Sign: Deputy Shot Seven Young Dogs After Giving Them Food And Water

Published: June 10, 2024 at 05:52 PM Author: PENNY EIMS

Apache County, AZ – A horrific incident in Adamana, Arizona, is causing an uproar among animal lovers across the nation. On September 21, 2023, Deputy Toadecheenie went to property where it was reported that multiple dogs had been abandoned by their owner.

Teresa Schumann with Northern Arizona Animal Search and Rescue says that Deputy Toadecheenie called to ask her if she could take the abandoned pups in at her rescue, but she did not have space. The deputy made no mention of what the alternative would be.

Deputy Toadecheenie opened a large bag of food and fed the starving puppies and provided them with water. As the hungry pups devoured the food, the deputy secured them in a chain-linked enclosure, pulled out a handgun and proceeded to shoot them. The puppies were screaming in terror and pain as they watched the bloodbath unfold; helpless to the cruel fate awaiting them.

The deputy loaded the young dogs into the back of his patrol vehicle and dumped their bodies near railroad tracks.

This gruesome incident has just come to light and in the months that have passed, there have been no repercussions. The people who left these puppies to die – abandoning them with no food or water – have not faced charges. The deputy who responded to the situation and proceeded to slaughter the pups one by one has not faced any repercussions. In fact, the sheriff’s office has released a statement indicating that Deputy Toadecheenie acted in a “professional and humane manner.”

Read the Sheriffs office statement.

Teresa Schumann, with the rescue group, saw the video of the horror that unfolded at the property where the dogs were killed. She told News 12, “They were puppies. They were standing on their hind legs, tails wagging. [The deputy] went in there with food and water — they were not aggressive at all.” Adding, “I was sick. It was horrible.”

This is NOT okay. Cases of animal abandonment and hoarding are known issues in Apache County, but the sheriff’s office and local officials have nothing in place to remedy the problem. The board of supervisors has not allocated funds for an animal control agency. The sheriff’s office has not established ties to local shelters and rescue groups to take in abandoned animals.

NOTHING has been done.

If you find this entire situation appalling, please add your name to the petition and help Animal Victory fight for change!

We know you know, but we will say it regardless – the content of the video footage is disturbing. 

TARGET: Apache County Board of Supervisors, Apache County Sheriff’s Office, and Apache County Manager Ryan Patterson

WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS:

We the undersigned demand Apache County take steps to address the lack of animal control in the area and implement humane procedures for dealing with unwanted pets. The sheriff’s office must create relationships with area rescue groups and animal shelters in order to humanely deal with situations involving animals who are in need of care. Additionally, steps must be made to set up affordable spay and neuter surgeries for pets in this area. The problem cannot be remedied without addressing the root issue – too many unwanted animals. Pet overpopulation, and the burden on the community’s resources, urgently requires increased access to spay and neuter surgeries to ensure that every pet owner has the means to prevent unwanted litters and promote responsible pet ownership.

Individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.

News:

12 News

Fox 10

12 News

Final Update 11/12/2024: Animal Victory is disappointed in the outcome of this disturbing situation, but we thank each and every person who took the time to sign our petition.

The final, official statement from the Apache County Sheriff reads:

“The Deputy involved acted in a professional and most humane manner given the circumstances. He exhausted all other alternatives available to him at the time and acted under the approval of his immediate supervisor.
The incident was reviewed by ACSO Command Staff, and the Deputy was found to have acted within agency policy.
Apache County is a large county covering over 11,000 square miles, with only a handful of deputies to provide law enforcement and a variety of other services to the citizens of Apache County and the State of Arizona. The deputies are trained to act on their own, make split second life or death decisions and handle any situation they are confronted with in a professional manner within the law.
Apache County does not have an animal care and control department. In the unincorporated areas that responsibility is left up to the deputies and actions taken vary and are considered on a case-by-case basis. We do not have the infrastructure or budget to support such a department.
Approval for such a department would be made by the Board of Supervisors. We have had private agencies like the Arizona Humane Society offer to assist on cases in the past, but not on a consistent basis, mainly due to the remote response and availability of local resources.”

Update 7/9/2024: Animal Victory sent petition to the DA and Judge.