Woman convicted of dog theft in Pennsylvania
Receives 'key to the city' in Fort Pierce Florida
for her compassionate act
Tamira Thayne, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, honored at ceremony in late February 2009
March 1, 2009, Altoona, PA — Tamira Ci Thayne, founder of the award-winning non-profit Dogs Deserve Better, was granted the Key to the City of Fort Pierce Florida by the Mayor's office at a ceremony in late February. Thayne, formerly Tammy Grimes, was found guilty of theft and receiving stolen property in December 2007 after a three-day trial in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The case, which pitted dogs as property against the inherent rights of animals kept as companions, made headlines nationally and was featured on Inside Edition and in a host of news publications and Internet blogs.
Thayne was presented the Key to the City by Mrs. Donna Benton, wife of Mayor Bob Benton, who commended Thayne for her actions in helping Doogie, telling the audience "When you see a dog in distress, take heart and give it some aid—because they should all have a home with a family."
Thayne was arrested September 11, 2006 after rescuing a dog that had lain on the ground in a yard in East Freedom, Pennsylvania for three days, unable to stand and pleading for help. A distraught neighbor tried repeatedly to convince humane agents to help the dog, but no officer ever returned calls or showed up. Finally, the neighbor turned to Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne, touched and honored by receiving the key to Fort Pierce, was also amused by the contrast between the actions of Fort Pierce, Florida and the actions of those in power in her hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
"It's a night and day reaction," she explains with a grin. "In Altoona I am treated as a pariah, a criminal, and in fact was termed 'worse than his worst hardened-criminal' and 'a piece of trash' by District Attorney Richard Consiglio. Yet here, and in many other areas, I am honored for my efforts to help the aging shepherd, and people are able to recognize the truth for what it is.
"I want to thank Fort Pierce and Mayor Benton and his wife Donna for their courage in coming to stand behind me. No dog should be left outside for life, and no dog should ever be left to die there, unable to stand, still chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces.
"We are still working to bring private cruelty charges against the caretakers of this dog, and will be back in court in June to attempt to override the DA's denial of the case. We will always remember Doogie, and I never, EVER, have regretted for one moment my actions in helping him."
During the case, jurors were permitted to view photos of the dog’s emaciated condition on the day of rescue; however video taken at the scene, photographs of the dog’s much-improved condition post-rescue, and expert vet and investigation procedure testimony were barred from the courtroom. An appeal is still pending.
To learn more about the Doogie case, visit the website at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html.
Dogs Deserve Better, a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award. The group has 130 area reps in 35 states as well as in Canada and Hong Kong. Thayne was also a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
YouTube Video Link of Award Plus Animal Control Ride-Along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vyZp_zR8I
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tamira Ci Thayne • founder, Dogs Deserve Better • info@dogsdeservebetter.org
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Showing posts with label Doogie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doogie. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
They Cannot Kill Truth with Poison
Today is February 22, 2009, and I’m officially off probation for the theft of a dog left flailing about in the mud and his own feces—unable to stand for three days—yet who, regardless of his plight, remained chained indifferently to the same doghouse he’d known forever.
History of the Doogie story: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
One year ago today I was called a piece of trash by a DA who’s sole concern was that I’d removed property from the yard of an East Freedom home.
One year ago today I was told I was no hero by a judge who withheld video evidence of the dog’s condition and instructed the jury to convict me.
The breach in morality by those in power so overwhelmed me that I spiraled into the abyss known solely as hell, even losing my daughter because I couldn’t face another day in the courtroom that terrified me and drew me back to childhood traumas.
I was forced to confront the demons of my past. I saw the cycle of abuse repeat itself, and struggled to make sense of it, find a way through the darkness back to the light I believed in and which gave me a reason to exist.
For 60 days I could barely lift my head. Could scarcely put one foot in front of the other. Could hardly lead the organization I loved with such passion, nurtured from its essence, grew from a pebble.
Yet today, I know that truth still stands. Those in power may seek to control a truth they find bothersome, may seek to destroy those who fight for that truth, may cover the truth with so many lies it is damn near impossible to extract from the poison.
But extract it we will.
Fight for it we will.
Die for it we will, and gladly.
Because you will never kill the truth, or the souls of those who protect it.
Truth has a power you cannot have. Truth has the power of purity, of God strength, of a massive uprising that can only be suppressed by immorality for so long before bursting forth with a power so fierce there are no bounds to contain it.
Dogs do have rights, and protecting Doogie from abuse was not only my responsibility but my moral obligation, and ironically my duty under the law just as his owners. If one has knowledge of abuse and does nothing then they are just as guilty of that abuse as those committing the crime. You have not destroyed that knowledge.
Dogs do not belong on chains, nor does any other, man nor beast. Freedom belongs to us all, and is not the domain only of man, or only of men.
We will be free, and we will continue to fight for freedom for those who have not. Join me in this battle; they have not killed the truth with their poison.
Truth still lives, and the truth will be set free.
SHARK Video of the Doogie Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8OI58JoufU
History of the Doogie story: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
One year ago today I was called a piece of trash by a DA who’s sole concern was that I’d removed property from the yard of an East Freedom home.
One year ago today I was told I was no hero by a judge who withheld video evidence of the dog’s condition and instructed the jury to convict me.
The breach in morality by those in power so overwhelmed me that I spiraled into the abyss known solely as hell, even losing my daughter because I couldn’t face another day in the courtroom that terrified me and drew me back to childhood traumas.
I was forced to confront the demons of my past. I saw the cycle of abuse repeat itself, and struggled to make sense of it, find a way through the darkness back to the light I believed in and which gave me a reason to exist.
For 60 days I could barely lift my head. Could scarcely put one foot in front of the other. Could hardly lead the organization I loved with such passion, nurtured from its essence, grew from a pebble.
Yet today, I know that truth still stands. Those in power may seek to control a truth they find bothersome, may seek to destroy those who fight for that truth, may cover the truth with so many lies it is damn near impossible to extract from the poison.
But extract it we will.
Fight for it we will.
Die for it we will, and gladly.
Because you will never kill the truth, or the souls of those who protect it.
Truth has a power you cannot have. Truth has the power of purity, of God strength, of a massive uprising that can only be suppressed by immorality for so long before bursting forth with a power so fierce there are no bounds to contain it.
Dogs do have rights, and protecting Doogie from abuse was not only my responsibility but my moral obligation, and ironically my duty under the law just as his owners. If one has knowledge of abuse and does nothing then they are just as guilty of that abuse as those committing the crime. You have not destroyed that knowledge.
Dogs do not belong on chains, nor does any other, man nor beast. Freedom belongs to us all, and is not the domain only of man, or only of men.
We will be free, and we will continue to fight for freedom for those who have not. Join me in this battle; they have not killed the truth with their poison.
Truth still lives, and the truth will be set free.
SHARK Video of the Doogie Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8OI58JoufU
Thursday, September 18, 2008
One-Woman Art Shows in Pittsburgh and Philly to Feature Piece Censored by Judge
Artist Insists Censorship Violates First Amendment Rights and Will Exhibit "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" in both Shows.
••••••••••••••••
September 18, 2008, Tipton, PA - Artist Tamira Ci Thayne, formerly known as Tammy Grimes and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, will be featured in two one-woman art shows during Pennsylvania Week for the Animals. During the exhibits at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and The Rotunda in Philadelphia Thayne will exhibit a piece entitled "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All", a work which a Blair County, PA Judge has attempted to censor.
