Write to: Dr. John Buechner
Office of the President
Campus Box 35
Boulder, CO 80309-0035
E-Mail: John.Buechner@Colorado.EDU

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Urge Prosecutor to Seek Jail Time for Woman Who Left Dog to Starve To Death at the End of a Chain
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On January 4, 2000, Clay County, Florida, authorities responded to an anonymous call about a neglected dog in Green Cove. When they arrived at the scene, officers found what appeared to be a dead dog, emaciated and almost completely hairless, chained to a cinder block. Pus was oozing out of the animal's face and ears. Unbelievably, the dog, a husky named Casey, was still breathing. Casey was rushed to a veterinarian, who determined she would not survive treatment and recommended that she be euthanized. Her body temperature was so low it did not register on the thermometer, and she weighed a mere 24 pounds, less than half the normal body weight for a dog her size.
Casey's guardian, 35-year-old Cynthia Diana Brown, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. We need your help to ensure that the Brown case is pursued to the fullest extent of the law. Thankfully, State's Attorney Harry Shorstein is said to be an animal lover, has vowed to take the case seriously, and has in the past worked with a local animal protection group, Animal Rights Coalition (ARC), on cruelty cases. It is important, however, that the prosecutor assigned to this disturbing case push for jail time and insist that Cynthia Brown permanently be prohibited from owning/harboring animals. Please direct polite letters to:

Harry Shorstein
State Attorney
Fourth Judicial District
330 East Bay St.
600 Duval County Courthouse
Jacksonville, FL 32202

For the animals' sake, it is imperative that letters and calls be courteous. For more information on the link between cruelty to animals and human violence, please review our factsheet Animal Abuse and Human Abuse: Partners in Crime

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