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Dog killed...by groomer? what has the world come to


lokis_mom

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Waterford Township, MI - The unthinkable happened to Laurie Crouch on Oct. 14. What was meant to be a simple nail trim for her dog Gooch, turned into a tragic, unnecessary fatality.

Crouch hired a groomer to come to her home to trim her 3 yr-old dog's nails. According to Crouch, the groomer, Kathryn Tucker, cut Gooch's nails too short.

When the dog became agitated, the groomer, and her assistant, wrapped a leash around Gooch's muzzle, and proceeded to sit on him.

By Crouch's recount of the events, the pair continued to cut her dog's nails - sitting on him the entire time, even though she pleaded with them to stop. By the time they had finished, the dog had died.

A necropsy by the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine showed that Gooch died from ruptured organs caused by sudden, acute trauma.

Adding insult to tragedy - when the Waterford Township police were called, they came and filled out a report, but they did not file charges. Instead, the case was turned over to the Oakland County animal control.

Animal control stated that they did not have jurisdiction and advised Laurie Crouch to file a civil suit. Now, a petition has been started to urge Waterford County and Oakland County authorities to launch an in-depth investigation and to fully prosecute the individuals responsible for Gooch's death.

This story is pure tragedy from start to finish. An innocent dog lost his life as a result of incompetence and blatant cruelty.

Crouch lost more than her dog - she lost a friend, companion and service dog.

Crouch suffers from multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair - she relied on her dog, a Pit bull mix, to help her with a variety of duties. Her dog died a horrific death and nobody is being held accountable for that cruelty.

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I heard, anyone can go to peta.org and there contact the Waterford Township and Oakland County officials and demand that a thorough investigation be launched and that charges of cruelty to animals be filed against the person(s) responsible for Gooch's suffering and death.

The exact address for that page is: https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3433

Anyone can do it. If we all do this together maybe Kathryn Tucker will be charged for cruelty. Here is the storie:

On Thursday, October 14, Waterford Township, Michigan, resident Laurie Crouch hired Kathryn Tucker to trim the nails of her service dog, Gooch. She had no idea that Gooch's life would be ended during what should have been a simple procedure.

According to reports, Tucker and an assistant tied a leash around Gooch's muzzle and affixed a prong collar and two leashes around his neck. Allegedly, the assistant then sat on Gooch and Tucker pinned the dog's neck with her leg. Gooch was reportedly dead before the first nail was clipped! Crouch, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, could only watch in horror from her wheelchair. Necropsy results show that Gooch died of suffocation and internal injuries. Six contusions were found on his neck, and his lungs were full of red foam.

Alarmingly, Waterford Township officials have not filed cruelty-to-animals charges.

Please contact Waterford Township and Oakland County officials and demand that a thorough investigation be launched and that charges of cruelty to animals be filed against the person(s) responsible for Gooch's suffering and death.

Please go here now: https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3433

Thank you!

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OMG WTF is wrong with these people, poor woman couldn't even help her poor dog! :(

If it was me and they didn't stop when I asked them to, They would have both got a swift kick in the face.

Do you know what the sick irony is, if that poor woman and somehow managed to beat off those 2 "groomers" she would probably get done for assault, there is no fecking justice in this world anymore I'm sure! out legal systems clearly fails most of the time! -_-

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From the Michigan's DHS homepage:

Adult Protective Services

The provision of adult protective services is mandated by Public Act 519 of 1982. This critical program requires extensive coordination with, and support from, mental health, public health and law enforcement agencies; the probate courts; aging network and community groups; as well as the general public.

Program staff investigate allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation and provide protection to vulnerable adults. Policy requires that investigations will begin within 24 hours after the complaint is received.

Abuse is harm or threatened harm to an adult's health or welfare caused by another person. An example of abuse is: A developmentally disabled woman who resides in the home of her father and is being beaten by him.

Neglect is harm to an adult's health or welfare caused by the inability of the adult to respond to a harmful situation (self-neglect) or the conduct of a person who assumes responsibility for a significant aspect of the adult's health or welfare. An example of neglect is: A physically disabled man is left in front of the TV all day without a meal or access to toilet facilities.

Exploitation is the misuse of an adult's funds, property, or personal dignity by another person. An example of exploitation is : An elderly woman's son is using her money for his own needs without her knowledge or approval.

To make a report call the Adult Protective Services Hotline at 1-800-996-6228. To get further information about the Adult Protective Services Program, contact your local Department of Human Services office.

Now it doesn't seem that the woman is mentally disabled, but she's certainly physically disabled if she's wheelchair bound.

There are some updates to this case that can be found

here. The full text is below.

When the dog groomer accused of killing a Waterford teenager's dog didn't show up for a court Monday, law enforcement officials were notified she should be arrested.

Kathryn Tucker of Mount Clemens had been ordered to appear at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Jodi Debbrecht in Waterford Township’s 51st District Court. Tucker is accused in the death of Gooch, a pit-bull mix owned by Laurie Crouch of Waterford. Gooch died on Oct. 14 from severe hemorrhaging, brain damage, multiple visceral organ damage and suffocation, according to a necropsy report. Witnesses said Tucker sat on the dog while trimming his nails.

Conviction of animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.

Tucker had previously told the judge she was self-employed in a dog training business specializing in pit bulls.

The judge ordered a $10,000 bond with 10 percent penalty. Debbrecht also ordered that Tucker have no contact with any animals.

Monday's court hearing came about when Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa stated he had learned Tucker had four dogs as of last week.

Tucker's attorney Eric Kutinsky said Tucker was unable to attend the hearing on "short notice. She didn't have a ride," he said.

Pietrofesa said all notifications for the hearing were sent and acknowledged.

Debbrecht then issued the bench warrant and increased Tucker's bond to $25,000. She said the warrant was for "immediate pickup" of Tucker.

Laurie Crouch, owner of the dog in the case, attended the hearing with her family and friends.

"I'm glad she has to do this," she said.

Also in the courtroom was Suzanne Ratliff and her son, Christopher Ratliff Jr., both of Pontiac. Suzanne cried outside of the courtroom afterward, saying she was ready to speak out against Tucker.

"She has my dog, a mastiff, at her home," said Suzanne Ratliff, wiping away tears.

An April 4 pretrial remains scheduled in the case.

Haven't been able to find out anything re: the pretrial/trial. I'll keep looking

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Debbrecht said Tucker’s positive drug test, a failure to appear which caused Tucker to be jailed, and a missed drug testing were a “cause for concern.â€Â

[sarcasm]Yeh, this is just the type of "groomer" I'd want taking care of my friend! (and my dog *is* my friend!)[/sarcasm]

Debbrecht set restitution at $681.90, fines and fees at $500, five days in jail or five days of community service, and a year’s probation.

Pietrofesa [the prosecuting attorney] asked that Tucker have no contact with other people’s animals.

At least she didn't walk on this; I don't think the penalties were anywhere near what they should have been, I'd have liked to see the "no contact" that the prosecuting attorney asked for as part of the sentence. True she may have been out of work, but that's the just result of her actions!

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