Dog poisoned, shot by owner
Greeley, CO (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 4, 2008
County: Weld
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Paula Harding
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A Greeley woman faces animal cruelty charges after she killed her sick dog by shooting it several times because she says she couldn't afford to euthanize it.
Police say 33-year-old Paula Harding was crying Sunday when police arrived at her house, saying she'd shot the dog because she "couldn't deal with it anymore."
Police say Harding first tried to kill the 15-year-old terrier/poodle mix by giving it as many as five anti-anxiety pills Saturday. Harding allegedly gave the dog more pills the next day but later shot it four times with a .22-caliber handgun because the medication didn't kill it.
Harding is free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
Case UpdatesA woman arrested on suspicion of drugging and shooting her dog multiple times will not face charges.
Paula Harding, 33, was arrested last week on felony cruelty to animal charges after giving her dog Xanax and shooting it four times with a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, according to police.
Harding told police her 15-year-old terrier/poodle mix was old and sick and she couldn't afford a veterinarian to put the animal to sleep.
Weld District Attorney Ken Buck said he doesn't think it would be good policy to prosecute Harding for shooting her dog because it couldn't be proved that she tortured, mutilated or knowingly and needlessly killed the dog.
"I don't think it is a mutilation or a torture. It may not have been a skillful attempt to kill this animal, but it was not torture," Buck said.
According to the filing decision, "there is no evidence that the defendant overdrove, overloaded, overworked, or tormented the dog, or deprived it of necessary sustenance, or beat it, or housed in a manner that resulted in serious physical harm... or otherwise mistreated or neglected the dog, or failed to provide it with proper food, drink."
The filing also states, "killing an animal that has become old and sick is not 'needless,' so the felony charge won't work."
Buck said living in a rural county sometimes people need to "take care of" their animals. While there was no autopsy done on the animal, Buck said evidence showed the dog was ill and if it had been taken to a veterinarian it would have been put down.
"It (shooting animals) has been going on in Weld County for 100 years and it will continue to go on," Buck said. "I think it is not prohibited by law." | Source: Greeley Tribune - Oct 13, 2008
Update posted on Oct 13, 2008 - 6:55PM |
A dog shot by its Greeley owner in a professed mercy killing was not properly cared for and showed signs of severe health issues, according to postmortem findings.
The dog, a 15-year-old female poodle-terrier mix, was shot by Paula Harding on Sunday, police said. Harding, 43, dug a hole on the side of her Greeley home, placed the dog in it and shot her.
Harding told police she's been in dire financial straits and couldn't afford to pay to have the animal euthanized.
"She was so upset that this animal was old and having real trouble medically, she decided to shoot it," said Sgt. Joe Tymkowych, a Greeley police spokesman.
Dr. Susan Donahue, a Fort Collins veterinarian, performed a necropsy on the dog.
Donahue said the dog was extremely thin, and she had no sign of food or water in her digestive tract.
The dog had stones in her gall bladder, dental disease, overgrown nails and a matted coat.
Some of the dog's problems could be attributed to old age, but strung together it indicates neglect, Donahue said.
"There is evidence it wasn't a well-cared-for dog," she said. The dog was shot several times in the head.
Harding couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.
Police were called to the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue about 10:40 a.m. Sunday by a resident who heard shots fired, Tymkowych said.
When an officer arrived, he found a distraught Harding who wept as she recounted shooting her pet.
"She didn't deny it," Tymkowych said. "She told him why she did it and how she did it."
Harding told officers she had given the dog anti-anxiety pills in an attempt to euthanize the animal but it didn't work.
Harding told police she had another "older dog" that died last year. It exhibited similar behavior as the dog she shot, she said. "The dog was defecating and vomiting and having trouble getting around the house," Tymkowych said. "She said she knew it was going to die, and that's why she took the action she did."
Elaine Hicks, executive director of the Weld County Humane Society, said Harding had options, including veterinarians in Weld County who offer free services for hardship cases.
The Humane Society offers euthanasia services starting at $35, Hicks said.
Harding is free on a $5,000 bond, and formal filing of charges is scheduled on Oct. 16, according to court records. | Source: Denver Post - Oct 9, 2008
Update posted on Oct 9, 2008 - 10:17AM |
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