2 Teens Arrested for Tying Tampa Dog to Train Tracks and Shooting Her

MARCH 15, 2015 UPDATE: Two adults have also been arrested in this case, and Cabela is making amazingly good progress.

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested and charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty and trespassing for tying a Pit Bull mix to railroad tracks and shooting her.

Tampa police officers Nick Wilson and Sr. Sgt. Rich Mills rescued the dog on March 4 after a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots. She was just moments away from being struck by a train.

Although she’d been shot twice in the neck and once in the right shoulder, the dog, who’s been named Cabela, survived.

In a news conference this evening, Detective Sgt. Patrick Messmer of the Tampa Police Department said investigators got a tip leading to a surveillance video in which several people could be seen walking Cabela to the tracks. Two of them — 17-year-old Natwan Callaway and Bobby Hollinger — were arrested and will be tried as adults. Others in the group are also expected to face charges.

Cabela had been bought for dog-fighting purposes, Messmer said. But since she was too sweet tempered to viciously kill other dogs, these thugs decided to viciously kill her.

At first, Hollinger threw Cabela into the woods and shot at her. But Cabela ran back to his house and sat, injured, on his front porch. So Hollinger and Callaway tied her to the railroad tracks, and Callaway shot her three times.

“Nothing gets you ready to see a helpless dog tied to a railroad tracks,” said Sr. Sgt. Mills.

After freeing her, he and Wilson rushed Cabela to Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service (TBVES). Veterinarian Dr. Jamie Davidson initially thought her shattered right front leg would need to be amputated, but during surgery it was able to be pinned and saved instead.

“Cabela came through surgery with flying colors and four legs,” TBVES posted on its Facebook page Friday. “The surgeon decided to pin it instead of amputation. It will be 6 to 8 weeks before we know whether she will regain full use and motion.”

Cabela’s original owners saw media coverage of her rescue last week and contacted Tampa police. They said she either escaped or was stolen from their yard four months ago — and, after reuniting with their dog this week, they decided not to bring her home.

“After a long visit where they were able to touch and cuddle with Cabela, they have made the decision to relinquish ownership and allow Cabela to be placed for adoption once her police hold is lifted,” TBVES reported on its Facebook page Friday.

Cabela is doing well, Katy Meyer, owner of TBVES, said at tonight’s press conference. The bandage on her leg was removed yesterday, and she is able to put a bit of weight on the leg.

TBVES is covering the cost of Cabela’s veterinary care, but is accepting donations via its website.

“All donations above what is necessary to cover the cost of Cabela’s care will be used for other animals rescued by Tampa Bay Veterinary Emergency Service (last year over 500 injured, ill or orphaned dogs and cats were cared for at our hospital) or will help care for injured or ill pets whose owners are financially limited,” the website states.

Photo via Facebook

Not Guilty Verdict for Owner of Dog Shot by Hawthorne Police

MAY 20, 2015 UPDATE: Today Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lauren Weis Birnstein dismissed the two remaining misdemeanor police interference counts against Leon Rosby, the Daily Breeze reports.

“An honor to represent you Leon and get justice for Max,” Rosby’s attorney, Mark Garagos, tweeted this afternoon.

A trial finally began two weeks ago regarding the infamous 2013 case of a Hawthorne, Calif., police officer shooting a Rottweiler named Max as the dog’s owner, Leon Rosby, begged him not to.

But it wasn’t the police officer who was being tried. It was Rosby, who was charged with dissuading a witness and two counts of interfering with a police SWAT operation.

The jury deadlocked on the police interference charges, but found Rosby not guilty of dissuading a witness.

“Thank you. Thank you,” Rosby said in tears when the verdict was announced Monday at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles, the Daily Breeze reports.

Eight of the 12 jurors were in favor of a not guilty verdict for the police interference charges as well. Judge Lauren Weis Birnstein declared a mistrial on those two counts. Rosby will return to court April 7 to find out if prosecutors want to retry him or dismiss the charges.

Back in June 2013, as Rosby drove home from a dog park with Max, his 3-year-old Rottweiler, he stopped to check out a police barricade situation. With Max on a leash and music blaring from his car, he walked over to make a cellphone video. According to the Hawthorne Police Department, he got too close. Officers told him to turn down the music volume in his car and leave.

