From: ASPCA.org
"On February 5, Queens, NY, resident Cherie Fillmore was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty. The 32-year-old is accused of starving her Pit Bull pup to death.
The initial investigation began on January 14, after concerned neighbors reported seeing a lifeless dog outside a South Jamaica home. ASPCA Special Investigator Paul Romano responded to the scene, where he discovered the severely emaciated dog tethered to a four pound chain—he determined the animal to be deceased.
When questioned, Fillmore, who works part-time in the medical field, admitted to having owned the dog. Special Investigator Romano transported the dog to ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, where a necropsy determined dog had died of starvation.
“The necropsy found raw garbage in the dog’s stomach,” says Joseph Pentangelo, Assistant Director of ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement. “He was rooting around, forced to eat whatever he could trying to stay alive.”
Fillmore is due back in court on February 22. She faces up to one year in jail if convicted.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Updated - BC,Canada - Sled Dog Killings
From: Montreal Gazette
"As the firestorm around the post-Olympic slaughter of 100 dogs in Whistler grows, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed a task force "to prevent such an incident from occurring again."
Late Wednesday, Campbell announced the appointment of Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Dr. Terry Lake to lead the task force, to investigate circumstances related to the incident.
"The tragic and disturbing details that have emerged around how these dogs were inhumanely treated are not acceptable to British Columbians or to their government," Campbell said in a release.
"No creature should ever have to suffer in the manner that has been reported, and we want to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in our province."
The task force, which will include the B.C. SPCA, will seek to establish a timeline of facts in the case and "will be completed within 45 days, forwarded to the minister of agriculture for review."
Meanwhile, the man allegedly at the centre of the gruesome massacre has already laid out his version of events online.
Internet posts by dogsled tour worker Bob Fawcett suggest corporate orders were behind the dog killings -and they were done haphazardly as the business was under threat of folding.
Fawcett -the man who was compensated by WorkSafe B.C. for debilitating effects from the "execution-style" slaughter of the dogs while working for Outdoor Adventures -outlines in the post his version of the business reasons that led to the killings.
On the other hand, Outdoor Adventures says it knew about "the potential euthanization of the dogs," but expected it would be done in a legal and humane way. Owner Joey Houssian has not responded to repeated interview requests.
On an online forum for soldiers who suffer post-traumatic stress, Fawcett claimed on Jan. 6, 2011: "I have owned a large dogsled company for the last 15 years. As the economy turned, we were forced to sell to a corporation two years ago. They did nothing but complain about costs and were not willing to sell some of the herd because they wanted all the animals on deck 'in case' it was busy. We had 330 dogs."
Fawcett claims that in April 2010: "I was told the company was going to fold unless we took drastic action . . . immediate disposal of half the herd . . .
"I reluctantly agreed to the job . . . I was told I had two days to get the job done due to a large tour group we had coming."
Fawcett claims he and a manager set off in a truck to complete the killings at the bottom of a road "so no one could come up and [I] gave him a radio in case I shot myself."
"I then set about the direct execution of 60 of my friends on Day 1. Some I missed, had to chase around with blood everywhere, some I had to slit their throats because it was the only way to keep them calm in my arms," Fawcett claimed. "I had one still alive in a pit I dug for a mass burial . . . Day 2 was no different."
A joint RCMP and SPCA investigation is under way into the deaths.
Meanwhile, B.C. SPCA's head animal-cruelty investigator, Marcie Moriarty, said Wednesday she's "livid" over reports that the SPCA "rebuffed" requests in 2010 to help adopt out Outdoor Adventures' dogs. Moriarty said the first meeting with Fawcett took place May 28 -long after the killings happened.
"Bob [Fawcett] . . . indicated during that meeting they had reduced numbers of the herd. We had no idea of [the mass killings] before," Moriarty said.
Moriarty said SPCA constables inspected about 150 of Outdoor Adventures' dogs Tuesday, but found no health concerns, and no warrants to protectively seize herd dogs were filed."
