts that you can actually purchase for your pet.”

Fortunately, Buddy’s legs were not injured, according to the KCSO, which said it is keeping the district attorney’s office updated on its investigation.

“At no time was the dog ever harmed,” Hill’s family insisted in its statement. “It is very concerning to our family of the multiple postings of threats of verbal and physical attacks along with identifying the address of where they live. Our family loves all of our animals and we believe the safety of an elderly couple is also a great concern.”

Photos via Facebook

‘Airhead’ Cop Leaves Blind Chihuahua Next to Busy Houston Highway

Little did a nearly blind chihuahua’s dog dad know that simply forgetting to use his turn signal would lead to the death of Guero, his 15-year-old dog.

No, the man’s failure to signal when changing lanes on Highway 59 near Collingsworth, Texas, on July 13 did not result in a horrific crash. A Houston Police Department (HPD) officer pulled him over for the minor violation, found drugs in the car, and arrested the man and his passenger.

After summoning a tow truck for the car, the HPD officer picked up tiny Guero – who was nearly blind due to cataracts – and set him down alongside the road.

“My husband pleaded with the officer to let him call someone to come get Guero, and asked him to call BARC (Houston’s animal shelter), but he said it wasn’t his problem, that the dog would be fine,” Josie Garcia, Guero’s dog mom, told KTRK. She said the drugs belonged to the passenger, not her husband.

Garcia posted Lost signs with Guero’s picture around the area, and three days later got a phone call from someone who found her dog.

Guero had been hit by a car and was lying dead on a shoulder of the road. Garcia wrapped his body in a blanket and took him home to bury him.

“I felt so much pain like I never knew I had,” she told KTRK.

Garcia filed a complaint against the officer with the HPD internal affairs department. Earlier this week, she told her story to the Houston city council.

“Let me give you a public apology right now on behalf of the city of Houston,” Mayor Annise Parker told Garcia. “I don’t know what airhead — there’s another word in my mind, but I’m not going to say it — would throw… you wouldn’t put a kid on the side of the road. You shouldn’t put someone’s pet on the side of the road.”

City council members are looking into city policies regarding pets involved in police procedures. The officer in this case has not been identified or made any comment regarding the incident.

The charges against Garcia’s husband were dropped – just as Guero apparently was alongside that busy highway.

Photo credit: Facebook

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