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2007 Cammie and her Service Cats
Contra Costa County, CA
December 2007

Dear Voices For Pets:

This is dedicated to Voices For Pets and to the life of my kitty, “Gata”. Thank you for existing! I truly do not know what I would have done without your help over the years, especially on August 24, 2007. As you know I called you in a panic, because my kitty, “Gata” had become deathly ill.  She was 15 years old. You came to my rescue again!

Thank you, thank you for helping me to not have to face one of my biggest fears. I did have to face the inevitable fear of saying goodbye to my little girl, but I did not have to face the massive fear I had of not being there with her when it came time for her to pass.

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In the middle of the night at about 12:30am on May 22, 2007, in the hills of the King Estates above Greenley Drive, a sadistic punk shot and killed fifteen baby goats, part of a herd of several hundred, brought to the East Bay to eat grass and to protect the community from fire. Neighbors called the Oakland Police to report a large number of gunshots, but it wasn’t until the next morning that a jogger found the dead goats in a portable corral about 200 feet from Howard Elementary School

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2007 Oakland Goat Killings
December 2007
Dear Pet Lover:

This is the story of an animal cruelty case with a bizarre twist. Randa Burrows witnessed the shooting of a cat, reported the incident to the police, and filed a police report. The cruelty case was never tried, but Randa found herself being sued in Court for libel and false arrest. The story of this injustice follows.

On September 19, 2005 Randa Burrows was walking her dog on the Arroyo Mocho Trail that winds through many residential neighborhoods in Livermore California. Randa said, “I heard a cat screaming in pain. It sounded like the cat was being tortured; I started to run in the direction of the cries, when a cat came running from the backyard of 473 Daiseyfield Drive.” Randa heard a popping and cracking sound and looked up to see another cat dropping branch to branch from a tree, and a man aiming an air gun rifle repeatedly shooting as the cat fell. Randa screamed at the man telling him she was going to call the police. He smirked and said, “Go ahead it’s my yard, I can do whatever I want on my property.” Randa said, “No you can’t, you can’t shoot animals.” While Randa kept the man busy the second cat managed to escape by running past her.

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Livermore Cat Shooting and the Injustice System
November 2006
Belle's Story - SAN RAMON CAT POISONING CASE
November 2006

Belle, the resident cat at the 92-acre AT&T complex in San Ramon had lived on this site for 11 years under the nurturing umbrella of the company. In 1995 she bore 4 kittens, which were placed in loving homes. With the help of the Feral Cat Foundation, Belle was spayed, vaccinated and had been cared for by a network of dedicated employees who made sure she received food and water 7 days a week.

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PLEASANTON CAT TORTURE CASE
December 2005

Dear Pet Lover,

On January 17, 2005, in Pleasanton, California 18-year-old John Van De Roovaart and two 17-year-olds decided to kill a cat. They drove around the neighborhood and found Xeno an 18-year-old family pet. Xeno was older than the children in his family and had always been treated with love and kindness. Xeno had no reason to fear humans and walked right up to the sadistic killers, who scooped him up, put him in their car and took him to Van De Roovaart’s house.

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On November 28, 2003, neighbors witnessed Richard Henri Jenkinson (AKA George Jenkinson) kicking a kitten, “Tiger”, up against his fence repeatedly.  The neighbors yelled at him to stop and Jenkinson turned and walked away.

The neighbors notified the police and stayed with the injured kitten until Animal Services arrived.  When Animal Control Officer Lee saw Tiger he was “lying motionless” and “was unable to move.”

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Tiger’s Story and the Case Against Richard Jenkinson
July 2004
Concord, CA
“Watch your dogs,” the couple was warned as they prepared to move into their new house in the country.  “People up here won’t think twice about shooting a dog running loose.”  Jason and Carol Hayes could not have known how that statement would haunt them in the coming weeks.

The Hayes family was excited to move to their new home in Tehama County.  Carol and Jason had dreamt for years of moving to the country where they could raise their kids and enjoy their dogs.  Finally, that dream was becoming a reality.  Jason would have to make a much longer commute and finances were going to be tight but it was worth it to live in their own little piece of heaven.

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Dean
December 2004
Tehama County, CA
On July 13, 2004, six people met at a prearranged location near a Northern California lake. One person brought duct tape and a pocketful of explosives. Another brought a video camera. The man who organized this summer evening gathering arrived carrying a pet rabbit he had found on the street.

The group went out onto a fishing pier. They duct-taped a quarter-stick of dynamite to the 4-pound defenseless bunny, lit the fuse and threw her into the water. They videotaped the entire incident, presumably hoping to document the rabbit being blown to smithereens.

