Now the womanShemika T. Robinson, responsible for tossing the puppy has been convicted of animal cruelty and will be serve 180 days in jail.
Garbage collector Mike Upchurch is the one responsible for saving the puppy’s life.He was throwing trash into his truck when he heard a whimpering.
Upchurch investigated the bags and found a shivering puppy covered in garbage in one of them. He quickly rushed the puppy into the truck’s cab to warm it up.
The puppy was starving, cold and dirty, but has since made a full recovery and is now living with his rescuer. Upchurch named the puppy Garby.
Shemika T. Robinsonhas been convicted of animal cruelty for throwing Garby in the trash. She is banned from owning any animals in the future and will serve 180 days in jail. Once released from jail she is required to complete 50 hours of community service at the Muncie Animal Shelter.
“OMG…this couple want a right good kick up the ass then jailed one year for every animal that suffered & died. How the hell can they say it’s been exaggerated when the bloody proof is staring them in the face. What sort of person throws dead animals in a septic tank? & thinks nothing of leaving dead bodies amongst the living? As for not having the equipment to bury animals; has he never heard of a bloody spade? if he had buried them as they died it wouldn’t have got so out of hand; but how did they die? from starvation, neglect what…answers are needed! They ran an animal auction, so they must pay dearly for what they have done; imagine how they treated them whilst alive?”
“These neanderthals deserve the full force of the judicial system thrown at them; make an example out of them! An animal is an animal to me, irrelevant of where it lives or what its purpose is…they all have blood running through their bodies, they all feel pain, discomfort, loneliness; just the same as house animals, there is no difference. If anything farm animals should be treated with the utmost respect from birth to death…they are literally going to die for your plate…don’t they deserve some comforts whilst they were alive? One thing’s for sure, they must not be allowed to own any animals or work with any; I’m hoping the judge can at least manage that!”
SUMMITTVILLE, Ind. — A prosecutor said Friday that an Indianabarn where investigators found starving animals living on top of more than 100 rotting carcasses was the worst case of animal cruelty he has seen, while one of the owners maintains that the conditions have been exaggerated.
No charges have been filed against the owners, but Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said “many counts of animal cruelty are a possibility.”
Carrie and Daniel Ault allegedly kept more than 100 rotting animal carcasses on their farm in Summitville, Ind. No charges have been filed.
“I’ve seen a number of animal cruelty cases. I’ve never seen anything like this before, with a level of volume that’s unprecedented,” Cummings told The Indianapolis Star.
Cummings said the law gives latitude in how people care for livestock, so some charges may be difficult to prove. Animal neglect is a Class D felony under Indiana law, punishable by up to three years in prison.
Investigators discovered the situation at a barn in Summitville, about 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis, earlier this week after receiving a report about several dead animals. Investigators initially found as many as 100 carcasses, including dead horses, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, cats and dogs, inside the barn. Sheriff’s deputies have been burying the carcasses.
Also inside the barn were about 30 living animals who were so malnourished one investigator described them as “walking skeletons.”
Authorities say they found more dead animals in a septic tank Wednesday, and Madison County Sheriff’s Department Maj. Brian Bell said there was “no telling how many” dead animals were on the farm altogether.
“`Lots’ is all I can tell you.”
The surviving animals include horses, sheep, chickens, turkeys and rabbits. Some of them have been placed in foster homes, but some are still loose.
Carrie Ault, who owns the farm with her husband, told The Herald Bulletinthat the condition of the surviving animals has been “blown way out of proportion” and the media is “over-exaggerating” the situation. Ault did not elaborate.
Maleah Stringer, director of the nonprofit Animal Protection League, disagreed.
“These animals were living, literally living and sleeping on piles of rotting bodies. And no food, no water, nothing,” she said. “This is not overblown.”
The Aultsrun an animal auction inStrawtownin Hamilton County and had been working on opening a meat processing plant in Grant County.
Earlier this week, Ault’shusband, Daniel Ault, said the deaths weren’t preventable. He said some of the animals had died four months ago and he didn’t have the equipment to dispose of the carcasses.
