Recently in animal abuse Category

Wayne Pacelle, the president of the Humane Society of the United States, has written a new

book (being released today) that looks at the compassionate bond people have with animals and, on the other hand, the institutionalized or systematic cruelty -- seen in trends such as proliferation of puppy mills -- that seem to be tolerated in our society.

From the publisher:

The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them (William Morrow; On Sale April 5, 2011; $26.99) is Wayne Pacelle's first book. It is a compassionate, insightful, and comprehensive examination of our special connection to all creatures, written by one of America's most important champions of animal welfare.

In the book, Pacelle unveils the deep links of the human-animal bond, as well as the conflicting impulses that have led us to betray this bond through widespread and systematic cruelty to animals. During a quarter-century of leadership, most of it at the HSUS, Pacelle has become America's foremost voice for those who cannot speak in their own defense, and has helped to bring animal protection from the margins to the mainstream.

***Pacelle is embarking on a nationwide tour to promote the book and he'll be at the Borders Book Store, 3700 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, at 7 p.m.  April 12 (Tuesday).

Here's a clip of a televised interview with the author:

New Book By Humane Society President Looks At Human - Animal Bond: MyFoxDC.com

Jasper was was brought to the Harbor Area animal shelter as a stray with a gunshot wound.

Particularly disheartening because records showed that just a year earlier -- in January 2010 -- the Clinico spay-neuter clinic at the shelter provided a free surgery and  microchip for the newly adopted cat.

When shelter officials contacted his registered owners, though, "they did not want him anymore."

There's no information on the circumstances surrounding the gunshot, but the shelter says his wounds are now healing and he's "more than ready" for a permanent home. And his time at the shelter is running out.

If you can open your home to this very loving cat who's had a tough start (he's about a year and a half old), contact:

Harbor Animal Care Center
957 N. Gaffey St.
San Pedro

Call 310-548-2632 or 213-305-8323 or email leslie.corea@lacity.org.

Jasper's Animal ID # is A1182001.

I spotted this story yesterday on Life's a Pet. 

Those of you who followed the saga of Courage, the German shepherd in Orange County who was almost starved to death, will be happy to read this update.

Five months ago, he weighed 37 pounds. He's since doubled his weight and is doing fine.

 

Shawn Hollub of German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County gives Courage, 3, a hug at the community Veterinary Hospital in Garden Grove in May. Five months ago, caretakers worried that Courage might die because his diet of dirt had reduced him to 37 pounds and he was so emaciated he could barely lift his head. Thanks to blood transfusions, IV fluids and a high-calorie diet, Courage is up to 85 pounds. (Cindy Yamanaka/The Orange County Register) 

 

Animal cruelty charges are being filed against a 51-year-old man who was "marinating" his cat in oil and peppers. Police discovered the cat when they heard it meowing from the man's trunk during a traffic stop.

 And we thought we'd heard everything.

***Update: The cat, Navarro, has found a new home through the SPCA.

 

In this photo provided by the SPCA Serving Erie County, Navarro, a four-year-old cat found "marinating" in oil and peppers in the trunk of a car in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sunday night, is

shown Monday, Aug. 9, 2010 at the agency's Tonawanda, N.Y., shelter infirmary. Buffalo police say officers heard the cat meowing when they stopped 51-year-old Gary Korkuc, of Cheektowaga, to ticket him for running a stop sign. Korkuc was charged with animal cruelty and released. (AP Photo/SPCA Serving Erie County)

We've posted before about the man in Hawthorne who was arrested after neighbors reported he was abusing his pit bull mix dog, Mary Jane. 

Many of you have probably already seen this story about a pit bull named Mary Jane written earlier this week by my Daily Breeze colleague Larry Altman.

On Monday, a Hawthorne man -- Ricardo Salvador Plascenia, 19 -- was booked on suspicion of animal cruelty after neighbors heard his dog, Mary Jane, "screaming and crying," police said. The neighbor thought a dog had been struck by a car.

A neighbor's cell phone video allegedly captured the dog being punched and kicked; slammed to the concrete pavement; and then suspended by a rope and a choke chain over a clothesline in the man's backyard.

The black 50-pound pit bull, which was slammed to the concrete in an alleged crime caught on video, was taken to an animal hospital. On Tuesday, she cowered in her cage but was said to be in good condition.

"She's actually a very, very good girl," Hawthorne animal control officer helen Coronel said. "She's very timid. I don't blame her."

Animal cruelty charges, however, were not immediately filed against Plascenia. Prosecutors sent the case back to police to gather more evidence, including a medical report on the dog's condition.

Larry tells me this is no different than any other case in which prosecutors hope to gather the most documentation they can before moving a case forward. Remember, though, that dogs legally are considered property so this could wind up a misdemeanor. 

(Mary Jane is shown below in a photograph by Scott Varley of the Daily Breeze.)

 

 

Plascenia was scheduled to be released from custody earlier this week.

The dog, a pit bull mix, will be transferred and held at the Carson animal shelter pending any court proceedings.

Regardless of the outcome, authorities said the dog would not be given back to Plascenia, who also allegedly had marijuana plants on the premises in the 4000 block of 141st Street. 

We'll keep readers posted as the case moves forward.

 

I  received an email today from Marietta Durst wanting folks to know about this black and brown Tibetan Mastiff (3 years old) that was found on April 21 severely ematiated wandering the streets in an industrial area of Gardena. Animal control was called and the dog was taken to the Harbor Animal Care Center in San Pedro.

