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Case #10675 Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Neglected dog abandoned, rubber band around nose
Mason City, IA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Feb 28, 2006
County: Cerro Gordo
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Kristin R. Jacobson
» James Jay Halsne
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Carolyn Kalvig loves to talk about the jet-black, curly-haired Pomeranian/poodle mix she and husband, Carl, adopted last year at their home near Northwood.
That's difficult, though, when the dog, Ripley, jumps up on Kalvig's chair and licks her face.
"He's so loving," she said with a laugh. "He's very forgiving and loving, and he'll just crawl up into your lap and hug himself to you. We just really like him. We wouldn't give him up for anything. He's a great little dog."
"He's in a home that thinks the world of him," said Tracy Hamand, manager of the Humane Society of North Iowa in Mason City.
That's in sharp contrast to the day in March 2006 when Ripley, then less than a year old, was found tied to a tree outside the shelter.
He was somewhat thin and had trouble breathing. His owners had wrapped a heavy rubber band around his snout, apparently to keep Ripley from barking.
The band cut off circulation in the snout. The end of the snout swelled up like a tennis ball, and Ripley almost lost his nose. In that case, Hamand said, he would have been euthanized.
She said it's the worst case of animal abuse or neglect she has seen in North Iowa.
"I'm thinking a rubber band around the nose is not an appropriate action for a barking dog," Hamand said. "And you know what? They could have tied that dog to my door before they had to harm it. He didn't deserve what he got."
Roger Crimmins, executive director of the Humane Society of North Iowa, said, "It's horrible how people can treat animals in such a way. If you don't want the animal, there are alternatives. There's just no fathoming it. You look at that and you look inside yourself and you go, 'How?' 'Why?' "
Hamand said she's seeing abuse and neglect cases frequently, "because people aren't held accountable for their actions."
"It reflects poorly on our adults and children," she said, "just in what we're willing to put up with."
Iowa law states that animal neglect is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $50 to $500.
Animal neglect resulting in serious injury or death is a serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of $250 to $1,500.
Fines were increased in the 2007 Iowa Code.
"Obviously, I don't think it's enough," Hamand said. "Animal laws aren't prosecuted like they are on Animal Planet (in the TV show, 'Animal Cops'). And that's what's frustrating with Iowa, is that we have not started to prosecute like other states have."
Two people were charged in Cerro Gordo County District Court in regard to Ripley's case.
Case UpdatesJames Jay Halsne Jr., 60, of 1037 15th St. N.E., pleaded guilty on Jan. 16 in Cerro Gordo County District Court to accessory after the fact, a simple misdemeanor. He was fined $500 Tuesday.
He is charged with aiding and abetting in the neglect of a male dog, Ripley, at his residence. Kristin R. Jacobson, 48, of Mason City, was sentenced Feb. 2 to three days in jail and a $100 fine for animal neglect.
According to court documents, Ripley, a Pomeranian-poodle mix, was mutilated when rubber bands were wound tightly around his snout for a prolonged period of time. The dog was left in a garage and deprived of sustenance, then later abandoned at the Humane Society of North Iowa.
The charges stem from March 25, 2006. | Source: Globe Gazette - Feb 16, 2007
Update posted on Feb 16, 2007 - 10:46PM |
Kristin R. Jacobson, 48, of Mason City, was sentenced Friday to three days in jail and a $100 fine for animal neglect.
In the same case, James Jay Halsne, 60, also of Mason City, will be sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 13, on charges of accessory after the fact.
Meanwhile, Carolyn Kalvig reports that Ripley is doing well.
He likes a good bath, and is "very protective" of her and Carl.
"Whoever in this world would ever do anything like that to an animal, to me, I think the same thing should be done to them," Carolyn said. "There are things out there that you can buy to stop dogs from barking. I can't imagine why someone would want to do something like that to him." | Source: Globe Gazette - Feb 4, 2007
Update posted on Feb 5, 2007 - 1:12AM |
References- Globe Gazette - Feb 4, 2007
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