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Case #6918 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Dog severely emaciated, tied with phone cord
Immokalee, FL (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jan 4, 2006
County: Collier
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendants/Suspects:
» Juvenile
» Juvenile
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
A severely-abused dog barely clinging to life has new hope for survival. Animal services officers named the husky Hope after finding her tied up, nearly starved to death. A Marco Island family has stepped forward to pay for its medical bills and give it a new home. "We just love dogs. It's just a huge part of our lives," said David Parton. The Partons love dogs. That's why they couldn't help but adopt one year old Hope when they saw her decrepit body on TV. "I called right away and said we need to take full responsibility and will adopt the dog," said Parton.
An anonymous tip led Collier County animal services to the husky in Immokalee last week. Animal services officers say the dog's owners tied her to a tree with a telephone cord and left her for weeks without food. She was nearly starved to death. "I felt so sorry for her," said Parton.
Hope's skin and hair are falling off because her immune system is so compromised, mites are literally eating it away. January 10, 2006, Hope will spend the night at the Parton's house. Once she gets better, she'll live there alongside three other dogs the Partons adopted. "We don't mind taking care of them, taking them to the vet, and giving them a good life and we get a lot of joy out of that," said Parton. The Partons say the thousands of dollars in medical bills are a small price to pay for saving a dog's life. Parton knows Hope might not survive all the trauma, but if she does, she'll be one of the most spoiled dogs in Collier County. "I can guarantee you one thing, she'll never be hungry again. A year from now, you can come back and you will see one happy dog," said Parton.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the case to determine if criminal charges will be filed. Animal cruelty is a third degree felony and carries a sentence of up to 5 years in jail.
Case UpdatesTwo Immokalee teens charged with nearly starving a dog to death were sentenced today to probation and community service.
In addition, the teens also will have to donate $100 to the Humane Society and each has to write a report on why animal cruelty is a bad thing.
Domestic Animal Services officers on Jan. 4 found the 1-year-old Husky, known by her Marco Island adopters as Hope, after they received an anonymous tip from a neighbor about the animal's condition. The dog was bleeding from countless mite infestations and weighed 16 pounds -- about 30 pounds less than it should've weighed.
Authorities said the teens left the dog tied by a telephone cord to a tree behind their Immokalee home for several weeks.
Domestic Animal Services was originally called to the home to pick up what its report described as a carcass. When investigators arrived at the Immokalee home, they found Hope barely alive. | Source: Naples Daily News - April 6, 2006
Update posted on Apr 7, 2006 - 2:06PM |
Two Collier County teens pled not guilty on Monday to nearly starving the dog to death in Immokalee. Now, thanks to food, medicine and a dog blood transfusion, Hope is living up to her name.
"She had such a tough time when she was little and just to see her have so much fun right now is rewarding," Parton said.
Just to get an idea of how far Hope has come, all you have to do is look at her weight. She now weighs a healthy 36 pounds, double what she used to weigh. The Southwest Florida community has been with hope all the way, sending toys and donations to the Partons' home.
"The community has just been great and it shows how many people care and how many people really love animals and how many people really would like to see this kind of thing stop," Parton said. | Source: WINK-TV - Feb 20, 2006
Update posted on Mar 6, 2006 - 3:57PM |
Hope's former owners are facing a day in court. The two juveniles will face a judge on January 24, 2006 to find out if they'll be charged in the case. DAS says hope's owners tied her to a tree for weeks without food. The former owners, two teenagers, will now appear in court to face animal neglect charges.
Even with animal neglect charges, there have been no arrests, yet. The underage owners have been given a notice to appear, a type of charge that means their punishment will be decided later this month. "The notice to appear directs two juveniles to appear before Judge Turner on January 24th at 8 a.m," said Stephanie Spell of the Collier County Sheriff's Office. Spell says the suspects will either be arrested on the spot or prosecutors have 21 days to file formal charges. | Source: NBC2 News - January 17, 2006
Update posted on Jan 19, 2006 - 3:22AM |
A 1-year-old Husky at the brink of starvation, bleeding from countless mite infestations, tied to a telephone cord, has a new home.
When she opened one sparkling blue eye to let officers know she hadn't given up the fight for life, was create a name for
herself: Hope. Ten days later, Hope is regaining life steadily, having dodged an almost certain recommendation of euthanasia, in a plush Marco Island home with her new adopters.
In addition to adopting the dog, the retired couple also assumed her massive and continuing medical bills, and an involved routine nursing her back to health. The pair take turns nursing the 17-pound dog, which should weigh about 45 pounds, regularly swabbing her wounds and delicately feeding her every two hours.
"We've had to hold her head up to feed her. It feels like toothpicks when you hold her up," David Parton, 52, said. "It's still touch-and-go, so we're taking things one day at a time, but we'll do whatever it takes." Just as David shook his head, reflecting on the tragedy of Hope's condition, the dog lived up to her name and gave him something to hope for. "Look, David!" Peggy Parton, 58, exclaimed. "She's picking her head up. She hasn't done that before."
Hope fits right in with the Parton family, which consists of their 13-year-old granddaughter, and three other dogs - ages
4, 14 and 16 - all with their own costly ailments. Their Schnauzer, Shotzie, suffers from severe epilepsy, and requires
four medications each day. Small ramps are situated throughout the house to accommodate their 3-legged Yorkie, Boo-Boo, who is recovering from cancer. "We weren't looking for another dog, but it was just instant with me when I saw her," David Parton said of Hope. They're "just the loves of our lives."
The home where Hope was discovered is inhabited by two teenagers and an older man, whose relation to the teens hasn't yet been determined, said Camden Smith, spokeswoman for DAS. The teenagers' parents live in another country, and investigators are in
the process of determining whether charges will be pressed and against whom, Smith said. One of the teenage boys, who is 16, said he didn't feed the dog because he was too busy with soccer practice, Smith said.
Hope had been tied and left to starve for anywhere from 45 to 60 days, Smith said. "Don't look the other way," Brovitz said. "Call someone. It is completely anonymous, so no one needs to know, but please just call someone."
It appears Hope is headed toward a happy ending, but her miracles didn't come easily. Veterinarians gave Hope a full blood transfusion after her rescue, and the Partons estimate it may take up to a year for her to fully recover. But until then, the pair said, they are devoting their attentions entirely to the newest member of their family, and to education so other dogs will never know Hope's painful struggle firsthand. | Source: Naples News - January 14, 2006
Update posted on Jan 19, 2006 - 12:49AM |
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