Baring couple charged with animal cruelty

CALAIS – A Baring couple has been summoned and charged with two counts each of cruelty to animals in connection with an incident last month in which an injured puppy was tossed onto the side of the road.

Shaun Seamans and Virginia McCoy, both 21, are expected to appear in 4th District Court in Calais on Oct. 8.

Friday, Calais Police Chief Michael Milburn said that on July 13, an individual took an injured puppy to PAWS, the city’s animal shelter, and told workers the puppy had been found in a black trash bag on Garfield Street. “The puppy had obvious head trauma,” the chief said.

The pup was then taken to the Calais Veterinary Clinic.

On July 31, a different person took a mother dog, seven puppies and a pit bull to PAWS. The person said they had found the animals under a porch at a Baileyville residence. “The mother dog was extremely thin, even though she had recently given birth to a litter of pups, she was obviously thinner than what she should have been,” he said.

Police investigated and discovered that the same couple owned the dogs. The chief said the couple had asked a family member and friend to take the animals to PAWS and say the animals had been found. Seamans and McCoy were later summoned.

The chief said all of the animals were doing well.

The puppy that suffered the head trauma was adopted by veterinarian technician Nancy Lincoln. She named her Brandi. Last week, Lincoln said the puppy was doing well and had been accepted nicely into a house with another dog, three cats and a turtle.

Marcia Rogers, a member of the PAWS board of directors, praised the Calais police for their efforts. “I was surprised at the amount of time and effort it took to do this investigation. It started in Calais, but he [the police chief] had to cross [town] lines which I didn’t even understand, but it isn’t something the police department generally does,” she said.

Robyn Dufour, another board member, said she hopes this sends a message to the public that the city would not tolerate dumping animals. She said if there is a problem with an animal, it should be taken to the shelter.

Rogers said it costs a lot of money to run the shelter, adding the shelter relies on fund-raisers and donations. “When people bring in their own animals, it is such a burden for us because really what we are there for is stray animals wandering the street,” she said.

But the two women agreed they’d prefer the animals were dropped off at the shelter rather than dumped on the side of the road.