"When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" has previously won an Honorable Mention at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Thayne created the piece based on her experience in rescuing a dog who lay chained and unable to stand, flailing about in the mud and his own feces. When police refused to charge the owners with cruelty and insisted Thayne (then Grimes) return the dog to its abusive situation, she refused, and was thereafter convicted of theft for helping him.
Video of the dog was withheld from the jury by the judge as well as 'after' photos and video of him standing and walking again. The judge subsequently ordered Grimes to remove all images of the dog from the Dogs Deserve Better website and her art. The case is currently in appeal.
Thayne has removed the dog's photos from items for sale on the Dogs Deserve Better site, but has refused to remove the dog's images from its history of the case page or her artwork, citing violations of first amendment rights.
Thayne states, "Doing what any concerned citizen should have done for a suffering animal was not wrong and will never be wrong—no matter what a corrupt 'justice' system says. I feel this in my gut. I have been subjected to what amounts to emotional torture as a result of helping Doogie—yet I could have done no other.
Creating a piece of art based on my experience which speaks to a time when animals will be treated with the reverence they deserve is my right as a human being and an American citizen. I will continue to show "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" on my website and at any shows where I am able. I am no criminal."
20 pieces of Thayne's work will be shown Saturday, September 20th from 4-8 p.m. at Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh. The show runs with three films shown, I Am Unseen by Dogs Deserve Better, The Witness by Tribe of Heart, and Uncaged, Second Chances for Puppy Mill Breeders by Ann Metcalf and Chris Shaughness.
The works will show in Philadelphia from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, at The Rotunda, Walnut Street, also in concurrence with I Am Unseen and Uncaged.
To view Thayne's art, visit her website at http://www.littlegirllooking.com. 20-50% of all proceeds from sales of Thayne's art benefit Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne can be reached at 814.941.7447 or Tami@littlegirllooking.com for comment, and is available for art shows, commissioned works, or interviews. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Naturology from the American Institute of Holistic Theology.
Dogs Deserve Better was founded in 2002, is an international nonprofit with 140 area reps in the U.S. and Canada, and works to bring dogs out of the backyard and into the home and family. The site can be viewed at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
••••••••••••••••
September 18, 2008, Tipton, PA - Artist Tamira Ci Thayne, formerly known as Tammy Grimes and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, will be featured in two one-woman art shows during Pennsylvania Week for the Animals. During the exhibits at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and The Rotunda in Philadelphia Thayne will exhibit a piece entitled "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All", a work which a Blair County, PA Judge has attempted to censor.
"When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" has previously won an Honorable Mention at the Blair County Arts Festival.
Thayne created the piece based on her experience in rescuing a dog who lay chained and unable to stand, flailing about in the mud and his own feces. When police refused to charge the owners with cruelty and insisted Thayne (then Grimes) return the dog to its abusive situation, she refused, and was thereafter convicted of theft for helping him.
Video of the dog was withheld from the jury by the judge as well as 'after' photos and video of him standing and walking again. The judge subsequently ordered Grimes to remove all images of the dog from the Dogs Deserve Better website and her art. The case is currently in appeal.
Thayne has removed the dog's photos from items for sale on the Dogs Deserve Better site, but has refused to remove the dog's images from its history of the case page or her artwork, citing violations of first amendment rights.
Thayne states, "Doing what any concerned citizen should have done for a suffering animal was not wrong and will never be wrong—no matter what a corrupt 'justice' system says. I feel this in my gut. I have been subjected to what amounts to emotional torture as a result of helping Doogie—yet I could have done no other.
Creating a piece of art based on my experience which speaks to a time when animals will be treated with the reverence they deserve is my right as a human being and an American citizen. I will continue to show "When the Circle of Compassion Extends to All" on my website and at any shows where I am able. I am no criminal."
20 pieces of Thayne's work will be shown Saturday, September 20th from 4-8 p.m. at Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh. The show runs with three films shown, I Am Unseen by Dogs Deserve Better, The Witness by Tribe of Heart, and Uncaged, Second Chances for Puppy Mill Breeders by Ann Metcalf and Chris Shaughness.
The works will show in Philadelphia from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, at The Rotunda, Walnut Street, also in concurrence with I Am Unseen and Uncaged.
To view Thayne's art, visit her website at http://www.littlegirllooking.com. 20-50% of all proceeds from sales of Thayne's art benefit Dogs Deserve Better.
Thayne can be reached at 814.941.7447 or Tami@littlegirllooking.com for comment, and is available for art shows, commissioned works, or interviews. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Naturology from the American Institute of Holistic Theology.
Dogs Deserve Better was founded in 2002, is an international nonprofit with 140 area reps in the U.S. and Canada, and works to bring dogs out of the backyard and into the home and family. The site can be viewed at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org.
Friday, February 22, 2008
If I have to hear the word HERO ever again!
Please, please don't ever call me a 'hero' again! Between the judge and the DA, they have taken a word that SHOULD make a person feel good and turned it into something so ugly, I can't even bear to hear it again! What is wrong with these people?
2/22/08. Today Grimes was sentenced to 300 hours community service for a 'people organization', because 'people are dogs too'. She was also ordered to pay for the cost of the trial. This was justified by the judge because she said that Grimes chose to go to trial over ARD, therefore she should have to pay for it. Isn't it every person's right to go to trial? Does that right come with a price tag? Interestingly enough, according to Grimes' attorneys, this is not only NOT OFTEN done, but RARELY done. The costs were around $1700.
She was also ordered within 10 days to take everything Doogie related off any any site she 'has control or influence over'.
We will be appealing most if not all of the sentencing asap.
The absolute worst part of it all was the way she was treated by both the DA and the judge. The saddest thing is that they actually seem to BELIEVE the horrible things they said about her. They seem to actually BELIEVE that the taking of Doogie was a publicity stunt by Grimes, so that she could be a 'hero'. That the Arnolds are 'victims' of her lies, and that 'the dog was just old'.
The DA said he was shocked this was her first offense, because her disrespect for the law and it's officials is like his worst hardened criminals. He also said that everything on the DDB site is a lie, twisted by Grimes to make people believe her. He was seriously ticked off that the Arnolds received Valentines and a brochure attempting to educate them this Valentine's Day. Yet, at trial he insisted DDB should try to educate them, so which is it? Do you want them educated or not?
She is now again not to have any contact with 'the victims'.
The judge said that Grimes was no Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. That she has disgraced herself and her cause, as well as her supporters by her actions. That two wrongs don't make a right. (If she's admitting there were 'two wrongs', then why are the Arnolds still not being convicted of abuse?)
We are saddened by the state of affairs in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Saddened by the people 'in control', and saddened by the beliefs they put out into the world.
Pictures and video do not lie. If it were a he said/she said situation, we could understand how they would believe the Arnolds when they say the dog was just old. But with the abundance of evidence of neglect, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the behavior of both DA Richard Consiglio and Judge Elizabeth Doyle. Pictures and video DO NOT LIE.
