Post by Brooke on Jan 21, 2004 19:15:48 GMT -5
Reward offered in dog's ear snipping
PETA puts up $2,500
By Kristin Bender, STAFF WRITER
ALAMEDA -- A national animal rights group has joined local police in the search for the person who used scissors to snip the ears of a 3-month-old pit bull puppy and then doused the wounds with acid.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever wounded the puppy, named "Ava," and left her for dead in the Jack in the Box restaurant parking lot in downtown Alameda on Dec. 4, said Tarina Keene, a PETA cruelty case worker.
"We feel like animal abuse cases are cowardly acts (preying) upon the defenseless," said Keene, who is based in Norfolk, Va. "This is a pathetic attempt for attention. This could have been done by someone for fun or by someone who thought it would be cool to do for aesthetic reasons."
Keene said ear cropping is usually done by a trained veterinarian when a dog is a few days or just weeks old, and under anesthesia.
"A lot of people who have pit bulls for dog fighting like those pointed ears," she said. "It makes them look a little more aggressive, more intimidating."
Ava underwent extensive surgery by Dr. Lloyd Freitas, an Oakland veterinarian, to repair the wounds.
"It was someone trying to do a backyard or a home job," Freitas said. "That is why some states want to outlaw ear cropping. We see cases like this every few years. People think they can do it at home."
Freitas, a vet for 44 years, said the procedure is relatively simple, can run $100 and up and has been done 18,000 times in his office during the years.
While police have yet to make any arrests in the case, Ava has a new home with Vincent and Laura Perez of Hayward. The couple adopted the tan and white pup on Christmas Day and have continued to nurse her back to health, Vincent Perez said. Her ears have healed, she has gained weight and she even plays nicely with the family cat.
"She's doing excellent," said Perez, a 32-year-old Alameda auto shop service writer. "It's breathtaking to watch. She's real tame, gets along with our other pets, has a real nice temperament and is real loving."
Ava was adopted with the help of Hopalong Animal Rescue, a nonprofit pet rescue and adoption organization in Oakland, after spending more than two weeks with foster care "mother" Brita Jonsson.
Jonsson of Alameda is the same woman who two years ago fostered Theo, a 6-month-old pit bull terrier who was beaten and burned in Oakland by three teenagers. Theo eventually recovered and was adopted. The three boys were charged with animal cruelty.
PETA is working with the Alameda police and Officer Diana Barrett, who heads the Island shelter, on the case. Barrett, who spent 10 years as an animal control officer in Oakland, said the botched home ear clipping done on Ava was the first one she has seen since starting the animal control job in Alameda three years ago.
"The (ears) were very infected and not done unilaterally ... it's what's called a 'home crop job,' Barrett said. "They also looked as if they had poured some solution on them to (stop the bleeding)."
She said the dog is remarkably calm given its injuries. "She wagged her tail through the whole thing. That dog is so very lucky."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Alameda Animal Shelter at 337-8560.
PETA puts up $2,500
By Kristin Bender, STAFF WRITER
ALAMEDA -- A national animal rights group has joined local police in the search for the person who used scissors to snip the ears of a 3-month-old pit bull puppy and then doused the wounds with acid.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever wounded the puppy, named "Ava," and left her for dead in the Jack in the Box restaurant parking lot in downtown Alameda on Dec. 4, said Tarina Keene, a PETA cruelty case worker.
"We feel like animal abuse cases are cowardly acts (preying) upon the defenseless," said Keene, who is based in Norfolk, Va. "This is a pathetic attempt for attention. This could have been done by someone for fun or by someone who thought it would be cool to do for aesthetic reasons."
Keene said ear cropping is usually done by a trained veterinarian when a dog is a few days or just weeks old, and under anesthesia.
"A lot of people who have pit bulls for dog fighting like those pointed ears," she said. "It makes them look a little more aggressive, more intimidating."
Ava underwent extensive surgery by Dr. Lloyd Freitas, an Oakland veterinarian, to repair the wounds.
"It was someone trying to do a backyard or a home job," Freitas said. "That is why some states want to outlaw ear cropping. We see cases like this every few years. People think they can do it at home."
Freitas, a vet for 44 years, said the procedure is relatively simple, can run $100 and up and has been done 18,000 times in his office during the years.
While police have yet to make any arrests in the case, Ava has a new home with Vincent and Laura Perez of Hayward. The couple adopted the tan and white pup on Christmas Day and have continued to nurse her back to health, Vincent Perez said. Her ears have healed, she has gained weight and she even plays nicely with the family cat.
"She's doing excellent," said Perez, a 32-year-old Alameda auto shop service writer. "It's breathtaking to watch. She's real tame, gets along with our other pets, has a real nice temperament and is real loving."
Ava was adopted with the help of Hopalong Animal Rescue, a nonprofit pet rescue and adoption organization in Oakland, after spending more than two weeks with foster care "mother" Brita Jonsson.
Jonsson of Alameda is the same woman who two years ago fostered Theo, a 6-month-old pit bull terrier who was beaten and burned in Oakland by three teenagers. Theo eventually recovered and was adopted. The three boys were charged with animal cruelty.
PETA is working with the Alameda police and Officer Diana Barrett, who heads the Island shelter, on the case. Barrett, who spent 10 years as an animal control officer in Oakland, said the botched home ear clipping done on Ava was the first one she has seen since starting the animal control job in Alameda three years ago.
"The (ears) were very infected and not done unilaterally ... it's what's called a 'home crop job,' Barrett said. "They also looked as if they had poured some solution on them to (stop the bleeding)."
She said the dog is remarkably calm given its injuries. "She wagged her tail through the whole thing. That dog is so very lucky."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Alameda Animal Shelter at 337-8560.