“Somebody must know who this lucky little chap belonged to, you wouldn’t forget a face as adorable as that in a hurry! I’m just so pleased the little guy is on the mend, he deserves a wonderful loving home after what he has been through! Imagine how sick someone is to want to break a dogs legs…not someone you would want to associate yourselves with; eh?? So if anyone thinks they know where he came from. or has any information, please contact the number at the bottom; before they do more than break legs next time!!”
FORT WAYNE – The tiny black dog with giant brown eyes and crazy hair bounds across the room, a flurry of wagging tail, busy nose and a heart three times the size of his body.
Michelle Davies | The Journal Gazette Sawyer, an 18-month-old mixed-breed dog and suspected victim of animal cruelty, is now healed and ready to be adopted.
What a difference a few months makes.
On Jan. 5, the terrier mix, now called Sawyer, was found by a passer-by in the 700 block of 3rd Street suffering from two broken front legs.
The “good Samaritan” who found the tiny dog withblack hair and gray Einstein eyebrows took him to the NortheastIndianaVeterinaryEmergency Speciality Hospital inFort Wayne, where veterinarians found that the dog’s injuries were not like those that would have been caused by getting hit by a car. Officials at Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control opened a cruelty investigation.
In the meantime, there was a scruffy little dog to help and the shelter’s Angel Fund was nearly depleted after paying for the puppy’s surgery.
“So many people donated for his care,” said Peggy Bender, community relations and education specialist at Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control. “Without it, he wouldn’t be where he is today. You can’t use tax dollars for this type of situation.”
Officials said about $4,500 was raised in a week.
Friday, officials announced that Sawyer was ready for adoption, and he showed off the healing power of love. He’s spent about 10 weeks in a privatefoster home.
Shelter officials said that despite his ordeal, Sawyer has been nothing but boundless energy and love. Officials estimate he’s about 18 months old.
“Even with both legs in full casts, he would try to hug you,” said AmyJo Sites, Animal Care & Control deputy director. “The injury didn’t slow him down one minute.”
Bender said she worried at first because Sawyer would bounce up and down on his casts until veterinarians assured her the bones had been repaired with plates and pins and the bouncing didn’t hurt him.
The woman who fostered Sawyer since his surgery – officials asked that her name not be used so she can continue fostering high-profile cases when needed – said it will be very difficult to let him go to his “forever home.”
“He is awesome. He’s an amazing dog,” she said. “He never knew he had broken legs.”
Bender said that while high-profile cases such as Sawyer’s get a lot of attention, it also helps remind people there are many, many other animals that need homes and that when they see cruelty or neglect, they need to report it at 427-1244.
“If you see something, pick up the phone,” Bender said. “We do keep it confidential. Just let us know so we can check it out.”
The cruelty case involving Sawyer remains under investigation.
“I really don’t understand some people, one would have to have a heart made of stone, to put that little face in a bag & toss it out with the trash! Imagine how horrific it would have been, had the guy not seen the bag move! I’m just praying justice is served now; as the bitch that did this, along with possibly more, needs to pay dearly!”
Michael Upchurch used to not think too much about what was in the bags of trash he dumped everyday as a garbage man.
Then last week he saw something moving in one of the bags. Upchurch stopped the truck from crushing the bag and saved a 6-week-old puppy.
Last Wednesday Upchurch was working collecting garbage in Muncie, Indianawhen he and his coworker, who was also riding on the back of the truck, heard whimpering. They both thought the noise was coming from each other, and then Upchurch spotted something. “Out of the corner of my eye in the bag, it was a blue recycle bag by the way, I seen his head moving. I said ‘Stop the truck,’” Upchurch recalled. “It was a terrible sound. This ole’ doggy here hollering. ‘Save me.’ I guess in doggy talk.”
Upchurch pulled the puppy out. The puppy looked frozen so Upchurch did what he could to warm him up, taking him into the truck and blasting the heat. “I turned on the heat right here with the heat on full blast,” said Upchurch. The puppy was then rushed to the Westview Animal Clinic for emergency care. The puppy has made a speedy recovery and is now at home with his rescuer and new owner Upchurch.
Upchurch has given the puppy the name Garby. “I knew I had to adopt him,” said Upchurch. He and his wife had been discussing getting a new puppy for a while and are thrilled to have Garby safe at home with them. “It’s been great. I’m just happy that (Garby) is safe and alive and we’re going to treat him really well,” said Upchurch’s wife Shelley.
