Category: News

Animal Cruelty Trial Begins for NFL’s Terrence Cody

MARCH 24, 2016 UPDATE: Terrence Cody was sentenced today to nine months in the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody is finally going to trial on felony charges that he “intentionally tortured” and “cruelly killed” Taz, his Presa Canarios Mastiff, earlier this year.

According to the disturbing details in a February 2015 indictment, Cody and his girlfriend, Kourtney J. Kelley, inflicted unnecessary suffering or pain on Taz; did not provide their dog with nutritious food or proper drink in sufficiency quantity; did not provide proper space; and did not provide necessary veterinary care.

Taz weighed only 50 pounds when he died in January. The average weight for a Presa Canarios Mastiff is about 90 to 110 pounds.

“This dog died a horrible, miserable death because of the conduct of both of these defendants,” said prosecutor Adam Lippe in opening statements at the trial, which began today in Baltimore County Circuit Court, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Lippe displayed photos of the starved dog’s body and the filthy cage he had to live in.

Along with the two aggravated animal cruelty charges, Cody and Kelley are facing an additional 13 misdemeanor counts for everything from drug possession to illegally owning an alligator — which, no surprise, was also neglected.

Cody’s attorney, Joe Murtha, admitted Taz was neglected, but he insisted that Cody did not intend for the dog to die. Really? Anyone with half a brain — even an NFL player — should know dogs and other living things need food and water to survive.

Kelley’s attorney said she is innocent and was not involved at all in Taz’s care. So apparently she either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the starving dog in the filthy cage.

Cody, who is expected to take the stand, was dropped from the Ravens after the February indictment.

If found guilty, he faces a maximum of six years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine for the felony animal cruelty counts, and up to 90 days in prison and a maximum $5,000 fine for the five misdemeanor counts.

Nov. 13, 2015 Update: Cody Takes the Stand

On the witness stand in his own defense today, Terrence Cody said he loved dogs and has had them as pets ever since he was 5 years old, the Baltimore Sun reports. He said he even sneaked one into his college dorm.

Cody and his uncle run a breeding operation in Alabama. When Taz started losing weight in December 2014, Cody said his uncle thought he might have worms and advised Cody to give him medication for the condition.

On the night of Jan. 19, Cody wrapped Taz in a blanket and, finally, took the emaciated dog to a veterinarian.

“I asked them could they help me with my dog, because my dog was very sick,” he testified, according to WBAL.

When he was told Taz died hours later, Cody said he was “speechless. I went into my own little world. I was still shocked that he was gone.”

Prosecutors say Cody and his girlfriend, Kourtney J. Kelley, neglected Taz for a month. Yesterday a forensics veterinarian testified that the dog did not have worms.

Baltimore County Police Sgt. Andrew MacLellan testified today that when he executed a search warrant on Cody’s property two days after Taz died, he found the dog’s cage, filled with feces and vomit, in the garage. He said the smell was so bad he and other detectives had to hold their noses and cover their mouths.

Cody told him Taz had only become sick a few days before he died, MacLellan testified. He said he kept him in the garage because he was a guard dog.

During the search, the detectives also found drug paraphernalia and a 3-foot-long alligator in a small tank.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday. Judge Judith C. Ensor will decide the verdict since Cody and Kelley chose a bench trial rather than a trial by jury.

Photo via Twitter

Tennessee to Become First State with an Animal Abuse Registry

While online registries containing information about convicted animal abusers are available in some U.S. cities, most notably New York, there is currently no statewide registry.

That will change on Jan. 1, 2016, when Tennessee will become the first state to have an animal abuse registry.

“We proposed this law not just to take a stand against animal cruelty, but to take concrete action to prevent abuse and deter those who repeatedly engage in the torture and killing of animals,” Sen. Jeff Yarbro, the sponsor of a bill that led to the creation of the statewide registry, told the Huffington Post.

Similar to a sex offender registry, Tennessee’s animal abuse registry will contain the names, current photographs and other identifying data of adults who have been convicted of felonies including aggravated animal cruelty, felony animal fighting, bestiality and related offenses, and cruelty to animals.

The information will be compiled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and posted on its website. Only abusers convicted on or after Jan. 1, 2016, will be listed.

“First-time offenders will stay on the registry for two years — you know, make them think twice before they…abuse or neglect an animal,” Wendy Palmer of the Greene County Humane Society told WJHL.

The registry will make it easier for animal shelters and rescue organizations to identify people who should never have pets. And since animal abusers often move on to violence against people (serial killers Robert Durst, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy all started out by torturing animals), it could prove helpful to law enforcement.

Opponents of animal abuse registries say they could encourage offenders to plead guilty to lesser offenses to avoid being listed.

When a statewide animal abuse registry was proposed in California five years ago, Randall Lockwood, a cruelty expert with the ASPCA, was opposed to it.

“An upside is that a registry enlists the public in the monitoring process,” he told USA TODAY in February 2010. “But many worry a spirit of public vigilantism could arise, prompting people to take revenge on an offender who in their minds has not been suitably punished by the legal system.”

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, is also not a fan of animal abuse registries. “When someone is convicted and punished for cruelty, does shunning or shaming them forever do any good for any animals?” he asked in 2010.

