Pit bull puppy's ears cut off with scissors Albuquerque, NM (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 County: Bernalillo Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: » Jonas High » Anita Willis » Robertson Johnson » Anderson Begay Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 9517 Classification: Mutilation/Torture Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in NM (US) Login to Watch this Case

The screams of a 3-month-old pit bull drew the attention of a neighbor who led police to the puppy and an unregistered sex offender. The puppy's ears were cut off on Aug 22 with a pair of kitchen scissors.

The dog was taken into custody by city animal control officers. Albuquerque police took into custody Jonas High, 43, on an outstanding warrant of failing to register as a sex offender.

No charges have been filed yet in the ear-cropping incident, but High, two other men and a woman could also face charges of extreme cruelty to animals.

According to an Albuquerque police report, High shares an apartment in the 7900 block of Marquette Avenue Northeast with his sister, Anita Willis, and her 10-year-old son, who brought the puppy home last weekend.

On Tuesday, Willis, High and two visiting friends, Robertson Johnson and Anderson Begay, had discussed the young dog and decided that Johnson and Begay should dock the puppy's ears.

High, who is listed as an American Indian in Metro Court documents, originally accepted responsibility for the act, but later recanted. In separate interviews, Johnson and Willis told police that "cropping" a pit bull's ears "in this fashion was traditional on the reservation," according to the report.

On the front porch of the apartment, without anesthesia or surgical instruments, Begay held down the dog while Johnson snipped its ears, according to the report.

The American Veterinary Association Web site says that ear cropping is not condoned and should only be done by veterinarians and only under anesthesia because the procedure causes pain and distress and can have serious complications.

Police spokesman John Walsh said officers are preparing a case of extreme cruelty to animals to give to the District Attorney's Office to present before a grand jury.

He said just because High and the three other adults at the apartment were not immediately arrested does not mean the department does not take animal cruelty seriously.

"It's not a lesser thing not to arrest someone," Walsh said.

Police did arrest Jorge Castelo, 22, in April after a neighbor reported seeing his adult pit bull dog with infected, bloody ears.

At the time, detectives found the dog's ears chopped off and a pair of bloody scissors in the garage. Castelo told police it was a way to cure the dog's illness.

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References

The Albuquerque Tribune - Aug 23, 2006

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