Dog severely beaten, buried alive in snow
Bellows Falls, VT (US)Incident Date: Monday, Mar 3, 2008
County: Windham
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Edward Grysko
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Rudy the Jack Russell terrier will survive, says his doctor. And his alleged assailant, Edward Grysko, 61, will have his day in court in April 2008 on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.
According to Bellows Falls police, Grysko told them he beat the dog to death Monday on Wells Street and then buried it in a snow bank.
But when police and the dog's owner went to retrieve Rudy's body after midnight Tuesday, they found the dog still alive - but just barely.
The 14-year-old terrier was rushed to the Rockingham Veterinarian Clinic in Bartonsville at about 1:30 a.m. in severe shock and with injuries to its head, according to Dr. Vincent DiBernardo.
DiBernardo said Rudy's body temperature was very low, and that he was shaking and shivering uncontrollably when Officer David Bemis brought him to the Bartonsville clinic.
"He had a lot of trauma around his head, and he was in extreme shock when he got here," DiBernardo said.
DiBernardo said it wasn't clear how long Rudy was buried in the snow bank.
DiBernardo said that shock in such cases is life-threatening. "He was close to death; somehow we managed to save him," DiBernardo said.
DiBernardo said he treated the dog for shock and his injuries, and worked to warm him up.
"When an animal is in shock, it diverts all the blood to the vital organs and the extremities get very cold," he said.
He said he gave the dog intravenous treatment for his injuries.
"The next morning he was vastly improved, and he was out of shock, but he was in a lot of pain," said DiBernardo, who said the police officer helped him treat the dog during the early-morning emergency.
The vet clinic is at DiBernardo's home.
Since then, Rudy has eaten a little and is walking around a little.
"His upper jaw is all swollen on the right side," he said.
The vet said he took an X-ray of Rudy's head to see if there were any fractures from the beating, and the X-rays showed he had "little boney fractures in his snout."
"Those will heal, but there's a lot of swelling," he said.
"I think he's going to be OK. He's very alert - aware and alert," he said, adding Rudy had made so much improvement that he may be going home Thursday. "He's a lucky dog."
DiBernardo said Rudy's owner, a woman known only as Carol to clinic staff, had come to visit Rudy and called Wednesday to check on him. Neither DiBernardo nor Bellows Falls police had the full name of the owner.
According to the police report, the owner called police saying there was a man in the Wells Street area with a firearm, and that he had bludgeoned her dog to death.
Grysko didn't return telephone messages. According to police, Grysko at first denied beating the dog, and then admitted to burying it in the snow bank, and showed officers where he had put the dog.
Grysko is due in Brattleboro District Court on April 1 to answer to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Bemis couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, and Bellows Falls Police Chief Ron Lake said he had no knowledge about the case.
"I'm glad to hear the dog's going to survive," Lake said.
Case UpdatesEdward Grysko, a 61-year-old Westminster man accused of striking a Parson Russell terrier dog and burying it alive in the snow last week, is thought to have committed suicide Wednesday morning, police said.
Grysko decided to end his life, in part, because of his arrest in the highly publicized animal cruelty case, police said.
Grysko was found behind his work place, General Truck and Equipment in Westminster, with a gunshot wound to the head, police said; a handgun and suicide note were left behind.
The type of gun and note's content were not disclosed. State police did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday evening.
Grysko was "depressed and despondent" over his arrest in the animal cruelty case and the untimely death of his youngest son, which occurred two years ago, police learned through interviews with family and friends.
Grysko faced aggravated animal cruelty charges for beating the 14-year-old Parson Russell terrier early last week; according to police, he said he was angered because the dog "nipped at somebody."
Police retrieved the terrier from a snow bank in Bellows Falls on March 4, a day after the beaten dog was buried. The dog was treated for shock and head injuries and was expected to survive.
The dog's owner reported the crime to police.
The suspected suicide does not appear to be suspicious, but a post-mortem examination will be performed, police said. | Source: Burlington Free Press - March 13, 2008
Update posted on Mar 13, 2008 - 12:10PM |
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