Upchurch’s sister is also happy for her brother and Garby. She is the director of Muncie’s Animal Rescue Fund and is not surprised at all by her brother’s actions. “I was not surprised because my brother, he’s a great guy, and that’s just the kind of guy that he is,” she said.
The woman responsible for throwing Garby away is being investigated by the city’s Criminal Investigations Division. She allegedly admitted to previously throwing away two or three other puppies. “I hope she is haunted by a million pairs of puppy eyes staring at her, each time she try’s to sleep…the heartless bitch!”
She told the director of the Muncie Animal Shelter, Phil Peckinpaugh, that she thought the puppy was suffering from PARVO and had died when she put it in the trash. Peckinpaugh says she has been cited withanimal neglect and animal cruelty. “You would have to be pretty dense to not notice if an animal was breathing or not, it’s not hard, this is just more of a typical excuse, I hope she gets the full force of the law thrown at her!”
After this experience Upchurch is concerned about what might be in other trash bags. He hopes people learn from this, “I kinda hope this will make people think a second before they do this ’cause there’s so much help out there.”
“Brilliant news… now just make sure it is banned altogether…forever!”
(Ohio County, Ind.) – Localsnapping turtles may rest easy as the controversial Snapperfest will not happen this year.
Snapperfest is a competition that features men and women pulling snapping turtles’ heads from their shell as fast as possible while avoiding being bit by the reptiles. The event caused a national controversy last year when People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups called the event “turtle torture.”
“Since it began in 1996, Snapperfest has been a shame on the state of Indiana, and compassionate citizens from around the world have been up-in-arms about this pathetic event since undercover video of participants abusing turtles for a cheap thrill came to light,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund director of litigation Carter Dillard.
The owners of Ohio County’s Campshore Campground, which has drawn hundreds of people on Snapperfest weekend each of the past 16 years, have told the Indiana Department of Natural Resourcesthe event will not take place this August.
The ALDF submitted a rulemaking petition to the IDNR earlier this year arguing that a misinterpretation of state law had allowed for illegal cruelty at Snapperfest.
In an August 1 email to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the DNR told the organization exactly what it wanted to hear:
“We have information from the owners of the campground that the portion of the event using live animals, namely turtles, will not be taking place this year. However, we will continue to monitor the situation. If you have any first-hand knowledge that laws are being broken or about to be broken involving turtles at this event, please share it with us so that it can be checked for compliance with the regulations.”
The DNR acknowledged that Indiana’s animal cruelty laws do apply to the actions against turtles at Snapperfest.
“We’re hopeful the campground makes good on its word to the state of Indiana to leave live turtles out of any summer events this year–and we will look to the state to take swift action against acting in violation of animal protection laws,” said Dillard.
Campshore Campground co-owner Chris Probst told Eagle 99.3 prior to the 2011 Snapperfest that the turtles are treated humanely. He said the turtles are set free afterwards.
“We do not kill the turtles. They are caught by hand. You can’t pull the head off a turtle,” said Probst, insisting there was nothing illegal about the event.
Even a major American beer company has been drug into the controversy. Footage from the 2011 event showed a banner with a Budweiser logo and the phrase “Welcome to Snapperfest.” The ALDF brought the implied sponsorship to Anheuser-Busch, which issued a reply stating that neither they or their local wholesaler sponsored the event.
“For more than a century, we have prided ourselves on our reputation for treating animals with respect…,” the company’s statement read.
As of Friday, Campshore Campground’s website still proclaims “Home of the legendary Snapperfest!” Below is a Animal Legal Defense Fund video of Snapperfest:
The Case: News reports give the following account: On May 29, Lady May Z was grazing in her pen in Lake County, Ind., when someone shot her between the eyes, killing her. Lady May Z’s owners, Carl and Heidi Geib, found her lying dead in her pen. Police believe a captive bolt gun was used. The 8-year-old racehorse was scheduled to appear at Balmoral Park Racetrack on May 30 for a practice race.
“It takes a truly callous person to kill a gentle horse as she was grazing in her pen,” said Anne Sterling, Indiana state director for The HSUS. “We are hopeful that this reward will bring forward anyone with information about this tragic crime.”
