Two dogs chained outside, one injured
Thurmont, MD (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Dec 6, 2010
County: Frederick

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: James Edward Clements, Sr.

Animal Control officers removed a pair of Australian cattledogs from a Thurmont residence after the dogs were found chained outdoors to trees in December without access to water or shelter, according to court records.

James Edward Clements Sr., 41, has been ordered to appear March 1 in Frederick County District Court on charges of restraining a dog without access to water and shelter and two animal cruelty counts of failing to provide proper veterinary care and infliction of unnecessary pain, documents state.

Contacted by telephone Friday, Clements said, "Some of the charges are valid, but not 100 percent."

An irrigation engineer, Clements said he has been out of work for several months and did the best he could for his dogs.

He said gusting winds caused a trim limb to fall one day that officers stopped by to check on his dogs. The limb prevented the animals from getting to their water bowls.

Officer Deborah Norris removed Dixie first Dec. 6 when she found a cut on Dixie's neck had become infected because of an embedded collar, documents state.

When Norris returned to 308 N. Church St. the next day, she found Capt. Jack outdoors without bedding or adequate water and removed him, too. Norris again left a notice for Clements, informing him that his dogs had been taken to the Frederick County Animal Control shelter for their safety and welfare.

The three criminal charges were related only to Dixie, officers said.

Weather conditions in early December included chilly days and subfreezing temperatures after dark.

After being removed from Clements' home, Dixie received care at the Buckeystown Veterinary Hospital, documents state. The dog had a fever of 103.1.

A temperature of about 99 degrees is considered normal, Animal Control Sgt. David Luckenbaugh said.

After several attempts by Animal Control to contact Clements throughout early December, they did get in touch with him Dec. 8, documents state.

He told Norris he had a veterinary appointment scheduled for Dixie. But his veterinarian said that wasn't true.

Clements told officers he was broke, Norris wrote. "He had $10 to his name." He didn't have any money to pursue getting his dogs back.

Clements told officers if he couldn't have both dogs back, he wouldn't take either of them, Norris wrote.

"He walked out" when told Dixie would not be returned, documents state.

Clements said he was devastated to lose his 3-year-old dogs, pets he had obtained for his young children.

"It breaks my heart that my dogs are gone," Clements said. "It breaks my heart for my kids."

Dixie and Capt. Jack were taken in by a New England cattledog rescue group, Luckenbaugh said.

Clements faces the possibility of jail time if convicted of the three charges. Each is punishable by a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

References

• « Back to Search Results
  « MD State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Frederick County, MD

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.