Unlawfully tethered dog neglected
Avon, CT (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jan 21, 2011
County: Hartford
Disposition: Dismissed
Person of Interest: Juliette Givens
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Avon police have removed a dog from a Waterville Road home and cited one of the residents on charges of animal cruelty, which the woman -- the Farmington High School boys' varsity and junior varsity volleyball coach -- denies.
Juliette Givens of 276 Waterville Rd., Avon, has also been cited on charges of having an unlicensed dog and unlawful tethering. She will appear in court Feb. 2. If convicted, she could face a $100 fine on a first offense of unlawful tethering and $75 for having an unlicensed dog.
Animal Control Officer Beverly LaPlume said that when she arrived at the home after receiving reports of a dog left outside, she found a springer spaniel curled up in the snow on a 3-foot chain attached to a runner.
Givens said Friday that her husband had left the dog, 10-year-old Cocoa, on a leash to go to the bathroom while he went to physical therapy. She said that the dog was not outside for long and that she was not aware that there were requirements for how long a dog's leash should be.
"There was no cruelty done to the dog," Givens said. "Everybody puts their dogs out to go to the bathroom."
But LaPlume said Cocoa's fur was caked with feces and frozen urine, and that he was so tangled in the leash that he couldn't move. "There was no food, water or shelter [outside]," LaPlume said.
The Givens have another dog - a Bichon - that LaPlume found inside, but she said that the dog "showed no signs of neglect."
LaPlume took Cocoa to Animal General Hospital in Avon, where his temperature was measured as normal. She said he stayed at Claudette's Creative Clippin's in Unionville Center into the evening for a cleaning and had to be shaved because his fur was so matted. Shaving Cocoa revealed two tumors on his stomach and one under his foot, as well as a rash on his belly and fleas.
LaPlume also thinks that the dog is deaf because he shows very little response when she calls him. She said he is neutered and had not been to his vet at Roaring Brook Veterinarian Hospital in Canton since 2005.
Givens said Friday that she had given Cocoa to a friend and that the dog ran away. She said that she had just found him and was holding onto him until she could return him to the friend, and she had not had the opportunity to tend to his health problems.
Janet Massey, who works at the Farmington Valley Nursery down the road from the Givens family, said that this is not the first time she has seen a dog tethered on a short leash in their yard. Several years ago in the summer, she visited the home to advise Juliette Givens' husband about plantings to have in his yard. Massey said that there was a springer spaniel on chain about two feet long with its water bowl out of reach. When she pointed that out to him, he told her his wife would take care of it.
"I untangled the little guy and went in search of an outside faucet and gave him some water. What I should have done was report them to animal control that day," Massey wrote in an e-mail to Patch on Jan. 29. "This is not an isolated incident."
LaPlume is also seeking donations to pay for his medical bills to treat the tumors.
"He's a sweetheart," LaPlume said.
Givens is also a special services paraprofessional in the Farmington public school system and has a daughter at Avon High School.
Case UpdatesThe animal cruelty charges against a Farmington High School volleyball coach were dismissed in Hartford Community Court on Wednesday, but a judge ordered the owner to surrender the dog.
Police had arrested Juliette Givens, 46, of Avon, on charges of cruelty to animals, illegally confining or tethering a dog and failure to comply with dog ownership requirements on Jan. 21 after receiving reports that her 10-year-old springer spaniel had been left outside in the cold for an extended period.
Animal Control Officer Beverly LaPlume removed the dog, Cocoa, from Givens' Waterville Road home after she found the dog tethered on a 3-foot leash attached to a runner in the yard. LaPlume previously told Patch that the dog's fur was caked in feces and dried urine. The dog also had fleas and three tumors, which were removed on Feb. 11, according to LaPlume. The surgery was paid for entirely by donations from the community.
The court dropped all three of Givens' charges Wednesday. Although Givens had appealed LaPlume's initial order to surrender Cocoa to authorities, the judge denied the appeal on Feb. 22.
Cocoa is currently in the care of a foster family and LaPlume declined to release the name of the foster caregiver. LaPlume has not received official word from the prosecutor on the dismissal, but previously told Patch that if he is officially surrendered, the foster family was the primary candidate to adopt Cocoa. | Source: avon.patch.com - Mar 17, 2011
Update posted on Mar 17, 2011 - 6:41PM |
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