The Investigators: The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is investigating. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Michelle Weaver at 219-755-3400.
A beer-soaked bacchanal centered on the domination of snapping turtles is now at the center of a legal challenge claiming that the state is failing to enforce its laws against animal cruelty.
A cracked shell can be painful, dangerous and even deadly to a snapper.
According to Indiana Code 35-46-3-12, “A person who knowingly or intentionally beats a vertebrate animal commits cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor.”
The DNR has said the law doesn’t apply in cases where snappers are abused because they, like smooth softshell and spiny softshell turtles, are designated as game species in Indiana and the law provides an exemption for wild animals that are legally taken and possessed.
“We are asking the INRC to clarify that after animals are taken, they are protected under Indiana law,” said Carter Dillard, ALDF’s director of litigation.
“DNR took the position that no law applies; however, once you trap an animal, you can’t just do anything you want to it. Their misinterpretation would literally allow someone to torture a turtle, a deer, a coyote or any animal to death, so long as that animal had been trapped first. It is time for this legal misinterpretation to be corrected and for the state to put an end to this pathetic event once and for all.”
Its interpretation of the exemption results in failure to enforce Indiana’s animal cruelty standard, Dillard said.
In response, Cameron Clark, chief legal counsel for the Indiana DNR, calls ALDF’s description an “unfair characterization,” stating that DNR doesn’t “permit or promote [Snapperfest].”
Due to extensive protests from animal rights groups, DNR had a presence at last August’s Snapperfest. As part of an undercover operation, conservation officers were empowered to intervene if they witnessed cruelty.
“To our knowledge and from onsite observation, abuse of the snapping turtles is not allowed,” said Shelley Reeves, the governor’s liaison for the DNR.
Footage provided by the World Animal Awareness Society captured examples of cruelty in violation of state law, such as turtles held by their tails, repeatedly dropped and/or thrown to the ground and held up by their heads.
“If they didn’t see it, they are ignoring it – or maybe they don’t understand,” Dillard said.
“They have a responsibility to protect wildlife. Between Snapperfest, coyote penning and canned hunting, the leadership looks like it’s putting up Indiana’s wildlife in a fire sale.”
“Please note I have changed the original video for the video below, it clearly show’s abuse & the commentary is very informative:- it is several videos rolled into one!”
Snapperfest is held at Campshore Campgrounds at 8548 State Road 56, Aurora, IN.
Fun festival or turtle torture?
The competition consists of timing men on how quickly they can pull a snapping turtle from a tub of murky water, run across a lawn and force — or, as Reeves describes it, “coax” — its head out of its shell far enough to grab it by its neck. Women are timed in a relay race to carry a soft-shell turtle across a lawn.
Undercover video shows a man slamming a turtle onto a mat, grabbing its head, stretching its neck and kissing it on the nose. Other videos show men using their knees to hold the turtles down or carrying them by their tails, and women dropping turtles while they run.
“The possible injuries I observed in the videos were a broken neck, broken legs, injured shells and head injuries,” said Marty La Prees, a DNR-licensed wildlife rehabilitator and owner of Indiana Turtle Care, Inc.
Any of these actions could cause injury:
-Carrying a turtle by the neck could break its windpipe, esophagus and vertebrae.
-Moving a turtle too quickly or roughly can cause intestinal injuries.
-Dropping a turtle can injure its skeletal system, particularly its legs and neck. It could also cause jaw or facial injuries. “If there is a recent, unhealed injury to the shell, it can make the injury worse by increasing the fracture or splitting a soft area that is healing,” La Prees said. A turtle’s shell is living tissue and can feel pain. Cuts and tears can occur to the outer edges of the softshell turtles’ shells; fractures to bones located near the center of the shell are possible. Skin infections can result from soft tissue exposure.
– Digging their fingers into the soft tissue to extract the turtle’s head could cause neck, eye and/or nose injuries.
– Picking up a turtle by its tail can cause dislocation of the spine or tail, which could affect its swimming ability or its balance while climbing out of the water. “It’s like being picked up by your toe,” said Julie Zickefoosee, licensed wildlife rehabilitator. “It separates the vertebrae; it’s very painful. You can see they’re in pain, writhing and twisting. It can cripple them.”
