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Case #9509 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Puppy's ears cut off
Lowell, MA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006
County: Middlesex
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 3 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Luis Negron
Case Updates: 5 update(s) available
A veterinarian in Massachusetts said on Aug 15 that a case of animal abuse he's treating is so barbaric that it made him sick.
Dr. Sarfraz Mian of Merrimack Animal Hospital said that a pit bull puppy was found whimpering in a basement with its ears cut off. Animal Control officers received a tip about the puppy, and the dog's owner was arrested.
Mian stitched the puppy up and said it's expected to make a full recovery. He said that the puppy could have died if it wasn't found in time.
"Puppies literally die from bleeding if they lose a lot of blood, and infection is also a big chance," Mian said. "It just makes you sick to your stomach that someone can take a baby like this and do something so cruel. "
The puppy's owner, Luis Negron, was arraigned on animal cruelty charges. He could face up to a $1,000 fine or one year in jail if convicted.
Case UpdatesOn October 2nd, Luis Negron accepted a plea deal that will put him behind bars for 90 days.
"I'm thrilled to hear he's getting some jail time for what he did," said Kara Brown, executive director of the Lowell Humane Society, who has followed the case. "Personally, me, I'd like him to do more time."
Brian Adams, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said his agency has also closely followed the case.
"I think that when you see cases like this, when the animal's been put through a tremendous amount of pain, emotionally people want to see somebody punished for it, and rightfully so," Adams said.
In the long-awaited resolution to the puppy-maiming case, Negron pleaded guilty in Lowell District Court to charges of cruelty to animals and illegally cropping a dog's ears in connection with an incident Aug. 13, 2006, in which Lowell police were called to a Concord Street home after a neighbor reported the cries of a puppy.
When police arrived, they saw a pair of dog ears on an empty beer case in the backyard that had apparently been used as a makeshift operating table. There were bloody surgical gloves, coffee grounds, glue and several pens in the yard.
Officers followed the cries to the basement, where they found a pit-bull puppy hidden in a stroller with a blanket thrown over it. There was another puppy awaiting the same fate.
Sometimes people cut the ears off dogs to make them look more intimidating, police said.
Police took the puppy to the Merrimack Animal Hospital, where he was adopted by a Millville family and named Tank.
In addition to the animal-cruelty charges, Negron pleaded guilty to three other unrelated cases that involved motor-vehicle charges, receiving stolen property and possession of marijuana.
Prosecutor Marisa Tagliarieni recommended that Negron serve one year in jail, but Judge Jeffrey Packard sentenced Negron to 2 1/2 years in the Middlesex House of Correction in Billerica, with 90 days to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended for two years, during which time he will be on probation. Negron will receive 36 days of jail credit.
While on probation, Negron is prohibited from owning any pet, must perform 100 hours of community service, and must undergo a mental-health evaluation.
"We're satisfied it's not a slap on the wrist," said Adams, of the MSPCA, referring to the requirement for mental-health evaluation. "When we see somebody doing that, we want them to be rehabilitated as best they can."
Judge Packard told Negron there was no need to lecture him on how severely society views cruelty to animals. The judge noted that he wouldn't let "the abhorrence I feel about this kind of behavior" influence his sentencing decision.
Brown, the Humane Society director, didn't mince any words, either.
"It's a very emotional topic," Brown said. "Hate mail doesn't take away that he deserved to be punished under the law. ... This was a pretty heinous thing to do to cut those ears off that puppy." | Source: The Lowell Sun - Oct 3, 2007
Update posted on Oct 7, 2007 - 10:35PM |
Contact information for this case is as follows:
Courthouse:
Lowell District Court
41 Hurd Street
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-459-4101 X 268
Bench Trial: Oct 2, 2007 at 9:00 AM
Docket No. 0611CR5303
Prosecutor:
Marisa Tagliareni
151 Warren Street, Suite 100
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-458-4440
Fax: 978-452-1404
Judge:
James McGuinness
41 Hurd Street
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-459-4101 x 213
Fax: 978-441-9942 | Source: Docket No. 0611CR5303
Update posted on Sep 16, 2007 - 10:39PM |
Luis Negron is scheduled to appear for a bench trial on October 2 at 9:00 a.m. in Lowell District Court.
Negron faces animal cruelty charges stemming from August 15, 2006, when he allegedly sliced the ears off of his puppy.
