|
Update as of 7:00
PST Wednesday, November 14:
Pasado's has learned
that Sara and Scooter are no longer in the Tacoma/Pierce County animal
shelter. J., their human, picked them up over this past weekend
after being notified that they are no longer required to be held in
protective custody for reasons related to trail proceeding.
At last report,
Scooter was placed with one of J.'s family members and Sara is with J.
We also understand that either both dogs have been altered or
arrangements have been made for them to be altered.
Considering what could
have happened to these animals, we think the outcome is a very positive
one. J. knows that we (and you!) are here to help if ever she need
us.
Dogs are very loyal to
their humans and are happiest when they are reunited with them, no
matter what has happened in the past. We hope that Sara and
Scooter will live a long and happy life and no human will ever betray
them again.
Update as of 5:30
PST Saturday, November 4:
We're sorry to report that things did not go as planned today.
Scooter (and Sara) remain in the Pierce County shelter this
evening. We arrived at the shelter at the appointed time to meet
with J., the owner, and looked forward to finally meeting Scooter and
Sara. We also intended to arrange for Scooter's transport to
Pasado's sanctuary today. We were lead back to the quarantine area
where they were being held in locked cages. Both dogs were
overjoyed to see J. and both were happy to meet the Pasado's
representatives. They meted out kisses liberally and jumped three feet
into the air as their visitors chatted and cooed at them through the
chain-lined fence. We longed to release them from the confines of
the pen and replace their cold, hard floor with a soft, warm bed here at
the farm.
However, once J. reconnected with Sara and Scooter and realized that the
Pasado's sanctuary was more than one and a half hour drive away from her
home, she knew that she had more thinking to do. With so many
decisions weighing on her mind, she needed the extra time to consider
the fact that she would not see them as frequently as she could while
they are at the shelter. She has not ruled out having them here as
an option, but wants to visit the sanctuary and make sure that having
them here, where they'll get the attention they need, mitigates the
disadvantage of not seeing them as often.
Pasado's
will continue to work with J. and do everything we can to put her mind
at ease. She is putting us through our paces, which we
welcome. That is a sign of someone who cares about their animals.
All animals deserve that commitment from their human.
We'll
continue to update this case and hope to bring you some good news in the
coming days. After meeting Sara and Scooter, we're more determined
than ever to give them every chance. We're very grateful to all of
you doing your part to keep this issue alive.
Update as of 3:30
PST Friday, November 3:
Tonight will be Scooter's last at the
Pierce County shelter! This time tomorrow he'll be at Pasado's
sanctuary and his mom Sara should be here early next week (that's right,
Scooter is Sara's son!). Unfortunately she is still being held at
the shelter until all the evidence gathering proceedings are concluded
and this date has now been pushed out.
Sara and Scooter's
owner (we'll call her J.) is very concerned for their welfare and she
wants them out of the shelter as soon as possible. To that end, we
will meet her at the shelter tomorrow where she will sign Scooter over
to us and repeat the process for Sara when the time comes. We spoke at
length with this young women and learned a lot about the situation.
Sara and Scooter are wonderful dogs, great with her kids and kitties.
Their ultimate fate will be determined in the coming weeks as we work
through all the options, but they will be safe and sound.
J. made it clear
that she wants what is best for her babies. She loves them very
much and is crushed over what Sara had to endure. As you might
imagine J. is trying to rebuild her life. Pasado's will do
everything we can to make sure that she does not have to spend a moment
worrying about Sara and Scooter so she can concentrate on starting a new
chapter.
Check back tomorrow
for more on Scooter's journey home.
Update as of 3:00
PST Wednesday, Nov. 1:
Efforts to get Sara and Scooter to
Pasado's Safe Haven are progressing. Today is the last day that
the defense has access to Sara for evidentiary purposes. Pasado's
has been in direct contact with the owner (the wife of the accused) and
there is every indication that she will sign Sara and Scooter over to us
soon. Nothing is confirmed, but we feel confident that these dogs
will be out of the shelter and part of the Pasado family in the next day
or so. We can't wait and we're sure you can't either!
