Zephyr is a 1-year-old Husky and pitbull mix. When his owner came home from work and let him out of his crate, she saw blood spurting from his back legs. There was a pool of blood in the kennel where he had been. According to a criminal complaint, a man allegedly stabbed Zephyr at an apartment in Rochester, Minnesota.
Sign the petition urging the Olmsted County Attorney's Office to pursue a lifetime ban on animal ownership and mandatory mental health counseling in this case.
Police say the man claimed Zephyr had been hurt in a fight at the dog park. They found that no fight had ever taken place, and that Zephyr's wounds did not match a dog bite. Officers say they saw blood stains on the man's pocket and blood throughout the apartment, and that he had been home with Zephyr for hours that day. He is charged with animal mistreatment, and the complaint says the charge could change once police learn more about Zephyr's long-term injury.
The man has not been convicted of anything. But if the allegations are proven, someone capable of stabbing a dog needs real help, and a charge alone will not change that. A lifetime ban on owning or caring for animals would make sure no other dog ever depends on him. Mandatory mental health counseling would address what led to this, so he gets real support and future animals are protected.
Zephyr is only 1 year old, and he was found bleeding in his own crate.
Sign the petition and demand the Olmsted County Attorney's Office pursue a lifetime ban and mandatory counseling in this case.
