Dog dies after his snout is taped shut
Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:52 pm
If this isn't animal cruelty, I wouldn't believe it.
Police: The Colony man wanted to stop canine's bark so he could sleep
By KEVIN KRAUSE / The Dallas Morning News
When Glenda Sanchez noticed Bull with duct tape wrapped around his snout, head and neck, the 1-year-old black Labrador retriever had just enough energy to run toward her before collapsing near her feet in the sweltering sun.
Richard Swift, brother of the dog's owner, had wrapped the tape around the dog's muzzle on July 14 to stop him from barking so he could sleep, police said. The dog was euthanized later that day after suffering from heat stroke, the SPCA said.
Mr. Swift, 42, of The Colony, was arrested two days later on a felony charge of animal cruelty and has since been released from the Denton County Jail on $4,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.
If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Lt. George Wintle of The Colony police said a grand jury will hear the case in a couple of weeks.
"Just when you think you hear it all, this comes along," said Anita Kelso Edson, spokeswoman for the SPCA of Texas, which worked the case. "It's bad, especially in this hot weather."
Rodney and Nanette Swift, who live on Rice Drive, adopted Bull when he was a puppy, and the dog was otherwise well taken care of, Ms. Edson said. The couple was at work that Wednesday when Richard Swift let Bull outside, she said. They could not be reached for comment Thursday.
After Richard Swift let Bull outside, the dog wanted back in and started barking. Mr. Swift, who said he works nights and sleeps during the day, told SPCA humane officer Shelley Bailey he taped the dog's mouth shut to "teach him a lesson," she said.
"He didn't realize the extent of what he had done," said Ms. Bailey, who used Bull's identification tags to find his address. "It doesn't excuse it. There are all kinds of different ways to stop a dog from barking."
Mrs. Sanchez, who owns three dogs, a cat and several birds, said she and her husband were returning from the grocery store about 2 p.m. when they noticed Bull. The couple lives about six houses from the Swifts.
"I dropped my groceries," she said. "I said to myself, 'Who could do something like this to an animal, a beautiful dog like that?' You could tell he was very nervous and scared."
She said they called police and her husband cut the tape from Bull's mouth while she hosed the dog down with water. It was about 95 degrees out. She remembers crying.
"I'm sorry, you do not do that to a dog. It was a very sad sight," Mrs. Sanchez said. "We just found out this morning that he passed away."
Ms. Bailey of the SPCA, which handles animal control work in parts of Denton County, said she arrived to find Bull looking "comatose."
She took him to the North Colony Animal Clinic where a veterinarian gave him pain medication and tried to cool him off. His temperature was 107 degrees – normal is about 101. Bull had several seizures and swelling in the brain. He later died at Collin County Emergency Animal Clinic, where he was euthanized.
"He wanted the dog to stop barking. Most people would have let the dog back in," Ms. Edson said. "The wrong person got a hold of it."
She said dogs cool down by panting because they don't sweat like humans.
"When you shut that off, they overheat," she said.
She cautioned pet owners to make sure their animals have plenty of water and shade in the summer. Don't leave them in a parked car to run errands, she said.
Mr. Swift has several previous arrests since 1993, including convictions for theft, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and assault causing bodily injury, county records show.
I remember my dog.. My dog didn't know how to bark it seemed lol..
