Man Charged With Abusing Dog With Fireworks; Animal Challenge Raises Money To Lessen Euthanasia
We’ve scoured the internet and found two dog news stories. One is bittersweet and the other is awe-inspiring.
Law enforcement officers say a man in Fulton County, Georgia was charged with animal cruelty after using fireworks in an attempt to scare his pet dog. The man’s daughter captured the whole act on a video and posted it online. Thanks to his daughter’s act, the man now faces time in prison, according to an 11Alive report.
Within the video, the suspect and woman’s father, William Scaffidi, is seen using fireworks to frighten his dog. Scaffidi is clearly seen lighting multiple fireworks behind his dog, causing him to run around in fear. To make matters worse, someone can be heard laughing — presumably, Scaffidi’s daughter — while his dog runs away.
Fulton County Animal Services reported that Scaffidi’s daughter, 13, recorded a video of her father’s alleged animal abuse and posted it online. Her initial thoughts were the footage was amusing and harmless. Apparently, she didn’t realize her father’s actions were abusive to the dog and an infraction under the law.
Man Faces Animal Cruelty Charges After Lighting Fireworks Near Dog, as Internet Erupts in Rage https://t.co/hQZP2e267I
— Fritz Melick (@fritz_melick) July 12, 2016
Within hours, people who watched the video on their timelines contacted the authorities. Investigators said Scaffidi’s daughter tagged him on the post which made identifying him rather easy.
Tim Poorman is the Field Services Director at Fulton County Animal Services. He spoke about the disturbing animal abuse incident.
“The floodgates opened, every other call that has come in today has been about this. We have had calls from all over the country, from Canada and Mexico.”
Because of his actions, Scaffidi received criminal charges of animal cruelty and lack of a pet ownership license. According to Poorman, Scaffidi stated that he thought “the prank would be funny,” and that his pet would not be scared by it.
“The dog was in good health, had all the provisions, dog house, water,” Poorman stated.
The Fulton County Magistrate Court had the authority to fine Scaffidi up to $500, force him to give up the dog, and prevent him from owning a pet while living in Fulton County. Scaffidi also faced the possibility spending up to six months in prison. Hopefully, the man learns that his benign act was no laughing matter, was criminal and injurious to a hapless dog. Based on an update, the man was only fined $500 and was allowed to keep his dog, Betty Boop.
Recently, Michelson Found Animals launched its third annual “Saving Pets Challenge.” The contest encourages animal shelters across the United States competing against each other to raise money to save pets and reduce the rates of euthanasia.
Anne Dunne, Exec Dir of @CatTownOakland, one of our saving pets challenge winners #FoundAnimals pic.twitter.com/Qv4Un8jVDi
— Found Animals (@FoundAnimalsOrg) October 9, 2016
The challenge runs over 30 days. This year, 600 organizations participated, doubling the number of competitors from the previous year. In the two years since the event’s inception, donors contributed over $2.5 million to support programs across the United States. As of this writing, $1.3 million has been raised in 2016 alone.
‘Michelson Found Animals Foundation’ Launches the Third Annual ‘Saving Pets Challenge’! https://t.co/GSCBwOmVYA pic.twitter.com/IzbpSYcxfW
— being stray (@beingstray) July 13, 2016
According to the Michelson Found Animals website, the groups that raise the most money during the 2016 competition will be rewarded with grants from Found Animal, totaling $150,000. Monetary prizes will be awarded to first through fifth place recipients: $50,000, $30,000, $20,000, $10,000, and $5,000, respectively. There are also bonus contests prizes worth $35,000.
In addition to the cash prizes and the money raised by individual companies, participants can also win prize money from the competition’s co-sponsors, Metro Paws, Petcube, Whistle, Merial, and Petterson.
Moreover, even if a group does not win any of the grand prizes, they can still keep all of the money they raise from their individual efforts.
“The team at Found Animals knows how hard animal welfare organizations across the country work to help pets in their communities,” said Dr. Gary Michelson, Founder of Found Animals.
“They are the unsung heroes for at-risk animals and the people who love them. We are thrilled to be able to provide this fundraising tool to help them save more pets,” he added.
We agree.
[Featured Image by Chris6/iStock]