In addition to potentially causing any of the injuries listed, slamming a turtle to the ground is traumatic. “These animals can certainly feel stress and trauma,” La Prees said, referring to turtle seen in one video urinating while being held upside down by its foot indicates stress and/or fear. “Turtles do this when in a traumatic situation or feeling threatened. This is truly an example to cruelty to animals.”
Stress makes animals sicker and can cause illness by itself, said Veterinarian Angela Lennox of the Avian & Exotic Animal Clinic. When treating animals, she seeks to minimize psychological pain as well as physical pain. “Reptiles do have pain receptors. We use sedation when pulling the head [of a turtle] out to get a vein, plus anti-anxiety medication and pain medication so as not to traumatize it – and that’s with animals that are used to being handled, not wild animals.”
Because they are cold-blooded with slow metabolism, turtles are slow healers. “Returning injured or sick turtles to the wild is tragic,” said La Prees, who recommends that fractures be treated by a qualified exotic veterinarian prior to rehabilitation.
Broken bones will disable a turtle, making it easy prey or leading to drowning if it cannot move properly through water. Eye injuries will render it unable to find food.Further stress is caused due to the fact the turtle is unable to function normally.
Lady May Z, an 8-year-old trotting horse, was preparing to race at Balmoral Park Wednesday — but was found shot in the head, between the eyes Tuesday evening in Lowell, Ind., the Chicago Tribune reports.
The mare was discovered in her pen by her owner Heidi Geib. Authorities say theybelieve the horse was shot — in broad daylight — between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., NBC Chicago reports.
“I was in shock,” Geib told CBSChicago of her discovery. “And then, when we walked out there, and saw that there was a hole in her head, right between her eyes, that was even more unbelievable.”
Lady May Z, who had not often raced recently, was planning to race at Balmoral in Crete, Ill., as a test to see if she was ready to return to the scene, according to NBC.
Police say they have no leads and no arrests have been made. An investigation into the horse’s slaying is ongoing.
Anderson, Indiana– Police are investigating an animal cruelty case against a man who allegedly stabbed and killed his girlfriend’s dog and then killed her eight newbornpuppies after a dispute about the woman’s tax return money.
46-year-old Dennis White, who was currently out on bond in Randolph County on four battery counts and one for child molesting, has been arrested on one count of strangulation and nine counts of animal cruelty since the incident on Wednesday.
Dennis White has been arrested for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend's dog and eight puppies after she refused to give him money from her tax return.
According to reports, White and his girlfriend got into an argument after White’s girlfriend refused to share her tax refund with him. The fight turned physical and White tried strangling his girlfriend.
“He actually had me laying down on the couch and had his knee in my throat where I couldn’t breathe, and he did smack me across the face real hard,” said Wendy Shipley, White’s ex-girlfriend to Fox59 News.
The victim’s pit bull, named Coco, came to the aid of her owner. Coco bit White on the leg and gave her owner enough time to escape the home. Unfortunately, Coco and her puppies were left behind with White, who allegedly decided to take revenge.
White became enraged with the dog, and in the absence of the girlfriend, decided to stab Coco and her eight newborn puppies to death.
“Eight puppies were lying in the corner of a room. There was a lot of blood in the apartment on the walls, blood splattering,” said Detective Joel Sandefur with the Anderson Police Department.
Court documents also show, “White indicated to officers at the scene that no dog should bite a person and live. He was also pleased that the puppies were dead.”
Police were alerted of the incident when White came into a grocery store covered in blood. The grocery store employees called police immediately after seeing him. White told investigators he was forced to stab Coco after she bit him.
White has admitted to killing Coco, but stated that he had passed out on top of the puppies after drinking an 18-pack of beer, and did not stab them. Police say his story does not add up, after seeing the evidence in his home.
“I cry a lot, and it’s done a lot to me, and I wish I wouldn’t have left them, and I hate him for what he did to my dog and the babies. She didn’t deserve that. She was a great dog,” said Shipley, White’s ex-girlfriend.
As of Thursday, White is being held in the Madison County Jail on $100,000 cash bond. It was still unclear clear if he had retained an attorney.
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PLEASE NOTE.....
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ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 