Man beat 5 Pomeranian puppies to death with hammer and is ACQUITTED!

Keith Barton, 73,  killed five Pomeranian puppies with a hammer because he did not want the SPCA officers to seize them.  The SPCA went to his house to seize his thirteen dogs.  He would rather these five be dead than held at the city shelter while he straightened things out?  I mean, the city shelter might have killed them too but at least it would have been more humane than getting their head smashed in with a hammer!

Keith Barton had applied for a licence for Pet Me Kennel, said animal protection officer David Lynch, and a follow-up inspection was being conducted after he had been told to clean up the property.  The SPCA officials and the animal control officer found that his property still did not meet kennel standards and proceeded to seize the dogs.

Barton was playing with the dogs in the yard as the 11 Pomeranians began to be seized, Lynch said. The protection officer said he noticed Barton takings dogs into a shed and thought he was looking for privacy to say goodbye to the animals.

"When he came out of the shed, he put on a coat. He sat on a chair on his back step, and he never said a word ," Lynch said. "I went into the shed to take the animals, and that's when I discovered that … they were dead."

Five of the dogs inside the shed were dead and one was seriously injured, Lynch said.

Judge Patricia Cumming must be mentally impaired because she said there was evidence that the the dog were "rendered unconscious" when they were hit and did not suffer when he was bashing their heads in with a hammer.  What about the first strike that (supposedly) caused them to lose consciousness?

She did feel that one dog, Jake, who survived, did feel pain.  She found him guilty of injuring the dog.  

Barton told the court, in November, he thought he had the right to kill his dogs and he didn't want the SPCA to take his dogs. He testified that he couldn't let the seizure happen because he "loved the dogs so desperately."

When Barton also testified he described the day he killed his dogs as "the worst day of my life, when I had to do that to my babies."

Barton said he would have killed all of the dogs if he had more time.

The Minto man said he thought he had a right to put his dogs down but a provincial veterinary pathologist said Barton's tactics were not an acceptable method of euthanasia for dogs.

The vet said it would have taken three to five minutes for the dogs to die.

Not only did he kill these puppies, he also neglected them while they were alive.  He was charged with three counts of failing to give proper care to his thirteen Pomeranians.  Why only three counts if there were thirteen Pomeranians?  The Judge only fined him the minimum of about $120 on each case.

The judge gave him a conditional discharge, with the condition that he cannot own a dog or pet for the next 12 months.  

This is an extremely violent act and at the end of this, we have five dead puppies, a $360 fine for not providing water to three of the thirteen dogs, the condition that he cannot own any animals for twelve months, and he was found guilty of injuring an animal (the one who survived).  What about the ones he KILLED?  Do they not deserve justice!?


Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/11/28/nb-defence-dogs.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/03/07/dogs-killed.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/02/03/nb-dogs-barton.html?ref=rss 

Fire kills 140 cats, 3 dogs and numerous small animals at animal shelter

A fire swept through the Humane Society of Durham Region shelter early Wednesday, leaving about 180 animals dead, police said.  (The website for the shelter states the number of animals killed are 

In its wake, those who cared for and loved the animals inside were heartbroken. Teen volunteers could only hug each other, sob and place flowers outside the charred, boarded-up building on Wednesday afternoon.

"I was the investigator. I brought in the animals that were abused," said Debby Houghton.

"A lot of these animals were abused in Durham region. They were starving or neglected and came here to be safe," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Another woman noted that many of the animals had to fight to stay alive, only to die from the heat, smoke and flames.

Fire had engulfed the building when firefighters arrived about 2:30 a.m.

Emergency crews managed to save nine dogs, a rat and two cats from the building, located on Waterloo Street in Oshawa. About 140 cats died from smoke inhalation, as did three dogs and about 40 small animals including some rabbits and a guinea pig.

The damage to the building is extensive, police said in a news release.

"The building suffered extensive fire and smoke damage estimated at approximately $250,000," it said. "The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation."

The animals that were saved were sheltered in police vehicles until officers with Oshawa Animal Services arrived to rescue them.

The pets are now at a 24-hour animal hospital in Whitby where they are being examined.

"This is a horrific event and our hearts go out to the Humane Society of Durham Region," says Kate MacDonald, CEO of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"The SPCA will be assisting the Humane Society in any way we can during this emotional time."

http://toronto.ctv.ca 

Donate to the shelter or attend one of their fundraisers. 

Two teens plead guilty to microwaving cat

Two Camrose teens who pleaded guilty to killing a neighbour's cat by putting it in a microwave were sentenced to 100 hours of community service Thursday.

Justice Shauna Miller ruled the two teenagers will be put on one year probation for their role in the gruesome case. They are also banned from owning a pet for two years and must pay $500 in restitution to the family.

They have also been placed on a curfew for one year and aren't allowed to play violent video games.

More...

Cat microwaved to death during robbery in Canada-Trial for 13 year old and three 15 year olds begins 4.3.08

Four Alberta teens have been charged with animal cruelty after a cat was found dead in a microwave.

It's alleged that three 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old broke into a Camrose home on Dec. 30, and put the family cat named Princess in the microwave.

Police say the incident happened while the homeowners were out of town. A friend who checked on the home made the grisly discovery, finding the cat inside the microwave. She said she found the words, "Nice cat, look in the microwave" scrawled in felt pen on the kitchen window and on the glass of the kitchen cabinets.

Police say the microwave had been turned on-resulting in the cat's death.

"Obviously, it's very disturbing. We're used to dealing with property crime but when you go and do something like this it's upsetting," said Camrose Police Service Insp. Lee Foreman.

The incident has left the community in shock.

Why blame chained dog for humans' many errors?

Sadly, another parent has allowed a child to be bitten by a dog ("Dog mauls girl", Leader-Post, Jan. 21).



Could someone not stomach the fact that Lassie, the smart and gentle animal who saved little Timmy from harm every week on TV, could hurt a child? I have been teaching dog obedience and socialization for many years. I have taught dozens of breeds and thousands of dogs. I have been bitten and/or threatened by border collies, Chihuahuas, shih tzus, Labradors, schipperkes, golden retrievers, Australian shepherds, cocker spaniels, springer spaniels, poodles, terriers and Pomeranians. These are not breeds we think of as dangerous.

I have had one problem with a "dangerous" breed: A cross breed that had suffered a lifetime of abuse and neglect. Small dog bites are unlikely to require medical treatment, go unreported, and skew statistics.

While researching this letter, I came across a citation for an incident in which a Pomeranian, a two-kilogram dog, had killed a baby.

I recently saw a golden retriever/poodle cross that was, by anyone's definition, dangerous.

Golden retrievers? Dangerous?

Dangerous dogs exist, but dangerous breeds exist only in the imaginations of people looking for scapegoats.

Breed bans exist so that politicians can look like they are doing something while doing nothing useful.

News stories that alter the description of a dog from one breed to another only add to the hysteria and make it harder for responsible pet owners.

Any dog will bite if it feels threatened and can't escape. "Fight or flight" are its only safety valves. A dog that is chained cannot escape a perceived threat and is more likely to bite, no matter what breed it is, and no matter whether the threat comes from a child, an adult, or another dog.

Even "Lassie" will bite in that situation -- as the people in Delisle have discovered.