Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog fatally beaten and strangled

Dog fatally beaten and strangled
Hydes, MD (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Feb 16, 2007
County: Baltimore
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Charges: Felony CTA

Abuser/Suspect: Celeste Ann Rainone

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 11486

Classification: Beating, Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation

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Suspect was in animal welfare field

A Shrewsbury woman is accused of fatally injuring a poodle she was supposed to groom, according to Baltimore County Police reports.

Celeste A. Rainone, 52, of the first block of Woodland Drive, faces animal cruelty charges in the death of Rajah, a poodle who died in February.

Authorities said a necropsy showed the 14-year-old dog was beaten, strangled and mutilated. Police allege it was at the hands of Rainone.

According to court documents, Rainone denies the allegations and told investigators she is an animal lover and would never hurt an animal. She could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Police said the dog's owner, Nancy Pine of Baldwin, Md., took her dog and her mother's dog to Rainone's dog grooming business, Grooming by Celeste, in Hydes, Md., about noon Feb. 16 for grooming. Several hours later, Rainone and her boyfriend dropped the dogs off at Pine's home.

Pine told police she noticed the dog was lethargic and its breathing was shallow. She said she took Rajah to Falls Road Animal Hospital, where the dog died during the early morning hours of Feb. 17.

After the dog's death, Pine tried to file a complaint with police but was told she didn't have enough evidence against the dog groomer. Pine sent Rajah for a necropsy, and three main findings pointed to the dog being abused, police said.

Rajah had liver damage, four fractured ribs and other injuries, including hemorrhages in the eyes believed to have been caused by strangulation, officials said.

Baltimore County Police began investigating the case, talking to the doctors who saw Rajah, workers at a business next door to the dog groomer, Pine and Rainone.

Police said Rainone's neighbors reported hearing loud noises and Rainone's raised voice the day Rajah was at the shop. They also said they overhead Rainone telling someone the dog had bitten her, according to court documents.

Baltimore County Police filed charges against Rainone May 2. She has a court appearance slated for June 18 in Baltimore County.

Case Updates

Dog groomer Celeste Rainone took the stand Monday and adamantly denied beating a poodle to death in a fit of rage.

�I would never do something like that,� Rainone, 53, said in Baltimore County District Court. �I don�t even dig in my garden because I might hurt earthworms.�

But Judge Barbara Jung didn�t buy the speech � and convicted Rainone, a Shrewsbury, Pa., resident, of animal cruelty and mutilation in the Feb. 17 death of Rajah, the poodle.

�The dog was not cooperating and Ms. Rainone lost it,� Jung said.

Baldwin resident Nancy Pine, Rajah�s owner, first contacted police after her dog�s trip to the grooming shop turned deadly.

�That weekend was one of the worst weekends of my life,� Pine testified in court Monday. �To have him die was terrible. To find out he died by being beaten to death is traumatic.�

At noon on Feb. 16, she took her poodle to Grooming by Celeste at 5235 Hydes Road in Baltimore County in �completely healthy� condition, according to Pine.

But the dog was noticeably different when he returned home at 7 p.m. He was �cold, wet and minimally responsive,� according to a report by veterinarian Patti Brennan of Falls Road Animal Hospital. Rajah died soon afterward.

According to an animal autopsy � called a necropsy � conducted on Rajah, the dog suffered from blunt trauma to the head, face, liver and other organs.

A neighbor of Rainone�s testified in court she heard a loud noise the day Rajah was injured and rushed to check on Rainone, who was acting upset and irrational.

Rainone testified that Rajah bit her twice while she was grooming the 14-year-old poodle.

In court Monday, prosecutor Matthew Breault played a recorded cell phone message Rainone left for Pine after the incident.

In the message, Rainone threatened to sue Pine for defamation.

�I�m going to put your phone number on every bathroom stall in Baltimore County,� Rainone said on the message.

A sentencing date has not been set.

Source: Examiner.com - Oct 2, 2007
Update posted on Oct 7, 2007 - 10:29PM

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A Shrewsbury woman accused of fatally injuring a poodle she was supposed to groom has been arraigned on multiple charges.

According to court records, Celeste Ann Rainone faces one count of animal cruelty, and two counts of mutilating an animal in Baltimore District Court.

Rajah, a poodle, died in February. Authorities said a necropsy showed the 14-year-old dog was beaten, strangled and mutilated.

Rainone is scheduled for trial on October 2, 2007, at 8:30 a.m.

Source: Case # 1C00262893
Update posted on Jun 20, 2007 - 12:11PM

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References

The York Daily Record - May 17, 2007

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Dog fatally beaten and strangledHydes, MD (US)

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Dog fatally beaten and strangled
Hydes, MD (US)