"As the firestorm around the post-Olympic slaughter of 100 dogs in Whistler grows, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed a task force "to prevent such an incident from occurring again."
Late Wednesday, Campbell announced the appointment of Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Dr. Terry Lake to lead the task force, to investigate circumstances related to the incident.
"The tragic and disturbing details that have emerged around how these dogs were inhumanely treated are not acceptable to British Columbians or to their government," Campbell said in a release.
"No creature should ever have to suffer in the manner that has been reported, and we want to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again in our province."
The task force, which will include the B.C. SPCA, will seek to establish a timeline of facts in the case and "will be completed within 45 days, forwarded to the minister of agriculture for review."
Meanwhile, the man allegedly at the centre of the gruesome massacre has already laid out his version of events online.
Internet posts by dogsled tour worker Bob Fawcett suggest corporate orders were behind the dog killings -and they were done haphazardly as the business was under threat of folding.
Fawcett -the man who was compensated by WorkSafe B.C. for debilitating effects from the "execution-style" slaughter of the dogs while working for Outdoor Adventures -outlines in the post his version of the business reasons that led to the killings.
On the other hand, Outdoor Adventures says it knew about "the potential euthanization of the dogs," but expected it would be done in a legal and humane way. Owner Joey Houssian has not responded to repeated interview requests.
On an online forum for soldiers who suffer post-traumatic stress, Fawcett claimed on Jan. 6, 2011: "I have owned a large dogsled company for the last 15 years. As the economy turned, we were forced to sell to a corporation two years ago. They did nothing but complain about costs and were not willing to sell some of the herd because they wanted all the animals on deck 'in case' it was busy. We had 330 dogs."
Fawcett claims that in April 2010: "I was told the company was going to fold unless we took drastic action . . . immediate disposal of half the herd . . .
"I reluctantly agreed to the job . . . I was told I had two days to get the job done due to a large tour group we had coming."
Fawcett claims he and a manager set off in a truck to complete the killings at the bottom of a road "so no one could come up and [I] gave him a radio in case I shot myself."
"I then set about the direct execution of 60 of my friends on Day 1. Some I missed, had to chase around with blood everywhere, some I had to slit their throats because it was the only way to keep them calm in my arms," Fawcett claimed. "I had one still alive in a pit I dug for a mass burial . . . Day 2 was no different."
A joint RCMP and SPCA investigation is under way into the deaths.
Meanwhile, B.C. SPCA's head animal-cruelty investigator, Marcie Moriarty, said Wednesday she's "livid" over reports that the SPCA "rebuffed" requests in 2010 to help adopt out Outdoor Adventures' dogs. Moriarty said the first meeting with Fawcett took place May 28 -long after the killings happened.
"Bob [Fawcett] . . . indicated during that meeting they had reduced numbers of the herd. We had no idea of [the mass killings] before," Moriarty said.
Moriarty said SPCA constables inspected about 150 of Outdoor Adventures' dogs Tuesday, but found no health concerns, and no warrants to protectively seize herd dogs were filed."
Minneapolis, USA - Minneapolis Woman Tries to Mail Puppy
From: My Fox Twin Cities
"Many people from Minneapolis and beyond have been asking Minneapolis Animal Care and Control about adopting the black poodle and Schnauzer mix puppy that a woman tried to ship cross-country, but the dog’s owner is filing an appeal to get the dog back.
Stacey Champion was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after officials said she tried to mail the dog in a box with no air holes, water or food via the U.S. Postal Service, but the pup was discovered after the package moved unexpectedly.
Officials said the dog most likely would not have survived the journey.
The shelter has been caring for the dog since Jan. 25 and has received many adoption offers -- but now, a Minnesota statute that provides for an appeal hearing after an animal has been impounded due to a cruelty investigation could return the dog to Champion’s custody.
