Resident dog vs. family dog
What is the difference between a “resident dog” and a “family dog?”
Abuse, neglect, cruelty in Colorado:
January 2010: A federal grand jury indicted two Fruita residents in connection with the December dog dragging death of “Buddy” at the Colorado National Monument, authorities said.
Melissa Marie Lockhart, 32, stands accused of misprision of felony, or failing to report knowledge of a felony. The indictment alleges Lockhart concealed an “aggravated animal cruelty committed by Steven Clay Romero,” her brother, “by making false statements to law enforcement, and did not a soon as possible” make the crime known to authorities.
Romero, 37, of Fruita, was also indicted in connection with the alleged incident. He stands accused of aggravated animal cruelty. Romero faces up to three years in federal prison and a fine of $100,000 if convicted of the allegation.
The indictment formalizes the aggravated animal cruelty charge, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer.
The indictment alleges that Romero “did knowingly torture, needlessly mutilate, and needlessly kill an animal, that is, ‘Buddy’ the dog, by dragging the dog behind a vehicle with a rope tied to the dog’s neck until the dog was dead.”
The allegations stem from an incident that occurred in late December. Buddy was a German shepherd mix.
At a hearing in Grand Junction earlier this month, U.S. Park Ranger Clint Forte testified he received a telephone call from his supervisor early in the morning of Dec. 30. The call was regarding a report of dog discovered on a road that runs through the monument.
Forte said when he got to the location he found a dog, whom he later identified as Buddy, with a “rope tied around its neck that was designed to tighten” as it pulled.
He said a vehicle, later identified as a red pickup truck, had dragged the dog, which was dead when he arrived at the scene. A subsequent investigation in the incident pinpointed, Romero as the driver of the truck.
He said the pickup truck, which belongs to a girlfriend of Romero, was located outside the Fruita residence of Lockhart when a witness said he saw Romero drive off with the dog in the back of the “red truck.” A maintenance worker found the dog about 4:30 a.m. near the first tunnel on the west side of the monument.
Forte said the witness also said he saw Romero return in the truck without the dog. The witness was apparently awakened by loud music coming from the truck.
Forte also said that surveillance tape showed Buddy was in the back of the truck, when the vehicle entered the monument about 2:18 a.m. Forte said he was able to identify the dog by a “white patch” on his chest.
He said as authorities continued to look into the matter they determined that Buddy was one of two dogs, which had been stolen prior to the incident at the monument. The other dog, which also belongs to a Delta resident, was returned to authorities.
December 2009: Fruita — The body of a dog with rope around its neck has been found in the Colorado National Monument, apparently dragged to its death by a car. Monument superintendent Joan Anzelmo says the adult male German Shepherd was found at about 4:30 a.m. on December 29th.
She says tracks left in the snow tell the story. She said they initially show the dog walking, then running and then being dragged. The dog was left on the West Hill near the first tunnel in the park, which has sweeping views of red rock canyons.
January 2009: Northglenn - Police officers arrested a dog owner on felony charges of animal cruelty for duct taping his dog’s mouth shut. Police received a call about the dog and removed the tape from the dog when they arrived at the home on Marion Street. The owner, M. Reust, told officers he taped the dog’s muzzle shut because the yellow dog “wouldn’t stop barking.”
November 2008: Aurora – David Solis pleaded guilty to felony animal torture for dragging his 2-year-old pit bull dog Princess behind his car in order, he said, to discipline her. By the time police arrived, the dog’s bloody paws were so badly damaged that she could not walk. Solis was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $855 to cover the dog’s veterinary bills. Princess remained in the care of Aurora Animal Control until she made a full recovery. Solis has since agreed to give up any legal claim to the dog.
June 2007: Englewood – The Colorado Humane Society is calling it the worst case of animal abuse they have ever seen. A badly beaten, severely neglected pit bull was dumped on the side of the road and is now struggling to stay alive at the animal shelter.
The female dog was anemic, dehydrated, and has ulcers and lesions on her face due to years of neglect, veterinarians said. She has a mammary tumor that has been growing for at least a year and severely overgrown nails, doctors said.
Englewood police officers received a call about an injured dog in the 3100 block of South Platte River Drive. “When they got to the call, she was unable to walk. She was stumbling. She was trying to get to some stagnant water,” said Lara Riggenbach, the veterinary services coordinator with the Colorado Humane Society.
“There’s no reason why she should be suffering like this. This is something that could have been treated or prevented. As far as her face goes, that’s probably been going on for years,” said Meghan Shannon, doctor of veterinary medicine with the Colorado Humane Society. “Her system is overstressed right now. She may need blood transfusions.”
Englewood police are now looking for the dog’s owner, who faces possible charges of neglect and animal abuse. Officers believe that the dog was abused for years and dumped. “It was also obvious that she had been dumped, that she couldn’t have gotten there by her own steam,” said Riggenbach.
“It’s just not fair. She’s been completely neglected and obviously left to die,” said Shannon. “For these types of things, this is as bad as I’ve seen it. When she came in, I was shocked.”
The dog is currently being stabilized with morphine, antibiotics and other fluids. Doctors say she has a 50 percent chance of survival at best.
“I don’t know who would let her get this bad,” Shannon said. “Her condition is pretty guarded. I couldn’t even take her to surgery until we stabilize her other conditions.”
People who fight dogs:
Dog Fighting is a Class 5 felony in Colorado. Possession of dogs for fighting and being a spectator at a dog fight are also Class 5 felonies.
National Canine Research Council