A woman accused of scalding her dog testified Wednesday she was startled to discover how badly her pet was hurt three days after she sprayed it with hot water.
"I was really horrified," said Margaret Furman, describing how she felt when she took the bandages off Violet, her border collie.
"I started crying and I told my husband, 'I don't care if we don't have any money. We're getting help.' "
Furman, 26, is charged with unlawfully causing or permitting an animal to be in or continue to be in distress.
The charge under the provincial Animal Protection Act has a maximum fine of $20,000.
She testified in provincial court that on Oct. 30, 2002, she scolded Violet for biting her two-year-old daughter Zoe, and when the dog then urinated on the hardwood floor, she decided to bathe it using a hand-held shower hose.
At one point she was distracted by her daughter pounding on the bathroom door, but Furman didn't realize how hot the water was until Violet yelped and she noticed steam rising from the dog's side.
When Violet jumped into her arms after the bath, she noticed a bit of fur had come out and there was a small burn on the dog's back.
Under cross-examination by the Crown, Furman denied throwing hot water on the dog because she was upset Violet bit her daughter.
Over the next three days, she thought the burns on Violet's back, hip and leg were starting to heal as they were crusting over.
Her husband Peter looked up how to treat burns on the Internet, and they wrapped the dog with cold compresses and gauze after that.
But when Furman took the bandages off on the night of Nov. 2, she realized the dog had to go to the vet, no matter what the cost. She and her husband had only $20 in cash between them at the time, she said.
Her husband got a $200 loan from Money Mart on Nov. 4, and they took Violet to the vet, who diagnosed third-degree burns and recommended skin grafts.
The SPCA was asked to investigate. Furman had a choice: Keep the dog and pay the vet bill, or give up the dog. Furman chose to turn Violet over to the SPCA since she wasn't sure how high the bill would be. The dog has since been adopted out.
A decision in the case is expected in February. References
|