Count on copious
pictures and detailed descriptions of their journey to their new home.
We can't save them all, but nothing feels better than giving a second
chance to the ones that have suffered so.
PLEASE CROSS-POST!
Update as of 4:00
PST Monday, Oct. 30:
We did not want this day to pass
without posting an update. Although we don't have Sara and Scooter
yet, we have been in touch with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and
the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office today. We have
asked for their assistance with working directly with the Sara and
Scooter's family (the wife of the accused) so that the two dogs can be
signed over directly to Pasado's. This will further ensure that
there are no foul-ups in procedure.
Many thanks to all who have sent emails
to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office expressing gratitude for their
help with this case and encouragement to work with Pasado's Safe Haven
on giving Sara and Scooter a chance to live with a forever family that
will treasure and protect them.
If you would like to send an email too,
address it to Detective Ed
Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Please be polite and
respectful.
We'll post another update tomorrow.
Editor's Note
While we
wait to hear about Sara and Scooter's fate from the powers that be,
we're responding to the hundreds of emails and calls that continue to
pour in from around the country. A pattern is slowly emerging. More
than a few of the emails and calls are from women who have been victims
of sexual violence themselves, usually as children, and thus feel a
special affinity to Sara.
Bestiality (or
zoophilia) is classified as a
paraphilia or
a deviant
sexual behavior. Other paraphilias include pedophilia and
necrophilia and many times individuals will engage in more than one
paraphilia.
We also heard from
a Prosecutor's Office Victim/Witness advocate who provided chilling
descriptions of some of her cases. Some involved men using
violence toward animals as a tool with which to threaten children if
they reveal that they were being sexually abused.
What does all this
tell us? What we all know to be true. Violence toward animals is
not just misplaced aggression nor should it be chalked up to the "boys
will be boys" syndrome. It's a danger sign that warns of something
deeply disturbing that should be addressed.
URGENT UPDATE:
Update as of 11:30am PDT Friday, Oct.
27:
Ed Troyer, Pierce County Sheriff's
Department spokesperson, has now told Pasado's that both the Prosecutor
and the defense attorneys have agreed to give the family until Nov. 1st
to decide whether or not they want Sara and Scooter back. If the family
does not want them back, the dogs will be released to Pasado's Safe
Haven. Additionally, the suspect has been ordered not to have any
contact with any animals while awaiting trial. If the family was to take
possession of the dogs, Michael McPhail has been ordered not to set foot
in the house where the animals are kept. All indications so far are that
the suspect's wife does not want the animals. Let's hope this all works
out for the best for Sara and Scooter!
Please cross-post this update and read the new articles published in the
Seattle Times and the
Miami Herald.
Update as of 1:20pm PDT Thursday, Oct.
26:
As of this posting the Pierce County
Sheriff's Office is working to release Sara and Scooter (the two dogs
currently being held at the Pierce County Humane Society) to Pasado's
Safe Haven. Rita Morgan, Pasado's Safe Haven National Cruelty &
Legislation Coordinator
spoke with Ed Troyer, spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff's
Office, this morning to urge their cooperation in this matter. The
Sheriff's Office has the ultimate authority to make a decision on their
disposition. Troyer assured us that nothing would happen to Sara,
either during the trial or after, for which we are grateful.
However, we explained that releasing the dogs to Pasado's Safe Haven
will provide the insurance the public is demanding. In addition,
we can provide a much healthier environment where Sara and Scooter have
the best chance to heal and learn to trust humans once again.
We reiterated that we will post a bond to
ensure the public's safety and make Sara available for any purpose
related to the trail. Pasado's continues to be in touch with
various animal behavior specialists, hoping that in the event we are able
to welcome Sara and Scooter to our sanctuary, we can provide them with
the help they need.
Update as of 3:26pm PDT Wednesday, Oct.
25: We have
spoken with the District Attorney in the McPhail case who assures us
that the female dog (the victim) will not be euthanized as she is
considered "evidence" and will be held until conviction or acquittal.
The male dog, it appears, may be placed for adoption.
