NY Man Abandons Dog in a Clothing Donation Bin

Gary Lee Rhodes, 28, is accused of abandoning his dog, a terrier mix, in a clothing donation bin at a shopping center in Hyde Park in September 2008.  He claimed she was emaciated before he dumped her.  


A man emptying the charity clothing donation bin in the parking lot of the Stop and Shop on St. Andrews Road found her and contacted the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Humane Law Enforcement Office.



The dog, now named Sally, weighed 16 pounds and was extremely emaciated and dehydrated.


Dutchess County SPCA estimate she had been dumped in the bin a week before she was found on Monday and the weather had been in the 90s during the daytime for a week (in Sept. 2008).  They estimate she's about 2 years old. In spite of her condition, she was still friendly and wagged her tail when she was taken to the shelter for treatment.

DCSPCA Humane Law Supervisor Jami Landry said, "It must have been like an oven for the dog trapped inside."

Gary Lee Rhodes was charged with one count each of torturing/not feeding an animal, abandonment of a disabled animal and neglect of an impounded animal, all misdemeanors in violation of state Agriculture and Markets Law.


Rhodes gave a false address in the City of Poughkeepsie at his Oct. 7 arraignment. Hyde Park Justice David Steinberg on Tuesday ordered Rhodes be placed on electronic monitoring.



Garry Lee Rhodes pleaded guilty on November 25th to abandonment of animals and cruelty to animals, both misdemeanors under state Agriculture and Markets law.



Rhodes told Moloney he is living with his mother in Pleasant Valley.

If Rhodes violates the terms of his house arrest release, he could be jailed on $10,000 bail.

Patterson said Rhodes could face up to two years in jail if convicted of all charges in the two cases.



His sentencing is scheduled for Feb 24, 2009.


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Over 20 dogs found dead and dying in field in Nebraska

45 year-old Denise Withee of Mapleton, Iowa will face charges for animal abuse and abandonment after being accused of breeding dogs and then dumping them on the side of the road in Nebraska. Denise Withee has plead 'not guilty' to three counts of cruel neglect of animals.

With each count, Withee faces up to 5 years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The charges stem from an August 1st incident, where 23 dogs were found dead or dying in a Grand Island cornfield.

Authorities linked the dogs to Withee through a microchip found in one of the animals.


Withee is facing additional charges in Iowa for 20 dogs that were found running at large and 27 more dogs that were found in two separate homes in Monona County, Iowa, said Sgt. Roger Krohn of the Monona County Sheriff's Department.


On July 31, 23 dogs were found dead or dying in the cornfield and 13 more were taken from Withee when she was arrested at a local motel Aug. 2. The hotel room had been paid for by Roland Bowling, according to the Hall County Sheriff's Department. Bowling is charged with being an accessory to a felony and providing false information to law enforcement. Bowling is associated with Denise Withee.

A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for January 28.

For more information on this case, please visit pet-abuse.com 

50 dead animals found in cages in abandoned home

The rotting remains of about 50 dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters and ferrets were discovered in a Barnegat house today, officials said.

A locksmith sent by the bank that had foreclosed on the house found the decaying remains when he arrived to change the locks and immediately contacted the police.

"They were piles of bones and fur," said Matt Stanton, a spokesman for the state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals. "The dogs just disintegrated."

Most of the remains were found in locked cages throughout the one-story home, which officials described as fully furnished, with garbage and fecal matter strewn throughout.

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UPDATE
A South Jersey husband and wife were released on $25,000 bail each yesterday after they were arrested and charged in the deaths of dozens of house pets found at the Jersey Shore.

Matthew R. and Amanda Teymant own the unoccupied townhouse on Potomac Circle in Barnegat, N.J., where police found the skeletal remains of 64 animals Monday.

"The only things alive in that house were the flies and the maggots," Stanton said.

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