Monday, October 29, 2012

18 Year Old Charged With Cruelty

Greetings Animal Lovers,
In true fashion I've found myself hung up and analyzing a recent article I browsed last week online.  On Friday, October 26 the ASPCA reported to their blog that on Tuesday, October 23 they had arrested a Queens woman over neglect.  By woman, they're referring to 18 year old Crystal Lashley who allegedly neglected a six year old German Shepherd mix.  The dog, named Briana was tied up so long outside that her collar became embedded.  Over time, if a collar is too tight around a dog's neck their skin will slowly begin to grow over and around it.  Once the skin reattaches itself on the surface of the collar facing away from the dog, your end result will be a collar embedded in the skin of the animal. Cutting the skin open and removing the collar is the only method for appropriate healing. When Crystal signed over the animal on August 21 she was signing to the responsibility of whatever condition Briana was found to be in, which was confirmed as an embedded collar, underweight, infested with fleas and dehydrated.  Crystal was charged with a single count of misdemeanor cruelty, and will face a possible year in jail and/or $1,000 in fines if convicted.

Embedded Collar (in this case rope)
The response I have to this case runs along the lines of is Crystal the only one to blame for the cruelty of the animal.  There is no doubt that she should be charged, claiming ownership of Briana deems her responsible to make sure the dog receives adequate care, but an 18 year old girl certainly doesn't live alone.  The dog was found tied to a tree outside of a home that was not owned by Crystal.  The article didn't specify but I would assume an 18 year old girl still lived with parent(s) or guardian(s) that would know better than to allow a collar to be embedded into the neck of an animal.  The completed process takes an estimated 5-8 weeks. Whether or not the people she lived with were her parents or friends, there were other people who could have prevented the situation from occurring, by simply calling attention to it.  The ignorance spreads across the entire household and I believe its unfair to just punish one person.
The wound of a embedded collar removal


I by no means am expressing everyone in the house be charged the same as Crystal, but I do believe she is not the only one to blame.  In my lens justice has not been completely served for Briana and her permanent wound around her neck.  When I was 18 I was a full time student and part time worker, luckily I had a sensible enough parent to help care for my dog, who in reality was viewed as the family dog even though he technically belonged to me.  



5 comments:

  1. It's just terrible that it got to this situation where the dog gets traumatized with the neglect and surgery, and on top of it, how can these people who allowed this to keep going happen? They should have acted sooner.

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  2. I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw these images. I was filled with mixed emotions like anger, and sadness. Animals do not ask for this and it breaks my heart to see it. I think that some people are clueless to the amount of attention an animal deserves once you make them your pet. I have a puggle named Bella. I too had to give her up to my mom becasue I became a full-time student and I took the initiative to give her a better home. My mom takes the best care of her. She treats her like her own child. I know I made the right decision for her, because she can have a better life.

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  3. I truly believe people who commit such terrible crimes to innocent animals suffer from deeply rooted complexes. They acquire animals for the sole purpose of satisfying their inner anger and issues.

    These people should not just be fined but treated for psychological scars. If these people are not treated in time will turn their aggression towards other people in the future.

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  4. What is it with these sick individuals, same as in case with Stephanie Anne Koehler of Omaha, Nebraska who abandoned her dog, Minden , a Katrina rescue, to starve to death in her cage. And whats more disturbing is she only served 2 months in jail and is on 2 years probation and her and her family thinks she did nothing wrong. Another thing is she was granted custody of her baby right after being released from jail, i hope she never hurts that baby. Poor Minden never had a chance.

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  5. It sickens me when I see people mistreat animals, I mean how could they? It's not that hard, just give them some freedom, attention and the means to survive. Some people just aren't ready to have pets, kids or nice things.

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