Just one year after we told you about the disturbing seizure of 28 starved, neglected Greyhounds, the abuser responsible has been caught starving another victim – and her puppies.
James Gude faced insignificant misdemeanor charges in last year’s starvation case: perhaps a stronger deterrent will be required to prevent him from repeating the cycle of abuse. Upon recent inspection of Gude’s home, Fort Worth Animal Control found an untattooed white and fawn female with 8 pups – 7 females and 1 male.
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A note from their caretakers, the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas:
Faith is a white and fawn female between 4 and 5 years old. She was covered in ticks and fleas. Due to the care provided by Fort Worth Animal Control and Care, almost all the fleas and ticks were dead by the time we received her. She is extremely thin and malnourished and is carrying a huge burden of intestinal parasites as well as being positive to Ehrlichia. Faith’s right ear flap has been surgically removed, and from the scarring it appears to be from some time ago. She is receiving treatment for the parasites and the Ehrlichia in a foster home. She is heartworm negative at this time. Dr. Ellis’ goal is to get her to gain some weight and strengthen her immune system as she weighs only 41.5 pounds right now.
The puppies vary in weight from 3.5 to 4.9 pounds and are between 5 & 6 weeks old. They were covered in fleas and ticks as well, but as with Faith, most were dead by the time GALT received the puppies. The puppies have had an initial treatment for intestinal parasites. The environment Faith and the puppies were living in was horrible and unsanitary. Sevin dust was used for flea and tick control, so Faith and each of the eight puppies are being closely monitored for any and all abnormal behavior and conditions.
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How You Can Help
Want to express your outrage about animal cruelty recurring in Fort Worth? GALT continues to encourage letters be written to:
Joe Shannon, Jr.
Fort Worth District Attorney
401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196
Lisa Herrick and Tracey Kapsidelis
Attorneys
401 W. Belknap, Fort Worth, TX 76196
Frank Moss
District 5 Representative
1000 Throckmorton, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Letters to the Ft. Worth Star Telegram editor are also encouraged:
http://www.star-telegram.com/submit-a-letter
Please be courteous and civil in your writing and ask that all possible legal means be pursued to put a stop to such behaviors.
The Robert Tucker Hayes Foundation (RTHF), a very generous family foundation that has steadily supported GALT since its inception, has established a challenge fund to match every donation – dollar for dollar – up to $10,000.
From now through September 15, 2011, every contribution received specifically for the RTHF 2011 Challenge Fund will be matched. For example, a $25 gift becomes a $50 donation — so your contributions to GALT go twice as far!
With the latest three seizures from FWAC, coupled with the six fractures received since the first of the year, GALT is in dire need of funds to continue to help greyhounds in need. You can make a difference! Accept the challenge TODAY — and help out GALT’s greys with a donation to the RTHF 2011 Challenge Fund.
Please write, donate, or share, and thank you for your continued support of our best friends.
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I am not surprised. In this country we claim to be humane but judges and court systems just don’t get it. Ban these monsters from ever being able to own animals. This will create jobs because these monsters will have to monitored. Animals will be saved and everyone can breath easier.
Sent out letters to all three addresses. Do you think it will really help? Animal lovers in Texas need to look into strengthening the laws so these sickos can’t hurt animals ever again!
If enough do the same, absolutely. Thank you.
I understand the call to punishment. It seems fair that this person should be caged, starved, dehydrated, and tortured with parasites. It might be satisfying indeed to hear his anguished cries and see his hopeless pain as he slowly dies. Nevertheless, unless we execute him or imprison him for life, he will commit the same atrocities as soon as he is able—he has proved this to us. Imprisonment instills fear and hatred, but it corrects nothing, and imprisonment only protects innocents as long as it lasts. Therefore, even if this man is sentenced to fifty years, that imprisonment will not solve the problem of animal abuse. It will not teach the mentally ill, the depraved, and the cruel people in our world how to behave differently. Moreover, we need them to behave differently if we are to protect all creatures from human monstrosity. Keeping a shared and committed watch over this man every day is a far better way to stop him from hurting any more animals. This is hard to do, but being our brother’s keeper will save far more animals than monetary fines or imprisonment can. Perhaps, with just an ounce of grace, our vigilance in keeping this man from hurting more animals, our effort to be his conscience for him until he might develop one of his own, may even teach others that there is a better way to be, a gentler road to travel than the one that he is on. I send the letters to my government representatives, to the judges and lawyers, and I sign the petitions. I rescue animals when I can and give what support I am able to my local, national, and international shelters. My ultimate goal, however, is to find a way to stop the problem of cruelty by practicing the hard work of forgiving and re-teaching the most hideous among us and believing that people can learn kindness.