Two choke chains grown into dog's neck Richmond, VA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Feb 13, 2002 County: Richmond City Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Gregory Burno

Case ID: 1994 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in VA (US) Login to Watch this Case

Gregory Burno pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty at an Appeal Hearing Wed. 2/13/02, 8:00 am, Room 4, Judge Hauler, Chesterfield Court, 9500 Courthouse Rd., Chesterfield, VA.� The case involved�Burno's Akita who was found near death in Burno's backyard by a cable TV worker.� A veterinarian examining "Jack" discovered that the dog was almost decapitated by 2 choke chains imbedded 4" deep in his neck and a cloth collar on top of the chains.� (As Jack grew and the first chain "disappeared", another was put on, then another).�

Burno was found guilty of animal cruelty at his Hearing last September, sentenced to 8 months in jail and a $1K fine.� His appeal of that conviction was heard this morning, where he pleaded guilty.� Burno's sentencing will take place 8 am March 12th.� According to SOS Court Watch volunteers, the judge remarked:� "This is a horrible case, just a horrible case." Burno faces up to 12 mos. in jail and/or $2,500 in fines.

"You can't get more egregious, and I've practiced law for 20 years," said Chesterfield County Commonwealth Attorney Larry Hogan.� The prosecutor waved a picture of� an emaciated Akita named, "Jack," who appeared to have his throat slit by a collar and chain embedded in his neck.

The dog's owner, Greg Burno plead guilty earlier and was sentenced March 12, 2002 by Judge T.J. Hauler to 12 months in jail and fined $2,500. The judge suspended 9 months of the jail time and $2,000 of the fine. The judge ordered Burno to pay $500 of the fine to the Chesterfield County Animal Shelter and give the shelter 100 hours of community service.

Burno repeatedly told the court, "We loved Jack, he was like family." Burno said he had "Jack" for six years and that when he saw pictures of the dog, "I'm ashamed, I dropped the ball---no monsters here." He continued, "We saved money and bought a kennel, neighbors stood by. I'm ashamed. I'm a better person for it. I'm glad Jack's healthy.� I accept responsibility." Responding to questions from the presecutor, Burno admitted he never sought veterinary care for "Jack."

In pleading for leniency, Burno said he had a 2 year old and did not want to forfeit his home. The prosecutor responded that "Jack" had been a member of the family too.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

SaveOurShelters

« VA State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

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.