Two people have been arrested in the chemical burning of their dog, who is now in the custody of the Mercer County Humane Society. The humane society has named the 14-month-old hound mix Chance.
By Jeanne Starmack
SHARON, Pa.
Two people are facing charges in the case of a badly burned dog found wandering in the city.
The dog, named Chance by the Mercer County Humane Society, is still being treated by a veterinarian for injuries he suffered sometime in early April.
Police said Monday that Shannon Clarke, 34, and Raelynn Van Tassel, 23, are facing misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals.
The two had the 14-month-old hound mix since he was a puppy, said police Chief Michael Menster. He said he could not speculate on what prompted the abuse.
He said Clarke is charged with inflicting the burns, using a liquid chemical that has yet to be identified. Van Tassel is accused of helping Clarke to hide the dog in the basement of their Baldwin Avenue home for several days before they took him to the North Flats section of the city, near the Penn State Shenango Campus, and abandoned him.
Menster said police learned what happened to the dog, which was found wandering near an abandoned warehouse April 10 by a city police officer, through interviews with people who knew about his plight.
He said the dog apparently laid in pain for two days before he was found.
He had three broken teeth and a cut on his mouth and was emaciated.
Van Tassel was arrested Friday and Clarke was arrested Sunday. The two were arraigned in Sharon by District Justice Dennis Songer and were taken to the Mercer County Jail, Menster said.
Van Tassel posted a $2,500 bond, and Clarke remained in jail in lieu of his $5,000 bond, Songer’s office said Monday. They will be back in court at 10:30 a.m. May 18.
Chance is now at the Hermitage Veterinary Clinic. Even when he is released to his new owner, who lives in Sharon, he will need months of follow-up care, said Renee Dorogy, Mercer County Humane Agent.
People who wish to donate to his veterinary care can mail checks to the Mercer County Humane Society, PO Box 1046, Hermitage, Pa., 16148, or to the Hermitage Veterinary Clinic, 1500 N. Hermitage Road, Hermitage, Pa., 16148.
Comments
What a couple of sick demented creeps,... senseless, misdemeanor is not good enough, laws need to be changed... 1st degreee attempted homicide and 20 years hard labor might change alot of this behavior.
GREAT!!!!!!
I'v been praying the gutless scumbag who is responsible for the torchure of Chance to be caught.
This crime is so far beyond a misdemeanor it makes me sick.
It's just a shame the same treatment can't be given to these two sorry,sick degenerates if they're found guilty.
I hope the judge will keep in mind that Chance was innocent and trusting.
Just like children.
This is not a case where a modest fine and a few hours of community service is punishment enough,not by a long shot.
What these breathing piles of subhuman trash did to this poor dog is totaly unexcusable and should bring felony charges and harsh punishment.
All fifty states need to make deliberately animal neglect,abuse and cruelty a felony crime.
This poor little dog was beaten,burned and starved.
He was dumped off and left to die a lonely,frightened and painful death and for that there is no possible excuse !!!
What I wouldn't give to have just a few moments alone with these pos!!!!
Fortunatley Chance's story is going to have that all to rare happy ending that he so richly deserves.
Bless all who have had a part in the rescue and full recovery of this precious creature.
And bring hell to the sick creeps who are responsible for what's been done to this innocent animal !!!!
Everyone is so right it should be a felony! I just hope the scumbag isn't a mother whose child may keep the cycle of abuse. As a woman I can't fathom how another could be so cruel. The pound was a better option for him than what they did. I shouldn't be to surprised with women murdering the own children. We can say it over and over but when will punishment fit the crime? When will victims rights surpass the perp? It's 2011 and our country is lacking with punishment. If you act barbaric you should receive barbaric punishment! Keep the death penality and use it more.
These 2 are the low life of society. What a waste of human DNA. How in the he@# could you do that to such a innocent animal. Bet their moms are so proud of them.
I whole heartedly agree with everyone who responded with passion on behalf of poor Chance! I am also enraged!
I realize that the law, shamefully, is not equal when it decides between animal and human rights. I pray however, that whoever precides over the ruling on this case will acknowledge that this behavior towards any innocent is an indication of the the fearful capabilities of these two Hitleresque individuals -- and will decide sentence accordingly. They really do not belong in a civilized society.
Totally agree. After the Nitro incident at the hands of a trainer that was supposed to take care of him and the other dogs entrusted to him, laws should have been changed. I don't understand the mentality of these two that they can do something like that to a dog they have had since it was a puppy. Chance, unfortunately, had to go through hell to get to the other side. God bless the folks that adopted him. I'm sure he will finally be loved and Chance will give his unconditional love back, as only dogs can do. My check to the Vet clinic to help out even a little is in the mail.
Mine too.
These two deserve to have their spleens ripped out through their noses!
I hope that someone, someway, will do to them what they had done to Chance. These two are gutless turds of society, and should have the maximum done to them even if the law won't do it.
Acid baths for the dirty trash, then let the dog take some chunks out of them for good measure, then a couple bricks in the mouth, just for fun...