Kentucky Animal Cruelty Case: Man Charged for Leaving Dog in Dumpster

According to the Jessamine Journal, law enforcement officials in Jessamine County, Kentucky charged Nicholasville resident Franklin May with second-degree animal cruelty for allegedly tossing Sable, his injured pint-sized Chihuahua mix, into an apartment complex dumpster. Sable was discovered in the dumpster by neighbors last week. The little dog suffered from unattended animal bites which had become seriously infected. Veterinarians assessed the wounds to be several days old.

Officials had been investigating additional evidence left in the dumpster in order to ascertain who owned the dog when, several days after the incident, May came to the shelter to claim Sable’s ownership.

Based on evidence found in the apartment complex dumpster, along with an interview with an animal control officer, it was verified that May was in fact Sable’s owner. May was then charged with the crime of second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor offense punishable by a maximum of a year in jail coupled with a $500 fine.  Following his charges, May voluntarily surrendered ownership rights to Sable to Jessamine Animal Care and Control.

During a news conference held later at the animal shelter, Mike Cassidy, the director of Jessamine County Animal Care and Control, did not offer specific details of May’s interview.  He did say however that the evidence they found was sufficient for filing charges and that May did not turn himself in at the shelter.

Sable is expected to make a full recovery and will be available for adoption, but the cost of the pup’s treatment is expected to be “quite substantial”; fees for her care have already mounted to around $600. To offset the cost of care, the shelter is asking for donations to cover care, but so far has received only a single gift of $50. Contact the Jessamine County Animal Care and Control if you wish to get involved.

Animal cruelty takes many forms that range from physical, emotional and mental abuse to the abandonment and neglect of injured or seriously ill pets.  Since these insidious acts of cruelty are being taken far more seriously today, perpetrators of these crimes face stricter penalties.

In this writer’s opinion, anyone who neglects and/or abandons an injured pet, leaving it to suffer and die a painful death, ranks high on the list of animal abusers. What do you think? Tell us in a comment.