2/22/08. Today Grimes was sentenced to 300 hours community service for a 'people organization', because 'people are dogs too'. She was also ordered to pay for the cost of the trial. This was justified by the judge because she said that Grimes chose to go to trial over ARD, therefore she should have to pay for it. Isn't it every person's right to go to trial? Does that right come with a price tag? Interestingly enough, according to Grimes' attorneys, this is not only NOT OFTEN done, but RARELY done. The costs were around $1700.
She was also ordered within 10 days to take everything Doogie related off any any site she 'has control or influence over'.
We will be appealing most if not all of the sentencing asap.
The absolute worst part of it all was the way she was treated by both the DA and the judge. The saddest thing is that they actually seem to BELIEVE the horrible things they said about her. They seem to actually BELIEVE that the taking of Doogie was a publicity stunt by Grimes, so that she could be a 'hero'. That the Arnolds are 'victims' of her lies, and that 'the dog was just old'.
The DA said he was shocked this was her first offense, because her disrespect for the law and it's officials is like his worst hardened criminals. He also said that everything on the DDB site is a lie, twisted by Grimes to make people believe her. He was seriously ticked off that the Arnolds received Valentines and a brochure attempting to educate them this Valentine's Day. Yet, at trial he insisted DDB should try to educate them, so which is it? Do you want them educated or not?
She is now again not to have any contact with 'the victims'.
The judge said that Grimes was no Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. That she has disgraced herself and her cause, as well as her supporters by her actions. That two wrongs don't make a right. (If she's admitting there were 'two wrongs', then why are the Arnolds still not being convicted of abuse?)
We are saddened by the state of affairs in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Saddened by the people 'in control', and saddened by the beliefs they put out into the world.
Pictures and video do not lie. If it were a he said/she said situation, we could understand how they would believe the Arnolds when they say the dog was just old. But with the abundance of evidence of neglect, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for the behavior of both DA Richard Consiglio and Judge Elizabeth Doyle. Pictures and video DO NOT LIE.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Grimes Requests Jailtime for her Actions in Saving Doogie
To view this statement on YouTube, visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI0xStNQSnU
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
On December 14, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property for coming to the aid of this dog, who lay chained, unable to stand, and suffering in an East Freedom, Pennsylvania backyard.
Despite overwhelming evidence of cruelty on the part of the dog's caretakers, no charges were ever brought against them by either the humane officer or the police. A private criminal complaint filed by myself and Dogs Deserve Better languishes unaddressed on the desk of DA Richard Consiglio.
Both video evidence of the dog struggling to get up and after-photos and video of the dog walking were suppressed from the jury. These videos are currently available for viewing on YouTube and our site.
I am to be sentenced by Judge Elizabeth Doyle on February 22, 2008. I am expected to receive a fine and/or community service, as well as probation for this supposed crime. I am morally and ethically unable and unwilling to pay any fine that goes to pay the salaries of those who use power wrongly; those who punish citizens for helping animals and allow animal abusers to go free will not receive monetary support from me.
The DA has taken flack in the opinion columns of local newspapers for wasting Blair County taxpayer money on my trial. His solution? To charge ME for the cost of the trial, reported to be over $1000. He expects me to pay costs for a jury who knew nothing of jury nullification, and knew not that they were free to exercise their own judgment based on their consciences rather than follow the advice of those in power just because they said they had to. They were therefore railroaded into a conviction by the actions of the DA and Judge Doyle.
It is not enough for Mr. Consiglio to drag my name and the name of Dogs Deserve Better through the mud in order to distract our citizens from the fact that cruelty laws were already being broken, and that the humane officer and the police failed to do their jobs. He would have me foot the bill for it. As a taxpayer of Blair County, Pennsylvania, I have already contributed my share to this trial. I will contribute no more.
As founder and director of Dogs Deserve Better, I do community service virtually ever day of my life. If fact, I was performing community service the day I picked an aged and dying dog out of the mud and got him the veterinary care he was entitled to by law.
I am a law-abiding citizen of both Pennsylvania and the United States of America. I have served my country as a top-secret cleared linguist in the U. S. Air Force, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant at my first available opportunity, and honorably discharged in 1988. I strive very hard to obey all laws that seem fair and do not cause harm to others. I stop short of obeying any law that would force me to watch a dog die in the dirt, just because he is considered mere property of another. I will continue to fight for better laws for man's best friend, as well as shine a light on the current lack of enforcement of existing cruelty laws.
This dog was not just another piece of trash that a Pennsylvania couple could allow to die unassisted, chained, and flailing about in the mud and his own feces in their yard. Doogie had the right to live or the right to a death free from cruelty, and the right to veterinary help by Pennsylvania law.
It is incumbent upon Blair County voters to remove from office anyone who by their actions or inactions condones animal cruelty and abuse and punishes those who seek to help these animals. This includes Judge Elizabeth Doyle and DA Richard Consiglio.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that "noncooperation with evil is just as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." And Thoreau stated "Under a government which imprisons unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison...where the state places those who are not with her, but against her—the only house in a slave state in which a free man or woman can abide with honor."
The only way for me to maintain a clear conscience is to choose prison as punishment for my crime. I hereby request that Judge Doyle jail me for however many days I should be imprisoned for the taking of a piece of property who's value, while stated in the misdemeanor charges at 0-$50, after vet fees was more like negative $960.65. However, as one of our supporters said, Doogie's freedom from abuse and restoration to health was truly more valuable than any precious gem; it was indeed priceless.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Open Letter from Tammy Grimes December 17, 2007
On September 11, 2006, I rescued a dog that was dying at the end of a chain in a muddy yard in a small Pennsylvania town. I was subsequently arrested. A little over a year later, on December 15, 2007, I was convicted of theft and receiving stolen property.
The last year has been the most traumatic and the most inspirational of my life. I have been labeled a "terrorist" a "vigilante", and an "anarchist." I have been called a hero. I have been humbled by encouragement and well wishes from people all over the world. I have been attacked in person and in print in my small town, where the prevailing view is that it is fine and dandy to tie a dog to a tree or a dog house and leave it to pace back and forth for year after agonizing year, in skull-cracking cold or 100-degree weather, with nothing but parasites for company.
I don't regret what I did. Not for one second. And when it comes to rescuing dogs and changing minds and laws, I'm just getting started. Here's why.
The dog at the center of all this, a dog we would eventually name Doogie, had been lying in the mud and rain for three days, chained to the dog house he had been attached to for years. He was unable to stand and was pawing the air in desperation. His owners chose to go four-wheeling and to work on Monday instead of getting him the vet help he needed and deserved, but most importantly was entitled to by law. A distraught neighbor had called animal control repeatedly over the course of the three days. But as so often happens, no "humane" officer called back. No one ever showed up. (Surprised? Trust me, it happens all the time, and not just in my town.) The frantic neighbor eventually reached out to me and to Dogs Deserve Better.
What I did next set in motion a chain of events that would eventually garner national attention, the wrath of some, the support of others, and an agonizing trial during which I had to listen to lies and mischaracterizations for three days: I removed that dog's chain and I took him to the veterinarian. It was all very clear to me as I lifted the emaciated, wet dog into my van. I had been in animal rescue long enough to know that I would probably be labeled the villain while the dog's caretakers wouldn't even be questioned for leaving a suffering dog on the ground for three days, not to mention all the years they tied him to a shabby box in the yard; letting his toenails to grow so long they were curling back toward his pads, denying him vet care when he most needed it.
