Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Neglected dog bound and abandoned

Neglected dog bound and abandoned
Dunbarton, NH (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Mar 3, 2004
County: Hillsborough
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 6 files available

Abuser/Suspect: Melissa Cere

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 2050

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

View more cases in NH (US)

Animal was bound

A tortured dog was found on the side of the road in Dunbarton, its muzzle strapped shut by three plastic locking utility ties.��He was in a skeletal condition and his breathing severely distressed as he was grasping for air and couldn�t breath. It appears he was just abandoned and left for dead.

Wire cutters had to be used to cut the plastic locking ties off his muzzle.�Even after the removal of the ties he wouldn�t eat or drink.

The spotted the brindled boxer lying off the side of Blackbrook Road, just off Route 13.

The women eventually got the dog to the Manchester Animal Shelter, where�a veterinarian happened to be on duty. He examined the dog and determined that, in addition to malnutrition, the dog was suffering with pneumonia.

The Boxer�has been placed through the shelter with a foster family.

Police checked the town�s dog license database, but found no matches for a brindle boxer.

Police are asking�someone to come forward and provide information, it�s hard to follow-up on a case like this. Authorities said, It�s hard to tell if this dog is just a dog someone didn�t want and abandoned, in a very cruel way, or maybe it�s a dog that didn�t belong to the person who tied it up, but who did the straps for other reasons, more malicious reasons.

Anyone who may have information about this dog is urged to call Dunbarton Police.

Case Updates

A Manchester woman pleaded guilty Thursday to binding her dog's mouth shut and abandoning it in Dunbarton.

Melissa Cere, 24, of Boynton Street, was sentenced to two years at the Merrimack County House of Corrections with all but 90 days suspended, said Merrimack County Attorney Dan St. Hilaire, who prosecuted the case. Cere will be on probation for two years and cannot own a pet during that time. She must also serve 300 hours of community service and receive counseling, St. Hilaire said.

On March 2, 2004, Cere bound her dog's mouth shut with plastic ties and left him near Beard Brook Road in Dunbarton. The next day, a woman found the dog, a black-and-white boxer Cere called Tyson. She brought the dog to the Manchester Animal Shelter, where veterinarians said the dog was suffering from pneumonia.

Cere will began serving her sentence on Aug 15. The boxer recovered and is living with a family in Maine, St. Hilaire said.

Source: Concord Monitor - Aug 15, 2005
Update posted on Aug 16, 2005 - 7:43PM

Back to Top

Cere waived her right to a probable cause hearing at District Court so the case has been bound over to Superior Court, docket number 04s-543. The Merrimack County Attorney John Weld, now has to decide if this case will proceed.

Update posted on May 13, 2004 - 6:52AM

Back to Top

The boxer dog, known as Fraser, was found along Black Brook Road on March 3. Plastic wire ties bound the snout and genitals. The brindle brown boxer was suffering from pneumonia, dehydration and malnutrition when it was discovered not far from Route 13. It was unable to eat or drink.

�We received information from a source that was familiar with Cere who indicated that they believed her boxer was the one that was seen on the news,� said Dunbarton police chief Jeff Nelson. He said Cere had no obvious connection to the town where the dog was found. Cere turned herself in at the Dunbarton Police Department and was cooperative with investigators, according to Nelson.

Cere was released on a combination of $300 cash and $5,000 personal recognizance bail. She was charged with a Class B felony and a Class A misdemeanor of cruelty to animals. Beating or torturing an animal is a felony on the first offense, punishable by up to seven years in prison and up to $4,000 in fines. An arraignment is set for April 20 in Concord District Court.

Fraser was taken to the Manchester Animal Shelter for treatment after it was found. The dog had a skeletal appearance and had trouble breathing. This week the dog was taken to Second Chance Boxer Rescue (www.secondchanceboxer.com) in Maine, where he will continue to recover and be matched with a foster home.

A reward fund set up to seek information about the abuse has grown to more than $12,000.

Harold Beaulieu of Manchester committed $5,000 to the fund. �I am delighted to death,� Beaulieu said after learning about the arrest. He said he spends a lot of time and money to help abandoned animals and get stray cats off the streets.

The Concord-Merrimack County SPCA handles the reward fund. The Humane Society added $2,500 to the fund. �This crime is truly horrific,� said Joanne Bourbeau, director of the HSUS New England Regional Office. �Anyone who could do this to a defenseless animal is a real danger not only to other animals, but potentially to the human members of the community as well.�

According to the Second Chance Boxer Web site, Fraser is �settling in nicely,� and is still being treated for pneumonia. The dog was still coughing at last report, but has regained some weight. He is a 50-pound 2-year-old, purebred boxer, brindle and brown in color with white paws and a white chest.

Nelson said the investigation into Cere was in the early stages and he declined to comment on her background.

Read More: Update posted on Mar 24, 2004 - 8:27PM

Back to Top

Neighborhood Map

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

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

Digg

Furl

References

	The Union Leader
	The Concord Monitor
	WMUR Channel 9 News
	Foster's Daily Democrat
	SCBoxer Rescue

« NH 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.

Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy

Neglected dog bound and abandonedDunbarton, NH (US)

Case Updates

Neighborhood Map

References

Neglected dog bound and abandoned
Dunbarton, NH (US)