A New Haven man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he stabbed an eight-month-old bulldog with knife.
At about 12:30 p.m. officers responded to 1061 Dixwell Ave. on a report of a dog being stabbed by her owner, according to police spokesman Sgt. Anthony Diaz.
The dog, named Princess, was lying in the driveway of the home in a pool of blood, Diaz said. Nearby -- about eight feet away from the dog -- they found a sliver knife with a 3" blade covered in blood, he said.
Officers determined that Alexander Bernard, 25, of 257 Sheffield Ave., New Haven, owned the dog. He was charged with cruelty to animals, Diaz said.
Animal Control officers took Princess to the North Haven Animal Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition Thursday.
An employee at the hospital said Thursday that they would likely not have any comment or release any information about the dog. Animal Control Officer Chris Smith couldn't be reached Thursday afternoon for comment.
Bernard was held in lieu of $10,000 bond and is due to appear in Meriden Superior Court on June 8.
Case Updates
A dog that nearly died has a new lease on life, living in the lap of luxury as only a "Princess" should.
Princess, a year-old Staffordshire terrier, has recovered from a knife attack in May, and joined her new owner, Diane Pearce, two weeks ago today.
The dog had spent her young days in New Haven. Her previous owner, Alexander Bernard, told police on May 25 that he stabbed her "a lot, all over," because people were bothering him about the dog and that he had family problems, police said.
Dr. James Wells, a veterinarian at North Haven Animal Hospital, saved the dog during an emergency surgery after she was stabbed in Bernard's friend's Dixwell Avenue driveway. Wells counted 29 stab wounds.
The dog was being held as evidence and, after the court deemed that was no longer necessary, she was released for adoption. After spending 3½ months at the animal hospital, Princess was transferred to the North Haven Animal Shelter, where Hamden strays stay because the town doesn't have a shelter. The dog was advertised and Pearce was selected by Animal Control Officer Christopher Smith to be the new owner.
"I am so fortunate," Pearce said. "As nice as she was treated by the hospital and Hamden animal control, they all knew she deserved a home."
Pearce had another Staffordshire terrier, Lucy, who died from breast cancer in January. Lucy had been treated at North Haven Animal Hospital, so Wells, the veterinarian, knew Pearce wanted another dog.
When Pearce went to pick up her cat, Pumpkin, at the vet July 8, she was introduced to Princess.
"I knew it was the dog for me. I looked into her eyes and I knew it," she said.
Coincidentally, the birthday of her late mother, Margaret "Peggy" Perry Pearce, was July 8. Diane Pearce's late father was Greater New Haven real estate icon Herbert Pearce. He called his wife "P" for short, and now Diane Pearce sometimes calls Princess "P."
Diane Pearce, a New Haven teacher, said it didn't take the dog long to adjust to her new surroundings in Hamden's Mount Carmel section.
Princess also is getting along with Pumpkin, and plays with a neighbor's dog, a beagle named Max.
Meanwhile, Princess will be wearing a crown and leading the pack Sunday as the grand marshal in the fourth annual Paws on Parade Halloween Costume Pet Parade sponsored by Hamden Happy Tails and Joiya Day Spa.
"She deserves it," Happy Tails President Dolores Giannini said of the honor, which has been held in the past by the likes of Santa Claus and former Animal Control Officer Jean Murray.
Princess will be wearing a tiara and her pink collar and leash, "because she's a princess," said Pearce.
Giannini said the dog was picked to lead this year's pet parade "because she was utmost in our minds. We were wondering how she was going to fare during this whole process. She's an example for humans to say, 'Don't give up.'"
The plight of Princess attracted animal rights activists who have been in court each time Bernard appeared. One of the activists, Donna Ploss of East Hartford, said Friday she was thrilled Princess has a new home.
"I'm so happy for her. That's awesome. At least something good came out of it," Ploss said.
Bernard was charged with animal cruelty and returns to Superior Court in Meriden Nov. 1.
Bernard, 25, of New Haven, is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail and is receiving medical treatment at Connecticut Valley Hospital because he was deemed incompetent to stand trial.
The folks at North Haven Animal Hospital and Princess had a reunion Thursday, when Princess was spayed. Things went well, said Dr. Lewis Jolly, who performed the ovarian hysterectomy.
"She was happy to be back here. The staff enjoys her a lot," said Jolly. "We're thrilled she's got a home."
Said Ploss, "Princess got the home that she so deserved, that she should have gotten in the first place."
The Pet Parade and accompanying cut-a-thon runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Center One Complex, 2349 Whitney Ave. Registration for the pet parade starts at 11 a.m. There is a $12 entry fee. The parade starts at 12:30, and there will be judging for the scariest, funniest, most original and best on parade. If it rains, the parade will be canceled but the cut-a-thon at Joiya and a crafters boutique will take place. Proceeds benefit the Happy Tails Foundation. Pet food bank donations will be accepted. For more information, call 203-640-3107.