At the hearing, an officer will determine whether or not the dog can be returned to the owner. If the officer decides not to return the dog prior to the court date for the criminal charge, Champion would need to either appeal the case or post a bond that would cover the continued cost of care and kenneling.
The puppy will stay at the shelter while the hearing is pending, officials said. If Champion does not post a bond, Animal Care & Control would be able to place the dog for adoption.
Minneapolis’ adoption policy is generally a first-come first-served policy, but the process does involve basic screening of potential owners to ensure that they are a good fit for the animal"
"Many people from Minneapolis and beyond have been asking Minneapolis Animal Care and Control about adopting the black poodle and Schnauzer mix puppy that a woman tried to ship cross-country, but the dog’s owner is filing an appeal to get the dog back.
Stacey Champion was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after officials said she tried to mail the dog in a box with no air holes, water or food via the U.S. Postal Service, but the pup was discovered after the package moved unexpectedly.
Officials said the dog most likely would not have survived the journey.
The shelter has been caring for the dog since Jan. 25 and has received many adoption offers -- but now, a Minnesota statute that provides for an appeal hearing after an animal has been impounded due to a cruelty investigation could return the dog to Champion’s custody.
At the hearing, an officer will determine whether or not the dog can be returned to the owner. If the officer decides not to return the dog prior to the court date for the criminal charge, Champion would need to either appeal the case or post a bond that would cover the continued cost of care and kenneling.
The puppy will stay at the shelter while the hearing is pending, officials said. If Champion does not post a bond, Animal Care & Control would be able to place the dog for adoption.
Minneapolis’ adoption policy is generally a first-come first-served policy, but the process does involve basic screening of potential owners to ensure that they are a good fit for the animal"
Malaysia - Poodle Named Sushi Forced To Stand
From: Before It's News
"Apparently, the video was and posted online by someone who picked up a pen-drive in a shopping mall in Malaysia containing this clip inside, all of 15 minutes and 7 seconds of it. But the video on Youtube has apparently been removed.
This sorry and skinny excuse for a human being was seen trying to 'train' the poor toy poodle named 'Sushi' to stand on its two hind legs. The moron seemed obsessed with getting the dog to stand on its two hind legs, and was strict about how Sushi must 'stand'. He repeated said in Cantonese, 'Stand Up!', 'Look Up!', 'Stand Up Straight!', '... or I'll PUNCH YOU!!!', and was asking his girlfriend who was filming, 'why his back-bone has no strength?'. The girl can be heard saying in Mandarin, 'Dear, enough, 10 minutes already', and, 'Dear, there is some blood at the mouth...'.
Repeatedly, the poor dog was punched, kicked, strangled, thrown, slammed against the wall, pulled at its leg, slapped, ABUSED. Sushi got so weak from the abuse that, even after it was thrown or sent flying after a punch or kick, it didn't bother trying to get up or run. And at one point, it fell off the small platform it was 'standing' on and was too tired to even get up or move, but instead just waited for the jerk to come back to pick him up and continue the abuse.
From his tattoos, the ring on his finger, and his plain ugliness, the infuriated netizens managed to 'human flesh' him out and tracked down the couple's identity, car license plate number, and even their Facebook profile. The SPCA in both Malaysia and Singapore were alerted to the case and the Malaysian authorities are apparently going to do something about it. I hope this won't end up fizzling out into nothing as both these countries are not known to have strong anti-animal abuse laws.
Pictures in their profile also seems to show that she now has another dog. They have pictures of Sushi as well as their other pets 'standing'. Reports suggest that Sushi the poodle has already died. Well, I'm not surprised at all. I hope Sushi is in a better place now.
Now please take action and go sign the petition to make sure these losers go to jail. It only takes a few minutes, but your soul will thank you for it. God Bless the Human Race..."
Indiana, USA - Fox Penning - This needs to stop!
