Category: Grrr

Florida Woman Arrested for Putting Unwanted Dog in the Trunk of Her Car

Earlier this week, Sara Perry of Cocoa, Fla., decided she no longer wanted Neptune, the Pit Bull mix she’d been neglecting. Did she do the right thing and try to find the emaciated dog a new, loving forever home?

Nope. Perry brought Neptune to a local animal shelter and told the staff to take him or euthanize him. An employee told her the shelter was full and they don’t euthanize unwanted dogs dumped there. Perry got angry and stormed off with Neptune. She took him back to her car, put him in the trunk — and drove off.

Fortunately, her heinous act was captured on video by a concerned witness. The shelter was able to see her license plate number in the video and contacted the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Thanks to that witness’s video, authorities were able to locate Perry and Neptune. Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Neptune was taken to the Brevard County Animal Care Center. A veterinarian who examined Neptune said the dog was extremely malnourished and in very poor health.

Perry was arrested and charged with felony animal abuse “for the despicable way she treated this poor, helpless pet,” Ivey said. “I’m even more proud to share with you that I personally walked Perry into the Brevard County jail, which is exactly where she belongs.” Here, here, Sheriff Ivey!

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is working with Florida’s state attorney “to ensure Perry gets everything she deserves, to the full extent of the law,” Ivey said.

“If you harm an animal in Brevard County, we’ll put your butt straight in jail and do everything legally possible to make your life just as miserable as you made that pet’s life,” he added.

To reiterate, “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU ABUSE AN ANIMAL IN BREVARD COUNTY YOU’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO JAIL,” the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post with the video. It has gone viral, with over 1.3 million views.

“Bitch” is a term used for female dogs, and it also certainly applies to Sara Perry. Here’s hoping she gets the book thrown at her. As Ivey said, someone with zero compassion “shouldn’t be allowed to own a plant, much less a pet.” And here’s hoping poor Neptune recovers and is adopted into the loving home he deserves.

On the disturbing subject of dogs in trunks, here’s a sad-but-true fact: In California, it’s legal to drive with your dog in the trunk of your car. In December 2015 a driver in Los Angeles was shocked to see two Huskies poke their heads out of the partially open trunk of the car in front of him.

The driver, who told a local news station she was only driving a short distance, was apparently not breaking any laws. California vehicle code 23117 simply requires that any animal that’s transported on highways in the back of a vehicle “in a space intended for any load” (the trunk or bed of a truck, for instance) to be “either cross-tethered to the vehicle or protected by a secured container or cage, to prevent the animal from falling, jumping, or being thrown from the vehicle.” The woman had tied a bungee cord to the trunk door to prevent it from opening all the way.

The ASPCA and the LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force investigated the incident. Believe it or not, the woman wasn’t charged with animal cruelty or endangerment. Still, all you dog owners in California, there are much safer ways to transport your pet…inside your vehicle.

Photos: Brevard Sheriff/YouTube

It’s Legal for US Evacuation Centers and Hotels to Ban Pets During a Disaster

Besides the tragic loss of human lives, some of the most heartbreaking Hurricane Florence stories were those of pets that had been left behind to fend for themselves in the rising floodwaters. In one video that went viral, volunteers rescued six dogs locked inside a backyard kennel just an hour or so before they all would have drowned.

After Hurricane Irma in Florida last year, pet owners who left their animals chained with no way to escape were rightfully charged with felony animal cruelty. Hopefully the owners of these pets in North Carolina will face similar charges.

While chaining or locking up dogs during a hurricane seems especially cruel, some pet owners may have had to abandon their pets because they were not allowed in evacuation centers and hotels. You might think that after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 and an estimated 250,000 dogs and cats were displaced or died — and in some cases, their owners who refused to leave them behind also died — all shelters and hotels would now be required by law to allow pets.

It’s true that the federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, enacted one year after Katrina, does require state and local emergency preparedness operational plans to address the needs of the owners of companion and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. However, as I wrote for Care2 after Hurricane Harvey in Texas a year ago, you might be surprised that the PETS Act does not require evacuation centers or hotels to accept pets during a disaster.

So, what exactly does the PETS Act require? It requires state and local emergency preparedness operational plans to address the needs of the owners of companion and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. While these plans do include “emergency shelter facilities and materials that will accommodate people with pets and service animals,” all evacuation centers aren’t required to allow pets.

Fortunately, more and more evacuation centers are welcoming two-legged and four-legged evacuees. Many hotels are willing to waive their no-pets policies to accommodate people who need a place for all of their family members to stay.

