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April 21. 2007 6:59AM

Dog case on = national=20 list

It's among group's 100 = worst=20 cruelty cases in '06.

JOSHUA STOWE
Tribune Staff = Writer

SOUTH BEND --=20 A South Bend dog found spray-painted purple and with = his=20 throat slit early last year is listed among 100 of the = worst=20 animal cruelty cases in the United States for 2006, a = national=20 animal protection group has announced.

The dog, = a chow=20 and Shar-Pei mix puppy whom local animal control = workers=20 nicknamed Elmo, was found on Jan. 28, = 2006.

Elmo's case=20 is among those that the Humane Society of the United = Sates is=20 highlighting.

"The = main goal=20 of releasing this list is just to continue to build = awareness=20 of the graphic, violent nature of these acts of animal = cruelty," Dale Bartlett, the group's deputy manager of = animal=20 cruelty issues, said Friday.

The list details a = litany=20 of abusive practices, Bartlett said.

"It's = horrible=20 things like burning and stabbing and strangling and=20 bludgeoning," he said, adding that the people = responsible for=20 such actions have "an extraordinary and frightening = capacity"=20 for violence.

Bartlett said that research = indicates=20 that "what we're dealing with is very dangerous, = violent=20 people" who often become violent toward other=20 people.

The Humane Society of the United States = examined almost 2,500 animal cruelty cases in = order

to=20 compile the list, according to the group's Web=20 site.

A happy ending

Although = Elmo=20 suffered horrific abuse, his case ended well, said = Gary=20 Libbey, manager of South Bend Animal = Control.

People=20 who learned of Elmo's story donated some $4,000 for = his=20 medical bills, Libbey said. Mike Gallagher, a = nationally=20 syndicated radio host, was among them. Libbey said = Gallagher=20 donated $1,000.

And then, a local woman adopted = the=20 dog, Libbey said.

"Even the first day he came = in here,=20 he was a happy-go-lucky dog, like nothing had ever = happened to=20 him," he said.

To learn more

To = view the=20 Humane Society of the United States' list of animal = cruelty=20 cases, go to www.hsus.org/hsus_field/cruelty_cases_2006_intro.html= .=20 Case listings allow users to browse the entire list, = or to=20 examine cases state by state.

Staff writer = Joshua=20 Stowe:
jstowe@sbtinfo.com
(574)=20 235-6359

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