Mass. man says he couldn't afford vet, killed dog

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[JoeProBono]

A Massachusetts man facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing his bulldog with a hammer told police the dog was sick and he could not afford to pay a veterinarian to put it down. Charles Berube, of Methuen (meh-THOO'-ehn), appeared in court Thursday. A jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 20.

Berube owned the dog, named Spot, for 10 years. Animal welfare investigators say the 53-year-old told them the animal had been sick for weeks and had lost a lot of weight. It had swollen legs and had trouble walking. Berube says he did not want the animal to suffer and could not afford a veterinarian. He said he did not want to burden a shelter with the animal.

[JoeProBono]

bulldog

[the long march]

The local animal shelter, any rescue group, or a kind hearted vet ( and yes there are lots of those) would have put this animal down in a less brutal manner

[libh8er]

I wonder if he would do the same to himself if he were sick and couldn’t afford healthcare.

[CGASMIA68]

should ah called you 1st....

[svcw]

How sad. Any shelter would have put the dog down.

[MrEdd]

If hit very hard, death would be instantaneous. This is how animals are killed at a slaughter house, pneumatic hammers.

There is nothing at all inhumane here, just squeamish people making their personal condescension out to be a virtue. To the point where they feel good about prosecuting people without a lot of money for the invented crime of self sufficiency.

[Sans-Culotte]

Vet bills are part of owning a dog. I hope he does not get another dog as dog ownership is clearly out of his economic league. My wife and I dropped $315 on our dog with the vet today.

[a fool in paradise]

Late term euthenasia.

[cripplecreek]

I’m trying to find a vet who will give me the means of doing it myself when the time comes. I’d rather have him go in his sleep where he’s comfortable.

[theDentist]

I wonder if he would do the same to himself if he were sick and couldn’t afford healthcare.

No, under Obamacare, a couple out of work yout's will suddenly show up at his doorstep, tell him he's no longer contributing to society, and hammer/sickle him off the welfare roles (though not the voting roles).

[a fool in paradise]

I read that the cows aren’t even killed by the hammer, the reason being they want the heart to pump the blood out of the animal.

[R. Scott]

If it was a sharp hard blow between the eyes it would have been quick and painless.
Several years ago I had to put down my little Pomeranian. I had promised my late wife when she died that I’d take care of him.
He became sick (he was 14 years old), couldn’t move well and had bloody diarrhea and vomit. I took him to our vet. The next day and a $1,000 later I was told nothing could be done. He had total system failure. I had him put down. It cost me $200 to have him killed and cremated. I couldn’t really afford it but I had made a promise.

[RKV]

Maybe I’m old school and country, but being a hunter and having butchered cows, pigs, etc., I’m missing out on why a vet had to do this. Used to be people did this for themselves. I can certainly think of a quicker and more direct way to do this (in fact several), but as sad as this is, it’s not criminal. If you knew how the beef on your plate gets there you would know that the cow gets killed in much the same way at an abattoir. If our laws were different, the guy could have done it by himself for the price of a syringe and some barbiturates - $10 max. Flame on.

[LADY J]

"There is nothing at all inhumane here, just squeamish people making their personal condescension out to be a virtue. To the point where they feel good about prosecuting people without a lot of money for the invented crime of self sufficiency."

A shelter would have euthanized the poor animal in a humane way....free!!

Yeah - this guy without a lot of money - who had this dog for 10 years, is so good hearted that he didn't want to BURDEN the shelter!! I hope they never let this brutal man own another dog for the rest of his life.

[MrEdd]

You read wrong.

The heart still functions for a few minutes after brain death. Short of being hit by powerful lightning, or flash incinerated in some other way the cells of any creature die gradually rather than all at once.

[RKV]

Correct. Not that all here will be able to handle reality.

[MarineBrat]

A veterinarian is allowed to euthanize a dog but the owner is not? Or is this strictly a matter of method?

I’m not supporting using a hammer, nor do I look forward to the day when I’ll be in a similar boat, but there’s nothing wrong with a .44 to do the job. That has been a sad but necessary rite of manhood since dogs have been domesticated, and I certainly wouldn’t pay someone else to kill my own dog when that dog is unable to live without serious pain.

Oh wait, I live in the country... you city folks might not remember what life used to be like.

[nascarnation]

Being an animal vet will be much more profitable than being an MD when Baraqqicare passes. You may well see MDs switching over.

[Jeff Chandler]

If hit very hard, death would be instantaneous.

True. If one blow did it, then there is nothing wrong with what he did.

Personally, I wouldn't want to chance having to repeat the blow; the dog would suffer pain and terror. I take my old dogs to the vet.

[Venturer]

Back when I was a kid most excess kittens around here were put in a sack and drowned.Older dogs were put to sleep by shotgun blast. Peta put’s to rest more animals than any other agency.

Old Shep may have been a mighty good dog, but the fact is Old Shep needs to be put to sleep instead of allowed to suffer. This man had the dog for 10 years and it probably hurt like hell for him to have to do the job, but he did it, and if his conscience is clear what business is it of anyone elses how he did it.