Cruelty To Animals

A North Laurel man accused of killing his neighbor's dog by poising it with antifreeze has been indicted by a Howard County grand jury. Jack Carl Schroeder, 58, of Rachel Yates Court is accused of serving a bowl of food soaked with antifreeze to his neighbor's 2-year-old beagle. The dog became sick and died from ingesting the contents last month, police said. The grand jury indicted Schroeder on Wednesday on six counts: aggravated cruelty to animals, animal cruelty, destruction of property, attempted animal cruelty, attempted aggravated cruelty to animals and attempted destruction of property, according to the indictment released by the Howard County state's attorney's office Friday.

I strongly object to letter writer Rick Berman's views regarding the "humane" treatment of pregnant pigs ("Pregnant pigs treated humanely," Sept. 22). No reasonable person objects to pregnant pigs being kept in separate pens, but you don't need to be a pig farmer to realize that the gestation crates used by big agribusiness (euphemistically called "maternity pens" in Mr. Berman's letter) are cruel, no question about it. These iron-barred crates are so small they do not permit the pig to lie down or turn around, and the animals are confined inside them for months on end. Many pigs confined in these crates become so stressed that they resort to self-destructive behaviors.

The Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received $2,500 in donations for a dog that was severely injured after being set on fire during the weekend, officials said yesterday. The largest donation was $500, said Aileen Gabbey, the society's executive director. The dog, a mixed breed that is about a year old, suffered burns over 50 percent of its body. The animal, whose condition has stabilized, is being treated at the Animal Emergency Center in Timonium. The SPCA has been paying medical expenses.

Kudos to Sande Riesett for his wonderful and compelling ad campaign against animal cruelty ("Baltimore athletes show their 'soft side,'" Sept. 26). It is not cool to be cruel, and the athletes that volunteered, along with their animals, to reach out to the community will get that message across to misguided kids and adults. Thank you, too, to Caroline Griffin and her inspiring work leading the anti-cruelty task force. Hers is a powerful voice for animals that is much needed in Baltimore.

150 years ago in The Sun June 21: Apoplexy -- Mr. George Sagester, the watchman at the Front Street Theatre, fell in a fit of apoplexy, on Tuesday evening, and is not expected to recover. Mr. S. is quite an old man, and was one of the defenders of Baltimore in 1814.100 years ago in The Sun June 22: The heavy and general demand for cotton duck is keeping the mills of Baltimore and vicinity running to their utmost limit. Maryland is the great manufacturing centre of cotton duck, the output of its mills being much greater than the combined products of all the other mills in the United States.

In 1869, Baltimore businessman William Woodward, shocked by the mistreatment he witnessed of workhorses in Baltimore City, persuaded 50 friends to help him form a society that would protest such treatment and protect all animals from abuse. The organization, named the Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Baltimore City, continues today, fulfilling its mission of protecting animals from mistreatment. All photos on this page are from the SPCA Archives.Within the next week, please send old photos of couples dressed alike to Way Back When, Sun Magazine, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278.

Annapolis police arrested seven men on charges of dogfighting and animal cruelty Tuesday after officers found them in the woods behind the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with three bloody and malnourished pit bulls.A Victor Haven neighborhood watch member called police about 4:30 p.m. after seeing the men wandering through the woods near the Back Creek Nature Preserve with the dogs. When police arrived on the SPCA property in the 1800 block of Bay Ridge Ave., they saw a group huddled around the snarling dogs.

An Elkton man was charged yesterday with stabbing a dog with a buck knife at a Cecil County park and throwing the wounded animal, which later died, into bushes after the dog kept running around his snowmobile.William Robert Shockley, 35, of the 400 block of Gallaher Road was charged with cruelty to animals, inflicting unnecessary pain on a dog and illegally operating an off-road vehicle in a state park. He was released on $1,000 bail.John Surrick, a spokesman for Maryland Natural Resources Police, said the Saturday evening stabbing was witnessed by an Elkton woman and her teen-age son.The woman told police that a dog was running around a snowmobile at Fair Hill Natural Environmental Area.

A dog that police think was doused with lighter fluid and set on fire has a 50-50 chance of survival, officials said yesterday. The mixed breed, about a year old, was found early Sunday morning near Glyndon Elementary School in northwest Baltimore County. He was not wearing a collar or identification. Chuck Snee, who lives in the 300 block of Town Green Way, said he was watching television when he heard a group of girls screaming that a dog had been set on fire. When he went outside to look, he saw the dog running in circles.