From: The Humane Society Of The United States
"Fox penning is a blood sport in which dozens of dogs compete in a fenced-in area to chase—and sometimes rip apart—foxes and coyotes. Trapped in the wild and sold to fox pens, often in other states, the fox or coyote must run for his life inside fences where there is no hope of getting away.
Grisly from start to finish, fox penning begins when the steel jaws of a leghold trap snap shut on a coyote or fox, inflicting terrible pain. A trapper removes the animal from the trap and packs her into a cage with other injured animals.
The caged animals may be hauled hundreds of miles. With no food or water, some animals die on the trip. Once bought by pen operators, the foxes and coyotes provide amusement for participants who travel from state to state to wager on their dogs.
With dogs tearing apart the captive animals, there is a constant demand for fresh wildlife for the fox pens.
Indiana voters support, by 85 to 9 percent, a bill to prohibit cruel fox and coyote penning in Indiana. Will legislators follow through? If you live in Indiana, Please act now"
"Fox penning is a blood sport in which dozens of dogs compete in a fenced-in area to chase—and sometimes rip apart—foxes and coyotes. Trapped in the wild and sold to fox pens, often in other states, the fox or coyote must run for his life inside fences where there is no hope of getting away.
Grisly from start to finish, fox penning begins when the steel jaws of a leghold trap snap shut on a coyote or fox, inflicting terrible pain. A trapper removes the animal from the trap and packs her into a cage with other injured animals.
The caged animals may be hauled hundreds of miles. With no food or water, some animals die on the trip. Once bought by pen operators, the foxes and coyotes provide amusement for participants who travel from state to state to wager on their dogs.
With dogs tearing apart the captive animals, there is a constant demand for fresh wildlife for the fox pens.
Indiana voters support, by 85 to 9 percent, a bill to prohibit cruel fox and coyote penning in Indiana. Will legislators follow through? If you live in Indiana, Please act now"
British Columbia,Canada - Sled Dog Killings
From: CBC News
"British Columbia SPCA officers headed to Whistler Monday to investigate claims that 100 healthy sled dogs owned by a tourism operator were slaughtered.
The allegations are contained in a filing to WorkSafeBC, the provincial workers' compensation board.
According to a release from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, an employee of a company called Howling Dogs was compensated for post-traumatic stress after shooting 100 dogs in April 2010.
Outdoor Adventures Whistler acknowledges it had a financial stake in Howling Dogs at the time of the cull, but didn't take operational control of the company until May 2010.
The release says: "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dogs in April 2010, but it was our expectation that it was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."
The man who was compensated hasn't been identified. Outdoor Adventures Whistler said he is no longer managing Howling Dogs. A new manager has been hired.
His lawyer, Corey Steinberg, said the man made every effort to find adoptive homes for the dogs. Steinberg told CBC News that when he wasn't successful, a group, including executives and the man, agreed euthanasia was the only choice for the sickest and oldest dogs in the pack.
"He just wanted the greatest happiness for the greatest number of dogs. He had to choose — 'Do I keep 200 dogs and make their lives great, or do I stick here with the 300 that I have?' And I'm being told by my employer, 'You deal with it, you figure it out, there's not really much more we can do for you,'" Steinberg said.
The general manager of cruelty investigations for the provincial SPCA, Marcie Moriarty, wonders why the company had so many dogs when it couldn't keep them healthy. She said the dogs appear to have died a horrible death.
"I won't use the term euthanized, [which] implies a humane death, and I can say that based on his description, at least a number of dogs did not have a humane death. His descriptions of using a shotgun, blowing off half of the dog's head while it ran off, a dog crawling out of a mass grave, it just made me shudder," Moriarty said.
Moriarty said investigators would try to locate the burial site and perform necropsies.
Outdoors Adventures Whistler told CBC News the incident is tragic and regrettable, and a new policy has been put in place to ensure all dogs are euthanized at a veterinarian's office.
