Dog from recent cruelty incident up for adoption
'She is coming out of her shell, and doesn't seem to show any aggression'
One of the dogs rescued by the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [SPCA] after it was allegedly mistreated by owners in Asbury Park is on the mend and up for adoption.
Boogie [pictured above], a 2 to 3 year old pit bull, weighed 30 pounds and had a bloody ear when she was surrendered to the Monmouth County Humane Society in July, according to Luis Marcado, Monmouth shelter manager and chief of animal control.
“She came in skinny and got her weight back to 50 lbs., and the bloody ear she suffered from flies is back to normal,” Marcado said. “She is a different dog now; she is happy and more energized — and clean.”
Marcado said Boogie will soon be spayed and is now available for adoption.
“The dog is very timid,” said Amy Quinn, an Asbury councilwoman who volunteers at the humane society on the weekends. “She is coming out of her shell, and doesn’t seem to show any aggression. Personally, I would love to see a family from Asbury Park adopt her.”
Dogs that show signs of aggression after 7 days of being in the shelter are given a trainer to work with, Marcado said. If the dog’s temperament does not show signs of improvement after multiple sessions with the trainer, the dog may be euthanized. Boogie required no such training, and is good with other dogs and children, he said.
Boogie and another pit bull, Monster, were allegedly left outside in mid-July without water and proper protection from the sun while temperatures rose to 95 degrees in the shade, Victor “Buddy” Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth County SPCA, previously told the Sun.
In an attempt to escape the heat, both dogs dug holes a foot and a half deep. Monster tried to escape by jumping over a fence into another yard, but died after getting caught on the fence and hanging himself, Amato told the Sun.
Two Asbury Park women Davina L. Kearney, 30, 613 Ridge Ave., and Juanita White, 48, who lives at the Oceanic Motel on Sixth Avenue, face multiple charges of animal cruelty in connection with the alleged mistreatment of the dogs, Amato said.
The charges each carry penalties of up to $1,000 and up to six months incarceration, Amato told the Sun.
Boogie was initially released to one of the owner’s sons before she was surrendered to the Humane Society shortly after the incident, according to Marcado, who did not charge the normal fee required to surrender a dog at the shelter.
“She’s a happy girl now, that’s why I’m glad I took her in,” Marcado said. “I didn’t care about the fee.”
The case against Kearney and White will be heard by Judge Michael Puglise in Asbury Park Municipal Court Friday morning, according to Amato.
For adoption inquiries, call the Monmouth County Humane Society at 732-922-0100.
To volunteer, call Lori Lane, head volunteer coordinator, at 732-245-4838.
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Photo courtesy of Humane Society volunteer Natalie Markova.
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