The Pied Piper of Hampden was busy at work Saturday afternoon.At least that is what some residents of North Baltimore must have thought when they saw a man leading about 50 dogs up Falls Road toward Roosevelt Park. Once in the park, the man began picking flowers and feeding them to the dogs, who obediently ate them from his hand.But the idyllic episode was soon interrupted when Northern District police arrested Jesus Gonzalez, 23, of the 3500 block of Buena Vista Avenue, and charged him with letting loose the dogs from the nearby kennels of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 3300 Falls Road.

I read in the Sept. 30 issue of The Sun a very disturbing letter to the editor: "Animal cruelty? Let's fight human-on-human cruelty. " The author of this letter does not have a bigger picture of what fighting animal cruelty can do. Why is it that animal cruelty is rising? Because just in Baltimore alone, people make big money on dog fights. They teach their children it is OK. All the bad guys say, "Move to Baltimore because their laws are way behind other cities and places. " This breeds human-on-human cruelty.

Regarding your story about animal cruelty ("City man is charged with killing one cat and abusing another," Aug. 4), I'm an animal lover who had my 22-year-old cat euthanized three months ago and I'm still crying from the loss. I got her from an animal shelter when she was about six weeks old and she showed signs of abuse. It broke my heart to think that someone would harm a little kitten. I'm against places like PetSmart and other stores that sell pets. Even though they ask customers to complete an application before buying a pet, it's nothing like the background check a rescue organization requires.

As an animal activist, I was thrilled that Baltimore City chose to try the case against two teenagers accused of setting fire to a dog, and the fact that the public was so up-in-arms about what happened to poor Phoenix ("Strong response to dog's burning," Feb. 20).  Phoenix was heinously tortured and suffered in a way no living creature — human or animal — should have to. Luckily, there are laws against such crimes, and it seems those laws will be getting tougher.

Invoking the memory of a pit bull set ablaze in Baltimore, Gov. Martin O'Malley has asked the state's attorney general to review Maryland's animal cruelty laws to determine if they are sufficient to deter such "heinous" crimes. The legal review comes as the Baltimore City Health Department is seeking help in finding whoever tortured a cat found bound with a chain and rope to a utility pole and severely burned by firecrackers on Wednesday. Animal Control officers found the dead animal in the 3700 block of Lewiston Ave. near Arlington Elementary School.

Two state agencies have begun investigating allegations of animal cruelty against the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the state comptroller's office said it might investigate the facility's finances. The State Board of Veterinary Examiners said its investigation is under way, and several witnesses, including ex-employees of the animal shelter in Chesapeake City, said they have been contacted by state police to set up interviews. State police, who recently said they planned to start an investigation, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The Maryland State Police said yesterday that it will investigate allegations of misconduct by the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, making it the third state agency to look into charges against the Chesapeake City animal shelter. More than 20 witnesses, including four former employees and four ex-volunteers, have submitted written accusations against the CCSPCA, ranging from animal cruelty and neglect to financial malfeasance. The state police are to investigate, along with the Maryland attorney general's office, which has assigned an attorney to look into the case, and the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a division of the state Department of Agriculture, officials said.

Douglas Leroy Gunn, a retired Baltimore County hospital administrator, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at his home in Towson. He was 75. Born and raised in North Baltimore, Mr. Gunn attended Roland Park Grammar School and graduated from Polytechnic Institute in 1945. After high school, Mr. Gunn enlisted in the Army and served in the Philippines. He later enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park and was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He graduated with a business degree in 1951.

Two state agencies have begun investigating allegations of animal cruelty against the Cecil County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the state comptroller's office said it might investigate the facility's finances. The State Board of Veterinary Examiners said its investigation is under way, and several witnesses, including ex-employees of the animal shelter in Chesapeake City, said they have been contacted by state police to set up interviews. State police, who recently said they planned to start an investigation, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Foie gras, French for fatty liver, is either a signature ingredient at white-tablecloth restaurants - or the most abject form of animal cruelty and unhealthy to boot. Animal lovers and health advocates squared off yesterday against white-jacketed chefs and restaurant owners over whether Maryland should ban the sale of the delicacy because of what ducks and geese must endure to produce it. But the emotional clash before a Senate committee in Annapolis lost some bite when the chief sponsor of the bill to outlaw trafficking in the high-price food unexpectedly announced she was leaning against going through with the legislation.

Susan P. Benzel, a sales coordinator and advocate for animal rescue, died Wednesday of lung cancer at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. The lifelong Parkville resident was 54. For the past 12 years, Ms. Benzel had been employed in sales at Alex Cooper Auctioneers and Oriental Rugs in Towson. She previously worked in the insurance industry and for several years in the 1980s served as facilities coordinator at the Baltimore Convention Center. A graduate of Parkville Senior High School, she had attended the former Baltimore County Community College.