Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Cat fatally and deliberately attacked by dog

Cat fatally and deliberately attacked by dog
Menlo Park, CA (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 9, 2006
County: San Mateo
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Charges: Felony CTA

Abuser/Suspect: Anthony Makoni

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 7220

Classification: Fighting

Animal: cat, dog (pit-bull)

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Animal was offleash or loose

An East Palo Alto man was arrested on the afternoon Feb 9 for allegedly sending his pit bull to attack a cat, which was so badly injured it had to be euthanized.

Menlo Park Police Officer Eric Dias was driving in the 1200 block of Madera Avenue at 1:38 p.m. on Feb 9 when he saw two men, one with a pit bull on a leash and the other with an empty leash. The men were looking down a long driveway and smiling "as if they were watching some sort of funny show," Dias said.

He then saw a pit bull in the distance shaking a large cat in its mouth and growling. Dias ordered one of the men to call off his dog, but it took several attempts before the dog released the cat.

The cat had been badly mauled with two broken legs. The cat's owner was called and the cat was later euthanized to end its pain, Dias said.

Anthony Makoni, 19, of East Palo Alto was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals, a felony. His dog was released to the custody of animal control officers.

Makoni was arrested because he intentionally sent his dog to attack the cat, Dias said.

The cat had been a 12-year-old family pet.

Case Updates

19-year-old Anthony Makoni of East Palo Alto, will be spending nine months in San Mateo County jail for felony animal cruelty.

The police officer described Makoni as having a smile on his face during the attack -- and when Makoni was questioned about what had happened, he told the officer, "My dog's done that many times," said Scott Delucchi of the Peninsula Humane Society.

After Makoni serves his sentence, he will be on probation for three years. During that time he will be forbidden from owning any animals or taking a job related to animals. He must also have at least five sessions with a licensed therapist regarding the issue of responsibility and appropriate care for animals. And he must pay the cat's owner restitution to be determined by the county probation department.

A San Mateo County hearing officer decided Thursday that Makoni's dog, Black, would be euthanized. Black, about 2 years old, was not neutered.

The cat, named Meilani, had been a part of its Menlo Park family since she was a kitten. They came to the Peninsula Humane Society to identify it after the attack, and stayed with it until its death.

Delucchi said workers there were taking up a collection to help Meilani's owners pay for its cremation.

Source: Mercury News - March 31, 2006
Update posted on Mar 31, 2006 - 8:12AM

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An East Palo Alto man pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty charges Friday for intentionally allowing his young pit bull to maul and kill a 12-year-old cat, San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Saturday.

Anthony Makoni, 19, was detained Feb. 9 after a Menlo Park police officer saw the pit bull, named Black, an unaltered male, attacking the cat, named Meilani, Wagstaffe said.

Makoni allegedly took Black off his leash so he would attack Meilani.

The cat, a family pet, suffered two broken front legs consistent with dog attack injuries and was euthanized at the Peninsula Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the same afternoon, PHS/SPCA spokesman Scott Delucchi said.

Makoni's plea agreement means he faces the possibility of a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in county jail, Wagstaffe said.

He will be sentenced March 29.

The final sentence will depend on a number of factors, including Makoni's character as well as the dog's possible history with violence.

Prosecutors want to know why Makoni would "take pleasure in causing a 12-year-old cat to be torn to pieces by his pit bull," Wagstaffe said.

Felony animal cruelty prosecutions have become more common in San Mateo County in recent years because of the PHS/SPCA's special efforts to bring animal cruelty cases to the attention of the district attorney, Wagstaffe said.

Source: CBS News - Feb 19, 2006
Update posted on Feb 22, 2006 - 1:40AM

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References

	Palo Alto Online - Feb 10, 2006
	Mercury News - Feb1, 2006

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Cat fatally and deliberately attacked by dogMenlo Park, CA (US)

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Cat fatally and deliberately attacked by dog
Menlo Park, CA (US)