A New Haven man accused of stabbing his dog 29 times was found incompetent Tuesday to stand trial and was sent to Connecticut Valley Hospital for rehabilitation, a ruling that upset animal rights activists.
Judge Philip J. Scarpellino made the ruling from the bench after hearing testimony from a representative of an agency that evaluates the competency of defendants to stand trial. Dr. Madelon Baranowski reported that staff from the clinic used by the court system evaluated Alexander Bernard, 25, of New Haven.
Bernard on May 25 admitted to stabbing his dog, Princess, while visiting friends at 1061 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden.
He told police that he stabbed the dog, "a lot" and that people were bothering him about the dog.
The dog's life was saved by Dr. James Wells, a veterinarian at North Haven Animal Hospital.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists who attended the hearing were upset that Bernard was ruled incompetent when he previously had been deemed competent.
Donna Ploss of East Hartford said her "biggest fear" is that Bernard won't be placed on restrictions at the conclusion of the case. She and the other activists want it ordered that Bernard never have contact with animals again, that he is fined, and that he makes restitution to the North Haven Animal Hospital for the medical bills that accrued in helping the dog survive.
They also want a greater punishment than the one-year jail sentence the animal cruelty charge calls for.
The court last week allowed the dog to be released as evidence, saying that it would rely on secondary evidence such as photographs.
Hamden police officials on Tuesday said they have not yet seen the request from the court that would allow the dog to be released, and therefore put up for adoption.
Police Chief Thomas J. Wydra said that the adoption will move forward "once we get direction from the judge."
Based on the information from the clinicians, Scarpellino said that Bernard is not competent to stand trial, unable to understand the charges against him and unable to assist an attorney in his defense. The ruling goes against an earlier ruling in which he was deemed competent.
The mental health professionals said his mental health can be restored, the judge said.
"The court is extremely concerned about his conduct," said Scarpellino.
As a result, Scarpellino placed him in the custody of the state commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services "for restoration for up to 60 days." Bernard will return to court by Nov. 1 or sooner, "if he is restored to competency."
On Friday a Meriden Superior Court judge postponed court proceedings for a Hamden man accused of stabbing a puppy 29 times �" in order to give the defense time to examine a letter the judge had received from a group of Connecticut legislators calling for a stiff punishment.
Twenty-three legislators from around the state submitted a letter to Judge Phillip Scarpellino on July 9, allegedly criticizing the court for not taking the animal cruelty case against Alexander Bernard, 25, "seriously," according to Scarpellino.
Bernard was arrested and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty for allegedly stabbing his family's eight-month-old Pit Bull mix "Princess" 29 times on May 25. The dog survived and has been recovering from injuries to its chest, abdomen and neck.
The Hamden man is being held in police custody on $10,000 bond. Most recently he rejected a plea deal on July 12 of a one-year sentence that would have been suspended after he served 60 days.
"...The sheer volume of his attack is enormously worrisome," the letter said of Bernard, and discussed a link between animal cruelty and both domestic violence and child abuse, according to the judge, who presented it as "exhibit A" to the court Friday during Bernard's scheduled court appearance, and read a portion aloud. Meriden Patch has not received a copy of the letter, but has confirmed one name on it, that of Stonington State Rep. Diana Urban, through her staff.
Scarpellino said he believed the letter could be interpreted as "intimidation" towards him, but did not recuse himself from the case.
"I am upset by the letter but not influenced by it, " he told the court.
The judge moved Bernard's next court date to August 29. The extended date will allow further examination of the ramifications of the letter for the defense and grant Bernard another competency examination that was requested by his attorney.
During the appearance, a small group of protesters gathered outside the Meriden Court in near-100 degree heat.
"I have been here from the start and will be here to the end seeking justice. What if next time he decides to stab a child? Is that what it is going to take to change the policy on animal abuse?" Patty Daponte of Meriden said, holding a sign that said "Stabbed 29 Times! = 29 Counts of Justice for Princess."
"The legislature has passed laws considering animal cruelty to be a felony and in this case it is considered a misdemeanor," said Diane Smith, a cat rescuer from New Britain. "Something is wrong here."
Bernard allegedly told Hamden Police he stabbed Princess because "...no one in his family liked the dog."
A New Haven man who allegedly stabbed his dog 29 times told a judge Tuesday he wanted a new lawyer instead of going for a plea deal that would allow him to be out of jail next month.
