I-Team: Woman accuses animal shelter of abuse
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Animal Abuse Allegations
A woman says her dog was abused at the Providence animal shelter.
NBC 10 News
Susan Burns and her dog, Coty
PROVIDENCE—An animal rights group wants the supervisor of the Providence Animal Control Center to resign, and a Providence woman says her dog was abused there last month.
Susan Burns said her dog, Coty, was picked up by Providence animal control officers on Feb. 28. The dog had run off and was roaming near a highway.
Coty was quarantined for 10 days. Burns said when she picked up her pet, she was shocked.
The dog was lethargic, had lost weight, and was bleeding profusely through the nose. The dog’s legs had also been injured, Burns said.
“One of my dispatchers came into the office … and he noticed his front left paw was swollen,“ Burns said.
Burns said she took Coty to a vet, who found a number of injuries.
“It was because of the lack of care he and received at the Animal Control Center and suggested us to go after the Animal Control Center,“ Burns said the vet told her.
It cost Burns more than $1,300 in vet bills to treat Coty.
Related Link: Providence Animal Control Center
Related Link: Defenders of Animals
Meanwhile, Dennis Tabella, of Defenders of Animals, wants the animal shelter supervisor, Richard Sousa, to resign.
“Defenders of Animals took the city to court because this same animal control officer, Richard Sousa, was taking dogs and cats up to Smithfield to be gassed after we passed a Providence city ordinance banning the gas chamber,“ Tabella said.
On Wednesday, the I-Team reported that the director of the animal shelter, Peter Brown, resigned amid allegations that he sexually harassed a female co-worker and that Sousa was left in charge.
Brown allegedly made a sexually explicit gesture with a banana to a female employee.
Deputy Police Chief Paul Kennedy said Sousa is not in charge of the animal control center. He said a major in the police department oversees the operation.
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Reader Reactions
I wanted to let everyone know how Cody is doing. He is finally back to his normal behavior and all the drivers are now watching for him when they leave the office. He is slowly but surely getting the weight back on. The DEM is investigating the allegations.
I do not know what happened to this persons dog but as a dog owner myself I feel bad that this happened to the animal but how do wr know if it happened on the street or at the shelter?My fence blew down one day and my dog got out. I called the shelter daily( probably 1 to 2 times an hour sometimes) They got a call and I was able to get my dog back. They were wonderful to me. A few months ago my other dog was hiding in my back yard and when someone came in my gate my dog ran for the road. We called daily for our “Boxer mix” 3 days later we got a call and the man was very upset and asked what was wrong with my dogs ears. I said nothing. He said my dog was possibly there and had bad fly bites all over his ears. He was genuinly upset. I went down to the shelter and thankfuly it was not my dog but my dog was there! It just wasnt the dog that was hurt. Again these people were great to me and my dog. He did have a little less woof do to his excessive barking and a little cold(he was sneezing a little) But again I would like to say that at least some of these people that work there do truely care about these animals. Please dont punish all for the errors of a few
Well CCpty someone should give you an award for being the best pet owner. I believe myself to be a very good pet owner, shots, vets visits spoiled the whole nine. But once again I will state it is possible for a dog to get lose at one point in their life this does not mean you are a terrible pet owner. If this dog had not been feed properly or beaten yes then take the dog. Are you going to take every child away from every parent who has gotten away from them for a minute or two and tell them they are lousey parents. Face facts everyone makes mistakes it does not make you a terrible person. Are you also the type of owner of believes in training the tough way.
Someone ought to remove this dog from its owner who is obviously incapable of properly taking care of an animal. My dogs don’t just “run off”. Ever. They make these things called “leashes”...
Yet another case of someone trying to find someone else to blame instead of taking responsibility for their own actions(or lack thereof)....
the dog was in bad shape it looks like while at the pound, but whoever took the dog to the vet should eat the cost.they are the ones who decided to take the dog in not anyone else. if i love the animal enough to help him , then i’m gonna know before i go that its gonna cost money .i understand thats not right, but when you decide to take matters into your owns hands then you end up paying for it
Maybe I’m lost but I keep reading the story. I do not see where it says the dog bit someone. I am a dog owner we do all we can for our dog not to get out, but it can happen. My dog has his shots, tags and all but I do not keep them on in the house. I will be honest if my dog ended up in the pound and I went to pick him up and found him in that shape I would probably end up in jail for hitting someone. The people that are running these shelters are they because I thought they loved animals. He should be let go put someone who needs a job that truly loves animals replace him. I know I’m out of a job and would love it.
I think the point here is that the dog was not in poor health in any way BEFORE he was taken to the animal shelter and sustained some serious injuries and neglect. It is the job of he shelter to treat animals to the best of their ability not send them home injured under weight and sickly. If balances are accrued because the dog had gotten away and apparently bit someone then those balances need to be paid but not at the expense of the dogs health. JMO
Mr Burn’s do you accept any responsibility? lets recap your lose your dog. he bites someone! gets locked up for 10 days sustains injury’s some where? you don’t bring food?(guessing) or Pay a vet Bill and you feel you’ve been wronged. Amazing !!!
Pod, the dog had to be put into quarantine because he had bitten someone by law. When you look at the dog in person you can see his ribs and spine. He was not like that before. I had treated him like that before I would be in jail, in front of a judge and paying a fine right now.
Suzanne M. Burns
Sheesh. A little slow on the old investigative beat? How about a blockbuster on how squirrels are being chased by dogs. Man. How lame can it get. Stop the presses. Wake the kids and call the neighbors: some lady is pissed off because she lost her dog without a tag and doesn’t like the way he was returned. A Morrow award may be coming this way.
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