Rosby returned to his car and put Max inside. When two officers following Rosby put him in handcuffs, Max leaped out an open window and ran at the officers, barking at them. As Max jumped toward an officer, he was shot four times.

A few days after the first shocking video of the incident was posted on YouTube and viewed by millions, another video surfaced, taken by a witness from a different angle. The Hawthorne Police Department said the second video proved the officer had good reason to shoot Max. Rosby is accused of intimidating witness Kathy Brown after she told police that Rosby had threatened the man who recorded the second video. Brown later changed her story, saying she had lied about Rosby’s threats.

“It was hard to take anything she said as being the absolute truth,” one of the jurors, Colin Lopez, told the Daily Breeze.

Regarding the videos of Max being shot that were shown to the jury during the trial, Lopez said, “We would have to take a step back and say, ‘This is not what it’s about. It had nothing to do with the dog.’”

Rosby was represented by Mark Geragos, whose name you may recognize from cases involving Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Winona Ryder, Scott Peterson and many others. He told the Daily Breeze he expects the police interference charges will be dropped.

“The only people who were obstructing or delaying justice were the Hawthorne cops,” Geragos said. “Leon was exposing the corruption and culture of the Hawthorne Police Department, and before it was popular. He was ahead of his time.”

Photo via YouTube

Shooter of Dog who ‘Played Too Rough’ at Houston Park Charged with Animal Cruelty

On a Sunday afternoon in late January, Joseph Potts thought Diesel, a 2-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was playing too roughly with his own dog at the Bay Area Dog Park in Houston.

So Potts kicked Diesel, knocking him down. He pulled out a Glock 9mm pistol and shot Diesel three times at close range in the back and leg.

Diesel was rushed to a local emergency animal hospital, where he had to be euthanized a few hours later due to the extent of his injuries.

“I just can’t believe somebody would do that when the dog wasn’t even being aggressive,” Melanie Merritt, who saw the shooting, told KHOU at the time.

Another eyewitness told KPRC-TV the dogs appeared to have been playfully tussling at the Bay Area Dog Park. “His dog was not in danger,” he said. “I witnessed everything. No one was in danger.”

When questioned by Harris County sheriff’s deputies, Potts — who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun — told them he did it in self defense when the “Pit Bull” tried to attack his dog. He was allowed to go free while the Harris County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case.

As outrage grew over the incident, a Support for Diesel page was created on Facebook, and dozens of pet parents attended a protest walk at the Bay Area Dog Park.

“This case has gotten more notoriety than many of our homicides,” Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Tom Gilliland told the Houston Chronicle.

Nearly two months later, justice has finally been served. Potts was arrested Monday and charged with one count of felony cruelty to a non-livestock animal. If found guilty, he faces two to 10 years in prison — and will likely lose that license to carry a gun.

“Animal abuse is a serious offense that will not be tolerated,” Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said in a press release. “We take all allegations of cruelty to animals very seriously and pursue charges whenever appropriate.”

Randall Livingston, Diesel’s dog dad, told KPRC-TV, “We were pretty excited to hear that news. That was obviously the outcome we were looking for.”

Livingston had Diesel since he was a puppy. “He was an absolutely amazing, beautiful dog,” he told the Houston Press in January. “When anybody came in contact with him — when you were walking down the street, and they were driving — they would roll down the windows and just comment on him: how beautiful he is, how sweet he is. Man, it’s a bad deal. It really is.”

Livingston’s mother took Diesel to the Bay Area Dog Park on Jan. 25. She told police that when she saw Potts kicking Diesel, she yelled at him to grab his collar. Instead, Potts pulled out his Glock.

After Potts was arrested yesterday, he was released on a $5,000 bond.

“Hopefully he would have some form of better judgment or just stay the hell out of the dog park,” Livingston told KPRC-TV.

Photos via Facebook

Voting Begins for 2015 Hero Dog Awards

The second round of voting has begun. You can vote online for your favorite semi-finalist in each category through June 26, 2015.

The first round of voting has begun for the fifth annual American Humane Association (AHA) Hero Dog Awards, presented by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation.

