Dog News

Wisconsin Woman Faces 5 Years in Prison for Poisoning Dog

by Melanie

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10.24.12 Poison
Mary

A woman in Wausau, Wisconsin was charged on Monday for slitting the throat of her boyfriend’s dog after poisoning her with bleach, Drano and pills.  Twenty-year-old Sean D. Janas was held on $2,500 cash bond and is charged with felony mistreatment of animals, giving poison to an animal, and obstructing an officer.  She is facing up to five years in prison and fines of $30,000 if convicted on all charges.

The four-year-old German Shepherd-Labrador mix named Mary suffered months of abuse at the hands of her owner’s girlfriend.   The most damning piece of evidence in the case comes from Janas herself.  She kept a diary with detailed narratives of her horrendous actions.  The following passages may be too disturbing for some readers.

“I need to find a way to kill her without it looking like I killed her,” Janas wrote.  “I’ve done lots of things already.  I’ve given her drano, bleach and a lot of pain pills lol one night she got all tweaked out because of it, it was so funny.”

Another despicable entry read:  “I have never hated an animal so much in my life, much less hate one or beat one.  But the pleasure I get from watching her whimper in pain and cry out for help as I shove drano and bleach down her throat is like no other.”

10.24.12 Poison 2
Sean D. Janas

Police believe Mary was killed on June 4, and had been sadistically abused for months.  She was brought in for treatment on April 11 after a neighbor found her in the street, bleeding from the head.  Neighbors heard Janas yelling at Mary, and saw her strike the dog with a leash.  They believe Mary was also stabbed.  Her owner, Steven Kuick, said she had been vomiting blood in the week leading to her death, but said he was unaware of the abuse.

Marathon County Humane officer Lisa Held said this was the worst case of animal cruelty she had ever seen, and urges people to take action.

“Speak up, whether by calling the police or the shelter,” Held said.  “Speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

A Facebook page, entitled For Mary, was created by Stacy Cole to commemorate Mary, and a petition begun to call for Janas to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  Sidney Rose posted a link about the story on her Facebook page, and was motivated to start the petition after receiving many comments on the link.  Both women hope to encourage people to speak out against animal cruelty and report any suspicious activity, as well as see that there is justice for Mary.

It is unknown whether Janas will undergo psychological testing, but the repeated torture and murder of an animal is a clear indicator of mental illness.  She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 31.