Dog Frozen to Sidewalk-woman goes to court 12.22.08

A 59 year old woman (her name is not being disclosed for some reason) is charged with a misdemeanor of animal neglect. Her court date is Monday, December 22.  Click here for more information on this case. 

An elderly border collie mix froze to the sidewalk when it was left outside overnight in single-digit temperatures, but the "morbidly obese" dog survived due to insulation from layers of fat, according to the Sheboygan County Humane Society.

The dog, a male named Jiffy, was discovered and its owner arrested on suspicion of animal neglect this morning, said Lt. Tim Eirich of the Sheboygan Police Department. The owner, a 59-year-old woman, lives in the 1500 block of John Court.

The dog is being cared for at the Humane Society and is expected to survive, but it is not clear what long-term effects the overnight freeze may have had, shelter manager Carey Payne said.

"The dog is comfortable right now and is being evaluated for possible damage. We won't know for a few days what the extent is," Payne said. "He was frozen to the sidewalk, so myself and two other employees had to pour some warm water over the dog's back end to get him off the sidewalk."

Payne said the dog can barely move, but shelter workers aren't sure if that's from the incident or the dog's excessive weight. Jiffy is 11 or 12 years old, Eirich said.

The owner told police she tried to get the dog inside but was unable to, and instead checked on the dog every few hours, Eirich said. The temperature dipped to 6 degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Payne said few dogs could survive a night outdoors at that temperature.

"Being insulated as well as he was with the layers of fat he had probably saved the dog's life," she said.

The woman was trying to drag the dog inside when police arrived about 9:15 a.m., Eirich said. Officers responded after a neighbor noticed the dog and called police.

The case has been referred to the Sheboygan County district attorney's office for possible charges. Police are asking for a charge of misdemeanor animal neglect.

Nov 6 sentencing for Wisconsin man, Eric S. Shattuck, who tried to force his dog to drink antifreeze then hanged him.

Prosecutors say a 34-year-old Appleton, Wisconsin man hanged one of his dogs in his garage because he was angry that the animal nipped at him.

Eric S. Shattuck is scheduled to make an initial appearance Feb. 12 in Outagamie County Circuit Court.

Appleton police began an investigation Sept. 28 after learning of the dog's death from a person who was familiar with the situation. The animal was found in a garbage bag inside the garage, with a choke collar nearby. Shattuck told investigators he attempted to kill the dog Sept. 26 by mixing its water with antifreeze, but the dog refused to drink it, according to the criminal complaint. Shattuck told a police officer that he then grabbed the dog, named Swiper, by the back of the neck, took it to the garage and hanged it from the rafters by its choke collar. He told the officer that he left immediately while the dog was still breathing because he didn't want to see the animal suffer. Shattuck acknowledged kicking the dog inside the house before taking it to the garage.

If convicted of one felony count of animal mistreatment causing death, Shattuck faces up to a $10,000 fine and a combined three years and six months of prison and extended supervision.

For more on the case visit pet-abuse.com