Alexander P. Bernard, 25, appeared before Judge Philip Scarpellino for the third time and said he wanted a new attorney. Since his May 25 arrest on the misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, Bernard has been represented by Public Defender Thomas Conroy.
Scarpellino told Bernard that if he accepted a plea deal he would be out of jail next month. The deal was a year's sentence suspended after 60 days. He has been jailed since June 27.
But Alexander instead told the judge he wanted time to get a new lawyer and also the ability to make calls from jail, something he claimed he could not do. The judge told him he would pass the message on.
Alexander's case was continued to July 22.
Conroy said after the proceeding Tuesday that Alexander said he wasn't prepared to accept the plea deal. "One of the purposes of the continuance is to see if he can find a lawyer for himself," Conroy said.
Several relatives were in court for Bernard, who was ruled competent to stand trial last month. Also in court were about a half dozen animal rights activists who said they are upset with the way things are going. The women protested in front of the Meriden Superior Court then moved inside to listen to the proceedings.
Donna Ploss of East Hartford and Patty Daponte of Meriden said they are concerned that after the July 22 court appearance, Bernard "will walk," yet there will be "no justice" for Princess, his dog.
Princess is a Staffordshire terrier mix about a year old that is being held as evidence at the North Haven Animal Hospital and will not be adopted for the time being, police have said. She was treated at the hospital after losing a lot of blood when she was stabbed in the driveway of 1061 Dixwell Ave., Hamden, on the afternoon of May 25. Bernard was visiting friends when the stabbing occurred.
Bernard told police that he stabbed the dog "a lot, all over," that people were bothering him about the dog and that he had family problems, police said at the time.
"They made an offer of two months and he'll be out. I couldn't believe it. It was awful," Daponte said Tuesday. "At least give him more than that."
The New Haven man accused of stabbing his Staffordshire terrier mix 29 times this week allegedly told police he did so because, "Everyone is giving me a hard time about the dog."
But the tan and white mixed breed named Princess has a "wonderful temperament. She loves everybody," according to veterinarian Dr. James T. Wells, who is treating her at the North Haven Animal Hospital.
"She is stable and improving. Her prognosis is good," Wells said of Princess, who weighs 30 pounds and is about a year old.
According to a police report, when an officer asked the dog's owner what happened, Alexander P. Bernard said, "Everyone is giving me a hard time about the dog so...," and he shrugged his shoulders. The officer then asked how many times and where he stabbed the dog and he responded, "A lot, all over," according to the report.
In riding to police headquarters with another officer, Bernard "spoke freely of his family issues and the various reasons he had for stabbing the dog," the report said.
Because it is still conceivable that the dog could get an infection, the dog has to be watched very carefully until at least Tuesday, Wells said. "The most critical time frame is between now and Tuesday. Then I'll feel real good about it and know that she will make it. My gut says she's going to make it."
Several drain tubes were placed in the skin and a chest drain tube was inserted to remove air from the dog's chest cavity. Because of the stab wounds, outside air entered the chest cavity, occupying the space needed for lung expansion, Wells said. The dog needed immediate surgery to reduce the condition known as "pneumothorax," and to stop bleeding, as the blood-loss the dog endured was life-threatening, Wells said.
When the dog arrived at the hospital at about 1 p.m. Wednesday she was bleeding heavily, weak and in shock.
The animal hospital has been inundated with calls from people who want to adopt Princess. They are being referred to Hamden animal control officers, who will care for the dog after she is released from the hospital.
On Friday, Princess was friendly and licked the hand of a visitor.
Several tubes jutted from her chest, and her chest and abdomen area were wrapped in bandages.
"She's great. She doesn't even know she's been hurt," Wells said.
Bernard, 25, of 257 Sheffield Ave., New Haven, was charged with cruelty to animals for allegedly stabbing Princess in the rear of 1061 Dixwell Ave.
He was arraigned on Thursday and was released on a promise to appear in Superior Court in Meriden on June 6. Court records said the following conditions were placed on Bernard: that he attend an appointment with Catholic Family Services; that he reside with his aunt, that he wear an electronic monitor from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., that he be on curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., that he commit no new crimes and that he possess no weapons.
Police on Wednesday seized a silver folding knife with a blade of about 3 inches with blood on it on the driveway.
Capt. Ronald Smith added that police had no record of the dog being a problem with roaming or barking.
When police arrived at 1061 Dixwell Ave. the dog was lying in blood in the driveway at the rear of the house. They found the knife with blood on it about 8 feet from the dog. Occupants of the three-family house said the dog's owner was a friend of another resident.
An animal rights activist from East Hartford, Donna Ploss, said she plans to get a group of activists together for Bernard's next court appearance.
"We want to raise awareness on the rights of animals. It's very important. We have to be the voice of the animals," Ploss said.
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