But I also knew that what I was doing was morally correct. It was the compassionate thing to do. It was the only thing I could do. Time was of the essence. A dog was suffering. I felt he was dying.
In court, it became increasingly clear that our 'humane officer' left me "holding the bag." He had been offered the dog by me as part of what should have been a cruelty case against the caretakers 2 times on September 11th, but ignored me both times. On the witness stand the officer, in an attempt to cover his own ass, stated he told me and the vet assistants not to remove Doogie from the vets. This is absolutely untrue, and if he had done so I would not have been put in the position of choosing between Doogie's skin and my own.
So, now I'm guilty. Ah yes, guilty of caring about a dog that had been left to die. Guilty of putting myself and my reputation on the line because I can't stand to see suffering. Yes, call me guilty.
At Dogs Deserve Better, we see dogs in horrific situations every day. Sometimes these sad animals are neurotic or aggressive from years at the end of a chain. Sometimes, they are half-starved or have collars embedded in their necks. Sometimes they are dead. So, why go out on a limb for one old dog? Why take a moral stand in this one instance? Why challenge a law, when Dogs Deserve Better has stuck to the letter of the law in almost 1,000 rescues to date?
The answer is simple: because it was the right thing to do. Because our laws regarding personal property and animal welfare are contradictory and archaic. Because Michael Vick can't kill his dogs, but the Arnolds can. Because, at the end of the day, I knew I simply couldn't live with myself if I walked away from that dog and left him to suffer there in the mud.
Doogie blossomed after we got him medical care and showed him a warm bed and a little love. He not only walked again, but actually ambled around with a spring in his step. Imagine. A dog that for many years could not take more than a few steps before being yanked back by a chain, was trotting around a yard and enjoying soft hands and a warm home!
I have no illusions about my life's work. I know some people will never get it. I know some people think "it is just a dog." I know some people consider me the representation of all that is evil because I have compassion for animals and because in one isolated incident, where the clock was ticking and life was ebbing, I took someone's "property" -- property that the owners had for all intents and purposes abandoned on the ground like a used-up piece of junk. But I don't care what my detractors think because I now know that I have more support, more friends, more allies, than I ever dreamed possible.
The support I have received during the last year has made me stronger in my convictions and more steadfast in my work. I know that the vast majority of reasonable, educated, compassionate people believe that it is barbaric beyond imagining to chain a dog for its life. I know that anti-tethering laws will continue to be passed in states, cities and counties across this country. ("No-brainers" a recent news article called these laws.) And I'm going to work harder than ever to make sure that happens.
Five years ago, when I started Dogs Deserve Better, people laughed in my face when I talked about laws against chaining. Today, three states have passed laws that severely limit the practice, as have hundreds of cities and counties, some banning chaining altogether. I know that I will see the day when our society sees tying a dog to a doghouse for 15 years as abhorrent as eating a dog.
Oh yes, make no mistake: times change and morality and compassion eventually triumph over ignorance and stupid, blind habit. Slavery ended. Women got the right to vote. Wife beating is no long accepted. You don't see a lot of kids working in mines or sweat shops anymore. Even dog fighting was made a crime.
I can't help but think about Rosa Parks. We can be sure she never regretted refusing to budge from that Montgomery bus seat. And though I may never be as brave as she was, I'll never regret taking a half-dead dog from someone's yard.
In memory of Doogie. May he rest in peace.
The last year has been the most traumatic and the most inspirational of my life. I have been labeled a "terrorist" a "vigilante", and an "anarchist." I have been called a hero. I have been humbled by encouragement and well wishes from people all over the world. I have been attacked in person and in print in my small town, where the prevailing view is that it is fine and dandy to tie a dog to a tree or a dog house and leave it to pace back and forth for year after agonizing year, in skull-cracking cold or 100-degree weather, with nothing but parasites for company.
I don't regret what I did. Not for one second. And when it comes to rescuing dogs and changing minds and laws, I'm just getting started. Here's why.
The dog at the center of all this, a dog we would eventually name Doogie, had been lying in the mud and rain for three days, chained to the dog house he had been attached to for years. He was unable to stand and was pawing the air in desperation. His owners chose to go four-wheeling and to work on Monday instead of getting him the vet help he needed and deserved, but most importantly was entitled to by law. A distraught neighbor had called animal control repeatedly over the course of the three days. But as so often happens, no "humane" officer called back. No one ever showed up. (Surprised? Trust me, it happens all the time, and not just in my town.) The frantic neighbor eventually reached out to me and to Dogs Deserve Better.
What I did next set in motion a chain of events that would eventually garner national attention, the wrath of some, the support of others, and an agonizing trial during which I had to listen to lies and mischaracterizations for three days: I removed that dog's chain and I took him to the veterinarian. It was all very clear to me as I lifted the emaciated, wet dog into my van. I had been in animal rescue long enough to know that I would probably be labeled the villain while the dog's caretakers wouldn't even be questioned for leaving a suffering dog on the ground for three days, not to mention all the years they tied him to a shabby box in the yard; letting his toenails to grow so long they were curling back toward his pads, denying him vet care when he most needed it.
But I also knew that what I was doing was morally correct. It was the compassionate thing to do. It was the only thing I could do. Time was of the essence. A dog was suffering. I felt he was dying.
In court, it became increasingly clear that our 'humane officer' left me "holding the bag." He had been offered the dog by me as part of what should have been a cruelty case against the caretakers 2 times on September 11th, but ignored me both times. On the witness stand the officer, in an attempt to cover his own ass, stated he told me and the vet assistants not to remove Doogie from the vets. This is absolutely untrue, and if he had done so I would not have been put in the position of choosing between Doogie's skin and my own.
So, now I'm guilty. Ah yes, guilty of caring about a dog that had been left to die. Guilty of putting myself and my reputation on the line because I can't stand to see suffering. Yes, call me guilty.
At Dogs Deserve Better, we see dogs in horrific situations every day. Sometimes these sad animals are neurotic or aggressive from years at the end of a chain. Sometimes, they are half-starved or have collars embedded in their necks. Sometimes they are dead. So, why go out on a limb for one old dog? Why take a moral stand in this one instance? Why challenge a law, when Dogs Deserve Better has stuck to the letter of the law in almost 1,000 rescues to date?
The answer is simple: because it was the right thing to do. Because our laws regarding personal property and animal welfare are contradictory and archaic. Because Michael Vick can't kill his dogs, but the Arnolds can. Because, at the end of the day, I knew I simply couldn't live with myself if I walked away from that dog and left him to suffer there in the mud.
Doogie blossomed after we got him medical care and showed him a warm bed and a little love. He not only walked again, but actually ambled around with a spring in his step. Imagine. A dog that for many years could not take more than a few steps before being yanked back by a chain, was trotting around a yard and enjoying soft hands and a warm home!
I have no illusions about my life's work. I know some people will never get it. I know some people think "it is just a dog." I know some people consider me the representation of all that is evil because I have compassion for animals and because in one isolated incident, where the clock was ticking and life was ebbing, I took someone's "property" -- property that the owners had for all intents and purposes abandoned on the ground like a used-up piece of junk. But I don't care what my detractors think because I now know that I have more support, more friends, more allies, than I ever dreamed possible.
