We ask for the maximum fine and sentencing allowed under Illinois law, and that she not be allowed own animals in the future. Katie B. Soper, 23-yr-old, a nurse's aide wrapped duct tape 3 times around the muzzle of a Walker Coonhound, apparently so he wouldn't bark. She left for work at 9:30 am, He was left in a pen outside against the south side of Soper's house without shade. The temperatures reached the 80s. A bowl of water was present but the dog could not drink because of the tape. Saturday an arrest warrant was issued for Katie B. Soper at 1100 N.2803 Road, Utica, a rural area near Ottawa; but as of July 1, she had not been arrested. (Please read complete story at bottom of petition)
According to state-approved humane investigator Peggy Rizzo, a neighbor boy saw Soper place the tape on the dog and when his mother got home at 1:30 p.m. The dog was dead. The child's mother called the police. She also called and left a message for the county animal control office, but she said she had not received a call back. According the boy's mother, shortly after the police arrived, Soper returned home.
The male dog was a 1-yr-old, black-brown-and-white Walker Coonhound, named Thumper. Soper's boyfriend had obtained the dog in November from Pet Project, the animal shelter Near Grand Ridge, but had not formally adopted it. Rather, he was going to see if the dog got along well with his yellow Labrador. "I just can't fathom this," said Charlene Bailey, president of Pet Project. Bailey added that Soper had adopted a Great Dane in 2001, but the dog died while being spayed.
Dr. Christina Causemaker of Mendota, the Veterinarian who did the autopsy on the dog, did not want to discuss her findings, but did explain hypothetically what would happen to a dog with its muzzle taped shut. A dog's primary means of regulating its body heat is through panting, Causemaker said. Without the ability to pant, the dog would suffer heat
stroke. "It would be very unpleasant. The dog would panic. It might thrash around and then die or first lose consciousness and then die," Causemaker noted. Dr. Causemaker added that there are too many variables to say with certainty how long such a dog would
live after its muzzle was taped. The yellow Labrador at the home was taken by Rizzo, but has since been returned to the boyfriend.