I called the shelter this morning and was told that the dog  (A118950; 310-548-2632) is still there but is currently under a 10-day quarantine after having inflicted a bite. There also is an ongoing criminal investigation into animal cruelty, the shelter representative said. He was microchipped and owners have been identified.

So while the dog is not available for adoption -- and it is unclear what medical or other issues he may have beyond being extremely malnourished -- volunteers are trying to spread the word to find him a new home if that does become a possibility. One of them has pledged to pay for medical costs.

The city shelter told me the case is officially under the jurisdiction of county animal control and that after the quarantine period is up the dog would be transferred back to them once.

 Here's the original story that was passed on to Marietta:

"Driving in Gardena today I found the most emaciated dog I've ever seen wandering in the streets. Most of his hair was gone and he had sores all over his body. I went and brought him food and water, he came right up to me with these beautiful sweet eyes and quickly ate and drank everythign I gave him. He then laid down between two bushes, put his paws over his eyes and went to sleep.

I called Animal Control for help. I later found out he is micro-chipped. I promised him I would make sure he's OK ... He is sweet and not aggressive at all.

...One of the animal control officers who came to his aid said that one of his ribs had pierced his skin."

The microchip linked to people who live in Palmdale. For more information, email Marietta at marietta@gogoluckey.com.

 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech.

From the AP story posted on the Daily Breeze website:

The justices, voting 8-1, threw out the criminal conviction of Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., who was sentenced to three years in prison for videos he made about pit bull fights.

.... In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the harm animals suffer in dog fights is enough to sustain the law.

 

*Update: A story filed by Denise on April 5 reports that prosecutors dismissed the felony animal cruelty charge against Patricia Bumpers, 48:

Deputy District Attorney Craig Rouviere said the defense presented information that Patricia Bumpers, 48, had tried to seek help for the emaciated dog before she turned her over to the Carson Animal Shelter in august.

..... Rouviere said Bumpers' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Alla Eksler, produced phone records that showed Bumpers had made telephone calls in an effort to get medical attention for angel, and had called animal control for help three days before she received a response.

In addition, Angel remained undiagnosed and untreated at the shelter for about 10 days before she was rescued by (the rescue group Take Me Home Rescue) and taken to a veterinarian, Rouviere said. 

"Our thought was, if the shelter didn't know what was wrong with the dog it was difficult for us to determine that the defendant would have known that," Rouviere said of the decision to dismiss the case.

 

 

 

This is yet another sad Daily Breeze story about a dog. This one suffered and died allegedly for not being treated for diabetes by her owner.

According to Denise Nix's article:

Angel was a walking skeleton when an animal welfare group rescued the brown-and-white dog from the Carson Animal Shelter.

Suffering from diabetes and its side effects, the dog was so skinny that even the veterinarian who oversaw the last 12 days of her life couldn't determine how old she was or her breed.

Angel's owner, Patricia Bumpers, 48, of Carson apparently realized the dog, estimated at 30 pounds underweight, was deathly ill (it's not known if she ever took the dog to a vet for a diagnosis). She surrendered Angel to the Carson shelter, allegedly telling an Animal Control officer that she did not want her 9-year-old daughter to "come home and find her dead in the backyard."

Volunteers from the Santa Monica-based Take Me Home Rescue were alerted when the dog arrived at the shelter and members immediately took Angel out for treatment last August. She had clearly been ill for quite some time and the DA filed a complaint against her former owner.

Last month, Bumpers pleaded not guilty to one count of felony animal cruelty that could send her to prison for up to three years. She is scheduled to return to court on March 22.

 

(Photo courtesy of Leegie Parker of Take Me Home Rescue)

 

Sadly, it was too late for Angel. The damage from the disease could not be reversed and after 12 days, she died in her sleep at the veterinarian hospital.

Rescuers said they take comfort in the fact that in her last days, Angel -- described as a friendly dog -- was surrounded by people she could trust.

"For us, it's seeking justice for Angel," Take Me Home volunteer Leegie Parker of Torrance said of the rescue group's plans to closely follow the upcoming court proceedings. "But we're also seeking justice for all the others who never get their day."

*****************

Canine diabetes is a tough disease to treat, but clues that something's wrong are pretty visible early on. 

Some 5 or 6 years ago, my former Australian shepherd Pilgrim was diagnosed with diabetes (symptoms included a sudden and rapid weight loss, a lack of appetite, lethargy, and drinking and urinating more than usual). 

After an initial three-day hospitalization to stabilize him, Pilgrim did well for 18 months on twice-daily insulin shots at home. His life was really quite normal and he felt good, although it required vigilance on my part to feed and medicate him every day on a very precise schedule.

Complications ultimately set in and I had him put down. He was 8 years old. 

But we were lucky. Pilgrim had a pretty good run, considering. Canine diabetes is not always successfully treated. The condition typically comes with many complications, big and small, and it will result in a shortened life span.

And I can tell you from personal experience that the treatment, monitoring, frequent vet trips and medications can add up to be quite expensive as well.

If a dog is not responding well to the insulin treatments -- or if finances prevent an owner from going down the road of long-term treatment -- euthanasia is the kinder course to take.

Regrettably, Angel was given neither of those options.

R.I.P., Angel.