The purpose of these awards is to “celebrate the powerful, age-old bond between dogs and people – and give recognition to courageous acts of heroism performed by our four-legged best friends,” according to the official website.

The eight Hero Dog Awards categories are Law Enforcement Dogs; Arson Dogs; Service Dogs; Therapy Dogs; Military Dogs; Search-and-Rescue Dogs; Guide and Hearing Dogs; and Emerging Hero Dogs (ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things).

Through May 15, you can vote online once every day for your favorite dog in each category. You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old to vote.

The top three semifinalists in each category will move on to the second round, which will include votes from celebrities and the public. The winner of each category will appear at the Hero Dog Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, where the 2015 winner will be announced.

To help hero dogs everywhere, AHA will donate $2,500 to each category winner’s charity partner, and an additional $5,000 to the grand prize winner’s charity partner.

Last year’s grand prize winner was Susie, a Pit Bull/German Shepherd-mix who survived a horribly abusive puppyhood and became a therapy dog. She was the inspiration for Susie’s Law, which bumps up the crime of maliciously abusing, torturing or killing an animal in North Carolina from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Through March 13, AHA is also accepting nominations for its Hero Veterinarian and Hero Veterinary Technician Awards.

Founded in 1877, AHA was the first national humane organization in the U.S., and is the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals.

It’s a bit early to mark your calendar, but the 2015 Hero Dog Awards will be televised in October.

Photo via Facebook

Animal Cruelty Charge for NJ Man Whose Dog Died in Submerged Truck

In addition to the criminal mischief, careless driving and pollution charges he’s already facing, the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJ SPCA) has charged Andrew Mayer of Toms River, N.J., with one count of third-degree failure to provide proper care by recklessly endangering an animal’s life, according to the NJ SPCA Facebook page.

Just before midnight on Feb. 28, Mayer drove his truck out to the middle of the frozen Toms River and did donuts (drove around in tight circles). He brought along Rolo, his 2-year-old Boxer/Lab mix.

When his truck crashed through the ice, Mayer managed to get out, but could not get Rolo out of the cab. After local police, the New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard spent 10 hours — and hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money — searching for the truck, they finally found it the next morning, with Rolo’s body inside.

Mayer’s supporters insist he did his best to get Rolo out of the truck.

“He did almost kill himself trying to save his dog,” his cousin’s fiancée, Helecia Morris, told NJ.com. “He’s completely devastated. His truck, his dog — everything is in this bay.”

The Asbury Park Press reports that Mayer appeared in a Toms River municipal courtroom today as Judge Damian G. Murray read the four charges, which will now be sent to the Ocean County prosecutor’s office. Those officials will decide if Mayer will be indicted on the charges.

The animal cruelty charge (4:2217(c)(2)(3)) could result in a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or up to six months of jail time.

The judge offered Mayer a public defender, but just as he had made the brilliant decision to do donuts on a frozen river, Mayer decided he will represent himself in court.

“Just so you understand, you have third-degree charges against you, which could carry substantial penalties in these matters, as well as a criminal history that could follow you for a considerable period of time,” Murray warned him, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Besides a criminal history, Mayer’s driving history includes 14 traffic violations and 12 suspensions of his driver’s license.

Nope, he would “absolutely” represent himself, Mayer insisted.

‘Why Didn’t the Dog Do the Doggie Paddle?’ — Sgt. Thomas Yannacone

Meanwhile, about seven miles east of Toms River, Sgt. Thomas Yannacone of the Seaside Heights Police Dept. is still under investigation after posting offensive comments about the case on Facebook last week.

“Why didn’t the dog do the Doggie Paddle?” the police officer wrote in one comment. “And was he listening to Van Halen’s ‘Diver Down’ just before going thru the ice? These are the questions I want answered !!!”

And, later:

“Truck plunging thru the ice with a dog inside brings a whole new meaning to FROZEN WEINER or DIRTY WATER DOG. What, to [sic] soon, calm down u animal loving freaks…just be glad it wasn’t a cat because that would have been one WET PU….!!!!!!”

The investigation concerns Yannacone’s possible violation of the police department’s social media policy — not the tasteless comments he made.

Photos via Facebook