The support I have received during the last year has made me stronger in my convictions and more steadfast in my work. I know that the vast majority of reasonable, educated, compassionate people believe that it is barbaric beyond imagining to chain a dog for its life. I know that anti-tethering laws will continue to be passed in states, cities and counties across this country. ("No-brainers" a recent news article called these laws.) And I'm going to work harder than ever to make sure that happens.
Five years ago, when I started Dogs Deserve Better, people laughed in my face when I talked about laws against chaining. Today, three states have passed laws that severely limit the practice, as have hundreds of cities and counties, some banning chaining altogether. I know that I will see the day when our society sees tying a dog to a doghouse for 15 years as abhorrent as eating a dog.
Oh yes, make no mistake: times change and morality and compassion eventually triumph over ignorance and stupid, blind habit. Slavery ended. Women got the right to vote. Wife beating is no long accepted. You don't see a lot of kids working in mines or sweat shops anymore. Even dog fighting was made a crime.
I can't help but think about Rosa Parks. We can be sure she never regretted refusing to budge from that Montgomery bus seat. And though I may never be as brave as she was, I'll never regret taking a half-dead dog from someone's yard.
In memory of Doogie. May he rest in peace.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Gag Order Issued, Court Date Set
Everyone involved in the Doogie case is now on 'gag order' per the judge.
As a matter of public record, court dates for the hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, PA are December 12, 13, 14.
While my voice may be temporarily silenced, you still have yours.
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
Tammy
As a matter of public record, court dates for the hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, PA are December 12, 13, 14.
While my voice may be temporarily silenced, you still have yours.
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html
Tammy
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Grimes Motion Hearing Monday, DA Seeks to Bar Defense Evidence
for immediate release
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Controversial Pennsylvania Dog Rescue Case Goes to Second Motion Hearing October 29th
Blair County D.A. seeks to bar defense evidence from the courtroom
October 24, 2007, Altoona, PA—Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Grimes will be back in court October 29th at 9:00 a.m. for a motion hearing to defend against the Blair County DA's attempt to bar her most-compelling evidence—video, photos, and vet testimony of the dog's condition—from the courtroom. Grimes was arrested September 11, 2006 after taking a dog—unable to stand for three days—for veterinary care; then protecting him from returning to the abusive situation.
Grimes maintains that there were clearly Pennsylvania cruelty laws being broken for at least three days by the time she arrived on the scene, and charges should instead be filed against the Arnolds for abuse and neglect.
She states, "We need to take a serious look at a justice system that favors animal abusers, and I would ask what kind of example this is setting for our children. We have ample proof of abuse in this case: neighbor testimony, vet testimony, video and photo evidence. If we as humans see an animal or human dying and in need of immediate help, it is our moral duty to help that being and protect him/her from further harm. A system that instead requires an abused child or animal to be returned to the situation in which the abuse is occurring is corrupt, and must be questioned and examined if we are to evolve as a society."
The dog, who Grimes dubbed Doogie, had been kept safe and lived inside as part of a family until March 1, 2007, when he passed away due to age and a lifetime of neglect. Doogie's body was returned to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where an autopsy was performed. The DA subsequently ordered the body to be held at the vet and returned to the Arnolds.
Grimes continues, "Barring my evidence from the courtroom may change the verdict in my case, but it will never change the truth. The DA knows that, and so do the supporters of our work at Dogs Deserve Better. I am confident that in the end the truth will set both Doogie and I free."
Dogs Deserve Better has put out two new t-shirt slogans poking fun at the Pennsylvania justice system in Grimes' case, and in honor of Monday's motion hearing. "Only in Pennsyltucky: Save a Life=Go to Jail" and "Only in Pennsyltucky: The Best Offense is to Bar All Defense" shirts and other items are available from http://www.cafepress.com/dogsdeserve.
The Grimes case has made national headlines, and has been featured on Inside Edition, the National Enquirer, Animal People, animal magazines, and on blogs all over the internet.
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France. Grimes was a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
Contact: Tammy S. Grimes • founder, Dogs Deserve Better
www.dogsdeservebetter.org • P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684 • 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
Controversial Pennsylvania Dog Rescue Case Goes to Second Motion Hearing October 29th
Blair County D.A. seeks to bar defense evidence from the courtroom
October 24, 2007, Altoona, PA—Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Grimes will be back in court October 29th at 9:00 a.m. for a motion hearing to defend against the Blair County DA's attempt to bar her most-compelling evidence—video, photos, and vet testimony of the dog's condition—from the courtroom. Grimes was arrested September 11, 2006 after taking a dog—unable to stand for three days—for veterinary care; then protecting him from returning to the abusive situation.
Grimes maintains that there were clearly Pennsylvania cruelty laws being broken for at least three days by the time she arrived on the scene, and charges should instead be filed against the Arnolds for abuse and neglect.
She states, "We need to take a serious look at a justice system that favors animal abusers, and I would ask what kind of example this is setting for our children. We have ample proof of abuse in this case: neighbor testimony, vet testimony, video and photo evidence. If we as humans see an animal or human dying and in need of immediate help, it is our moral duty to help that being and protect him/her from further harm. A system that instead requires an abused child or animal to be returned to the situation in which the abuse is occurring is corrupt, and must be questioned and examined if we are to evolve as a society."
The dog, who Grimes dubbed Doogie, had been kept safe and lived inside as part of a family until March 1, 2007, when he passed away due to age and a lifetime of neglect. Doogie's body was returned to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where an autopsy was performed. The DA subsequently ordered the body to be held at the vet and returned to the Arnolds.
Grimes continues, "Barring my evidence from the courtroom may change the verdict in my case, but it will never change the truth. The DA knows that, and so do the supporters of our work at Dogs Deserve Better. I am confident that in the end the truth will set both Doogie and I free."
Dogs Deserve Better has put out two new t-shirt slogans poking fun at the Pennsylvania justice system in Grimes' case, and in honor of Monday's motion hearing. "Only in Pennsyltucky: Save a Life=Go to Jail" and "Only in Pennsyltucky: The Best Offense is to Bar All Defense" shirts and other items are available from http://www.cafepress.com/dogsdeserve.
The Grimes case has made national headlines, and has been featured on Inside Edition, the National Enquirer, Animal People, animal magazines, and on blogs all over the internet.
Dogs Deserve Better is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France. Grimes was a Top Ten Finalist for the 2006 Animal Planet Hero of the Year Contest.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Anniversaries, Acts of Love, and the Caverns Beneath
Anniversaries, Acts of Love, and the Caverns Beneath
A year since Doogie. A year since my arrest. A year.
6 months since his death. I struggle to understand what happened, still, today.
Am I really a human? A woman? A mother? A leader? An American? A thief?
Who are these people who relentlessly pursue me? Are they human? Why are we so different? I don't comprehend.
People say I'm a hero for rescuing Doogie. I like it. I hate it when anyone saves anything and then denies that they are a hero, for it steals the beauty in the act. In that one moment of your life you are a hero, regardless of whether you embrace it or not. Whether comfortable with it or not. And maybe you'd return the dog and maybe you wouldn't. You don't know until you're there.
People say I'm a devil for stealing a dog. I hate it. I hate it that they can't see, that they can't perceive of anyone doing anything selfless, and so attribute vile, self-serving motives to it. Because they never could or would.
I hate that I care. I resolve to stop caring.
My ex-husband is trying to take my kids. I hate it. I struggle to understand. I cry every day, and I couldn't cry before. But now I can. Facing the loss of my children I have rediscovered that I am human after all. And mother.
