I’ve always loved animals.  Growing up, we had a cat and a dog.  (Although, to be honest, the cat scared me to death until I was about 7; her eyes glowed in the dark and her fur was almost completely black.)  I worked in a camp petting zoo for 2 summers, helping to take care of all sorts of animals from goats to alpacas and ponies to ferrets.  That being said, it saddens me to I hear about animal cruelty cases in the news.

Just a few weeks ago, 28 fancy cats, 3 hens and a rooster were removed from a backyard breeding operation in Western Massachusetts.  The owner has been selling these exotic cats for years, but she ran out of space in her 12×24 shed, leading to the intervention.  Rescued by the MSPCA, the animals were treated by veterinarians at the shelter for ringworm, ear mites, and conjunctivitis, were spayed and neutered and received other vaccinations.  They are all expected to be put up for adoption.

Unfortunately, things like this happen all too often, as we at Gary Rome Auto Group know all too well.  Several years ago, a 7-week old pit-bull puppy was thrown from a 3rd story window.  An employee here found  “Smitty,” as the puppy is known, and brought him to the MSPCA.  The diagnosis was a fractured skull and broken leg.

Since pit-bulls tend to have thicker skulls than most other breeds of dog, the main concern was the broken front leg.  Being only a puppy, the broken leg may have an effect on the bone’s development.  An orthopedic surgeon and neurologist examined the dog and said surgery was not seem necessary.  They prescribed 6 weeks of rest after which they examined him again.

This time, the police were able apprehend the man responsible, 19-year old Jacque Coleman.  He pled guilty to assaulting a woman and throwing the puppy through a 3rd floor window.  Judge Phillip A. Beattie sentenced him to a year in the Hampden County Correctional Center on each charge, to be served concurrently.

Christine Allenberg, a law enforcement officer for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said, “I talked about the injuries the puppy had suffered and about the link between cruelty to animals and violence towards people.  There are numerous studies that show when someone is willing to abuse an animal, the next step is a person.”

She said then that the sentencing shows that the court is taking animal cruelty seriously, and that people understand it needs to be nipped in the bud, especially with the knowledge that it can foreshadow violent crimes against people.

Officer Allenberg was also on the MSPCA Law Enforcement Officer on duty in the case of those cats and farm birds.  “We’re glad to have gotten to this property when we did because all of these animals were living under deplorable conditions…The owner’s cooperation meant that we were able to very quickly transport the animals to Boston to receive the veterinary care they urgently need,” she stated.

The MSPCA-Angell has established a donation page for any members of the public who wish to donate toward the care of the animals, and others like them.  To learn more about donating or adopting, visit www.mspca.org or call 617-522-5055.