But knowing there’s still a real possibility that your pet will be turned away from a shelter during a disaster is a very important reason to have an emergency evacuation plan prepared so you don’t get separated. Here are some tips from the ASPCA:

  • Find out what hotels in your area will accept pets. Check your county’s emergency management office, local animal shelter and your city’s social media for the locations of evacuation centers that allow pets.
  • Prepare an emergency kit that includes a pet carrier (with your pet’s name, your name and your cell phone number written on it), canned food, bowls, bottled water, first-aid items, garbage bags and blankets.
  • Be sure your pet is microchipped and your contact information is up to date.
  • Your pet’s ID tag should include their name, any urgent medical needs and your cell phone number.
  • Keep current photos of your pet with you.

Photo: Daily Mail/YouTube

Monster Who Tortured Puppy Doe Sentenced to Up to 10 Years in Prison

One of the most disturbing cases of animal abuse that I’m aware of was that of Puppy Doe, a young Pit Bull who was given away by her original owners when their landlord decided to ban the breed due to high insurance rates.

Puppy Doe, also known as Kiya, eventually ended up with Radoslaw Czerkawski, a Polish national living illegally in the U.S. on an expired work visa. Czerkawski starved the puppy and inflicted upon her what a veterinarian described as medieval-style torture. This monster systematically pulled her joints apart one by one, split her tongue in half, stabbed her in the eye and burned her. When the 95-year-old woman he was living with and a caregiver for died in August 2013, Czerkawski dumped the puppy in a wooded area.

When a good Samaritan found Puppy Doe, she thought the dog had been hit by a car due to the severity of her injuries. Tragically, Puppy Doe had to be euthanized, but during her final hours she was shown what it’s like to be loved by the caring staff of the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

Czerkawski was arrested after Puppy Doe’s blood splatter was found in the elderly woman’s home. His cell phone records indicated he had bought the dog from her second owner via a Craigslist ad. He was charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty, and he was later convicted of a larceny charge for stealing more than $130,000 from the elderly woman.

The animal cruelty trial was originally set for early 2015, but it was repeatedly postponed.

Finally, nearly five years after Puppy Doe’s horrific ordeal, Czerkawski’s trial began earlier this month in Dedham, Mass. And, finally, there is some justice for Puppy Doe: This week the jury found Czerkawski guilty of all 12 counts of animal cruelty.

Although the judge could have sentenced Czerkawski to 55 years in prison, he was sentenced to only eight to 10 years, followed by two years of probation. Also, Czerkawski cannot ever own, care for, or come in contact with any animal, or volunteer where animals are present.

Czerkawski is already serving time for the larceny charge, so he could be out of prison in just a few years. Still, the Animal Rescue League of Boston called the sentencing “a historic day for animal welfare in Massachusetts.”

“With the conviction and sentencing of Radoslaw Czerkawski, it has been demonstrated that people who commit animal cruelty, and in this case extreme cruelty, will be held accountable,” it stated on its Facebook page. “Ironically Puppy Doe’s short and tragic life was the impetus for stronger laws protecting all animals in the Commonwealth–and there’s still more work to do.”

Thanks to poor Puppy Doe, animal cruelty laws have been strengthened in Massachusetts since Czerkawski was arrested back in 2013. The maximum sentence for a first offense, which used to be five years, increased to seven years. Subsequent offenses have a maximum sentence of 10 years. The fines were raised from $2,500 for a first offense to $5,000, and up to $10,000 for subsequent offenses.

While eight to 10 years doesn’t seem like nearly long enough for what that despicable monster did to Puppy Doe, at least her case will hopefully prevent other animals from suffering so much cruelty.

Rest in peace, Kiya.

Photo: Animal Rescue League of Boston

If Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelle Cares About Animals, He Should Resign

FEB. 2, 2018 UPDATE: Wayne Pacelle did the right thing — today he announced his resignation as CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

I’m a longtime supporter of the Humane Society of the United States, which has done an exceptional job in helping to eliminate puppy mills, cracking down on dog-fighting operations and assisting pets affected by natural disasters.

At the same time, I’m not a fan of its CEO, Wayne Pacelle. Why not? Because back in 2007, when more than 50 pit bulls were rescued from Michael Vick’s dog-fighting operation, Pacelle said they could not be rehabilitated and wanted them all to be euthanized.

Fortunately, the wiser and more compassionate officials at animal welfare organizations like Best Friends Animal Society and BAD RAP knew better, took in the dogs, and soon proved Pacelle to be dead wrong. Many of those survivors, known as the “Vicktory Dogs,” became certified therapy dogs, including Jonny Justice, who was awarded the ASPCA — not HSUS — Dog of the Year honor in 2014.

Nearly 11 years later, there’s even more reason to dislike Pacelle, as well as many members of the HSUS board of directors.

