N.Y. Man Jailed for Starving Dog

SF Gate ^ | 3/28/6

[SmithL]

Riverhead, N.Y. -- A man who let his dog starve to death in a basement closet while he took his 7-year-old daughter to Disney World was sentenced Tuesday to a year in jail.

[Publius6961]

She is happy that dear old dad took her, instead of the dog, to Disney world.

Well, D'OH!
Seeing what the alternative might have been...

[Minnesocold]

The dog's owner is now kenneled. Now they just need to stop feeding him.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Yeah, right. We have tapes of her dancing the night away.

[RegulatorCountry]

"Yeah, right. We have tapes of her dancing the night away."

You appear to have a basic misunderstanding of just what "catatonic" means.

[KarinG1]

That wasn't very nice, in my opinion, but it was his dog. In Texas it's only cruelty if the animal doesn't belong to you.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Not really.

[wideawake]

Yeah, right. We have tapes of her dancing the night away.

Note to self: if you are physically incapable of dancing, then you are catatonic in justshutupandtakeit's reality and can therefore be forcibly starved with impunity.

Paraplegics, beware.

[apackof2]

That wasn't very nice, in my opinion, but it was his dog. In Texas it's only cruelty if the animal doesn't belong to you.

What!?

In Texas you can starve, abuse, torture a dog and its ok as long as it yours?

If that is true than there is something wrong with Texass

[HairOfTheDog]

It's not true... I've watched enough Animal Cops Houston to have seen otherwise.

[formerDem]

That wasn't very nice, in my opinion, but it was his dog. In Texas it's only cruelty if the animal doesn't belong to you.

That reminds me of the guy looting in New Orleans...when asked, 'Don't you know it's wrong to steal?', he replied, 'If it was wrong, the police would be here to stop me.'

[GladesGuru]

Has anyone ever thought that they might have just forgotten the poor dog? Is taking the girl's father away for a year appropriate?

Or has PETA somehow gotten a bunch of trolls to post on this thread. Or have I somehow hit the wrong key and wound up on Daily Kos?

[Blackirish]

Not very nice.???

Starving a dog to death...call it what it is, evil.

[eastforker]

True, but a dog can go several weeks without food and probably a week without water with no problem if he was in good shape to start with.IMHO this dog was abused before the trip to Disney.

[RegulatorCountry]

"Has anyone ever thought that they might have just forgotten the poor dog?"

Locked in a closet? Any dog of mine, upon hearing me open an exterior door to leave, would put up such a racket that it would be impossible to ignore, if they couldn't get to where I was, and that's with them running free in the house, not cooped up in a small, enclosed space.

[Clemenza]

Shovel and shut up.

[jocon307]

"Has anyone ever thought that they might have just forgotten the poor dog?"

How can you forget your pet? How can a person afford to got to Disney world but not have enough $$ to put the dog in a kennel for a week?

[Sender]

Shovel and shut up.

There are some people this applies to, but no dogs.

[Clemenza]

I love dogs and think this guy is a scumbag. I still think jailtime is excessive. I would vote for a heavy fine and a ban on animal ownership for the rest of his life.

[GladesGuru]

I suppose the same way in which people stop at the rest plazas on the interstate highways, tie the dog leash to the bumper while they go to the toilet and then return, get in and drive off.

Bowser becomes either very flat (backed over) or ground round and round and round behind the car.

Forgetfulness is not supposed to be a crime. But when animals are equated with humans, draconian punishments become the order of the day. In proof of my thesis, consider what otherwise rational FReepers have suggested as punishments for the father in this case.

[dighton]

In Texas it's only cruelty if the animal doesn't belong to you.

Texas Cruelty to Animals Statutes

You may see something here that I didn't.