Michael Earl Hill was supposed to drop a family’s dog off
at a shelter, but instead, he bound his muzzle and legs with tape, and left him
to die in a field. But the dog, Justice,
was rescued (thanks to two other dogs) and is now thriving. Hill has been sentenced to two years in a
federal penitentiary and is banned from even living with animals for 25 years.
Jessica Hems and Adam Esipu gave Hill the $60 surrender fee
to take their seven-year-old Patterdale terrier, Nos, to the humane society
because their newborn daughter was allergic to him. But for reasons unknown, he chose to make him
suffer and die slowly and painfully.
Thankfully, he was found in a field next to a Canadian Tire
in Windsor, Ontario. On December 17th, Dean
Cresswell was walking his dogs when they discovered him.
“I had gone shopping at the Canadian Tire, came out and the
dogs were in my vehicle, so I thought I’d give them a little walk,” said
Cresswell, referring to his huskies, Bandit and Phoenix.
“For some reason they went down further than they normally
do … so I went to see where they were at and I saw the little head poke up.
That’s when I saw the little dog. I
don’t want to say too much because I’m going to get all upset again,” he
explained to the Windsor Star.
The poor thing had electrical tape bound so tightly around
his snout that the swelling almost stopped him from breathing. Cresswell didn’t have a knife or scissors
with him, so he got him to the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society, where he
was renamed Justice.
It’s definitely disturbing to see it,” said Melanie
Coulter, executive director of the WECHS. “This is just such incredible cruelty
for absolutely no reason. This dog suffered a lot and almost didn’t survive.
”Had it been much longer before someone found him, he
certainly would have died. He appeared
to have not been well cared for, as he was found to have heartworm and a growth
in his mouth. But WECHS has been working
to get him the medical and behavioral treatment he needs.
After Cresswell got Justice to safety, he took to Facebook
to find the dog’s abuser. Within a few
days, former owner Adam Esipu was at WECHS to turn in Hill. The man was
arrested and charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. He was denied bail, and was placed in
solitary confinement at South West Detention to protect him from potential
retribution from other inmates.
Cresswell also started a petition, asking for Hill to be
sentenced to the maximum 25 years in prison and given a lifetime ban on pet
ownership. It was presented to the court
with over 65,000 signatures.
On Monday, February 1st, Hill entered a surprise guilty
plea. Ontario Court Justice, Micheline
Rawlins, who owns a dog given away because of allergies, sentenced him to two
years in federal prison, with an additional three years of probation. He is not allowed to own, or even live with,
animals for the next 25 years after his release.
Hill has a long record, including convictions for
robberies, assault with a weapon, and domestic assault. He was last released from jail in 2011. A few months ago, he found work with Esipu’s
father. Co-worker Fred Doughty said he
and the Esipus helped Hill settle into the area.
He had legged it out of the courtroom just moments
before. In spite of the judge’s warning
to the teeming courtroom, Doughty lost control and swore at Hill. He undoubtedly was not alone in his feelings.
“There is no other way to describe this act; it’s a
despicable act of depravity,” assistant Crown attorney Craig Houle told the
court. As for Justice, he is slowly recuperating. Because of all the hubbub, hundreds of people
have flocked to adopt him.
“The earliest would be summer,” said Coulter. “He hasn’t
even started his heartworm treatment and that’s a three-month process. We’re
not even taking applications at this point because we would end up with this
huge list and probably half the people in four months would not be able to take
him, or the home might not work.
”He doesn’t get along with cats right now, and he is not
“reliably house-broken.”
“We hope that will be resolved by the time he’s ready for
adoption,” Coulter said. “But if he’s not, that’s going to eliminate potential
adopters. Once we’re at the point where he’s medically ready for a home, we’ll
basically look at what issues he may have and what homes will be able to meet
his needs.”
Jessica Hems and Adam Esipu exiting the courthouse.
Justice in the field where he was found.
He needed treatment for the lacerations caused by the tape
becoming embedded in his skin.
Dean Cresswell outside the courthouse with Phoenix and
Bandit.
“It’s a family business. We’re all family. We treated him
like family. For him to do this…” Doughty said outside the courtroom, trailing
off as tears of rage filled his eyed.
Hopefully some of the hundreds of people who want to adopt
this survivor will adopt another dog in need.
Justice, anticipating a treat in his foster home.
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