Dog found emaciated, frozen to death
Gary, IN (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jan 16, 2009
County: Lake
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Tella Bush
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The death of an emaciated pit bull who had frozen to death outside its Gary home last week has prompted an investigation by the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana.
Humane Society Director Betty Clayton received a call on Friday from a woman in Gary who wanted them to pick up her dead dog, who had frozen to death on Thursday night.
"We don't have the time nor the staff to pick up dead animals, but I had a gut feeling about this, so I and a staff member went out there," Clayton said.
The woman said she let the dog out Thursday night and called for it to come inside, but it didn't come back.
Clayton found the snow-covered dog curled up in the fetal position inside its dog house -- less than 10 feet from the back of the house -- and it was chained to a tree. The dog house wasn't much more than a wire crate covered on all sides with thin paneling boards, Clayton said.
The temperatures on Jan. 15 was minus 11 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 28.
"There were no visible signs of food or water," Clayton said. "You could see its hip bones sticking out."
The dog was taken to an animal hospital for an examination, and the veterinarian remarked on the year-old dog having most of its bones visible. The vet didn't list an exact cause of death, but he did say that the dog could have died from starvation or frozen to death.
Clayton said it's up to Lake County (Ind.) Police whether to categorize this animal abuse -- which is a felony -- or neglect, a misdemeanor.
Clayton said she plans to speak to Lake County Police Detective Michelle Weaver, who has investigated several animal abuse and dogfighting cases.
"It amazes me that people out there can do this to an animal, that they have no compassion," Clayton said.
Case UpdatesThe Lake County prosecutor's office has filed an animal cruelty charge against the owner of an emaciated pit bull found frozen in a makeshift shelter during subzero weather earlier this month.
Tella Bush, 20, of 602 Illinois St., is named in the misdemeanor count recently filed before Lake Superior Court, County Division Judge Sheila Moss.
Court records indicated Monday that the county has issued an arrest warrant for Bush.
Betty Clayton, executive director of the Gary Humane Society, said she found a 1-year-old, snow-covered male dog frozen to the ground Jan. 16 in Bush's yard. Bush called the Humane Society to remove the dog. Clayton said she found it chained to a tree and with no access to food or water.
Clayton said last week the dog was 25 pounds underweight and should have been taken to a veterinarian. She said the dog's lack of body fat probably hindered its ability to survive outdoors in temperatures that reached 16 below zero.
Tella faces a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the violation. | Source: The NWI Times - Jan 26, 2009
Update posted on Jan 27, 2009 - 1:14AM |
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