Sexual Harassment and a Toxic Work Environment for Women

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that an internal investigation of the HSUS identified three complaints of sexual harassment by Pacelle. Senior female leaders warned Pacelle that his history of sexual relations with subordinates, as well as with donors and volunteers, could hurt the nonprofit. When they complained about Pacelle’s behavior, it fell on deaf ears.

The HSUS offered settlements to three employees who said they were either demoted or fired after reporting the harassment. That settlement money came from donations intended to help animals, not the CEO.

Pacelle claims it’s all a lie. “This is a coordinated attempt to attack me and the organization,” he told the Washington Post. “And I absolutely deny any suggestion that I did anything untoward.”

Some HSUS employees agreed with Pacelle, saying all of those relationships were “consensual.” But others said he created a toxic work environment in which female employees believed they had to have sex with him to further their careers.

Seven HSUS Board Members Resign in Protest

Today the majority of the 32-member HSUS board voted to let Pacelle keep his job. Seven board members immediately did the right thing and resigned in protest. News of the board’s decision is already resulting in the loss of essential contributions from major donors, the Washington Post reports.

“I think Wayne Pacelle should do the right thing and resign,” Rachel Perman, director of charitable giving at Tofurky, told the Post. “I absolutely will not donate to HSUS if Wayne Pacelle is employed.” In November, Perman sent an email to all HSUS board members, urging them to investigate Pacelle after several employees told her they’d been mistreated by him. She only heard back from one board member, interior designer Erika Brunson, who asked Perman if she was out of her mind.

I believe all those women. By not ousting Pacelle, Brunson and the other board members are basically indicating it’s acceptable for the CEO to use his power to screw people — and with the loss of donations, they’re screwing animals as well. Pacelle and those board members should be ashamed of themselves.

Photo: Slowking4

Texas Church Shooter Devin Kelley Previously Charged with Beating His Puppy

Like many mass murderers, Devin Kelley, who killed 26 innocent churchgoers in Sutherland Springs, Texas, yesterday, was an animal abuser.

It’s a known fact — and a great argument for tougher animal cruelty laws — that there’s an established link between violence against humans and cruelty to animals. Many serial killers, including Robert Durst, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, started out by harming dogs and cats. Of the seven school shootings in the U.S. between 1997 and 2001, all the shooters had previously committed acts of animal cruelty, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

So it should probably come as no surprise that in 2014, Kelley was arrested in Colorado Springs for animal cruelty. Three neighbors in the trailer park where he lived at the time saw him jump on his Husky puppy and then punch the defenseless dog in the head and neck several times, Denver7 reports. The witnesses said the puppy was yelping and crying.

“She stated she witnessed four to five punches and then the male suspect grabbed the dog by the neck and drug him away,” according to the police report from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

When deputies arrived at Kelley’s camper, he refused to come out or show them his puppy. When he finally did, one of the deputies said the puppy appeared to be underweight. (A former neighbor at the trailer park told the New York Times yesterday the puppy was a Pit Bull, and Kelley left it “tied up in the sun all day outside of his RV.”)

Kelley told the deputies he chased his puppy when it wouldn’t obey his command to stay. He claimed he jumped on top of the puppy because it was acting aggressively toward another dog. He said he didn’t beat or drag the puppy.

The puppy was taken to an animal hospital for veterinary care. Kelley was charged with animal cruelty and neglect, for which he received a pathetic sentence of 18 months of unsupervised probation. When he completed the probation period, the case was dismissed, a Colorado court spokesperson told Denver7.

Two years prior to that incident, Kelley, who served in the Logistics Readiness division of the U.S. Air Force, was court-martialed for two counts of assault on his wife and 11-month-old stepson — whose skull he said he had intentionally fractured. He was sentenced to 12 months of confinement and a rank reduction.

Kelley’s wife divorced him later that year. Her grandmother, Lula White — whom Kelley had reportedly threatened before — was a member of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. She was among the 26 people Kelley killed.

Despite his violent criminal past, Kelley was still able to purchase automatic weapons and blow away more than two dozen people, ranging in age from 18 months to 77 years. “This isn’t a guns situation,” Donald Trump said today. “This is a mental health problem at the highest level.”

But this is indeed a guns situation — and the fact that it’s so easy for people with criminal backgrounds and mental health problems at the highest level to obtain them. Did Trump forget that in February he revoked a law that blocked people with severe mental issues from purchasing guns?

Instead of offering their thoughts and prayers, Trump and members of Congress could actually take action to save lives by banning assault rifles and by once again blocking anyone with a “mental health problem at the highest level” from purchasing guns.

Photo via CBS News/YouTube

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