If there’s any one thing that will stir people into an outrage people it is animal abuse. Abusing an animal is so loathsome because the animals cannot defend themselves against people who are being intentionally neglectful or malicious. It can be difficult to catch the sinister huans responsible for animal abuse, since it often occurs in the home or on private property. Many pets and farm animals die unnoticed as the result of abuse from the owners.
A woman named Alyssa Morrow lived in Painesville, Ohio along with her dog named Moose. Neighbors did not think anything was wrong with the woman or her pet dog for a long time – everything seemed normal and the dog looked fine. Things changed one day when Morrow made the decision to take a trip. She was going to leave her home for an entire week and made no plans to take her dog Moose. She instead decided to just leave the dog in the house while she was away, simply locked the doors and windows and left without putting out food and water for the dog.
The neighbors started to notice that something was wrong when Moose started barking and making noises non-stop inside of the house. The neighbors did not see Morrow anywhere around and no one answered the door when they knocked. It was after several days that the neighbors finally realized that Morrow was not home and the dog was all alone inside. Moose did not sound happy. The authorities were called to come and investigate. Officers forced their way into the small house and what they found inside was disturbing …
The place was filthy and filled with junk. Without a source of food or water Moose was in terrible shape. The dog had been deprived of almost everything for almost a week. His hair had started to fall out, leaving a large bald spot on his back. He was weak and his body was swollen. Officers took Moose away and waited for Morrow’s return. When she did finally come back, the police promptly arrested her for animal neglect and cruelty. Morrow admitted guilt in court.
What Morrow did not know was that her judge has unorthodox views on justice. Judge Michael Cicconetti is known amongst criminal justice circles as the kind of judge to give guilty people punishments that fit the crime. He was particularly taken aback by what Morrow had done to her dog and chastised her strongly for it. The sentence for her crime would normally have been 30 days or more in a county jail. Judge Cicconetti instead decided to sentence Morrow to spend time wallowing in filth just as she left Moose for that week. Morrow was forced to work in a landfill picking up trash for eight straight hours.
Morrow was assigned to the worst part of the landfill where the worst smells, conditions and trash are located. She was left alone for the entire day to pick up disgusting things and think about what she had done to Moose. Morrow was thankful at first since she avoided jail time. At the end of the day, however, Morrow had changed her mind. She stated that going to jail would have been better than working in the landfill by the end of those eight hours. Though I think she should have been forced to work in the landfill for a straight week to match how long Moose was abandoned for.
Fortunately, Moose was happily adopted by a loving family that will not be neglecting or abandoning him ANY time soon.