An East Northport couple allowed their 10-year-old Greyhound to become severely emaciated, according to charges filed by the Suffolk County SPCA earlier this month.
Kathleen and Stephen Jackman were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty for failure to provide proper sustenance and presented with a field appearance ticket at their home, after what SPCA Chief of Department Roy Gross said was an extensive investigation.
"Charlie" the Greyhound was found roaming the streets during a thunderstorm, according to the Long Island Press, and taken to an emergency veterinary clinic in Commack by an unnamed individual. He weighed 55 lbs. at the time and was treated for severe emaciation.
Gross said Charlie is now at a rescue center and putting on weight.
Stephen and Kathleen Jackman were away when Patch visited their home on Friday, though family members at the home said that the charges are unfounded and the dog was well cared for.
The Jackmans are due back in court in June. If found guilty, they face up to one year in prison or a $1000 fine and will be put on the Suffolk County Animal Abuser Registry for 10 years.
Stay tuned to Patch for updates on this story.
East Northport Couple Accused of Neglecting Dog By Timothy Bolger on April 27th, 2012 An East Northport couple has been accused of neglecting a former race dog that was found emaciated while roaming the streets two weeks ago. Suffolk County SPCA investigators said a Good Samaritan reported finding a 10-year-old Greyhound named Charlie outside in a thunderstorm on April 12. The Good Samaritan took the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic in Commack, where Charlie, who weighed 55 lbs., was treated for severe emaciation. The vet determined Charlie’s emaciated condition followed many weeks of malnutrition, SPCA officials said. The vets contacted a Greyhound rescue organization, which indicated Charlie is an ex-racing dog that had been adopted to Stephen and Kathleen Jackman, according to the SPCA. They were each charged with torturing and injuring animals. They were released on appearance tickets and are due back in court in June.
SPCA: E. Northport couple neglected greyhound Originally published: April 27, 2012 4:32 PM An East Northport couple is charged with animal cruelty after their 10-year-old greyhound was found in a thunderstorm, severely emaciated, the Suffolk County SPCA said Friday. In a case that took nine months to build, Stephen and Kathleen Jackman were arraigned earlier this month and are scheduled to next appear at First District Court in Central Islip in June, the SPCA said. Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk SPCA said Friday the male greyhound, a former racing dog named Charlie, was found last April, roaming streets near its home in a thunderstorm. The dog was found by a Good Samaritan, Gross said, and weighed 55 pounds. Male racing greyhounds normally weight between 65 and 80 pounds, according to several greyhound racing websites. "It was found the same day that it got out of the house," Gross said. "It came in skin and bones, it could hardly stand." Gross said Charlie had to be lifted in a van for transportation to a Commack veterinary clinic, where it was treated for severe emaciation. The clinic then sent Charlie to a greyhound rescue organization, Gross said. The vet who treated the dog said his condition indicated many weeks of malnutrition, Gross said. He said the dog is now about 70 pounds. "It took some time for the dog to put weight back on," Gross said, "and it took time for us to put together the investigation. It was a very thorough investigation."
If the Jackmans are convicted, they would be among the first to be placed on Suffolk County's new animal abuse registry, approved in 2010 as the first in the nation. The registry will be launched May 7. It requires abusers to list their addresses and aliases for 10 years and also supply a photograph.
NINE MONTHS?! So this isn't about Charlie getting loose on April 12, 2012? The SPCA has been investigating the family since July or August of 2011? Why and based on what?
Also, I find it odd how SPCA Chief Ray Gross says the dog "could barely stand." I find it odd because if the dog was in such bad shape as he says, then how could it possibly have run away during the storm in the first place. It seems to me like that Gross was making a gross exaggeration about the dogs condition. To be clear, I don't think the family abused/starved their dog, but I don't think that their family and friends should be attacking Patch staff for reporting about the allegations. You should be directing your anger at the SPCA and those that brought the charges.
Well, that would all depend on the skill of the attorney prosecuting the case! <g> The Patch is not directly accusing the family, but if they are involved in propagating libel...it becomes a bit grayer. Media enjoys some protections, but they are not always held harmless. Again, it will/would depend upon the skill of the prosecutor. But a counter suit, at least based upon the weak detail I see here, is more than appropriate. I certainly hope it is considered. Certainly against the SPCA, and then how far-reaching the fall-out is, is left to be seen. And newspapers can certainly be guilty of libel. Directly, or by association. So far, I don't see that they've printed anything "untrue". Lack of balanced reporting, yes. And there is certainly a decided "slant" to this story. But, there is enough information here that can be quite damaging to the reputation of this family, should these charges be unfounded. And, if in fact, they are found to be so, lawsuits SHOULD commence. No matter what happens now, this family's name is tainted forever. That can never be undone. And if it was done unfairly...those responsible should be punished.
