Stop Animal Ads on Craigslist!
Many of the details are contradictory, yet surrendering a puppy to a Craigslist adopter was irresponsible at best. Please care enough about your animals to appropriately screen potential adopters with vets, among others.
Let's work to find the person/persons responsible and prosecute.
Justice sought for Kiya
This young pit bull was severely tortured on Aug. 31, 2013, in Quincy. Its injuries were so severe she was destroyed.
Support pours in as Quincy police search for dog abuser
QUINCY —
Quincy and the Animal Rescue League of Boston have received an outpouring of support – both through information sharing and donations – from people eager to catch the person behind the brutal abuse of a pit bull found in the city.
Residents are expressing shock and disgust over the case of Puppy Doe, the name given to the pit bull that was found last month in Quincy with multiple injuries, including dislocated limbs, bone fractures, a split tongue and a stab wound. The dog was so seriously hurt that she had to be destroyed.
By 1 p.m. Friday, Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan said his department had already received more than 100 calls from people with tips in the case or who wanted to make donations in Puppy Doe’s honor.
Keenan said his department is following several leads.
“We are getting a little bit of information, which is a good thing, but we don’t have anything concrete,” Keenan said.
He said all calls regarding donations should go to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, which is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the perpetrator in the Puppy Doe case.
The nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund is offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. Other Puppy Doe reward accounts have been set up on crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe.com and CrowdRise.com.
Sam Hawkey, a partner at Boston Urban Partners, a real estate consulting firm, had already raised $850 by 3 p.m. Friday, with a goal of raising $10,000 on GoFundMe.com.
“We just wanted to get it out there and help get some information about whoever did it,” Jessica Mancuso, operations manager at Boston Urban Partners, said.
Rob Halpin, spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the Puppy Doe case likely won’t be solved unless the public helps investigators.
“Someone knows who did this. Whoever knows has a moral responsibility to call,” Halpin said.
He said his group investigated more than 2,000 reports of animal cruelty in 2012, of which only 25 to 30 were prosecuted. He said a majority of the cases stem from neglectful pet owners, and the most common issues are abandonment, starvation or a lack of veterinary care.
Halpin said his group investigates three or four “bait dog” cases per year. “Bait dogs” refer to animals used for training in dog-fighting rings.
Keenan said Puppy Doe’s injuries didn’t appear to be related to dog fighting and likely were the result of torture by her owner. The pit bull, believed to have been 1 to 2 years old, was found Aug. 31 when a Carrolls Lane resident saw the dog lying near the Whitwell Street playground.
Investigators said they’re confident someone dropped the dog off in Quincy, but they’re unsure where the abuse took place.
Appalled by the incident, state Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-Quincy, renewed his call Friday to toughen penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty. The current law, enacted in 2004, says animal cruelty is a felony and those convicted could face up to five years in prison, jail time, or a fine of up to $2,500.
Ayers, who filed his amendment to the animal cruelty law in January, wants to increase the fine to $5,000 and require that the fine be levied on top of a prison or jail sentence, instead of in lieu of a sentence.
Patrick Ronan may be reached at pronan@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.
READ MORE about this issue.
Residents are expressing shock and disgust over the case of Puppy Doe, the name given to the pit bull that was found last month in Quincy with multiple injuries, including dislocated limbs, bone fractures, a split tongue and a stab wound. The dog was so seriously hurt that she had to be destroyed.
By 1 p.m. Friday, Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan said his department had already received more than 100 calls from people with tips in the case or who wanted to make donations in Puppy Doe’s honor.
Keenan said his department is following several leads.
“We are getting a little bit of information, which is a good thing, but we don’t have anything concrete,” Keenan said.
He said all calls regarding donations should go to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, which is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the perpetrator in the Puppy Doe case.
The nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund is offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. Other Puppy Doe reward accounts have been set up on crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe.com and CrowdRise.com.
Sam Hawkey, a partner at Boston Urban Partners, a real estate consulting firm, had already raised $850 by 3 p.m. Friday, with a goal of raising $10,000 on GoFundMe.com.
“We just wanted to get it out there and help get some information about whoever did it,” Jessica Mancuso, operations manager at Boston Urban Partners, said.
Rob Halpin, spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the Puppy Doe case likely won’t be solved unless the public helps investigators.
“Someone knows who did this. Whoever knows has a moral responsibility to call,” Halpin said.
He said his group investigated more than 2,000 reports of animal cruelty in 2012, of which only 25 to 30 were prosecuted. He said a majority of the cases stem from neglectful pet owners, and the most common issues are abandonment, starvation or a lack of veterinary care.
Halpin said his group investigates three or four “bait dog” cases per year. “Bait dogs” refer to animals used for training in dog-fighting rings.
Keenan said Puppy Doe’s injuries didn’t appear to be related to dog fighting and likely were the result of torture by her owner. The pit bull, believed to have been 1 to 2 years old, was found Aug. 31 when a Carrolls Lane resident saw the dog lying near the Whitwell Street playground.
Investigators said they’re confident someone dropped the dog off in Quincy, but they’re unsure where the abuse took place.
Appalled by the incident, state Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-Quincy, renewed his call Friday to toughen penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty. The current law, enacted in 2004, says animal cruelty is a felony and those convicted could face up to five years in prison, jail time, or a fine of up to $2,500.
Ayers, who filed his amendment to the animal cruelty law in January, wants to increase the fine to $5,000 and require that the fine be levied on top of a prison or jail sentence, instead of in lieu of a sentence.
Patrick Ronan may be reached at pronan@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @PRonan_Ledger.
READ MORE about this issue.
Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/news/x2139015883/Support-pours-in-as-Quincy-police-search-for-dog-abuser#ixzz2fe47rgYJ
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Insurance companies put bite on dog owners
Bill would block insurers from raising rates based on breeds
Ruckus, a 2-year-old Lab/pitbull mix charms the camera from inside his cage at the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts shelter in Brockton on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010.
BROCKTON —
Brockton animal shelter manager Kim Heise says it’s common enough.
Families looking to adopt a dog are forced to walk away empty-handed, or worse yet, dogs are abandoned because insurance carriers either won’t provide homeowner’s insurance or they raise their rates based on the breed of dog a homeowner owns.
“I have a dog here right now that was given up,” said Heise, 38, “because the woman is renting and the woman’s landlord’s homeowner’s insurance was going to go up.”
“It’s not right,” added Heise, shelter manager at The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, on West Elm Street. “There are a lot of really, really good dogs out there who are discriminated against just because of who they are.”
Animal advocates last week squared off against representatives of insurance companies over a bill on Beacon Hill that would ban insurance companies from raising rates or dropping carriers from homeowner’s insurance altogether based on the breed of dog they own.
Insurers argue the rates they use are based on dog bite claims, which have risen starkly in the past decade.
“Dog bites accounted for more than one third of all homeowner’s insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2012, which amounted to more than $489 million,” said Peter Robertson, representing the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
“The total cost of dog bite claims,” he added, “increased by more than 51 percent between 2003 and 2012.”
Still, the notion that a pet’s breed could cost a family its home insurance concerned some legislators, including Rep. Christine Canavan, who petitioned the bill. Canavan could not be reached for further comment Friday.
Sen. Thomas P. Kennedy, D-Brockton, also supports the bill, saying he is against blanket discrimination in general.
“One-solution-fits-all, I don’t usually favor those, no,” Kennedy said Friday.
Kennedy said the move by insurance companies is just a method to make more money, but added that something else should be done “to protect the safety of families, neighbors and communities,” when it comes to dangerous dogs.
Bill Ketzer, of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said no other state has passed similar legislation as the bill he is backing.
The move by insurance companies to raise rates or drop carriers is so common, Heise said, that the Brockton shelter she works for now discusses the issue with families before they choose a dog so that families don’t have to return it.
Families looking to adopt a dog are forced to walk away empty-handed, or worse yet, dogs are abandoned because insurance carriers either won’t provide homeowner’s insurance or they raise their rates based on the breed of dog a homeowner owns.
“I have a dog here right now that was given up,” said Heise, 38, “because the woman is renting and the woman’s landlord’s homeowner’s insurance was going to go up.”
“It’s not right,” added Heise, shelter manager at The Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, on West Elm Street. “There are a lot of really, really good dogs out there who are discriminated against just because of who they are.”
Animal advocates last week squared off against representatives of insurance companies over a bill on Beacon Hill that would ban insurance companies from raising rates or dropping carriers from homeowner’s insurance altogether based on the breed of dog they own.
Insurers argue the rates they use are based on dog bite claims, which have risen starkly in the past decade.
“Dog bites accounted for more than one third of all homeowner’s insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2012, which amounted to more than $489 million,” said Peter Robertson, representing the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
“The total cost of dog bite claims,” he added, “increased by more than 51 percent between 2003 and 2012.”
Still, the notion that a pet’s breed could cost a family its home insurance concerned some legislators, including Rep. Christine Canavan, who petitioned the bill. Canavan could not be reached for further comment Friday.
Sen. Thomas P. Kennedy, D-Brockton, also supports the bill, saying he is against blanket discrimination in general.
“One-solution-fits-all, I don’t usually favor those, no,” Kennedy said Friday.
Kennedy said the move by insurance companies is just a method to make more money, but added that something else should be done “to protect the safety of families, neighbors and communities,” when it comes to dangerous dogs.
Bill Ketzer, of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said no other state has passed similar legislation as the bill he is backing.
The move by insurance companies to raise rates or drop carriers is so common, Heise said, that the Brockton shelter she works for now discusses the issue with families before they choose a dog so that families don’t have to return it.
Pit bulls, German shepherds, malamutes, Doberman pinschers, Akitas and mastiffs are among the breeds that can make insurance difficult or impossible to obtain, according to the bill’s supporters.
Animal advocates said breed is a flawed means of judging whether a dog is likely to bite. They said they also hoped to identify dangerous dogs and keep them away from the public.
Robertson said policies that do not exclude breeds are “available in the marketplace; it may be difficult to find,” mentioning the Fair Plan, an insurer of last resort for people whose property is undesirable to commercial insurers.
The Fair Plan, a statutorily created entity comprising all the states’ insurers, generally provides insurance to homeowners who have lost coverage because of a dog bite, said Robert Tommasino, general counsel to the Fair Plan.
Tommasino said the Fair Plan excludes the dog that bit someone from its coverage.
Alyssa Krieger, who works at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said her shelter has a 3-year-old pit bull named Princess whose owners brought her to the shelter because their insurer would not provide coverage.
“Now she finds herself in a shelter, up for adoption because the insurance company said, ‘No you can’t have that dog,’” Krieger told the committee.
She said a third of shelter dogs are pit bulls and the “vast majority” are there because of the insurers’ rules, which she said affects renters as well because landlords are in danger of losing liability coverage if a tenant has a banned dog.
“Just like with every breed,” added Heise, “you’re going to see the good and the bad, so it’s just not fair to discount an entire breed based only on a few you’re hearing about.”
State House News Service contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x1343099367/Insurance-companies-put-bite-on-dog-owners#ixzz2fe5nVCXK
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