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Mentally disturbed people who harm animals, suffer from severe forms of psychiatric disorders


Reports of cruelty to animals are on the rise, and animal shelter workers across Canada are calling for tougher laws against people convicted for such crimes. An animal shelter near Port Hope, Ontario is one group passing out such a petition, as it takes in donations to help pay Nikita's mounting vet bills. Nikita is a one-year-old Rottweiler pup. Her owner chained the dog to the back of a truck and dragged her down a country road.  George McCullough says it was a horrible accident. "I didn't see her chained," he says. "I didn't know." McCullough is facing a charge of cruelty to an animal.  Nikita's been getting a lot of attention in her community, but this is just one case of alleged animal abuse. Experts say cruelty to animals is a growing problem across the country. Tens of thousands of animal abuse complaints are laid every year in Canada and in some regions the numbers are rising. According to the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, complaints of animal abuse are up from nearly 13,000 incidents in 1996 to almost 16,000 last year.  Charges are rarely laid in such complaints. The maximum penalty is six months in jail, a $2,000 fine, and a two-year ban from owning another pet. Martin Cole of the Ontario Humane Society believes there should be provisions for a judge to give someone convicted of an offence against an animal a lifetime ban on owning a pet. Psychologists agree, saying people who abuse animals are at risk for hurting children. Ottawa is working on a new law on animal cruelty, but it's not known when the legislation might be tabled. A Justice Department spokesperson said groups working to prevent animal abuse have been consulted and "overwhelmingly favored the toughening of sentences for those who abuse animals."

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.



 
B.C. man arrested after puppy beaten, killed
Victoria police have arrested a 24-year-old man after finding a three-month-old pit bull beaten to death in a hotel room on Saturday. Police were called to the hotel at about 1 a.m. PT after guests reported hearing a puppy cry while it was being beaten. Officers found the puppy motionless on the bed and dog feces and bloody towels littering the suite, Sgt. Grant Hamilton said. The dog was taken to a 24-hour veterinary hospital, Hamilton said, but could not be saved. A necropsy confirmed the dog had been severely beaten and died of internal injuries and multiple fractures. Hamilton said the arrested man, whose name wasn't released, did not own the dog and was allegedly looking after it for someone else. A search of the suite also produced drugs and steroids, but no weapon was found. Hamilton said police will be suggesting charges relating to killing an animal and causing unnecessary suffering to animals. A psychiatric evaluation will also be requested.

Puppy killer blames drugs for attack on dog

Last Updated: Thursday, January 27, 2011 | CBC News

Protesters at Victoria's courthouse Wednesday called for the maxiumum sentence for puppy-killer Brent Connors.

Protesters at Victoria's courthouse Wednesday called for the maxiumum sentence for puppy-killer Brent Connors. (CBC)A Victoria man has pleaded guilty to beating his pit bull puppy to death, saying his abuse of alcohol and steroids caused him to "inexplicably explode" just before he killed the animal.

The plea came as protesters gathered outside the Victoria courthouse, demanding that defendant Brent Connors receive the six-month maximum sentence for the crime of wilfully causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Connors, 24, also pleaded guilty to breaching a court ordered condition not to consume drugs.

The three-month-old dog suffered ten broken ribs, other broken bones and a lacerated liver. A necropsy on the animal also found a human bite mark on its abdomen. The animal died from internal bleeding.

Connors told the court a combination of alcohol and steroids drove him to the violent state of mind that precipitated the attack at a Victoria motel Jan. 2.

In a statement read to the court, Connors said the drugs caused him "to inexplicably explode" and attack the dog.

Deterrent sentence sought

Other guests called police after hearing a dog crying out in pain; police found the puppy lying on a bed in the room.

A police search also found three types of steroids among Connors's possessions at the motel.

Bandit, a three-month-old pit bull, was beaten to death in Victoria by its owner. B

andit, a three-month-old pit bull, was beaten to death in Victoria by its owner. (CBC)"Were hoping to see justice done," said protester Andy Thiese, who carried a sign saying "Justice 4 Bandit."

"We're hoping to see the maximum sentence."

The B.C. SPCA also is looking for a deterrent example to be set in Connors's case.

"There is no excuse for attacking and beating to death a small, defenceless puppy," said SPCA spokeswoman Penny Stone.

Connors's lawyer is requesting 45 days jail, with generous credit for time already served.

The Crown is seeking a three- to four-month sentence, 30 days for the breach of the court order and a 10-year ban on owning animals.

Connors will be sentenced Feb. 2.

The B.C. SPCA is pushing for animal cruelty charges against a Surrey man after a severely emaciated Doberman was seized from his home.
The owner of two-year-old dog Rocky voluntarily surrendered him into care on Jan. 18 after being visited by special constables. The agency had received a complaint from someone who saw the animal "in serious distress."
The agency says the frail and wounded dog was tied up to a cement platform in the backyard.
In addition to being very malnourished, Rocky was suffering from anemia and severe liver problems. He also had pressure sores on his hips and legs from repeated contact against the hard platform.
"The skin was just rubbed raw," Lorie Chortyk of SPCA community relations told ctvbc.ca.
"Being so emaciated the dog should never have been outside. It wouldn't have enough body heat to keep him surviving in this kind of weather."
 The dog is receiving ongoing veterinary and nutritional care and is living with one of the staff members of the Surrey shelter.
The dog is responding well to care and will not be returned to the owner, Chortyk said. There were no other animals in the residence and animal welfare staff has not dealt with him in the past.

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Comment: Why would someone dump a frozen in a block of ice dead dog on someone's lawn unless they have mental problems

Animal cruelty officers seek help in solving bizarre case in Dawson Creek

 

January 26, 2011

Video CLICK HERE
BC SPCA animal cruelty investigators are seeking the public’s help in solving a disturbing case in Dawson Creek.

“It’s a bizarre and very upsetting case where an individual woke up on Jan. 15 to find a large block of ice on his lawn,” explains Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations for the BC SPCA. 

“Inside the block of ice, which looks to have been made from a larger rubber bin, was the frozen corpse of a medium-size black dog.”  Moriarty says the individual who reported the incident does not know the dog or any reason why the ice block containing  the corpse would have been left on his property.  “We are currently working to determine the cause of death and the identity of the dog’s owner,” says Moriarty. 

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to please call the South Peace SPCA Branch at 250-782-2444.

The BC SPCA conducts nearly 6,000 cruelty investigations a year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work. Your gift can help support investigations and bring abusers to justice. Please donate today.

Photo caption: The body of a medium-size black dog was found frozen in a large block of ice on January 15 in Dawson Creek

 

 

 

The B.C. SPCA is investigating a bizarre case of animal cruelty after the body of a dead dog encased in a block of ice was found on the lawn of a home near Dawson Creek in northeast B.C.

The homeowner called authorities after he woke up to find the large ice block on his front lawn last Saturday morning.

Marcie Moriarty, general manager of cruelty investigations, said the frozen corpse of a medium-sized black dog was inside the block, which appears to have been constructed from a large rubber bin.

The agency is trying to determine the cause of death and who owned the dog.

Meanwhile, animal abuse charges have been approved against two Duncan, B.C. men for dragging a dog behind a pickup truck last year.

Princess, a miniature pinscher, was dragged behind the vehicle by accident after it was tied to the bumper in August 2010.

The dog suffered a broken jaw and needed to have one of its legs amputated before it was adopted into a new home.

Click here to view the photo.  Caution: Some viewers may consider this graphic and/or offensive.

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