Some will say it's karma. I took Doogie, therefore now I may lose something I love. Trouble is, I didn't chain my children until they could no longer stand. And ride ATVs while they writhed on the ground begging for me to see them.
Love?
I bore both children without drugs. None. I did that for them, not me. Now when a doctor asks me to compare my pain to the worst pain I ever felt, I have to say it's a 1. Because once you've born a child without drugs, most everything else is just a 1.
I breastfed my children for 1 and 2 years respectively. I did that for them, not me. Anything which ties a woman to a baby, sagging her breasts for life, cannot be attributed to selfishness in a society tied only to looks and body image.
Will I lose my children because I give so much of myself to my other 'child', Dogs Deserve Better, that I've left them open to hostile takeover? I haven't guarded them closely enough, given them enough of me, the mother? I struggle to mother both children and dogs, yet I love them all ferociously, and would gladly lay down my life for all of them.
I shoulder the onus for stealing Doogie. Not without great personal sacrifice, not without absolute conviction in moral right and moral wrong.
A year later, I will spend days in court for both Doogie and my children. Faced with the possibility of losses on both sides. Weakened from pain. Faithless in the rightness of our society and our system...
In the depths of despair, one thing remains clear. No matter how ugly our world, no matter how much pain there is to endure, how you are pursued, persecuted, tortured, tormented, the only thing that truly holds meaning in the end is did you do the right thing? The TRULY right thing...not the thing you justify to yourself and others.
The one you feel in your gut.
I did, and I cling to that knowledge. And for now I cling to my children, and love them ferociously. Give them more of me.
I am terribly flawed like most humans, and some days an utter failure. Then the cat who's life I saved—with a year-long raw food diet (yuk)—jumps to drink from the meditation fountain, and I smile. My children tell me they love me—and mean it—and I melt. And Miss Deer—the biggest scaredy dog in the world—sleeps on my bed and licks my hand, and my heart beats its joy.
Today, September 11, 2007, I feel too deeply the struggles of the world, and the unfairness within. Today, we hold a collective sadness in America, and my suffering is only the tiniest particle in that sadness.
Today, I hold every suffering soul in my heart, and wish for you all the courage to do the right thing, even when it's hardest. Maybe in that awakening alone will be the salvation of mankind, and with it man's best friends.
That is my hope.
Tammy Grimes, mother, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
A year since Doogie. A year since my arrest. A year.
6 months since his death. I struggle to understand what happened, still, today.
Am I really a human? A woman? A mother? A leader? An American? A thief?
Who are these people who relentlessly pursue me? Are they human? Why are we so different? I don't comprehend.
People say I'm a hero for rescuing Doogie. I like it. I hate it when anyone saves anything and then denies that they are a hero, for it steals the beauty in the act. In that one moment of your life you are a hero, regardless of whether you embrace it or not. Whether comfortable with it or not. And maybe you'd return the dog and maybe you wouldn't. You don't know until you're there.
People say I'm a devil for stealing a dog. I hate it. I hate it that they can't see, that they can't perceive of anyone doing anything selfless, and so attribute vile, self-serving motives to it. Because they never could or would.
I hate that I care. I resolve to stop caring.
My ex-husband is trying to take my kids. I hate it. I struggle to understand. I cry every day, and I couldn't cry before. But now I can. Facing the loss of my children I have rediscovered that I am human after all. And mother.
Some will say it's karma. I took Doogie, therefore now I may lose something I love. Trouble is, I didn't chain my children until they could no longer stand. And ride ATVs while they writhed on the ground begging for me to see them.
Love?
I bore both children without drugs. None. I did that for them, not me. Now when a doctor asks me to compare my pain to the worst pain I ever felt, I have to say it's a 1. Because once you've born a child without drugs, most everything else is just a 1.
I breastfed my children for 1 and 2 years respectively. I did that for them, not me. Anything which ties a woman to a baby, sagging her breasts for life, cannot be attributed to selfishness in a society tied only to looks and body image.
Will I lose my children because I give so much of myself to my other 'child', Dogs Deserve Better, that I've left them open to hostile takeover? I haven't guarded them closely enough, given them enough of me, the mother? I struggle to mother both children and dogs, yet I love them all ferociously, and would gladly lay down my life for all of them.
I shoulder the onus for stealing Doogie. Not without great personal sacrifice, not without absolute conviction in moral right and moral wrong.
A year later, I will spend days in court for both Doogie and my children. Faced with the possibility of losses on both sides. Weakened from pain. Faithless in the rightness of our society and our system...
In the depths of despair, one thing remains clear. No matter how ugly our world, no matter how much pain there is to endure, how you are pursued, persecuted, tortured, tormented, the only thing that truly holds meaning in the end is did you do the right thing? The TRULY right thing...not the thing you justify to yourself and others.
The one you feel in your gut.
I did, and I cling to that knowledge. And for now I cling to my children, and love them ferociously. Give them more of me.
I am terribly flawed like most humans, and some days an utter failure. Then the cat who's life I saved—with a year-long raw food diet (yuk)—jumps to drink from the meditation fountain, and I smile. My children tell me they love me—and mean it—and I melt. And Miss Deer—the biggest scaredy dog in the world—sleeps on my bed and licks my hand, and my heart beats its joy.
Today, September 11, 2007, I feel too deeply the struggles of the world, and the unfairness within. Today, we hold a collective sadness in America, and my suffering is only the tiniest particle in that sadness.
Today, I hold every suffering soul in my heart, and wish for you all the courage to do the right thing, even when it's hardest. Maybe in that awakening alone will be the salvation of mankind, and with it man's best friends.
That is my hope.
Tammy Grimes, mother, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
Monday, September 03, 2007
Grimes Responds to DA Attempt to Bar Defense Evidence
Woman accused of dog theft issues statement in response to Pennsylvania DA's attempt to bar defense evidence from trial
Tammy Grimes says "Let's make it easy for you—I did it."
Tipton, PA — September 3, 2007 — Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, a national nonprofit working to end the suffering endured by dogs who are kept chained or penned for life, today released a statement in response to District Attorney Richard Consiglio's attempt to bar all defense evidence from the courtroom.
An article in Saturday, September 1st's Altoona Mirror states: "Consiglio on Thursday filed a request to exclude testimony during the trial [from]...a veterinarian as an expert witness to discuss the dog's condition," as well as videotape of the dog and any reference to the dog as being 'abandoned property'.
Grimes aided a dog September 11, 2006, who'd lain chained and on the ground for 3 days, unable to stand and without enforcement of existing cruelty laws. She was subsequently arrested after refusing to return the dog who she dubbed Doogie to his abusive environment.
Grimes response to the DA is as follows:
"Mr. Consiglio has stated that 'the Grimes case has nothing to do with canine rights.' On the contrary, this case has everything to do with Doogie's rights—his right to live free of abuse being already inherent in Pennsylvania anti-cruelty laws.
Whether you bar the evidence or not, the fact remains that laws were being broken for at least three days before I got there. Yet you've shown no interest in pursuing cruelty charges against the perpetrators.
It's a shame you choose not to uphold those laws, especially when the Michael Vick case clearly shows that most of America actually CARES about Man's Best Friend. I'm sorry the police force of East Freedom, Pennsylvania and District Attorney Richard Consiglio apparently do not.
