UPDATE 8/1/08 - See Video Below - Lawyer Takes the case, hopes to up charges for Comins.

Although it’s been some time in coming, Chris Comins, the man who maliciously shot Chris Butler’s two Huskies, will be facing animal cruelty charges.

The charges stem from a May 19th incident when Chris Butler was out walking his Huskies, Raley and Hoochie, and the dogs got away from him. Butler has never denied that that dogs should not have been off lead but that does not give someone the right to shoot and shoot and shoot at them, especially when the owner shows up, begging the shooter to stop, begging to spare the dog’s lives.

You can read the full background on the story HERE, as well as see the full video of the incident that was taped by a tourist.

Chris Butler has been in touch with me and sent me some pictures of his beautiful dogs, as you can see above. That was a happier time before they were maimed and injured.

He also left the following comments with the original story;

I am the owner of the dogs. You people need to do your homework on Chris Comins. He should be in prison for pointing a laser sighted gun at a kids head.By the way, you will be disappointed to hear, that Mr. Comins is being charged with animal cruelty. He did what he did because he wanted to do it and he loved every minute of it and now his murderous behavior is going to be held up for the world to see.

And;

Both my dogs are at home and are healing. Chris Comins shot Hoochie after I looked him in the face and begged him to stop.I have been contacted by Chris Comins ex wife and the father of the boy that was threatened. He has been described to me as a alcoholic,violent,abusive, racist gun obsessed monster. ALWAYS on the lookout for a fight. Road rage incidents, airport security, Orlando magics game. Lives as if the laws do not apply to him. I have been contacted by the most unlikely people and I have yet to hear one decent word about him. Read more… »

A six month old Boston Terrier puppy was thrown from the Atlantic City Expressway overpass on July 24 at approximately 11 pm. The body of the puppy in a black plastic bag was found on the roadside.

WARNING - GRAPHIC PICTURES BELOW

Carl Galioto, chief with the N.J. SPCA is offering $1,000 of his own money for information leading to conviction of this crime, additional funds are coming in from New Jersey Aid for Animals, the Animal Law Coalition and Pawtographs of Cherry Hill for a total of $1550 in reward monies.

The puppy, with distinctive black-and-white markings, was discovered just before midnight on Thursday by a motorist who heard a thump on the roof of his Jeep Cherokee as he emerged from a tunnel, said officials from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The driver stopped to investigate. He found the dog’s battered and bloody carcass on the connector road to the Expressway near mile marker 0.8 in Atlantic City.

“There’s no way that dog fell off,” Nancy Beall, president of the Atlantic County SPCA, said in an interview yesterday. “There are two fences - one of which arches over the roadway.

“Somebody had to fling her over those fences,” Beall said. “It looks like she was thrown over head first.”

The 6-month-old puppy died on impact of massive head injuries, Beall said.

Read more… »

Updates Posted Below

Update 7/30/09

Update 7/31/08

Update 8/6/08

See Update - 8/28/08 - $50K Arrest Warrant Issued

Police investigated a Boulder Creek house after a called called about “animals crying in pain”. A horror scene greeted them at the property on the 100 block of Hartman Creek Road. Thirty-eight emaciated, scarred dogs, skulls, bones and dead dogs were found.

Many dogs were found locked n small cages covered in their own urine and feces, others were running loose over the property. Puppies as young as only two days old were rescued. One old dog was found in the cab of a truck where it had probably been living for a year or two, the cushions were torn up, covered in urine and feces, no food or water. Inside the house, animal control and sheriff’s department investigators found one dog locked in a crate with no food or water and a dog that weighed only half what it should have.

The dogs were a mix of Cane Corsos, Rottweilers, Labs and other mixed breeds. The owner of the property, whose name was not released, had previously been running ads in the newspaper for puppies. the man was not licensed to have a kennel or breed and sell puppies.

“He was advertising Cane Corsos for sale in the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle,” said Todd Stosuy, animal control manager, who is familiar with the ads. None of the ads was in the Mercury News on Monday. Dog experts say prices for Cane Corsos start at about $1,200.

And this is not the first time this man has come under scrutiny but it is the first time anything is being done.

Santa Cruz County knew of problems at the property six years ago, in 2002. In fact, animal services sought a warrant to inspect the property to investigate allegations of animal mistreatment. In 2005, county planning department investigators cited the owner for code violations including operation of a kennel.

Read more… »

The Humane Society of the United States has a new pilot program aimed at giving dogs trained to fight a second chance at life.