A man tied shut the muzzle of his dog with duct tape and the judge inflicts an exemplary sentence on him!
Violence and cruelty are no respecters of person, place, or things. And, no matter who the victim is, their qualities and past will rarely be able to prevent them from being abused.
This is particularly evident when it comes to animal abuse, as in the case of Caitlyn, a female dog that was hideously abused and scarred from beatings, just for barking too much.
Fortunately, Caitlyn is not only safe, but her tormentor has been brought to justice, and now this cruel individual will have to pay for his crime.
Caitlyn is a 15-month-old brown and white dog, a crossbred Staffordshire bull terrier, which despite her beauty and good nature, was horribly abused.
In fact, in May of 2015, she was found in South Carolina with her muzzle tied shut with duck tape, so tight that the skin was torn, blood circulation was interrupted, and her tongue was stuck between her teeth and irreparably damaged.
The little dog was rescued and taken to the Charleston Animal Society, which took care of all the veterinary expenses. The dog's condition was so bad that it took various surgical operations to save her life and her face.
The person responsible was identified thanks to a witness and their testimony, which put the detectives on the trail of William Leonard Dodson, a 43-year-old man. After being arrested, Dodson was accused among other things of possession of drugs and firearms, as well as animal abuse.
Moreover, Dodson was already known to the legal system, for about thirty previous crimes. When questioned, Dodson declared that he had done what he did because the dog barked too much and he was unable to make the dog be quiet.
The US district court sentenced Dodson to five years in prison, the maximum penalty for animal cruelty in South Carolina.
Although this sentencing was not added to the 15 years in prison that the man had received for the other two charges, Judge Markley Dennis wanted to send a strong message regarding the intolerability of animal abuse: "I'm not trying to be mean, but I wish I were able to give him more time."
Aldwin Romano, a spokesman for the Charleston Animal Society, told the court that he would never forget the horrible suffering that Caitlyn had experienced because even during her treatment: "I remember seeing the fear in her eyes. It was 36 hours of torment."
With regard to the court's decision, Romano added: "I think this sends the message that such things will no longer be tolerated. At the legal level, we will do everything possible to stop these acts, and then we will go further and change our laws to make them stronger."
In fact, animals "are victims who cannot talk to the police about what they have suffered. But it is not just about animals. When you pursue crimes dealing with cruelty to animals, invariably, we discover other crimes. We know that people who abuse animals will probably hurt human beings, too".
The Charleston Animal Society has shared Caitlyn's story on Facebook, thus collecting many likes and the much-needed funds, that are necessary to continue to provide the care that the organization gives to all the abused animals that they manage to rescue.
After rehabilitation, Caitlyn found a family that adopted her. It is a family with children and veterinary knowledge because Caitlyn will need lifelong care, which will, however, be covered by the Charleston Animal Society. About this dog, Romano says, "Now, she is living a nice life, and I hope that one day she will forget what she experienced."
We also hope that sweet Caitlyn will be able to forget the violence of the past also thanks to the loving care of her new family and her many friends and fans!
We, especially hope that similar ill-treatment and abuse of animals will continue to be pursued and punished by the law until it disappears.