The company also said it has implemented a neutering program for all male dogs to mitigate unwanted pregnancies in the pack."
"British Columbia SPCA officers headed to Whistler Monday to investigate claims that 100 healthy sled dogs owned by a tourism operator were slaughtered.
The allegations are contained in a filing to WorkSafeBC, the provincial workers' compensation board.
According to a release from Outdoor Adventures Whistler, an employee of a company called Howling Dogs was compensated for post-traumatic stress after shooting 100 dogs in April 2010.
Outdoor Adventures Whistler acknowledges it had a financial stake in Howling Dogs at the time of the cull, but didn't take operational control of the company until May 2010.
The release says: "OAW was aware of the relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dogs in April 2010, but it was our expectation that it was done in a proper, legal and humane manner."
The man who was compensated hasn't been identified. Outdoor Adventures Whistler said he is no longer managing Howling Dogs. A new manager has been hired.
His lawyer, Corey Steinberg, said the man made every effort to find adoptive homes for the dogs. Steinberg told CBC News that when he wasn't successful, a group, including executives and the man, agreed euthanasia was the only choice for the sickest and oldest dogs in the pack.
"He just wanted the greatest happiness for the greatest number of dogs. He had to choose — 'Do I keep 200 dogs and make their lives great, or do I stick here with the 300 that I have?' And I'm being told by my employer, 'You deal with it, you figure it out, there's not really much more we can do for you,'" Steinberg said.
The general manager of cruelty investigations for the provincial SPCA, Marcie Moriarty, wonders why the company had so many dogs when it couldn't keep them healthy. She said the dogs appear to have died a horrible death.
"I won't use the term euthanized, [which] implies a humane death, and I can say that based on his description, at least a number of dogs did not have a humane death. His descriptions of using a shotgun, blowing off half of the dog's head while it ran off, a dog crawling out of a mass grave, it just made me shudder," Moriarty said.
Moriarty said investigators would try to locate the burial site and perform necropsies.
Outdoors Adventures Whistler told CBC News the incident is tragic and regrettable, and a new policy has been put in place to ensure all dogs are euthanized at a veterinarian's office.
The company also said it has implemented a neutering program for all male dogs to mitigate unwanted pregnancies in the pack."
What I'm all about
Welcome and thanks for visiting my blog. I started this to raise awareness of one of the most challenging issues we face on a daily basis, animal cruelty. I will not only be posting local stories but stories from around the world, anything I can find and share with you. Feel free to share with me anything you may hear of that I have not posted or any personal experiences you've had.
I will also be posting any information on how you can help or contribute to the overall cause or even specific situations going on in your area. When you step up, you're not just one person to many hurting animals, you are their world and you're giving them a chance at a better one.
I will be posting photos as well but I will try to keep them as gentle as possible and will link to the more graphic images. Keep in mind, images are VERY hard to look at, very heartbreaking but my thoughts are if you don't look, you don't see and you don't do everything in your power to stop it.
Help spread the word by linking to this blog, telling your friends and family about what's going on in your area and just using what no animal has, your voice and you will be theirs.
I have dedicated much of my own life to saving theirs, even if it's one at a time but that's a whole lot more than not doing anything at all. Join me and make it happen.
Thank you :)
I will also be posting any information on how you can help or contribute to the overall cause or even specific situations going on in your area. When you step up, you're not just one person to many hurting animals, you are their world and you're giving them a chance at a better one.
I will be posting photos as well but I will try to keep them as gentle as possible and will link to the more graphic images. Keep in mind, images are VERY hard to look at, very heartbreaking but my thoughts are if you don't look, you don't see and you don't do everything in your power to stop it.
Help spread the word by linking to this blog, telling your friends and family about what's going on in your area and just using what no animal has, your voice and you will be theirs.
I have dedicated much of my own life to saving theirs, even if it's one at a time but that's a whole lot more than not doing anything at all. Join me and make it happen.
Thank you :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)