Dog’s Duct Tape Photo Is Not Animal Cruelty? PETA Says Katie Brown AKA Katharine Lemansky’s Dogs Need To Be Taken Now
A dog’s duct tape photo has PETA upset with how authorities have handled the situation. Katie Brown aka Katharine Lemansky was charged with animal cruelty, but she was allowed to keep her dogs inside her home and she only faces a Class 1 misdemeanor charge. PETA says this is not enough, but others like Attisyn Chadwick say that duct taping a dog’s mouth shut is not animal cruelty at all.
In a related report by the Inquisitr, the hunt for the missing Katie Brown spanned multiple states and involved local state police from Florida, Connecticut, and North Carolina. The reason it was so difficult to track her down was because she was posting on Facebook from a pseudonym, but it turns out her real name is Katharine Lemansky, although she has also gone by Katharine Plati based on public records.
“Because Lemansky owns property in both Florida and Connecticut, it is difficult to determine where she is actually living at this time,” explained the South Daytona police.
Family members claimed she was traveling around the United States for Thanksgiving, but when South Daytona police finally spoke to the woman on the phone, they were able to track her down to Cary, North Carolina. The Florida police then contacted the local Cary police.
“Taping the dog’s muzzle shut was a terrible decision on Ms. Lemansky’s part, and charging her with animal cruelty under North Carolina law was the right thing to do,” said Cary Police Captain Randall Rhyne.
“This is what happens when you don’t shut up,” she said in the first post, but then later explained what happened to the duct tape dog. “I cant lie. [I] did it for sixty seconds. It was time out. Dont panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasn’t barked since… POINT MADE!!!”
Police made their own point by charging Lemansky with one count of Class 1 Misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals after she admitted the Katie Brown photo was taken within North Carolina. Lemasnky’s court appearance will be on December 14, 2015.
At the same time, the Cary police captain admitted that they did not remove the dogs from her house.
“At the same time, it’s important to also note that our animal control officers who physically examined both Brown and her littermate found the dogs to be very well cared for, which is why we did not and could not remove them from the owner,” Rhyn explained. “The dogs are current on their shots, spayed, and microchipped. They are clean and well-nourished and appear to be comfortable in their surroundings. And there were no signs of injury to Brown’s muzzle, not even detectable hair loss.”
PETA says this is not enough. PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien is “calling for the immediate confiscation of any animals in her home,” and they sent a letter to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman explaining their reasoning.
“Since repeat offenses are common among animal abusers, we ask that if Lemansky is convicted of these charges, she be required to attend anger-management classes at her own expense and be prohibited from owning or harboring animals for as long as possible. In the meantime, we ask that officials confiscate both dogs as a protective measure provided for by N.C.G.S.A § 19A-3,” said Kristin DeJournett, Cruelty Casework Associate Manager for PETA.
“My intention was to show that I support Katie,” Chadwick said, according to Bark Post. “Not that I condone her actions, but that I don’t think she was a monster for doing it. […] It just bothered me that she was getting so much hate for basically just a bad decision.”
What do you think?
[Image via Katie Brown/Facebook]
