Dog neglected, eaten alive by maggots
Petaluma, CA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jul 31, 2004
County: Sonoma
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Robert Terry, Jr.
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Petaluma Realtor is being charged with one count of animal cruelty for allegedly letting his dog be eaten alive by maggots. Robert Terry Jr. of GPS Golden Land Realty is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 28 in Santa Rosa.
The animal cruelty charge stems from Terry's treatment of Sidney, a cocker spaniel that was put to sleep by the Marin County Humane Society last August, according to Nancee Tavares, manager of animal services at the Petaluma Animal Shelter.
Tavares came in contact with the animal over two years ago, when Sidney, first thought to be a stray, wound up at the shelter with a nasty ear infection. The Realtor eventually showed up to claim ownership of the dog and settled the vet bill, Tavares said, but turned the shelter down when they suggested he surrender Sidney "because he wasn't being taken care of." Twice-monthly visits by the animal shelter to the Terrys' home to ensure Sidney's care followed for six months. When everything looked OK, the visits stopped, the shelter manager said.
Last August Tavares was contacted by the Marin County Humane Society after a man dropped off a dog wrapped in a blanket and made an "owner-requested euthanasia."
The man and the dog were identified as Terry and Sidney.
When the humane society workers unwrapped the dog, "the odor was enough to knock them out," Tavares reported. "When they flipped back his ears, there were masses of maggots in them."
After putting the dog to sleep, the Petaluma Animal Shelter was contacted because Terry is a city resident and animal cruelty was suspected.
A necropsy -- an animal autopsy -- revealed the dog had organ damage due to toxins released from the maggots, Tavares said.
The court date was originally slated for last fall. When Terry failed to appear at the Sept. 28 hearing, a declaration and warrant was issued. He posted bail on Jan 11, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office.
Case UpdatesPetaluma Realtor Robert Terry Jr. will go to trial in December on charges he subjected his dog to "needless suffering" that led to the animal having to be put down, the District Attorney's office said.
Following a preliminary hearing last month, a judge set a Dec. 5 start date for the trial, when Terry faces one count of felony animal cruelty, said Deputy District Attorney Carla Rodriguez.
The charge stems from an August 2004 incident, when Terry brought his cocker spaniel, Sidney, to the Marin County Humane Society and requested it be put down.
Marin animal officials found the dog had masses of maggots in its ears and suspected neglect. They contacted the Petaluma Animal Shelter because Terry is a Petaluma resident.
Shelter manager Nancee Tavares said in March the local shelter had previously cared for the dog when it came in with an ear infection. Terry eventually claimed the dog, but the shelter requested he surrender the dog because "he wasn't being taken care of," she said. Terry declined to do so, she said.
An autopsy determined the dog had organ damage due to toxins from the maggots, the shelter said.
Terry's attorney, Marie Case, said there are no grounds for charging her client with felony animal cruelty.
"I feel the case is very over-charged," Case said. "You're dealing with a very old animal -- it was 17 years old."
Ear problems are a "chronic situation" for the cocker spaniel breed, said Case, who denied her client mistreated his dog. Terry took the dog to Marin to have it put down on the advice of his veterinarian, she said.
He has not entered a plea in the case, she said. | Source: Petaluma Argus Courier - Sept 14, 2005
Update posted on Sep 19, 2005 - 11:11PM |
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