Puppy's Muzzle Needed Reconstructive Surgery
FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2015 – A man facing an animal cruelty charge related to an 8-week-old dog whose muzzle was closed with rubber bands pleaded guilty on Thursday.
Brian Patrick Murphy, 67, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty in a case that happened in an apartment in Desert Hot Springs. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 38 days in jail, received three years formal probation and cannot own an animal for 10 years.
A felony arrest warrant had been issued for Mr. Murphy last year but he had not been arrested. Officers arrested him in Palm Springs a little more than two weeks ago and he had remained in custody until Thursday's plea.
The matter was brought to Riverside County's attention last summer by the staff at Animal Samaritans SPCA, a nonprofit shelter and clinic organization located next door to the county's Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. The owner of the terrier-Chihuahua mix had brought the puppy, "Snookie," to Animal Samaritans and stated that she thought someone had placed rubber bands over her pet's muzzle. A courtesy exam was performed.
A doctor with Animal Samaritans, J.R. Sheltraw, alerted Riverside County to what he suspected was animal cruelty. In his August 2014 letter, he wrote, "it was evident the dog had a pressure necrosis of the tissues of the muzzle."
Dr. Sheltraw continued in his letter: "The initial exam revealed a visible rubber band wrapped around the muzzle for which I removed with a hemostat. However this did not relieve the pressure since I discovered after further examination there was a second rubber band around the muzzle, removal of this particular rubber band was causing the puppy severe pain."
Also, his tongue was lacerated. Ultimately, the dog's was injured to the extent that resulted in reconstructive surgery.
Animal Control Officer James Huffman interviewed the puppy's owner, Raquel Mims, and later interviewed Mr. Murphy. Mr. Murphy admitted to placing the rubber band around the dog's muzzle. Based on his investigation, Officer Huffman filed paperwork with the District Attorney against both Ms. Mims and Mr. Murphy seeking felony charges. The case against Ms. Mims is pending.
Although Ms. Mims had sought treatment for the dog, the injuries to the animal were serious. "These types of injuries do not happen overnight," said Animal Services Lt. Luis Rosa, who supervised the cruelty case filing.
Since Ms. Mims had relinquished ownership of the puppy, Animal Samaritans nicknamed the dog "Stitches" and found a loving family in Yucca Valley to give him a second chance.. "We love him," said Lacy Conway. Her 3-year- old daughter renamed the dog "Chopper," she said.
