Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog severely beaten, stabbed with golf club

Dog severely beaten, stabbed with golf club
Covington, WA (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 22, 2006
County: King
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available

Abuser/Suspect: John Forrest McCafferty

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 7035

Classification: Beating, Stabbing

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior

Drugs or alcohol involved

A 40-year-old Covington man could face animal cruelty charges today for brutally beating the family dog with a golf club during a drunken tirade, police said.

After the putter snapped, the man proceeded to use half the club as a sword, stabbing the black Labrador several times early on the morning of Jan 22, police said.

The terrified pet retreated to its kennel, but the enraged man followed the dog, then wailed away at the cage, police said.

Not until the man's 21-year-old daughter used her own body to shield the dog and shouted, ``Just stop, stop,'' did the man show any mercy, police said.

"You're lucky I didn't put a bullet in his head," the man said to his daughter.

The dog, named Oully, suffered a head laceration, puncture wounds on the ear, leg and paw, and internal injuries. The Lab was taken to a veterinary hospital for emergency treatment, but the dog's condition was not known Tuesday.

Because the suspect has yet to be charged, the Journal is not naming him. He is being held for investigation of first-degree animal cruelty in the King County Jail. Bail is $25,000.

The man's criminal record reveals two previous felony convictions for malicious mischief and theft.

``When he gets drunk, he gets violent,'' the man's daughter told King County sheriff's deputies who responded about 2:40 a.m. Sunday to the residence in the Timberlane neighborhood of Covington, east of Kent.

The daughter took the dog and ran to a neighbor's house to call King County sheriff's deputies after the attack.

When deputies arrived, they knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but the man didn't answer. He was apparently hiding in the garage with a handgun, watching the deputies, police said.

After a relative let the deputies inside, the gun was seized, as was the bloodied golf club that was leaning against the kennel.

Responding to questioning, the man rambled, ``not making sense,'' according to police. He said ``the dogs are always challenging him'' but didn't explain what he meant. The man, who works as a plumber, also said he doesn't get enough sleep.

Case Updates

A 40-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree animal cruelty for beating his family's dog with a golf club.

John McCafferty, of suburban Covington, had been accused of beating the Labrador, named Oully, in January with a golf club until the club broke, and then stabbing the dog with the broken shaft.

The dog suffered cuts, puncture wounds and internal injuries, but survived.

The King County prosecutor's office will recommend a sentence of 30 days in jail, 24 months of community custody, and other conditions when McCafferty is sentenced on April 21, a spokesman said.

Source: SeattlePI.Com - April 3, 2006
Update posted on Apr 3, 2006 - 8:29PM

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A Covington man was ordered not to contact his wife and daughter after he pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony charge for allegedly beating and stabbing the family dog with a golf club.

John Forrest McCafferty, 40, appeared for a judge wearing the scarlet uniform of a King County jail inmate. He was arraigned on first-degree animal cruelty, a charge that could land the man behind bars for a year if he's found guilty.

"It sounds like there has been a rush to judgment because of the nature of the charge," said public defender Pat Valerio, who represented McCafferty at the arraignment.

Prosecutors say McCafferty was drunk the morning of Jan. 22, when he beat the family's black Labrador retriever named Oully with a putter until it snapped in half.

McCafferty then used the sharp end of the broken golf club to stab the dog. Oully was treated for lacerations and puncture wounds with veterinary bills totaling about $400, according to court documents.

During the attack at the McCafferty residence in the Timberlane neighborhood in Covington, McCafferty's 21-year-old daughter threw herself on the dog to protect it from her father, prosecutors said.

McCafferty's wife, Angie, said she plans to file for divorce. No one from McCafferty's family was present in court for his arraignment.

McCafferty remains in jail with his bail set at $25,000.

Source: King County Journal - Feb 9, 2006
Update posted on Feb 10, 2006 - 7:24PM

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A 40-year-old Covington man now faces charges of first-degree animal cruelty for allegedly beating and stabbing his own dog with a golf club. John McCafferty is being held with bail set at $25,000. He faces up to a year in jail.

Prosecutors say the dog, Oulli, was severely beaten Sunday morning, apparently after growling at McCafferty. Other family members described the dog as "a talker, who growls just to say 'Hello'".

Oulli howled at the camera Wednesday. He appears to be a little nervous around men.

Pictures taken Sunday show gashes on the black lab's face and neck and a leg wound. Plus, doctors say, the dog had body soreness and possibly some internal injuries.

John McCafferty's wife, Angie, says he is normally a quiet guy, unless he drinks.

She doesn't drink and says her husband bought two 1.5 liter bottles of white zinfandel Saturday.

She found one of those bottles empty in the garage.

She believes her husband walked into the house drunk. She says Oulli probably growled, and her husband probably reacted.

This is what she thinks happened: "He started hitting him with his hand, probably punching him. And he got bitten and that enraged him and it probably went from there."

The dog apparently ran to his kennel. His wife says her husband then appears to have pounded on the kennel with a golf club until the club broke.

Police say McCafferty then stabbed the dog with the broken club.

Angie says the dog might have died, but her 21-year-old daughter Heidi threw herself over the dog yelling "Daddy, stop".

Four days after the beating, Oulli is getting better and showing more of his old self every day.

Angie plans to file for divorce. She says it's not just the dog -- there have been other problems. But then she told KOMO 4 News: "I just can't do it anymore, doing that to a dog is not very far away from doing it to a person."

McCafferty is scheduled to enter a plea to animal cruelty charges on Feb. 7.

Source: KOMO - Jan 25, 2006
Update posted on Jan 25, 2006 - 10:14PM

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References

	King County Journal
	case number: 06-1-02215-3 KNT 404
	King Co. Sheriff's case number: 06-021406 404
	KOMO-TV

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Dog severely beaten, stabbed with golf clubCovington, WA (US)

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Dog severely beaten, stabbed with golf club
Covington, WA (US)