Poop City

Jealous loser "allegedly" kills cat

A wannabe baseball pitcher and actor allegedly took his frustrations out on his girlfriend's cat late last month.

Authorities say Joe Petcka beat 7-pound tabby Norman to death on March 27. Petcka was reportedly jealous of Norman, who he complained got more attention from Petcka's girlfriend than he did. The one-time Mets draftee was arrested last week and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

Says Newsday:

... Petcka, who stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds, choked and beat the tawny-colored cat ... so badly that the feline suffered three broken ribs, a broken leg and cracked teeth, said Joseph Pentangelo, assistant director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Norman's body was discovered by his guardian, Sports Illustrated writer Lisa Altobelli, after she and Petcka had gotten into an argument. Petcka allegedly returned to her apartment after the fight, when Altobelli wasn't home, and killed him.

She took the cat to an animal hospital, where vets determined that it suffered a lingering, agonizing death.

"Because of the chest trauma, there was difficulty breathing," [ASPCA vet Robert] Reisman said. "The cat died over a period of 15 minutes."

And what do you know - turns out Petcka has a prior arrest for domestic abuse, reports the Sun:

Just after midnight on September 28, 2002, [Petcka] allegedly grabbed his girlfriend by the throat and threw her out of his apartment, before slamming the door on her finger, police said. A neighbor of Mr. Petcka's at 144 Spencer St. in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn said the woman had to have her finger re-attached.

What a sweetheart.

And Petcka's defense for killing Norman? That's right: the cat started it.

Petcka's lawyer, Charles Hochbaum, defended the actor, claiming that it was Norman who was the aggressor.

"I can say what we believe happened," the attorney said. "The cat bit him, then any injuries to the cat were in response to being bit."

Of course. And his ex-girlfriend grabbed herself by the throat before dismembering her own finger. Allegedly.

Petcka faces up to two years in jail. Here's hoping that's the best thing that happens to him.

Giuliani dogged by Post readers

Dog lovers (or "animal-rights activists," as the Post calls them) are reacting to coverage of Judi Giuliani's work history, which includes a stint at U.S. Surgical, a company that killed dogs to demonstrate its products.

Here's a sampling:

To witness or participate in the pain and suffering of a living being tells so much of a person's lack of character, greed and selfishness.

This is unforgivable, and she should be ashamed. The thought of Giuliani as first lady sickens me.

Rudy Giuliani has lost my vote. Anyone who can condone animal abuse is a loser in my eyes.

If Giuliani desires to be the first lady, she must understand two things: It is not a good idea to ignore public opinion, and Americans like animals and have a special fondness for dogs.

Giuliani's indifference to suffering obviously carried over to people, evidenced by her escapades with Rudy while he was married.

Ouch.

For his part, Mr. Giuliani doesn't think the issue is worthy of comment. At least not yet.

Photo: pwilnyc via Flickr

Ban "tethering," not pit bulls

District 22 Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) was already causing a stir with his proposed ban on pit bulls, and understandably so. But opposition to his latest proposed pet legislation - restrictions on outdoor "tethering" - is as hard to parse as the proposal itself.

Under Vallone's proposal, Newsday reports, pet guardians who leave a dog tied outside for more than three hours during a 12-hour period would be subject to a warning, followed by a $250 fine for a second offense. Vallone is also considering a ban on outdoor "tethering" between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

What could be wrong with that? Plenty, say some. According to the Dog Federation of New York - which is organizing against both the pit bull ban and tethering regs - such restrictions would punish "responsible" caretakers, including poor and minority pet parents.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what responsible pet guardian of any income level or background would leave his or her dog chained up for more than three hours in a day - much less leave a dog chained outside overnight? Considering just two very recent cases of dogs tied or caged outside and left to freeze or starve to death, it's high time for an anti-"tethering" law.

That said, suspicion of Vallone's motivation is warranted. Though he calls himself an "animal rights activist" and "animal lover," his record doesn't completely bear that out.

In addition to his maliciously ignorant assault on an entire breed of dog, Vallone hasn't always come to the aid of animals - even domestic animals - when presented the opportunity to do so. The councilman scored 60 out of 100 on the latest scorecard from the League of Humane Voters of New York City. Though certainly not the worst on the council - Speaker Christine Quinn rates a shameful zero - Vallone has yet to get behind what is possibly the LOHV's highest local legislative priority: the Pets in Housing Bill, which would save animals' lives by ensuring that no-pet lease clauses, once waived, can not be reinstated during a tenant's residency.

Backing such a rule would seem a no-brainer for someone who calls himself an "animal lover," much less an "activist," but the fact that Vallone is not a sponsor of the languishing Pets in Housing law casts doubt on the purity of his intentions.

No more so, however, than the opposition by a group of "caring" pet "owners" to another law that would dramatically improve, not to mention save, the lives of countless dogs, shackled all day every day, who can only watch in longing as the world passes them by.

