Dog repeatedly tangled in heavy tether chain Chesapeake, VA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 4, 2004 County: Chesapeake City Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Anthony Cuffee

Case ID: 2633 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in VA (US) Login to Watch this Case

While patrolling for strays on August 4, 2004, Officer T. J. Stevens observed a white pit bull tethered in a yard in the 4100 block of Sloop Trail. The dog was tethered on a chain that was twisted and kinked so that it did not provide adequated space for the dog. The officer contacted two other officers who had found the dog in this situation on previous occasions. No one responded to her knock at the door. Officer Stevens untangled the dog and left a notice for the animal owner to contact her. She noted that the chain seemed very heavy for the dog. She decided to return later in the day.

Officer Stevens returned that day to find the dog already becoming tangled again. The dog owner, Anthony R. Cuffee, BM 30 years old, arrived and spoke with the officer. He refused to make corrections to the weight of the chain or to address the tangling problem. Officer Stevens confiscated the dog, whose name was Tyson. She charged Mr. Cuffee with failure to adequately provide for his dog under Code of Virginia 3.1-796.68. She advised him that she would also request a hearing to determine if the owner was a fit person to own the dog, and that Animal Control would request custody of the dog.

Upon returning to the office, it was determined that the chain that secured Tyson weighed 11.7 pounds. Tyson only weighed 38.5 pounds. Therefore the chain that was equal to nearly 1/3 of the dog's own body weight was too heavy for this animal.

The case was heard on August 10, 2004 in General District Court Criminal Division. Mr. Cuffee was convicted of failure to provide for his dog. He was ordered to pay Animal Control for the cost of caring for Tyson in the amount of $78 up to the court date and $11 per day each day after that. Mr. Cuffee was ordered to provide a proper tether for Tyson, appropriate for his weight. Custody of the dog was returned to Mr. Cuffee, but a return date November 9, 2004, was set for the officer to advise the court if there are any further incidents.

Tyson was redeemed by Mr. Cuffee. Officer Stevens verified that a proper tether is now provided.

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

	Officer's case file
	Docket # GDC 04-6972

« 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.