32-year-old Brianna Curry-Neal was placed on one year of formal probation for chronically starving her dog to the point of near death.
Multnomah County Judge Angela Franco Lucero found Curry-Neal guilty of one count of animal neglect in the first degree.
Under Oregon law, a person commits animal neglect in the first degree when they intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence, fail to provide minimum care for an animal in their custody and the failure to provide care results in serious physical injury or death to the animal.
This investigation started on April 16, 2019 when Curry-Neal walked into the Oregon Humane Society with her five-year-old border collie named “Ziggy” wrapped in a blanket. Curry-Neal immediately told the front desk staff that her dog needed emergency help.
Although the Oregon Humane Society does not provide emergency veterinarian services, medical personnel unwrapped the blanket and found Ziggy to be extremely skinny, fragile and lethargic. The medical team at the Oregon Humane Society determined Ziggy’s condition to be extremely critical.
Ziggy was unable to move any other part of his body besides his eyes because he was so weak. He weighed 21 pounds and was near death due to his emaciation.
X-rays showed that Ziggy’s body had broken down all of his fat and so much muscle that his heart was one-third the normal size, which medical experts testified to be consistent with chronic malnourishment and suffering.
Ziggy required more than 30 days of intensive care at the Oregon Humane Society.
“Without the immediate intervention and attention of the medical team at the Oregon Humane Society, there is no doubt that Ziggy would have died. Staff remained well past closing time on April 16 to provide Ziggy’s initial six hour resuscitation,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Clayton Jacobson, who prosecuted this case. “While in the care of the Oregon Humane Society, Ziggy received intravenous fluids, a slow re-feeding plan, a blood transfusion and physical therapy from more than 20 Oregon Humane Society staff members. Today, Ziggy is happy, healthy, and thriving.”
During the investigation, the Oregon Humane Society’s Investigations Department learned Curry-Neal had owned Ziggy her entire life. Curry-Neal told investigators conflicting stories about her care for Ziggy, including that when Ziggy stopped eating she attempted to give him activated charcoal, which a friend of hers recommended. She later said that she was providing Ziggy with an abundance of food.
The state called an expert witness who testified, if true, Ziggy would have been obese instead of emaciated.
Source: Multnomah County District Attorney