Photo: UnchainYourDog.org

Giuliani killed dogs for money

The Post reports that First Lady hopeful Judith Giuliani once worked for a medical supply firm that routinely maimed and then killed dogs during surgeries performed for the sole purpose of demonstrating its products.

U.S. Surgical killed "hundreds" of dogs from the 1970s through the 90s, the Post says. Giuliani got a job there in 1975, as a saleswoman in North Carolina, and worked for the company for four years.

"It was a horribly cruel, outrageous program," Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said about the demonstrations of medical staplers on dogs ...

The dogs were "either put to death following the sales demonstrations because they can't recover from them, or they die during them," Feral said.

A campaign spokesman for Rudy Giuliani told the Post that Judith Giuliani "was in the operating room hundreds of times," but would not say whether she participated in demonstrations involving dogs.

Seems likely she did, though.

As the story says [emphasis added]:

The company, now part of Tyco Healthcare, has long acknowledged its salespeople routinely demonstrated staples on anesthetized dogs as part of sales pitches to doctors.

Then-CEO Leon Hirsch defended the practice in the 1980s, saying there was no other way to properly show how the staplers worked.

"A dead dog doesn't bleed," Hirsch said in a 1988 issue of Time magazine. "You need to have real blood-flow conditions, or you get a false sense of security."

Did someone say security? Yes, security!! Homeland Security!! Terrorism!! 9/11!! Run Rudy run!!

A slow, painful death - in plain sight

Winston Mitchell, 37, of Queens, faces up to a year in jail after being arrested late last week for leaving Apollo tied on a short chain in his backyard, where the two-year-old pit bull mix starved and froze to death in temps at least as cold as 18 degrees, according to authorities.

Almost as infuriating is that as Apollo suffered, Mitchell's neighbors knew what was happening, but did not alert the cops until it was too late. A neighbor's account that s/he "begged" Mitchell to take Apollo indoors counters his sniveling excuse that he forgot the dog was there. Apollo's body was found frozen to the ground behind 32-20 107th Street in East Elmhurst, reports the Daily News.

Said ASPCA Special Agent Joseph Pentangelo, to the Post: "To starve and be frozen to death just inches from shelter is the definition of cruelty."

Meanwhile, the city and its "outdoor" pets are in for another blast of deadly cold.

Felony Schmelony

When I was exec editor of an alternative weekly paper in Georgia, I wrote a couple of stories about classified ads which appeared in the local daily. The ads in question were obviously placed by pit bull breeders who were selling the dogs for fighting - a fact related to the paper by the local animal control department, whose officers had called the numbers in the ads, posing as potential buyers, to confirm their suspicions.

Despite the fact that dogfighting is, believe it or not, a felony in Georgia, the paper refused to pull the original ads, and even continued to take new ones. Not only that, the esteemed publisher testily - okay, angrily - defended the practice to me during an interview (which I tape recorded and printed verbatim). Basically, his point was that his paper had no control over how people (i.e. paying advertisers) used his paper's classified section, and if any laws were being violated, well, that was out of his paper's control and was a matter for the authorities.

Which brings us to this excellent item from NYCityPets, calling attention to the startling news that ubiquitous online retailer Amazon.com is a purveyor of videos and magazines that promote animal fighting. Due to pressure from the Humane Society of the United States - which is suing Amazon over its refusal to remove two cockfighting rags from its inventory - the bookseller has apparently pulled one title: the dog fighting vid "Unleashed."

According to Randi Bildner at The Pit Stop, "approximately 20 dogs were wounded, tortured or killed" during the filming of "Unleashed."

Cockfighting is against the law in every state except Louisiana and New Mexico. Yet Amazon is standing its ground on the cockfighting mags - which are apparently replete with advice on how to set up and maintain your very own stable of drugged up and mutilated birds - declaring itself a protector of free speech.

My publisher friend would be proud.

In other news:
- Eugene wins in 40. [NYT]
- Treating pets as luggage is unsafe and inhumane - but if you insist ... [Animal House]
- Slope Street TNR numbers higher than thought. [SSC]
- Introducing Detective Lenny Briscoe the Cat. [423smith]

Poop-O-Rama: V.D./Westminster Afterglow Edition

- As expected, no ink was spared in promoting the Westminster spectacle. As of this writing, Bill Cosby's terrier Harry led for Top Word Count, while poor Vivi maintained a close second. Rather than linking to every single repetitious article, this seemed more useful - for those who are into that sort of thing.

- Back in the real world, AMNY follows up on a story from last week with news that Gonzalo Montesdeoca of East Haven, CT, was charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty after authorities rescued as many pit bulls from the alleged abuser's property. The dogs were left outside in the cold, many stacked in cages. Montesdeoca is free on $100,000 bond and is due in court February 21.

- Leaving no stone unturned, Eli Lilly has gained FDA approval for Reconcile, a new canine anti-depressant. We can just see the commercials now.

- Also on the medical front, vets are set to gather in Las Vegas this week for the 79th Annual Western Veterinary Conference. Among the topics to be discussed: using forensics to detect and report animal abuse. With a possible TV show in the offing, the obligatory "CSI" reference isn't that far fetched.

In other news, V.D. style:
- "I Love NYC Pets" month gets love from Gothamist. [Gothamist]
- Pedicabs get no love from the city (and why you should care). [Gothamist]
- CLister wants love from teacher. [TGL]
- The editor gets name-check love from SuperVegan, but nada from Amy Sedaris. [SuperVegan]

Photo: Isadore ("Izzy") and Bingo.

One year later, Vivi still lost

It's been a year since Vivi the Whippet bolted from a cage at JFK and disappeared into the wilds of Queens, and the once-steady stream of sightings dried up last summer. As Denise Flaim reports, some among the "Team Vivi" search party may be giving up. Some fear Vivi has died, while others are hopeful she was taken in and is being cared for.

If Vivi was indeed adopted by a dog-loving New Yorker, she may be better off. While it may be normal for people in doggie show business to shuttle animals around on planes, it is not normal in the real world, and it is not safe. Anyone who's ever done a modium of research before transporting companion animals should know that turning a pet over to an airline is a risky proposition. In the best of scenarios (i.e. a survivable trip), animals are still stowed with the rest of the baggage, away from human contact and reassurance. Who would subject a beloved cat or dog to such conditions unless it was absolutely necessary? (P.S.: Traveling to compete in a show doesn't qualify. Like racing and fighting, doggie show biz is for people.)

This statement, released last week from Team Vivi's Bonnie Folz, indicates where she, at least, has assigned blame:

The one-year anniversary of the day that Vivi was carelessly mishandled and lost at JFK Airport while entrusted to Delta Airlines to get her home, safely, to California, is only two weeks away.

While certainly culpable, Delta is far from the only responsible party. One could say that treating a frightened, nervous animal like so much luggage - as her handlers did, and as her "owners" apparently condoned - was itself an act of carelessness, and sealed Vivi's fate, for better or worse.

Photo: Honey Bunches of Trouble via Flickr

Pets taken from homes, homeless

Acting on instructions from the Department of Homeless Services, Animal Care and Control stormed a midtown shelter yesterday and "cruelly" seized up to 15 cats from their homeless caretakers, reports the Post.

The department says it has a long-standing no pet policy; tenants of the Alladin Hotel on West 45th Street say the cats not only helped out with shelter's rat problem, but were loved and cared for. The Post says some of the cats had been at the shelter for more than two years.

"It's like losing family," said Phillip Gary, who lost 2-year-old Tutta. He said he worried she'd be euthanized before she got adopted.

In Queens, a burglar abducted Buddy, the Tarantola family's Yorkshire terrier. The family has posted a $500 reward, and says it doesn't care if the thief keeps the stolen jewelry and cash.

"I don't care how they do it," Diana Tarantola said. "Just give us our dog back."

In other news:
- ASPCA's Valentine's Day alerts. [ASPCA]
- Book examines historically famous dogs. [NYCityPets]

Photo: Jazzy Joyce (hey, she can't help her name), ASPCA's NYC Pet of the Week

Trainers come when called

Today brought two trend pieces on at-home trainers. (With two stories on the same day, it must be a trend!) A wire story from AMNY takes us to Anchorage, Alaska (shudder), where Robin Scheff turned a weekend whim into a career. Scheff has worked some tough cases, including that of a pit bull whose caretakers eventually had him euthanized out of fear he would one day kill their Jack Russell terrier. Back in the relatively genteel boros, the Times relates how Broadway trainer Bill Berloni and others help city dogs and cats - and their people - conquer nervousness and aggression issues without having to leave familiar environs.

Asides: According to the Times piece, adoptions from AC&C more than doubled between 2001 and 2006. Also, a lot of couples apparently have sex in front of their dogs.

While some New Yorkers are shelling out big bucks to make their companion animals comfortable and safe, at the other end of the evolutionary chain we have the likes of Matthew Woods and Latoya Katon. This allegedly sorry Brooklyn pair has been charged with letting one pit bull dehydrate and starve to death while leaving eight more to suffer the same fate in their backyard. When brought in for questioning by the ASPCA, Woods "punched and kicked cops and broke a plate-glass window." Of course people like Woods have nothing to do with giving pit bulls a bad name. It's the breed.

In other news:
- Busy schedule at LOHV. [LOHV]
- Flushed kitty poo endangers sea otters. [AMNY]
- The politics of co-sleeping. [callalillie]

Photo: Viciously adorable pit bull pup, c/o BARC and lisacat