KENNETH FRAZER
Director of Animal Control Operations
WESTFIELD – A woman has been charged with inhumane treatment of an animal after dog in her custody was found to be suffering from apparent heat prostration.
City police were dispatched to Henry’s Trailer Park at 688 Southampton Road late Thursday morning to attempt to execute warrants which had been issued for two persons who had failed to appear in Westfield District Court but report that there was no answer at the trailer where the suspects were believed to be.
Although the police did not find the persons they were looking for, they observed a pug dog tied outside the trailer which appeared to be in distress and notified the director of animal control operations, Ken Frazer.
Frazer reports he arrived and found the dog incapacitated to the point it could not stand and “was crawling across the yard.”
He said that, although there was water available to the dog, “the water was about to (the) boiling point” and said that the dog appeared to be suffering from heat prostration.
Frazer said that after he arrived a woman emerged from the trailer but did not object when he took custody of the dog, Peter, and transported him to the municipal animal shelter where he bathed the dog in cool water and also gave it fresh water to drink.
He then took the ailing pug to a local veterinarian for treatment.
Frazer said that he investigated to find that the dog is neither licensed nor up-to-date with vaccinations.
He said that a criminal complaint for inhumane treatment of an animal, a felony, was filed against the woman who had control of the property where the dog was seized but said that she is not the owner of the dog.
Frazer said that Peter responded well to treatment and has recovered.
He said that Peter’s owner contacted him and arranged for a license, vaccinations and paid for the veterinary services in order to recover his dog which is now back at home with him.
Chapter 272, Section 77 of the Massachusetts General Laws provides that “whoever, having the charge or custody of an animal, either as owner or otherwise” and “unnecessarily fails to provide it with proper food, drink, shelter … shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 21/2 years or by a fine of not more than $2,500, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”
