Families' animals too often targets of neighbors' wrath.
Pets in Peril.
GENESEE COUNTY.
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006.
By Joe Lawlor.
jlawlor@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6312.
Breezy wasn't acting normally.Usually shredding trash bags and pulling her owners' socks off with her teeth, the 9-month-old puppy lost her playfulness one day last month..
"She was a little sluggish that night. She kind of just snuggled up to me and wanted to be by me all day," said owner Carri Kincaid of Burton..
Breezy then started vomiting and died at the veterinarian's two days later..
The cause: A chicken leg laced with rat poison..
The Kincaids say they don't have rat poison, hadn't eaten chicken for weeks, and Breezy - a 5-pound miniature Doberman pinscher - never wandered out of their fenced-in backyard..
They say someone must have tossed the poisoned meat into their yard, maybe as a cruel joke..
If the Kincaids had harmed their own dog, charges could be brought. If the poisoning had injured a person, there could be a criminal investigation. But in their case and many others in the area involving pets hurt or killed by an outsider's malice, justice never gets done..
"I hear stories like that all the time," said kennel attendant Clarinda Lehmquhle of Genesee County Animal Control. "I tell them that, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do.".
Edith Campbell of Flint, a Last Chance Rescue volunteer, said it's often a neighbor dispute that has gotten out of control. She said angry neighbors may not be willing to harm a person, but they'll get their revenge through harming a pet..
"I've had people call me and say, 'Will you take my pet, because I'm afraid something is going to happen to my pet,'" Campbell said..
Jody Maddock of Adopt-a-Pet in Fenton said she tells dog owners not to leave their dogs unattended, even in fenced-in backyards..
And Burton Police Chief Bruce Whitman said cases of animal cruelty not caused by a pet's owner are hard to crack..
"There's all kinds of burden-of-proof issues with these kinds of cases," Whitman said. "But still, we shouldn't be turning people down.".
A few neighbor-against-neighbor pet abuse cases have wound their way through the courts recently, including:.
· A Fenton Township man who shot a dog and stashed its body in a 55-gallon container..
· A Mundy Township man who shot two dogs that were wandering the neighborhood..
· An Argentine Township man who shot three neighborhood dogs..
Teresa Steffey of Argentine Township said her neighbor shot her dog, Shelby, a German Shepherd mix, when Shelby strayed into his yard. She said the man had previously been friendly to Shelby and had told her he didn't mind if she occasionally ended up in his yard..
"Our kids grew up with Shelby. She went on vacation with us and slept in the kids' bedrooms. She was a part of the family. She wasn't a dog we just tied up in the backyard," said Steffey, who has four children. "To find out it was somebody we knew and trusted was very difficult. It was an act of violence.".
Steffey said Shelby was overweight, 11 years old and not aggressive. She said she escaped from the house only two or three times a year..
Scott D. Sutherland, 40, admitted to shooting Shelby and two other neighborhood dogs. He was recently sentenced to 6 months in jail..
Carri Kincaid said that when Breezy died, they called police but were told there was not enough evidence to pursue the case..
"Every time I think about it, I get angry," said Michael Kincaid. "What if it had been our son (Bradley, 4) who had eaten that?".
Bradley found a rock to use as a "headstone" to bury Breezy in the backyard. The family's other dog, Tia, 7, sleeps on Breezy's grave..
Whitman said neighbors who harm pets generally get irritated with the pets, such as a barking dog or a cat who destroys flowers. Instead of calling police or talking to their neighbor, they get rid of the pet..
But the Kincaids say their tiny dog couldn't possibly have bothered anyone..
"She could bark as loud as she could, and if you were on the other side of the window, you wouldn't hear her," Carri Kincaid said..
The Kincaids said they feel violated and powerless..
"It feels like nobody cares about it," she said. "It's very frustrating.".
***.
Pets in Peril.
GENESEE COUNTY.
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006.
By Joe Lawlor.
jlawlor@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6312.
Breezy wasn't acting normally.Usually shredding trash bags and pulling her owners' socks off with her teeth, the 9-month-old puppy lost her playfulness one day last month..
"She was a little sluggish that night. She kind of just snuggled up to me and wanted to be by me all day," said owner Carri Kincaid of Burton..
Breezy then started vomiting and died at the veterinarian's two days later..