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Lucky
December 2004
Concord, CA
On June 13, 2001 in an apartment on the Presidio in San Francisco, Raija Hossainy placed her dog Kino in a dark unventilated closet, barricaded the door with a barbell and moved out. Forty-one days later on July 30, Presidio Park Police responded to complaints of "a terrible smell coming from the apartment". Officer Robert Reidy discovered Kino dead. Officer Reidy said, "There were scratch marks visible on the inside of the door where the dog apparently attempted to free itself".

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Kino
December 2003
San Francisco, CA
In our last update, we promised to let you know the outcome of "Simon's" trial. You may recall that when Simon disappeared Brad Gray pursued many avenues looking for him only to learn that a neighbor, Darlene Kluber, had Simon euthanized at the Napa County Animal Control. At that time misdemeanor cruelty to animal and petty theft charges were filed against Ms. Kluber. Well, a trial was held! District Attorney (DA) Gary Lieberstein remained steadfast, did not drop Simon's case, and a trial was held. Honorable Stephen T. Krozer presided. Simon had his day in court, even though he was not with us. Had he been the victim of petty thievery and animal cruelty?

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Simon
December 2003
Napa, CA
Sheila, an adorable six year old Shepherd mix lived in Berkeley with a group of people, no one in particular being her owner. Two times she strayed from her home and ended up at the Berkeley Animal Control. Someone from her communal home came and got her both times. Not long after that she was again lost and placed in the Berkeley Animal Control. Three months went by and no one came to get her.

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Sheila
February 2002
Berkeley, CA
On September 23, 2002 Sugar, a black and tan tabby, was home alone with De Schbazz, the caregiver for 100 year old Madeline Mason. While Madeline was attending senior activities at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, caregiver DeSchbazz stabbed Sugar with a steak knife.

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Sugar
September 2002
Oakland, CA
Voices for Pets first became aware of the problem of commercial trappers in our residential neighborhoods after learning in 1995 that the East Bay Regional Parks Department was hiring trappers to kill animals in the parks. The trappers were using leg-hold traps and sometimes box traps before shooting them. Voices for Pets then learned that the Navy was doing the same thing at Alameda Naval Base to deal with the pets left behind by departing families as the base was being closed.

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Trappers
February 2000
Contra Costa County, CA
Voices for Pets © 2011 - 2018  All Rights Reserved
Website Developed and Maintained by Website to the Rescue

"Tom," the cat who was the victim of dog fighting training in Bay Point, rescued and treated for his multiple wounds, is making good progress in his recovery. In fact, he has recovered to the point where he was able to be neutered today, and he will soon be leaving the veterinary hospital and going to a temporary foster home while awaiting adoption. Over 40 people have called and offered to adopt Tom, and they will be re-contacted and a decision made very shortly as to who will be Tom's new family.

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Sheila
June 2001
Bay Point, CA
Sara
February 2001
Napa, CA
In Napa CA, Sara, an 8-month-old female kitten was beaten, taken from the neighborhood and later set on fire. According to police, Martin Berg, a pizza deliveryman, while making a delivery allegedly struck the kitten with a flashlight, then put the injured cat in his vehicle. Upon reaching his next delivery destination, the suspect removed the injured cat from his vehicle, put lighter fluid on her and lit her on fire.

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Cole, a one-year-old black Labrador, was shot three times in the back. A witness said he had seen Cole and another dog playing and splashing in the water of a creek that runs between the backyards of the Martinez residential neighborhood. He said that approximately one minute later he heard three or four shots, looked up, and saw Timothy Mulgrew at the top of the creek bank pointing a rifle down towards the dogs.

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Cole
June 1999
Martinez, CA
WARNING TO PEOPLE WITH PETS

On Friday afternoon, July 7, Bear, a 4-year-old dog, was shot and killed with a pellet gun. Bear was the constant companion of Bill Reasoner and was on his family's property at 5150 Morgan Territory Road in Clayton when a sadistic, cowardly person shot him. This cowardly person is still in your community and is a danger to all.
Bear
July 2000
Clayton, CA
It was late August and we were taking our long awaited family vacation. We were traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for one week. As you're probably aware, homeless dogs are a big problem in Mexico. Very few shelters exist.

One evening downtown Cabo we noticed a puppy running freely on the sidewalk. After dinner and a stroll we came upon a group of people who had stopped to look at something on the sidewalk. As we approached the group we heard crying and whining. My heart sank. I knew it was the puppy we had seen earlier. She had been hit by a car and was lying on her side.

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Cabo
August 2000
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
On June 1 in San Francisco, Joey Trimm (photo at right), the killer of Guinness, a 4-month-old puppy, was sentenced to five years in State Prison. With time served and time off, he could be back in our community before the end of this year. In a plea bargain, one of his previous two strikes was dropped and he therefore received only five years. Still, this is more time than anyone has ever served for cruelty to an animal and Trimm is also the first person to be convicted under the Three Strikes Law for cruelty to an animal.

