Case Details

Dog neglect
Anderson, IN (US)

Date: Jan 2005
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Debbie Huff

Case ID: 5507
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
View more cases in IN (US)
Login to Watch this Case

In early September, Debbie Huff filed a complaint alleging Anderson Police Officer Ryan Geer took her mixed-breed huskie, Haley, and the city now refuses to give the animal back. Police, while refusing to comment, released reports that said Huff abused the animal.

The Muncie woman holding the dog said she�s been missing for months.

It all started back in January when the ice storm that flooded parts of Anderson forced Huff to leave her little yellow house in rural Anderson.

�I put out enough water and food for at least two days,� she said. Huff, a 43-year-old nurse�s assistant, said she left Friday for work in Noblesville and stayed in town for the weekend, leaving her dog outside with food and water.

On Jan. 9, Geer came to the house. In his report, he said Haley had no food or water and was tethered with a chain about three feet long.

�The dog would have went for approximately 72 hours without food and water if I had not taken custody of the dog,� he wrote, noting he did find empty dog bowls. Huff returned Sunday evening to find Haley gone.

�I called the animal shelter and the humane society,� she said. �They said they didn�t have her.�

Monday morning, Huff noticed the ticket on her front door for cruelty to animals.

City documents didn�t say where the dog was.

Huff said the dog was taken to Muncie, and she was provided a phone number for a woman named Kathy Bland.

Bland said she runs a private animal rescue and has helped nearly 700 dogs over the past 20 years. Because shelters and vets in Anderson were overflowing with animals in the aftermath of the storm, Haley had come to her.

Bland said a woman, she�s not sure who, dropped off the dog. Many veterinarians and shelters in Anderson know her and bring homeless dogs there, she said.

One day, not long after the dog came to stay, �it got out. It went out the front door. It was still spooked from being in a strange place. One of my dogs went too.�

Bland ran outside, she said, frantic, to catch both animals. She retrieved her own dog, but Haley, despite being �bumped� by a passing car, kept running. Bland searched for more than three hours, she said, but couldn�t find Haley.

�I have never lost a dog. I try and save dogs; dogs are my life,� she said. �I was an innocent person, just trying to help out a dog. Unfortunately I screwed up,� she said.

Bland added that she�s gotten harassing phone calls from Huff.

Until a few weeks ago, Huff said she had only a vague idea about all of this from unnamed sources at the police department. Meanwhile, she went to court in August to plead not guilty to animal cruelty.

The judge disagreed and Huff paid a $200 fine.

�I just wanted to get my dog back,� she said.

The court ordered the city to return the dog, but Huff later got a letter signed by City Attorney David Happe telling her �the animal is not in the city�s custody or control, and the city is unable to locate the animal.�

�Our position is there was no wrong doing on Office Geer�s part,� Deputy Police Chief Steve Napier said. The complaint will now go before Anderson�s Board of Public Safety for review of Geer�s actions.

�My dog was not hungry,� Huff said. �It was in a good home.�

References

The Herald Bulletin

« Back to Search Results



Send this page to a friend
© Copyright 2001-2006 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy