Sally's tormentor sentenced

I was off yesterday, but my colleague Larry Hertz reported on the sentencing of the man who tossed a 2-year-old terrier mix into a clothing donation bin and left her to die.

See the article here. NOTE: Since the link is no longer working, Garry Lee Rhodes got eight months in jail.

And if you want to read the previous blog entries I did about Sally, including the update after New Year's, with Sally in a party hat, click here.

Sally's got a new home

HYDE PARK — Sally, the terrier mix found abandoned in a clothing donation bin, has been adopted and left the DCSPCA shelter for her new home today.

The dog was adopted by Paula Clausi-VanSteenburgh and her daughter Monica VanSteenburgh of Highland.

Sally was rescued from a bin in a Hyde Park shopping center Sept. 15 by humane law officers from the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A man who had been emptying the clothing bin alerted them to the situation.

The dog had been in the container without food or water for about a week.

“I’m so glad some good comes out of Sally’s circumstances,” Clausi-VanSteenburg said.

She worked with the dog on some basic obedience before taking her to her new home which has a pit bill mix named Pluto.

Monica VanSteenburgh said bringing Sally home will be a wonderful experience.

"Pluto will be so happy to have another dog to play with," she said.

DCSPCA Executive Director Joyce Garrity said Sally now weighs 36 pounds. When found, the dog weighed 16 pounds.

Garrity was pleased Sally is now in a good home.

“If you were going to write the ending, this couldn’t be better,” she said.

"Today is really a very special day for a really special dog that started in a tragic, horrific way," Garrity said.

She said she thinks Sally will have a wonderful future with her new family.

"And she'll have her own 12-year-old girl to play with," Garrity said.

Update on Sally's alleged abuser

The City of Poughkeepsie man who allegedly starved then tossed the dog now known as Sally into a clothing donation bin pleaded not guilty today in the City of Poughkeepsie court to one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Through his attorney, Garry Lee Rhodes, 28, entered a not guilty plea for failure to provide proper sustenance and medical care to the dog.

Rhodes remains on electronic monitoring, and could be subject to a $10,000 fine if he violates house arrest.

For more on the story, click here.

Sally's alleged abuser under electronic surveillance

HYDE PARK — The City of Poughkeepsie man accused of leaving his dog for dead in a clothing bin will be electronically monitored until his next court appearance.

District Attorney William Grady said Garry Lee Rhodes, 28, gave a false home address and was considered a flight risk.

"We asked the court to revoke his ROR (released on own recognizance) status and recommended $5,000 bail," Grady said.

Rhodes was appearing in the Town of Hyde Park Court Tuesday. He is charged with one count each of torturing/not feeding an animal, abandonment of a disabled animal and neglect of an impounded animal, all misdemeanors in violation of state Agriculture and Markets Law.

Justice David Steinberg imposed electronic monitoring, using an ankle bracelet, as a condition of release.

"He (Rhodes) was admonished by the judge that if he absconds, he will be immediately arrested and bail would be set at $5,000," Grady said.

Rhodes is scheduled to appear Wednesday morning in City of Poughkeepsie Court to be arraigned on one count of failure to provide sustenance, a misdemeanor under state Agriculture and Markets Law.

Joyce Garrity, executive director of the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said she was pleased with the results of the court appearance today.

"We will soon be seeing justice for Sally," she said.

The terrier mix is currently living at the Hyde Park shelter.

"We are being careful about finding a home for her," Garrity said.

She said anyone interested in adopting her should contact her directly at the shelter.

Contact information can be found on the DCSPCA's Web site.

Sally's alleged abuser released on own recognizance

HYDE PARK — According to reporter Christine Pizzuti, a City of Poughkeepsie man accused of leaving his dog for dead in a clothing donation bin last month was released on his own recognizance after he pleaded not guilty on all charges at his arraignment in Hyde Park court tonight.

Gary Lee Rhodes, 28, was charged with one count each of torturing/not feeding an animal, abandonment of a disabled animal and neglect of an impounded animal, misdemeanors in violation of state Agriculture and Markets Law.

Assistant District Attorney Heather Ryan said Rhodes had been convicted of two DWIs — one in 2003, the other in 2005.

She said Rhodes had two prior failures to appear in court, and there were bench warrants issued both times.

Public defender Thomas Angell said said Rhodes will have to find new defense, since someone in his office has opted to adopt the dog, posing a conflict of interest.

Ryan asked for bail at $1,000, but the judge let Rhodes go on his own recognizance, to reappear Oct. 28 at 9:30 a.m.

Alleged dog abuser to be arraigned Tuesday

Garry Lee Rhodes, 28, of the City of Poughkeepsie will be arraigned in the Town of Hyde Park Court next Tuesday for allegedly abandoning his dog in a clothing donation bin.

Here's my article from today's Poughkeepsie Journal.

My thoughts on Sally

I got an e-mail yesterday about my article on Sally's visit to a Marist College classroom on Tuesday. The writer expressed concern that the article didn't address the state of the economy and the fact that people may not be able to afford to feed their pets.

Sally is the terrier mix dog found abandoned in a clothing donation bin in a parking lot in Hyde Park Sept. 15.

The writer said maybe the person who left Sally was afraid of being charged with a serious infraction of the law if they were to "do the right thing" by dropping her off at a shelter. The writer was thinking specifically of the elderly and urged me to, in the future, consider including information on what people can do when they can't afford to care for their pets any longer.

I responded that I understood the point the writer was making, that there are instances in which people can no longer afford to keep their animals. I have blogged several times about the foreclosure crisis that has forced many families to make difficult decisions about giving up their pets.

But one thing must be kept in mind about Sally: the dog was starved long before it was tossed into a metal clothing bin. Medical tests found there was no underlying condition that would have caused such an extreme case of malnutrition.

When found, Sally weighed 16 pounds. At approximately 2 years of age, she should have weighed 36 to 38 pounds. She looked, as I described in an article, "as if someone had taken a dog’s skeleton and wrapped it in light brown fabric."

I don't think it's necessary to explain to any rational human being — someone who still has feelings — that it would be better to, say, tie a dog up to a fence, out in the open, where there is some traffic, than throw it into a container in a remote portion of a parking lot from which it could not escape. Where it could very possibly have died, had the person whose responsibility it was to collect the donated clothes not been on schedule.

I think the thing to keep in one's mind in this situation — and the reason the Dutchess County SPCA feels this falls under the heading of criminal activity — is that the dog was essentially starved for a very long time then thrown away to die, alone and unwanted, in a metal container. It would have been a horrible, unjustifiable death.

She was in a metal bin in a shopping center parking lot exposed to the summer sun for about a week. No food. No water. No way to escape.

Sally was, as DCSPCA Executive Director Joyce Garrity said, "horrifically disposed of like a pile of old clothes."

There is No. Possible. Excuse. for this type of action.

What happened to Sally was not, under any possible explanation, anything other than a despicable act of depraved indifference.

I watched Sally trot up and down the aisles of a Marist classroom, going from person to person — curious, loving and trusting. Cocking her head at a photographer's camera, as he clicked the shutter. Barking at shadows moving by the classroom door window. Being a dog, in the only world she knows.

Trusting. Forgiving.

And then I look at my dog, Kate, sleeping next to me on the couch as I write this.

She trusts me.

I hope, though I try not to anthropomorphize animals, that she loves me.

I cannot imagine a situation in which I would leave her to die, alone and hungry and unwanted.

She trusts me.

That is my burden. And I gladly accept it.

More on Sally

I had another opportunity to see Sally yesterday.

The pooch was brought to Marist College in the Town of Poughkeepsie for a public opinion class led by Douglas Brush.

Here's the story, with a link to Darryl Bautista's photos of which the above is one.

She definitely has gained weight. I was told by Dutchess County SPCA Executive Director Joyce Garrity that Sally now weighs 23 pounds, still down from the estimated 36-38 that she should weigh. When Sally was found, in a metal clothing donation bin in a shopping center parking lot, on Sept. 15, she weighed only 16 pounds.

Garrity confirmed that Sally was malnourished before she was tossed into the bin, meaning there was definite abuse involved.

Nonetheless, the pooch was running up and down the aisles of the classroom, checking to see what people had on their desks. Almost all the students took the opportunity to take cell phone pictures of Sally.

Sally lavished kissed on Leah Hapeman, the DCSPCA's animals services assistant manager, who lugged Sally around to each student. "She sure feels more than 23 pounds," Hapeman said.

Brush read the original story about Sally and thought she would be a good example of animal abuse that his class could use to create public relations campaigns. The class decided to "adopt" Sally as their poster dog in the soon-to-be-created campaigns.

I'll keep you posted on the class's progress.

Sally was starved

The worst has been confirmed about Sally, the terrier mixed breed found abandoned in a clothing donation bin in a parking lot in Hyde Park.

I got an e-mail from Joyce Garrity, executive director at the Dutchess County SPCA, with an update on the dog.

Garrity said Sally's blood work shows that she is a little anemic, but otherwise the tests were negative.

That means the dog does not have a medical condition that may have contributed to her emaciated state.

"What it does tell us is that she suffered from grave malnutrition," Garrity said. "Sally was literally starved, and then horrifically disposed of like a pile of old clothes."

She said the DCSPCA is working to find the person who perpetrated this act of cruelty.

Garrity said Sally continues to recuperate. As of Friday, she gained 4-1/2 pounds on a meal plan prescribed by the shelter's veterinarian. When she was found a week ago, she weighed 16 pounds.

"She is a happy little girl who is sweet and affectionate and loves to give kisses," Garrity said.

Donations toward Sally's care are being accepted by the DCSPCA. To designate a contribution toward helping Sally and dogs like her, write "Project Hope" in the memo portion of your check.

Sent donations to the DCSPCA, 636 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538 or contribute online at dcspca.org.

UPDATE @ 3:38 P.M.: Garrity said Sally now weighs 23 pounds, again up from 16, but still well under the 36-39 range that she should be.

Sally's blood tests expected Monday

That's basically the only update on Sally, the terrier mix found abandoned in the clothing donation bin Monday.

Dutchess County SPCA Executive Director Joyce Garrity said the blood was collected Thursday and sent to the lab today. She said the results are expected early next week.

For more on the saga of Sally, click here.

Update on Sally

My colleague Lee Ferris and I had the opportunity of meeting Sally, the dog found abandoned in a clothing donation bin Monday. Lee took the video above, and I narrated.

Seeing the pictures are one thing, but actually seeing a dog that should weigh almost 40 pounds and only weighs 16 is quite another.

Were it not for her astounding condition — you can literally count her ribs and vertebrae — she acts like a normal pooch. She walked with us to a fenced-in area with her nose to the ground, for the most part she ignored the toys handlers were trying to tempt her with and she tried to climb into Lee's lap while he was trying to get the video of her.

She was licking the face of the humane law officers who found her, and her tail seldom stopped wagging while we were there.

I'll be doing an update on Sally for tomorrow's print version of the newspaper and, of course, for the Web site.

The DCSPCA is taking donations to help pay for Sally's recovery. See this blog entry for more information.

Regarding donations for Sally

I just received this e-mail from Joyce Garrity, the executive director of the Dutchess County SPCA, in response to a telephone call regarding contributions to specifically help Sally, the mixed breed dog abandoned in a clothing donation bin in Hyde Park.

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Dear Michael,

I read your blog this evening, and I thank you so much for letting the public know about Sally's ordeal. We are hoping that someone recognizes this sweet dog and can give us information about the person or persons that are responsible for this heinous act of animal cruelty. I appreciate all that you and Kate do to heighten people's awareness of the importance of treating animals with respect and dignity. I was very moved by the responses that you have received from the public — it is heartwarming to know that there are many people in our community who care deeply for the animals in need.

The Dutchess County SPCA has a program called Project Hope, which helps animals like Sally who require medical attention. If people wish to donate to the DCSPCA, they may write "Project Hope" in the memo section of their check or in a letter to us if they prefer. We are extremely grateful for all donations, as our caring staff and dedicated volunteers provide loving care for the abandoned, abused and neglected animals in our shelter every day of the year. It is a daunting task, but a very rewarding one — a labor of love.

Your readers may also like to know that for those who cannot afford to feed their pets because they are struggling in this economy, the DCSPCA has a Pet Pantry Program. People in need may come to our shelter, and we will provide them with dog or cat food.

Thank you, Michael, and thank you to all of your readers who have expressed compassion and concern over the suffering of an innocent animal. She is being monitored by our devoted veterinarians, and we are very hopeful that she will be restored to full health.

Joyce Garrity

Executive Director

Dutchess County SPCA

Horrific act of cruelty

With Sally (above) are Humane Law Officer Jami Landry and Veterinarian Joseph Palamara.

The Dutchess County SPCA notified us of a truly incredible case of animal cruelty.

On Monday, DCSPCA humane law officers found a dog dumped in a charity clothing donation bin in Hyde Park in the parking lot of the Stop and Shop on St. Andrews Road.

A man had been emptying the donation bin and discovered a starving dog among the bags of clothing.

The dog is a small yellow mixed breed female, horribly emaciated. Officers said she had been in the bin for about a week, with daytime outside temperatures reaching 90 degrees.

DCSPCA Humane Law Supervisor Jami Landry said, "It must have been like an oven for the dog trapped inside."

In spite of her condition, the dog wagged her tail when she was rescued and was taken to the shelter where she received medical treatment. Despite severe malnourishment, and pending blood work, vets say her prognosis for recovery is good.

She been named Sally, short for Salvation.

The DCSPCA is seeking information that may lead to the identification and prosecution of the dog's owners. She was wearing a nylon collar with interwoven threads of orange, reflective silver and black. The collar was tied with a clothing line cord.

If anyone has any information about this dog, contact the DCSPCA Humane Law Department at 845-452-7722, ext. 104.

Sally and Humane Law Enforcement Officer Stephanie Fitzpatrick.

UPDATE: People have asked about donating to help care for Sally. I am sure the DCSPCA would accept any contributions, but I cannot say whether they could be applied to this specific case. I have a call into Joyce Garrity, the executive director, and will post an answer as soon as I find out.

Update on Vick's dogs

The Washington Post had a moving article yesterday on what has happened to the dogs seized when Michael Vick's dogfighting operation was shut down.

"Of the 47 surviving dogs, 25 were placed directly in foster homes, and a handful have been or are being adopted. Twenty-two were deemed potentially aggressive toward other dogs and were sent to an animal sanctuary in Utah. Some, after intensive retraining, are expected to move on to foster care and eventual adoption."

The jury is still out, for some experts, on whether the dogs can be retrained.

"John Goodwin, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society and a proponent of euthanizing fight dogs, is skeptical of the emerging reports of the Vick dog recoveries. ... 'The behavior is bred into them,' he said. 'These groups are not rehabilitating these dogs. They're training them to behave in a more socialized manner. But these pit bulls should never be left alone with other dogs, because you never know when that instinct to fight another dog is going to surface.' "

Be sure and listen to the audio gallery.

Here are some other entries I did on the Vick saga.

UPDATE: Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy protection, saying he owes up to $50 million. Here is the story from ESPN.com.

DCSPCA handles cruelty cases

Over the last week or so, the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hyde Park, N.Y., saved the lives of several animals.

DCSPCA Humane Law Enforcement Officers Jami Landry and Stephanie Fitzpatrick rescued six cats from a storage unit in the Town of Dover Nov. 7. The cats had allegedly been in the space for three days without food or water.

The owner of a neighboring unit notified the agency about the animals. The owner of the storage unit where the cats were found was charged with 18 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Below are two of the rescued kittens. All the cats will be available for adoption once their medical care has been completed.


On Nov. 9, Landry and Fitzpatrick responded to a report of a dead dog tied to a stake in a City of Poughkeepsie yard. There were heavy chains attached to the dog's collar. The dog likely died of starvation and exposure to extreme weather conditions.

The officers removed two emaciated pitbulls from the premises. They allegedly had multiple injuries and open wounds. The owner of the dogs was arrested and charged with four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

The dogs will remain at the shelter while they recover from their injuries.

Below is Animal Services Staff Member Manny Gronenthal, comforting one of the rescued dogs.

Vick fesses up

Michael Vick, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, will apparently plead guilty to charges that he ran a dog-fighting ring. The New York Times has the story.

Vick's co-defendants were ready to testify against him, saying that he killed eight underperforming dogs by hanging and drowning them.

I believe that how someone treats those weaker than they are speaks volumes about the type of human being he or she is.

An attorney for Vick said that the NFL star wanted to apologize to "everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

Yeah. Right.