The cause: A chicken leg laced with rat poison..
The Kincaids say they don't have rat poison, hadn't eaten chicken for weeks, and Breezy - a 5-pound miniature Doberman pinscher - never wandered out of their fenced-in backyard..
They say someone must have tossed the poisoned meat into their yard, maybe as a cruel joke..
If the Kincaids had harmed their own dog, charges could be brought. If the poisoning had injured a person, there could be a criminal investigation. But in their case and many others in the area involving pets hurt or killed by an outsider's malice, justice never gets done..
"I hear stories like that all the time," said kennel attendant Clarinda Lehmquhle of Genesee County Animal Control. "I tell them that, unfortunately, there's nothing we can do.".
Edith Campbell of Flint, a Last Chance Rescue volunteer, said it's often a neighbor dispute that has gotten out of control. She said angry neighbors may not be willing to harm a person, but they'll get their revenge through harming a pet..
"I've had people call me and say, 'Will you take my pet, because I'm afraid something is going to happen to my pet,'" Campbell said..
Jody Maddock of Adopt-a-Pet in Fenton said she tells dog owners not to leave their dogs unattended, even in fenced-in backyards..
And Burton Police Chief Bruce Whitman said cases of animal cruelty not caused by a pet's owner are hard to crack..
"There's all kinds of burden-of-proof issues with these kinds of cases," Whitman said. "But still, we shouldn't be turning people down.".
A few neighbor-against-neighbor pet abuse cases have wound their way through the courts recently, including:.
· A Fenton Township man who shot a dog and stashed its body in a 55-gallon container..
· A Mundy Township man who shot two dogs that were wandering the neighborhood..
· An Argentine Township man who shot three neighborhood dogs..
Teresa Steffey of Argentine Township said her neighbor shot her dog, Shelby, a German Shepherd mix, when Shelby strayed into his yard. She said the man had previously been friendly to Shelby and had told her he didn't mind if she occasionally ended up in his yard..
"Our kids grew up with Shelby. She went on vacation with us and slept in the kids' bedrooms. She was a part of the family. She wasn't a dog we just tied up in the backyard," said Steffey, who has four children. "To find out it was somebody we knew and trusted was very difficult. It was an act of violence.".
Steffey said Shelby was overweight, 11 years old and not aggressive. She said she escaped from the house only two or three times a year..
Scott D. Sutherland, 40, admitted to shooting Shelby and two other neighborhood dogs. He was recently sentenced to 6 months in jail..
Carri Kincaid said that when Breezy died, they called police but were told there was not enough evidence to pursue the case..
"Every time I think about it, I get angry," said Michael Kincaid. "What if it had been our son (Bradley, 4) who had eaten that?".
Bradley found a rock to use as a "headstone" to bury Breezy in the backyard. The family's other dog, Tia, 7, sleeps on Breezy's grave..
Whitman said neighbors who harm pets generally get irritated with the pets, such as a barking dog or a cat who destroys flowers. Instead of calling police or talking to their neighbor, they get rid of the pet..
But the Kincaids say their tiny dog couldn't possibly have bothered anyone..
"She could bark as loud as she could, and if you were on the other side of the window, you wouldn't hear her," Carri Kincaid said..
The Kincaids said they feel violated and powerless..
"It feels like nobody cares about it," she said. "It's very frustrating.".
***.
QUICK TAKE.
What to do The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says if you suspect your pet has been hurt or killed by someone, call your local police department and be prepared with the following information:.
· A written account of what you observed, including dates and times. If possible, provide photographs and date the pictures..
· Document everything, including when you contacted police and who you talked to. If you suspect your pet has been poisoned, call your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline at (888) 426-4435. The ASPCA recommends to have the following items handy:.
· Bottle of hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting).
· Turkey baster or bulb syringe.
· Saline eye solution · Artificial tear gel.
· Mild dishwashing liquid.
· Forceps.
· Muzzle.
· Can of favorite wet food.
· Pet carrier.
Source: ASPCA ***
KAYLOR SAYS: It isn't just a matter of wrath over the antics of the animal.........anyone with a grudge against anyone can do this, or if they really want to get to the people they can (and do) report them for animal cruelty.
That sparkes an 'investigation' by sometimes overzealous animal control officers, who feel perfectly justified "investigating" a complaint on 'animal cruelty'.
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