On 8/13/03, 40 year old Carlton Ray Hord of the 1500 block of Forest Cove Drive in Chesapeake, Virginia responded to Chesapeake Animal Bureau to redeem his male schnauzer, "Shane", which had been impounded by an ACO for running at large. While completing paper work, Mr. Hord violently struck his dog. The sound was loud enough to bring both supervisors to the lobby. When the Animal Control Coordinator attempted to ascertain the facts of the situation, Mr. Hord threatened to "put [the dog] in the ground".
At that point, AC Coordintor K. Strouse confiscated Shane and issued Mr. Hord a summons for class one misdemeanor cruelty to animals. She also advised him that she would be petitioning the court for custody of Shane, arguing that Mr. Hord was not a fit or proper person to own the animal.
The criminal charge and the companion custody petition were both heard in Chesapeake, Virginia General District Court Criminal Division on 9/2/03. Docket number 037973. The court found that Shane was "abandoned, neglected or cruelly treated" and awarded custody of the dog to the Animal Bureau. The criminal charge of cruelty to animals was dismissed. Mr. Hord was ordered to pay $65 in impounding fees and $85.60 in veterinary bills for "Shane" to the Animal Bureau. Mr. Hord was also ordered not to own, keep or harbor any dogs for a period of one year.
Prior to the court date, shelter staff had tested Shane and found that he was positive for heartworms. In spite of this, a caring lady, who already had one schnauzer at home, adopted Shane and was willing to treat him for heartworms. Chesapeake Animal Bureau agreed to contribute to his treatment and paid for half out of their donation fund. Last word, Shane is doing very well. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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