Washington dog owner who forgot dog on chain is charged with cruelty

On Tuesday afternoon, the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) announced that they will be filing charges against the owner of a severely neglected dog who was brought to their facility last Friday.

SCRAPS has charged Richard Lafountain of Deer Park, Wash., with Second Degree Animal Cruelty and Confinement in an Unsafe Manner.

Lafountain released custody of the dog, a one-year-old husky mix, to SCRAPS, after explaining to them how the dog became so horribly injured around his neck.

According to Lafountain, the dog was given to him as a puppy and he could not afford to care for him.

Lafountain told SCRAPS that he forgot about the young dog, telling the shelter staff that after "several weeks" of no contact with the puppy, he finally went outside to care for him and discovered that the chain was buried in the dog's neck.

The dog was initially brought to the facility as a stray, and SCRAPS was searching for the owner over the weekend. A few days later, Lafountain admitted that his neighbor brought the dog in and concocted the story about finding the dog alongside a road.

Read the prior story on this case here.

Right now in Animal News: Indiana police officer could go to jail for rescuing injured deer

If you would like to continue receiving the latest dog related news, tips and advice, please click the "Subscribe" icon which is located at the bottom of this column. It is free and anonymous to sign up

For updates and further discussion, follow the National Dog News Examiner on Facebook and Twitter!

I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.

Advertisement

, Dog News Examiner

Penny Eims, a lifelong animal lover, has dedicated the past 4 years to a large, non-profit dog rescue in Washington. Her experiences include fostering, writing web content, creating dog biographies, pet memorials and contributing to rescue newsletters.

Today's top buzz...