Cujo survives animal cruelty

Cujo,held by Assistant Animal Control Officer Jose Herrera

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

“We are not tolerating animal abuse and abandonment in Webster and we will prosecute as much as we can to see that it ends.”

-Michelle LaFleche, Webster Animal Control Officer

On Friday, July 13, Webster police arrested 30-year old Tosha Miles of 70 Pleasant Street in Webster after her neighbors had called because she had taken her small Chihuahua, “Cujo,” picked him up and slammed him to the ground.

According to witnesses, she did this approximately four times.  The dog eventually got away, ran into oncoming traffic, and was picked up by a neighbor.  Miles was arrested and charged with animal cruelty, being a disorderly person and disturbing the peace, in a case that has disturbed many of the town’s residents and caused quite a stir in the media.

Following the arrest, the police called Webster animal control officer Michelle LaFleche, who removed the dog from the residence for his protection. He has been safe at the shelter ever since.

“He (Cujo) seems to be relatively healthy after what happened to him and he has a really good personality.” said LaFleche. “We are petitioning right now to get custody of him and find him a good home.”

Fortunately, Cujo only suffered some abrasions, but is still being tested for possible internal problems from the assault.

The media attention has also made Cujo a popular dog. “He has a lot of fans; we have been getting 6-7 calls a day and a lot of emails and comments on our Facebook page. Everyone is concerned with him getting adopted,” she said.

LaFleche was quick to remind us that there are plenty of other animals that are suffering similar fates that aren’t getting the media attention that Cujo is getting, and that is why we must make an example of this case and let people know that this is not acceptable behavior and there is a huge price to be paid for animal cruelty.

The new Webster shelter, which LaFleche said everybody loves and is a huge improvement over the old one, currently has 14 dogs and 24 cats, all looking to be adopted.

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