Instead of registries, Pacelle suggested that “efforts to stop animal abuse and improve public safety should focus on upgrading criminal animal cruelty and neglect penalties and encouraging more vigorous application of these laws.”

Sen. Yarbro told the Huffington Post the statewide Tennessee animal abuser registry won’t take resources away from law enforcement efforts.

“Given the documented link between abuse of animals and violence against people, I think states should consider registries and numerous other measures to put a stop to such cruelty,” Yarbro said.

Emily Strope, adoption coordinator for the Downtown Dogs Group rescue organization in Jackson, Tenn., plans to regularly check the registry once it’s up and running.

“We see dogs that have been beaten, chained, denied food and water,” she told WBBJ.

“Hopefully it will bring these people into the public eye. It will bring more awareness to people that this type of thing does exist and, in fact, is pretty rampant.”

Photo credit: my_southborough

Dog Dad Rescues Shepherd Mix from Mountain Lion’s Mouth

When Chanida Fetter heard a growl on the deck of her Placerville, Calif., home late Wednesday evening, she didn’t think much about it — until she heard Tiki, her 7-year-old Shepherd-Terrier mix, let out a cry.

Chanida looked outside and, to her horror, saw a mountain lion snatch Tiki and carry her toward the woods. Screaming, Chanida woke up her husband, Kirk.

Wearing only his underwear, Kirk bolted outside, sprinting toward the mountain lion.

“All I saw was a big old long tail. First instinct was to save my dog,” he told FOX40.

Chanida threw some buckets and other objects at the mountain lion as Kirk chased it. “She completely freaked out when I was down here because the mountain lion didn’t let go until I was right on top of it,” Kirk told KCRA.

Kirk was able to pry Tiki from the mountain lion’s mouth.

The incident took less than 40 seconds, Kirk told FOX40. Because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he said he felt no fear.

Chanida told FOX40 she saw the mountain lion stare at her husband for a second or two before it retreated into the woods.

Since there is no emergency animal hospital near their home, the Fetters’ neighbor hand-stapled the six puncture wounds on Tiki’s neck, ear and stomach.

The Fetters took her to the vet the next morning. The lucky dog going to be okay.

Tiki has been part of the Fetter family ever since she was a puppy. “It’s a family member. You got to save your family,” Kirk told FOX40.

It’s very unlikely that Tiki will ever be left alone again on the deck at night.

“It’s that time of year that deer are coming down off the mountains and mountain lions are following them,” Kirk told KCRA.

“Keep your pets in at night and watch your children at dusk.”

Photo via Twitter

R.I.P. Tillman, the Famous Skateboarding Dog

There’s sad news in the four-legged skater world. Tillman, a Bulldog famous for his skateboarding and snowboarding (as well as surfing) skills, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the age of 10.

“I’m sorry to announce the world lost a true legend,” wrote Tillman’s dog dad, Ron Davis, on Tillman’s Facebook page yesterday.

“We spent 10 years making so many incredible memories skating, surfing and hanging out together. No words can truly describe how much he’ll be missed. Thanks for all the good times, Tilly.”

Tillman, who holds a 2009 Guinness World Records title for the fastest 100 meter run on a skateboard by a dog, started gaining fame eight years ago, thanks to videos posted by Davis on YouTube.

Over the years, Tillman appeared in an iPhone commercial and on floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2012, he starred in the short-lived reality TV show, “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

Tillman, who was named after former NFL player and U.S. Army ranger Pat Tillman, started skateboarding when he was only 10 weeks old, according to Natural Balance. Tillman was a mascot for the dog food company for eight years.

“He learned by watching a skateboarding Rottweiler named Stoli, also owned by Ron Davis. At 9 months old, Tillman was on all fours skating. By the time he was 15 months old, he learned how to turn.”

Tillman developed a heart muscle disease during the summer, Davis told the Ventura County Star. He died Tuesday on the way to an animal hospital.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tillman at an spcaLA pet adoption event in 2010 and made this video featuring his impressive skateboarding skills.

Rest in peace, Tillman. I hope you’re having fun up there, hanging 20 in the big skateboard park in the sky.

Photo via Facebook

Trigger the Chocolate Lab Shoots Hunting Dog Mom in Foot

A 10-year-old Chocolate Lab from Indiana couldn’t possibly have a more appropriate name.

On a hunting trip Saturday with his dog mom, Allie Carter, the Lab stepped on a shotgun, pressing the trigger and shooting Carter in the foot.

The dog’s name? That’s right, Trigger.

As Carter was hunting waterfowl in the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area, she set a 12-gauge shotgun on the ground with its safety off, WANE reports.

It could have been much worse. Carter was taken to a local hospital and treated for a gunshot wound to her left foot and toes.

Carter, who is 25, apparently did not take the free hunter education course that is required of anyone applying for a hunting license in Indiana who born after Dec. 31, 1986, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources reported in a press release.

Conservation officers remind everyone that accidents like this do happen — even accidents caused by dogs who aren’t “ironically and aptly named Trigger.” To prevent them, they said to always point the muzzle of a firearm in a safe direction and use the safety mechanism.

Another way to prevent them might be by taking up a safer hobby for you and your dog.

Photo credit: Steven Jackson (This “Smilin’ Pup” is not Trigger.)

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