Both dogs are being held at the local
humane society (as the alleged crime took place in their area). It
is Pasado's concern that a dog, already deemed "aggressive" be kept in a
kennel for months, even years, as a legal case makes its way through the
courts. The last cruelty case Pasado's worked on left a dog in a kennel
for 18 months.
Pasado's is offering Animal Control
(under whose purview this case falls under) to release both dogs to
Pasado's Safe Haven provided that we pay for any bond necessary to
insure the public's safety. Additionally, the local humane society who
may adopt out the male (correction, this humane
society does not adopt out pitbulls), does not perform home checks, which Pasado's
does. We could assure that this dog will be placed in a loving home (We
also do requisite unannounced checks following adoption.)
Furthermore, releasing the female dog
to Pasado's Safe Haven would provide the animal the opportunity for
professional behavioral assessment and training. We would assume all
costs for this. We believe that
every dog should be given a fair chance. This female pup shouldn't be
locked in a kennel without daily loving and training. Please stay tuned
to this website for updates.
As of today:
Pasado's Safe Haven is asking for people from across the country to help
save a dog who was the victim of bestiality who now faces death!
This year, Pasado's wrote and passed the
first anti-bestiality felony
law in Washington State. This past week, Michael Patrick McPhail was
arraigned in court for having had sexual relations with his pitbull on
his back porch. His wife caught him in the act and photographed the act
with her cell phone. McPhail's arrest was the first under the new
Pasado's Safe Haven Bestiality Law.
Pasado's Safe Haven offered to take both the dog who was hurt and
another pitbull the family owned. Local animal control authorities
confiscated both dogs. They have stated that the female, who had been
violated by McPhail, has a history of aggression (who could blame her!)
and may need to be euthanized.
What to do if this dog is truly aggressive?
First, we won't just give up without a try. Working with someone who is compassionate and knows the
breed is key. We believe why not try to help an animal before you "give
up"?
What YOU can do to help:
Let the local media know that the nation cares about what happens to
this dog - that we cannot allow her to be betrayed a second time in her
life. Write to the following:
--Include your name and what state you live in
--Tell them that the new Pasado's Bestiality Law caught the man who
violated his dog but this dog may be killed now!
--Ask them politely to follow this case. Pasado's Safe Haven has offered
to take this dog and provide professional behavioral help.
--Pasado's will put up a bond to protect the public if needed.
--Why not give her a chance?
E-mail to:
The Tacoma News-Tribune
(the local paper)
Stanley Farrar, Managing
Editor of The Seattle Times
(largest metro paper near to where the incident took place)
Local TV stations:
CBS
NBC
ABC
HISTORY OF CASE:
Last June Pasado’s Safe Haven staff stood next to Governor Gregoire as
she signed SB6417 into
law making Washington the 36th state to pass
anti-bestiality legislation. Pasado’s Safe Haven wrote the statute
language and worked with Senator Pam Roach and hundreds of supporters to
make this deplorable practice a first degree animal cruelty felony.
This week a man was the first person charged under this new law after
his wife caught him, on camera, sexually abusing their family pet
on their porch.
Michael Patrick McPhail was arraigned in a Pierce County courthouse
after pleading not guilty to having sex with the
four year-old dog. If convicted, the twenty-six year-old father of two
will face a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. The
court can also order psychiatric counseling and treatment. Additional
requirements can include restrictions on owning, harboring or residing
in a household with animals. McPhail posted $20,000 bail and was
released.
If you followed the passage of SB6417 on our website you likely know
that psychiatrists
categorize zoophilia (sex with animals) in the same family of sexual
disorders as pedophilia and necrophilia. Aside from the deliberate
cruelty inflicted on a defenseless animal, this behavior can devastate
families and many times coexists with additional sexual disorders.
The now
infamous Enumclaw case should be enough evidence to convince anyone that
individuals who engage in zoophilia are unstable criminals. This was the
incident that that precipitated passage of SB6417.
We’ll be following this case closely to see if District Attorney
enforces the law we all
worked so hard so pass. If not, we’ll remind them and ask for your help.
Stay tuned. |