"It wasn't done quickly," said Dr. Sarfraz Mian of the slow process to cut the puppy's ears with scissors. "I think (the owner) kept cutting in a line, and it must have taken him some time to cut it. It makes you mad. It makes you sick to your stomach, because you see a puppy of 5 to 6 weeks of age that is in severe, severe, severe pain and bleeding". | Source: Lowell District Court
Update posted on Sep 5, 2007 - 2:26PM |
When Luis Negron was arrested on animal-cruelty charges last August, police found a pit-bull puppy with its ears cut off, various surgical instruments and two dog ears on a makeshift operating table in the basement of Negron's Concord Street home.
On Saturday, Lowell police again arrested Negron after he had been on the run for nearly 2 1/2 weeks for failing to appear at his July 11 trial.
Lowell police responded to a trespassing call at 22 Harrison St. The apartment in question was supposed to be vacant but had people in it, police said. After entering the apartment, police said they found that the occupants were relatives of the tenants who were on vacation.
While at the scene, officers received another call reporting a man on the roof of the apartment building. When police investigated the complaint, they said they found 21-year-old Negron hiding.
Police arrested Negron on several warrants for failure to appear in court on charges of cruelty to animals and practicing veterinarian medicine without a license. He also faces charges on outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court for several motor-vehicle violations, receiving stolen property and possession of a class D substance.
Negron was released after posting $500 bail and was arraigned yesterday morning at Lowell District Court. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 8. | Source: Lowell Sun - July 31, 2007
Update posted on Jul 31, 2007 - 3:22PM |
After viewing the jagged wounds of a maimed pit-bull puppy -- whose ears were savagely cut off -- an outraged veterinarian said he wished he could do the same to the alleged human perpetrator, the dog's owner.
"It wasn't done quickly," said Dr. Sarfraz Mian of the slow process to cut the puppy's ears with scissors. "I think (the owner) kept cutting in a line, and it must have taken him some time to cut it. It makes you mad. It makes you sick to your stomach, because you see a puppy of 5 to 6 weeks of age that is in severe, severe, severe pain and bleeding.
"I wish we had the right to do the same thing to this fella,"
Mian added. "I think that would be perfect punishment, even if it's barbaric."
Yesterday, Luis Negron, 20, of 142 Concord St., Lowell, was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment in Lowell District Court on charges of felony animal cruelty. Negron pleaded innocent to both counts, and Judge James McGuinness released him on the promise that he "not be abusive of any animals."
Negron was arrested Sunday afternoon when police were called to the Concord Street home by a neighbor who reported hearing the puppy's cries.
There, police found a pair of puppy ears on a makeshift operating table made out of a beer case. Police also found scissors and bloody surgical gloves nearby.
In the basement of the home, officers found a crying pit-bull puppy in a baby stroller covered with a blanket. The puppy was bleeding from both ears, which had been sliced off.
The wounded puppy, along with a second, unharmed puppy from the same litter, were confiscated and taken to Merrimack Animal Hospital for treatment, where they were placed in Dr. Mian's care.
Mian said the wounded puppy is now doing well, despite the fact that it is old enough to have felt the pain of the operation just as intensely as any human would.
He said a dog's nervous system is not fully developed until about a week after birth, which is why tails and nails are often clipped during that first week. Any time after that, Mian said, such procedures require general anesthesia, painkillers, antibiotics and lots of tender loving care during recovery.
Peter Gollub, MSPCA's director of law enforcement, said the MSPCA does not often receive reports of this type of animal abuse. He said people clip a pit bull's ears for looks or function.
"If the dog is for fighting, then the ears are cut so there is nothing for another dog to grab onto,'' Gollub said.
He said the responsible thing is for the owner to take the animal to a vet to have the ears modified in a healthy way.
Despite the ordeal, the maimed puppy is recovering well, Main said. His chances of being a wonderful pet are also good, said the vet.
"I don't think the puppy will remember (the ordeal) if he's raised humanely and gently with care," Mian said. "He's already happy and perky and friendly and wants to cuddle with you."
Mian said the hospital will care for the two dogs until Negron signs them over to the city, or the hospital gets a court order giving it permission to put them up for adoption.
When that time comes, Mian said there will be a screening process to make sure the pit bulls get good owners.
If convicted of animal cruelty, Negron faces up to five years in state prison or 2 1/2 years in jail or $2,500 fine or both. The cropping charges carry a fine of not more than $250.
Negron's next court date is Oct. 5. | Source: Lowell Sun - Aug 15, 2006
Update posted on Nov 13, 2006 - 3:43AM |
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