Elderly dog neglected, tethered
Hartford, CT (US)Incident Date: Monday, Sep 17, 2007
County: Hartford
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Alan Weisenberg
Details of warrant: On 9/17/07 a pedestrian reported to Police of a possible dead dog on a sidewalk. Police responded and called for Animal Control for assistance. A small Chihuahua type dog was found lying on it's side, motionless. The dog was extremely thin with it's ribs, hip, and spinal bones protruding. The dog was tied to a tree with an approximate 20 ft rope. There was no shelter provided for the dog. A bowl of water was visible but at least 15 feet from the collapsed dog. The dog was not able to stand and in need of immediate medical attention. No one was home at the time.
The owner, Alan Weisenberg, returned home, at approximately 6:45 p.m., before the dog was transported to a vet. He claimed that he was unaware of any medical problem with his dog and stated that his dog, "Bambi", was just old, approx. 19 yrs of age, and had always been thin. He stated that he tied his dog out because it had arthritis, and an injury to her leg and therefore could not use the stairs. He said that he chose the front yard for his elderly dog because he had problems with coyotes in the rear yard. According to A. Weisenberg, the dog had been left outside since 11 AM.
The owner could not provide any veterinary records to explain his dog's current condition. He admitted that he had not seen a vet for his dog's leg injury. It was confirmed that the only medical history found for Bambi was a rabies vaccination.
When it was explained to A. Weisenberg of the immediate need for medical care, he was uncooperative and refused to take her to a veterinarian. Because of his refusal to accept responsibility of his own dog and the critical nature of her health, the dog was taken into custody of Animal Control.
Veterinarians diagnosed Bambi as non-ambulatory (unable to walk) with severe muscle atrophy (muscle loss). She was rated between a 1.5 and 2 on the Veterinary Body System with a rating between 1-9. A rating of 1 as being the worst case of canine emaciation. Bambi was dehydrated and found to have severe periodontal disease. Her mouth was noted as most of her teeth missing with severe infection from tartar, gingivitis, and multiple abscesses. Bambi also had pus in her nasal and eye discharge. When offered wet, canned food, it was noted that she was "eating ravenously".
It was also found that Bambi had a Grade II bilateral medial patellar luxation ( a knee popped out of place).
When A. Weisenberg was informed of his dog's poor condition, he insisted that she was fine, just old and that he did not have the funding to pay for her care and might soon be losing his used car business. He stated that he always left food out for all of his dogs by means of dry kibble in a community type feeder. He stated that he was doing his dog a favor by leaving his dog outside but also admitted his frustration at her defecating and urinating in the house.
Bambi was sent to a second veterinarian with the same diagnosis of being unable to stand or walk, loss of muscle and a score of 1.5 on the Body scale System. She was reported between 4-6% dehydrated. Although veterinarians agreed that there might be other underlying conditions, they stated that it was clear that Bambi was in need of veterinary care for some time. "Without further diagnostic work up, as well as, medical and surgical intervention, the issue of "The Quality of Life" becomes a factor." Veterinarians stated that she seems to have a poor quality of life and if treatment is not pursued, then he would recommend that Bambi be humanely euthanized.
When these findings were discussed with A. Weisenberg, he refused to acknowledge Bambi's serious condition and insisted that the care of his dog had been satisfactory. He made it clear that he did not intend to invest any money in caring for his elderly dog.
On 9/27/07, A. Weisenberg agreed to take Bambi to a veterinarian of his choice for follow-up care and the dog was released back into his custody. He was instructed that Bambi was extremely feeble and would need to be carried and could not walk herself. He was given an estimate for follow up care and was suppose to contact his veterinarian to make arrangements. He never did so.
Alan Weisenberg knew, at the least, that his elderly dog of 19 yrs of age was unable to walk properly, had a known leg injury, was incontinent, and due to the strong foul smell, his dog was suffering from some type of infection. Bambi's eyes were noticeably encrusted with puss as well as having a pussy nasal type discharge. Although Mr. Weisenberg sticks to his claims that his dog had always been thin, Bambi's obvious protruding bones were enough for veterinarians to deem her emaciated. At no time did Mr. Weisenberg seek veterinary medical attention for his dog nor answers for her numerous conditions.
Although Mr. Weisenberg insists that he always left out food and water for Bambi, he offered dry kibble in a large feeder and was unable to monitor her individual feeding habits. Because of Bambi's severe dental disease of tartar and abscesses, it is likely that dry kibble was too painful to eat.
He admitted to having to carry his dog because of her inability to walk. Knowing her injuries, her elderly age and the fact that he had known coyotes in his yard, A. Weisenberg claims it was in the best interest to tie her out to a tree for a period of 8 hours with no shelter or supervision. Because of her inability to walk or stand, the water left for her was inaccessible.
When given the opportunity to take his dog for obvious needed veterinary care, he refused to do so. He refused to do so on 9/17/07 when Bambi was found in a collapsed state and also when he agreed to do so when she was released back into his care.
After the warrant was approved by both a States Attorney and a Judge, Alan Weisenberg was arrested. His next Court Appearance is Dec 11, 2007. References |
