Columbia-Greene Humane Society » Happy Endings

Rufus Rescued in Animal Cruelty Arrest

aaron — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:20:20 +0000

On May 29, 2010, the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA and the Hudson Police Department arrested Rainer Blue, 26 and Lauren King, 22 on animal cruelty charges.

Blue and King were each charged with one count of animal cruelty, “Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance,” when CGHS/SPCA Investigator Andrea Walker responded to a complaint of a dog starving at their apartment. Investigator Walker found the dog in a small crate without food or water. The young dog, now named Rufus, was brought to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA and was examined by Veterinarian Danielle Sand. Dr. Sand found Rufus to be emaciated, and in very poor overall condition.

The arrest was made by Sergeants Clark and Foutch of the Hudson Police Department, and Investigator Walker of CGHS/SPCA

“Rufus was found in the nick of time,” said Ron Perez, President of CGHS/SPCA. “Had he gone another day without food or water, he would’ve most certainly died of malnutrition. We are very appreciative of the quick, professional action on the part of Chief Richardson and the Hudson Police Department in locating and arresting the defendants.”

If convicted, Blue and King each face up to a year in jail and a one thousand dollar fine.

Rufus has already gained weight, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Please contact Ron Perez by phone at (518) 828-6044 extension 108, or by email at ronperez@cghs.org with any questions.

CGHS Thanks All Involved With Paragallo Case

aaron — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:35:56 +0000

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, we would like to offer District Attorney Terry Wilhelm and the Greene County DA’s office our deepest appreciation for the outstanding job they did in laying out a case that demonstrated the horrific cruelty that took place at Center Brook Farm and the conviction of breeder/owner Ernie Paragallo on 33 counts of animal cruelty.

District Attorney Wilhelm’s prosecution will not only set a precedent for animal cruelty throughout the United States, his prosecution of Mr. Paragallo will be used as a template for prosecutors to convict other individuals that are responsible for these hyenas acts against animals.

In addition, we’d like to offer a special thanks to Investigator Bill Fitzmaurice and Sergeant Lisa Herdman of NYS Police for assisting us with the investigation, Jerry Bilinski, DVM, Danielle Sand, VMD and Linda Kutrubes, VMD for their time and effort in examining the horses during the raid and providing medical attention thereafter to help with the rehabilitation of the Center Brook Farm horses.

Lastly, we’d like to thank the staff and volunteers of CGHS/SPCA for spending months at Center Brook Farm to facilitate over eighty horse adoptions throughout the United States and Canada.

Ron Perez, Director/Investigator Charlene Marchand, Chairperson, Board of Directors