I know these people and this dog. These charges are total nonsense. There is no way this dog was abused/neglected. It just did not happen. These dogs are high strung and almost all of them appear very thin. The dog could have been underweight for a hundred different health related reasons, either chronic or acute. These good people adopted the dog and provided an excellent home. If the people at the SC-SPCA can commmit such a blunder, and fail to catch it before they issue a summons, then it is clearly negligence. I think SC-SPCA needs to be investigated immediately and offending officials should be removed before any more taxpayer money is wasted. Criminal negligence charges may also apply here. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They werent even allowed to see him or know where he has been. (By the way, how does Morty know if the Jackmans were hung up on when they called.?). They looked for him long after he was found because nobody contacted them and told them he was safe. If he was brought to the local shelter, the family would have been reunited with him. If they had contacted the shelter they would have known the family was looking for him. As far as "morty" saying they didnt follow protocol, give me a break. They searched for their lost dog, the pet they owned and loved and cared for for 7 years. Charlie was spooked by thunder and ran, lost and scared for hours at the minimum.
Vicky
My sister Pat also has Greyhounds and I have observed that Greyhounds are very thin and nervous animals. I have taken care of her dogs for several days at at a time and some days they just woudn't eat because they were nervous. There are so many things wrong with this overzealous persecution of the Jackmans. I think the SPCA should be investigated for this abuse of power. Everyone make sure you also post comments to the SPCA at the above mentioned link.!!!!!!
Proper care includes regular, "quality" vet care. "CHarlie was found wandering on the road on a cold, wet night barely able to hold himself up, totally emaciated and severely dehydrated. His teeth were beyond bad, he had a tunnel through his gum line that had hair and gunk in it causing pain and infection. The teeth had obviously been neglected for years." Does that sound like "love & care" to you???
Proper care includes regular, "quality" vet care. "CHarlie was found wandering on the road on a cold, wet night barely able to hold himself up, totally emaciated and severely dehydrated. His teeth were beyond bad, he had a tunnel through his gum line that had hair and gunk in it causing pain and infection. The teeth had obviously been neglected for years." Does that sound like "love & care" to you???
All racing greyhounds are given ear tattoos, amd are trackable through a registry. The Jackman;s might have been called when the dog was found if their contact info was on a tag on a collar. You would have to ask the vet..
Charlie was found the same day he was lost, so how much weight could he lose in 1 day from a thunderstorm? "Neglect" or failure to properly care for the dog's needs is "a form" of abuse. Proper care includes regular, "quality" vet care. "Charlie was found wandering on the road on a cold, wet night barely able to hold himself up, totally emaciated and severely dehydrated. His teeth were beyond bad, he had a tunnel through his gum line that had hair and gunk in it causing pain and infection. The teeth had obviously been neglected for years." Does that sound like "love & care" to you???
Keep electing these liberal socialist ivy leaguers, who have no real world experience. Only the tenants of socialist philosophy they've been spoon fed through our union run public schools, right up to the useless colleges you all feel every child should go to, where the final indoctrination happens. Part of the way "they" think, is that "risk is unacceptable". It's why a traffic light goes up at the slowest intersection, that had stop signs for 60 years. One fatal accident, and some lowya from Columbia most likely, sues the county, and to "fix" the problem, so no more accidents will happen, you now have another red light to sit at, no cars cross the intersection, and your $4 gal gas burns away. As your taxes go up. Google Fabian Socialism.
Name-calling is not only petty and childish, it is counter-productive.
If it is accurate, or even mostly accurate, then it sounds as if some of the family-defenders and some of the SPCA-attackers, may have to apologize to the SPCA. For my part, I'm willing to what for the facts to come out of a juridical process, and that should be true for most rational people. I'm not going to pre-judge. If the juridical process fully exonerates the family, then that would be the time to aggressively investigate the SPCA. Anything else is illogical emotional reaction rather than the use of our intellect.