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Guinness
December 1999
San Francisco, CA
We have received a number of inquiries about Sonny Jim, the 4-week-old kitten whose case was last updated in June of 1999, and thought you would like to hear about (and see) how he is getting along now, at the ripe old age of 1-1/2.

Unlike most of the animals that Voices For Pets becomes involved with, Sonny Jim was not a victim of abuse. On April 27, 1999, at four weeks of age, Sonny Jim and a littermate were outside exploring when they crawled under a fence and were attacked by three dogs. The guardian of the dogs managed to rescue Sonny Jim, but his littermate was killed.

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Sonny Jim
November 2000
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
On November 6, 1999 in Martinez, 16-year-old Justin Nicholson had an argument with his girlfriend. When the girlfriend refused to come outside, he took his anger out on Duke, a four-month-old yellow Lab, who was kicked, thrown to the ground, kicked again, thrown into a metal post, and kicked some more before crawling under a car for protection. Earlier in the evening, Nicholson and a 17-year-old had attacked and smashed the arm of another teenager with a chunk of concrete.

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Duke
November 1999
Martinez, CA
May 13, 2008: 
KOOYMAN ARRESTED.  At approximately 9:47 p.m., a resident of Bramblewood Drive in Rancho Cucamonga called 911 to report suspicious activity - she reported that a man was walking back and forth to his vehicle which was parked on her street.  When law enforcement arrived on scene, two bloodied cats were discovered by the Sheriff’s deputy gasping for air in a closed plastic container inside Kooyman’s truck, and their cut off tails were found nearby in an empty field.

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TIMOTHY ARIE KOOYMAN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SERIAL CAT TORTURER
May 2008
Shea Johnson
Ontario Rabbit Killer
May 2011
Shea Johnson was charged with 5 counts of felony animal cruelty by the San Bernardino County District Attorney‘s office for harming and killing rabbits while on the job.  His employer was Fox Rent A Car, Ontario, California airport location.  Domesticated rabbits were most likely abandoned on and near the property that is adjacent to the Fox Rent A Car location.  Since that time, they have been allowed to breed.  They are tame (not wild), and Johnson was able to easily capture them.  It is estimated that he tortured and killed between 20 to 30 rabbits.  A brave co-worker secretly videotaped Johnson punching and throwing the rabbits with his big fat fist at a cement wall.  Johnson methodically did this over and over again.  The co-worker provided the video to law enforcement.  We thank him or her for doing the right thing.  We need more people in this world who are willing to expose a horrible wrong when they see it.

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Bud Wally Ruiz 53, of Gilroy in Santa Clara County, is accused of throwing a 6-week-old Chihuahua, 15 feet across a room and into a wall with enough force to kill the puppy.

In May 2011 Marcella Ruiz called Gilroy police to report a domestic dispute with her husband.  Marcella said that when she told Ruiz she was calling the police, Ruiz yelled at her, “You’re a F ****** snitch” and he threw the puppy across the room into the wall.

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DECEMBER 2011

MAN FACES 25 YEARS TO LIFE FOR KILLING 6-WEEK-OLD PUPPY
Just as each victim is an individual, each cruelty case is individual as in the case of the stabbing of a 10 month old German shepherd named Seven. He was killed in April 2012. Even though the body was found and two witnesses said 37 year old Todd Powers had killed Seven and when presented with overwhelming evidence, Powers broke down and confessed to stabbing Seven with a hunting knife, he was not arrested.

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NOVEMBER 2013

TODD HIRAM POWERS OF WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, IS CHARGED WITH FELONY CRUELTY TO AN ANIMAL
DECEMBER 2015

NO JUSTICE FOR GINO
Marilyn Devengenzo and her husband Bob could not find their dog, Gino anywhere. The morning routine was for Gino and their other dog Red, to unlock the office with husband Bob and get treats. Gino was not there.

Bob looked in the backyard, the side yard and the front of the house and across the street. Marilyn went to the next door neighbor’s yard and in the arena. She then decided to get dressed and search other areas. Marilyn drove around all the areas she normally walked the dog. There is a trail next to their home and there is a trail across the street that goes to Oak Grove and back. Marilyn talked to everyone she saw. She approached people on the trails asking if they had seen an older Australian Shepherd wandering by himself. No one had seen her dog.

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DECEMBER 2015

TIPPY'S STORY
On October 2, 2015 in Vallejo, California Kathleen Zander let the family’s 5 year old, 16 pound dog, named Tippy in the backyard so he could go to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Kathleen heard a horrible scream from Tippy and she ran out into the yard. Tippy was huddled up in a ball and crying in pain. Kathleen saw that Tippy had a terrible injury to his left eye. She immediately called her Vet, Animal Advocates Veterinary Hospital, and rushed Tippy there for treatment.  Dr. Victor Liu said “Tippy’s eye is not salvageable and that his vision is lost due to the amount of internal damage”. Tippy’s eye was removed to stop the bleeding.

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