My case not only has to do with the right of a dog not to be abused as per already-existing Pennsylvania laws, but also has to do with MY rights—my right to defend myself in a court of law being first and foremost.
If you take away my right to defend myself, which is what you are seeking to do, then let me go ahead and make it easy for you:
I T-O-O-K T-H-E D-O-G.
Throw me in jail.
I will not pay you a dime.
I have the right to defend my actions, and without evidence I have no defense.
This case has nothing to do with theft and everything to do with inadequacy. Inadequacy of enforcement, inadequacy of investigation, and inadequacy of prosecution.
In seeking to convict me, you actually seek instead to cover up your own inadequacies.
I will gladly go to jail for Doogie, and I would do so a thousand times over. I am not scared nor intimidated. Barring my evidence cannot stop it from being viewed by the public, which has happened over 50,000 times on YouTube, as well as on local and national news. You may seek to hide the truth, but the truth always finds its way out.
Doogie's truth is my truth, and HIS truth WILL set us BOTH free."
Dogs Deserve Better (www.dogsdeservebetter.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Tammy Grimes says "Let's make it easy for you—I did it."
Tipton, PA — September 3, 2007 — Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, a national nonprofit working to end the suffering endured by dogs who are kept chained or penned for life, today released a statement in response to District Attorney Richard Consiglio's attempt to bar all defense evidence from the courtroom.
An article in Saturday, September 1st's Altoona Mirror states: "Consiglio on Thursday filed a request to exclude testimony during the trial [from]...a veterinarian as an expert witness to discuss the dog's condition," as well as videotape of the dog and any reference to the dog as being 'abandoned property'.
Grimes aided a dog September 11, 2006, who'd lain chained and on the ground for 3 days, unable to stand and without enforcement of existing cruelty laws. She was subsequently arrested after refusing to return the dog who she dubbed Doogie to his abusive environment.
Grimes response to the DA is as follows:
"Mr. Consiglio has stated that 'the Grimes case has nothing to do with canine rights.' On the contrary, this case has everything to do with Doogie's rights—his right to live free of abuse being already inherent in Pennsylvania anti-cruelty laws.
Whether you bar the evidence or not, the fact remains that laws were being broken for at least three days before I got there. Yet you've shown no interest in pursuing cruelty charges against the perpetrators.
It's a shame you choose not to uphold those laws, especially when the Michael Vick case clearly shows that most of America actually CARES about Man's Best Friend. I'm sorry the police force of East Freedom, Pennsylvania and District Attorney Richard Consiglio apparently do not.
My case not only has to do with the right of a dog not to be abused as per already-existing Pennsylvania laws, but also has to do with MY rights—my right to defend myself in a court of law being first and foremost.
If you take away my right to defend myself, which is what you are seeking to do, then let me go ahead and make it easy for you:
I T-O-O-K T-H-E D-O-G.
Throw me in jail.
I will not pay you a dime.
I have the right to defend my actions, and without evidence I have no defense.
This case has nothing to do with theft and everything to do with inadequacy. Inadequacy of enforcement, inadequacy of investigation, and inadequacy of prosecution.
In seeking to convict me, you actually seek instead to cover up your own inadequacies.
I will gladly go to jail for Doogie, and I would do so a thousand times over. I am not scared nor intimidated. Barring my evidence cannot stop it from being viewed by the public, which has happened over 50,000 times on YouTube, as well as on local and national news. You may seek to hide the truth, but the truth always finds its way out.
Doogie's truth is my truth, and HIS truth WILL set us BOTH free."
Dogs Deserve Better (www.dogsdeservebetter.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Tipton, Pennsylvania, is the 2003 First Place Winner of the ASPCA Pet Protector Award, and currently has over 150 area reps in 38 states as well as in Canada and France.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Every Life Matters: An Opinion/Editorial Piece by Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
I question a society where those who step up to save a dying animal are arrested and prosecuted; yet those who allow an animal to suffer and die in their very own yards are rarely brought to justice and seldom even charged with more than a minor infraction.
I am slated to stand trial for theft and receiving stolen property for aiding a dog who lay chained, unable to stand, and dying in it's owners' yard for three days. May 21st I am back in court to choose a jury in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
Ironically, May 21st is also the day the Good Mayor of a town in Minnesota goes back to court for a crime involving his chained dog. In this case the defendant sentenced his "wire-haired hunting dog" (we'll call him Wiry for short) to death by freezing in sub-zero temperatures, with only a feces-laden crate for shelter. He is charged NOT with animal cruelty, as one who has any faith in the justice system would expect, but instead with failure to provide proper housing, a 'petty misdemeanor' charge.
His 'petty misdemeanor' charge is even less for KILLING his dog than my 'misdemeanor' charge is for SAVING a dog. Am I the only one who sees a problem in this scenario?
Neighbors say they heard the dog crying for help. None came.
Before heading to archives, the comment section on the Good Mayor's news story at sctimes.com numbered 105 comments and still climbing, indicative of a story that raises serious moral and ethical questions. One of the more pressing questions on people's minds was "If the neighbors heard the dog crying, why didn't they step up to help?"
A person identifying him/herself only as Fed Up stated the story was indeed true, as he/she had personally heard the dog's cries for help. Indignant questions of "Why didn't you DO something" met only with silence from Fed Up.
As one embroiled in the same ethical/moral dilemma that Fed Up faced, I truly empathize with his/her plight. Since my arrest, I have endured personal onslaughts of my character from the district attorney, police chief, and other organizations as well as from strangers, new-found enemies, and former friends. They range from mild (she broke the law, period) to the irrational (all the evidence is faked, any eighth grader with photoshop could have created both the photos and the video—fyi, my son is in eighth grade, but insists he has NO idea how to work photoshop, so I've proven that one wrong, thank God...)
Fed Up was caught in a moral dilemma, and had to make a choice between his/her own personal safety and the safety of the dog. We know which choice Fed Up made. He/she now has to live every single day with the guilt created by this decision. Fed Up may well endure nightmares and go to the grave with the guilt of Wiry's death heavy on his/her conscience.
Given what I've had to endure at the hands of local authorities as a result of my decision to save Doogie, I can certainly understand why someone would not choose to act to save the life. How much worse would it have been for Fed Up to save the MAYOR's dog? The Good Mayor would have plenty of community pull, and Fed Up would be tarred, feathered, and hanged by daybreak, any thoughts of Wiry's mistreatment and impending doom completely forgotten and rationalized away by authorities and community members alike. They would all wonder what got into that darn neighbor, usually such a nice, quiet citizen...why would Fed Up suddenly go berserk and start stealing the private property of the Good Mayor? It would make no sense in a justice system centered on dogs as nothing more than property, having no feelings or right to life in and of itself.
I myself was duly notified by the Upstanding Police Chief that if I ever came near his dog, he'd put a slug in my ass. He also stated in the Daily Collegian that my video could well have been faked, that he could take his dog out, drag it through the mud, and get horrible-looking video like that too. But Mr. Police Chief, would not that very act of dragging your best friend through the mud actually constitute abusive behavior on your part? As you probably have no fear of being prosecuted, I can see why you would feel free to envision such a form of torture for your pet.
Until we force our nation to evolve, acting as a Good Samaritan for dogs on chains will be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kinda' thang. If you DO step up to save the life, you may well be the one arrested; and if you don't, you will live with the poor creature's death on your head for all eternity. Not a pleasant choice by any stretch of the imagination.
I am certainly not the first to take action to save a dying chained dog. I may be the first to get such compelling evidence of the crime committed against the dog, to fight for the right of a dog not to die on the end of a chain, and to stand for my right to act as a Good Samaritan. I won't be the last.
Fed Up is not the first to let fear stop him/her from saving a life, and Fed Up will not be the last.
The Good Mayor and Doogie's owners are not the first and will not be the last to get away with animal cruelty by allowing their dog to die on the end of a chain. They are merely links in a chain of abuse that has been ongoing for centuries, and which only we can stop.
It's up to US to make these kind of Americans a dying breed. It's up to US to stop tolerating the abuse, start enforcing laws protecting animals, and create stronger laws limiting chaining for man's best friend. Every social movement succeeds ONLY when the people stop letting fear get in the way of taking the necessary action. When the people stand up, the power shits from abuser to right action. Laws change, tolerance of social injustice ends.
I consider myself lucky, despite facing charges, that I am not in Fed Up's shoes. I know Doogie would thank me if he could, and nothing man can do to me could take that away from me. I wake up each morning knowing I did as Jesus would have done, and Doogie's life being extended almost six months in a loving, caring environment is more than all the proof I need.
Wiry never made it through the night; dying a cold, sad, lonely, frightening death.
I urge everyone placed in the horrible position of Fed Up and myself to push fear aside, to do whatever it takes to save the life. If time is not of the essence, fight hard for authorities to take the necessary life-saving steps. Don't back down to authorities if they act like you don't know what you're talking about or you should mind your own business. If the dog is suffering and death is imminent, that is EVERYONE'S business!
If they refuse to take the plight of the dying animal seriously or do not respond at all to pleas for help, realize you are on your own, and that life is depending on YOU. You may be the only lifeline that dog has, please do not toss it aside lightly.
Doogie's life mattered. Wiry's life mattered.
Every life matters.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
I am slated to stand trial for theft and receiving stolen property for aiding a dog who lay chained, unable to stand, and dying in it's owners' yard for three days. May 21st I am back in court to choose a jury in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
Ironically, May 21st is also the day the Good Mayor of a town in Minnesota goes back to court for a crime involving his chained dog. In this case the defendant sentenced his "wire-haired hunting dog" (we'll call him Wiry for short) to death by freezing in sub-zero temperatures, with only a feces-laden crate for shelter. He is charged NOT with animal cruelty, as one who has any faith in the justice system would expect, but instead with failure to provide proper housing, a 'petty misdemeanor' charge.
His 'petty misdemeanor' charge is even less for KILLING his dog than my 'misdemeanor' charge is for SAVING a dog. Am I the only one who sees a problem in this scenario?
Neighbors say they heard the dog crying for help. None came.
Before heading to archives, the comment section on the Good Mayor's news story at sctimes.com numbered 105 comments and still climbing, indicative of a story that raises serious moral and ethical questions. One of the more pressing questions on people's minds was "If the neighbors heard the dog crying, why didn't they step up to help?"
A person identifying him/herself only as Fed Up stated the story was indeed true, as he/she had personally heard the dog's cries for help. Indignant questions of "Why didn't you DO something" met only with silence from Fed Up.
As one embroiled in the same ethical/moral dilemma that Fed Up faced, I truly empathize with his/her plight. Since my arrest, I have endured personal onslaughts of my character from the district attorney, police chief, and other organizations as well as from strangers, new-found enemies, and former friends. They range from mild (she broke the law, period) to the irrational (all the evidence is faked, any eighth grader with photoshop could have created both the photos and the video—fyi, my son is in eighth grade, but insists he has NO idea how to work photoshop, so I've proven that one wrong, thank God...)
Fed Up was caught in a moral dilemma, and had to make a choice between his/her own personal safety and the safety of the dog. We know which choice Fed Up made. He/she now has to live every single day with the guilt created by this decision. Fed Up may well endure nightmares and go to the grave with the guilt of Wiry's death heavy on his/her conscience.
Given what I've had to endure at the hands of local authorities as a result of my decision to save Doogie, I can certainly understand why someone would not choose to act to save the life. How much worse would it have been for Fed Up to save the MAYOR's dog? The Good Mayor would have plenty of community pull, and Fed Up would be tarred, feathered, and hanged by daybreak, any thoughts of Wiry's mistreatment and impending doom completely forgotten and rationalized away by authorities and community members alike. They would all wonder what got into that darn neighbor, usually such a nice, quiet citizen...why would Fed Up suddenly go berserk and start stealing the private property of the Good Mayor? It would make no sense in a justice system centered on dogs as nothing more than property, having no feelings or right to life in and of itself.
I myself was duly notified by the Upstanding Police Chief that if I ever came near his dog, he'd put a slug in my ass. He also stated in the Daily Collegian that my video could well have been faked, that he could take his dog out, drag it through the mud, and get horrible-looking video like that too. But Mr. Police Chief, would not that very act of dragging your best friend through the mud actually constitute abusive behavior on your part? As you probably have no fear of being prosecuted, I can see why you would feel free to envision such a form of torture for your pet.
Until we force our nation to evolve, acting as a Good Samaritan for dogs on chains will be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kinda' thang. If you DO step up to save the life, you may well be the one arrested; and if you don't, you will live with the poor creature's death on your head for all eternity. Not a pleasant choice by any stretch of the imagination.
I am certainly not the first to take action to save a dying chained dog. I may be the first to get such compelling evidence of the crime committed against the dog, to fight for the right of a dog not to die on the end of a chain, and to stand for my right to act as a Good Samaritan. I won't be the last.
Fed Up is not the first to let fear stop him/her from saving a life, and Fed Up will not be the last.
The Good Mayor and Doogie's owners are not the first and will not be the last to get away with animal cruelty by allowing their dog to die on the end of a chain. They are merely links in a chain of abuse that has been ongoing for centuries, and which only we can stop.
It's up to US to make these kind of Americans a dying breed. It's up to US to stop tolerating the abuse, start enforcing laws protecting animals, and create stronger laws limiting chaining for man's best friend. Every social movement succeeds ONLY when the people stop letting fear get in the way of taking the necessary action. When the people stand up, the power shits from abuser to right action. Laws change, tolerance of social injustice ends.
I consider myself lucky, despite facing charges, that I am not in Fed Up's shoes. I know Doogie would thank me if he could, and nothing man can do to me could take that away from me. I wake up each morning knowing I did as Jesus would have done, and Doogie's life being extended almost six months in a loving, caring environment is more than all the proof I need.
Wiry never made it through the night; dying a cold, sad, lonely, frightening death.
I urge everyone placed in the horrible position of Fed Up and myself to push fear aside, to do whatever it takes to save the life. If time is not of the essence, fight hard for authorities to take the necessary life-saving steps. Don't back down to authorities if they act like you don't know what you're talking about or you should mind your own business. If the dog is suffering and death is imminent, that is EVERYONE'S business!
If they refuse to take the plight of the dying animal seriously or do not respond at all to pleas for help, realize you are on your own, and that life is depending on YOU. You may be the only lifeline that dog has, please do not toss it aside lightly.
Doogie's life mattered. Wiry's life mattered.
Every life matters.
Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
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