Petition demands maximum penalties in Albany dog killing
Ring camera video shows a man dragging a covered crate near Fourth Avenue and Franklin Street in Albany last month, then walking casually away, with the crate in flames.
Albany police say they found a one-year-old female pitbull dead inside.
“When I first saw the video I cried,” said Sidney Scacchetti, vice president of the animal group Bark, Brew & Tattoo. “I could not stop thinking about that poor baby that was stuck in that crate and had to unfortunately go out of this world like that. I could not help but think about my own pitbull at home and how sweet, beautiful, and joyful, and the unconditional love that they give. I can’t fathom how somebody can take a soul like that.”
Police say 34-year-old Christopher Maxwell of the Bronx left the crated dog at home for several days without food or water before heading to the parking lot, pouring lighter fluid, and setting the crate and the dog on fire.
“We’re looking for the full penalty for this man,” said Monica Willette, founder and event coordinator of Bark, Brew & Tattoo. “I think that we had the perfect opportunity as a country to make Michael Vick a prime example of why we don’t treat animals this way. And instead we gave him a slap on the wrist and public community service.”
Bark, Brew & Tattoo raises money and awareness for bully breeds. It fights the negative stigma attached to those dogs. The group began a petition demanding Maxwell be held accountable to the fullest extent.
Animal advocates say things like pitbull rings still exist.
“I think we like to turn a blind eye to it, but it’s something that we definitely need to wake up and realize that it’s still happening in our area,” said Willette.
Maxwell is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, arson and criminal mischief.
“When I first saw the video, I did cry to think about how this animal was brought into a public space, confined, and then lit on fire. I can’t imagine a worse way of having to suffer and die,” said Bark, Brew & Tattoo President Amanda Wolf. “There are a lot of reasons a person doesn’t want to have an animal. There are a lot of resources available to people that want to surrender their animals and this should never be a solution to that problem.”
Maxwell is scheduled to appear in Albany City Court on March 21.
Here’s the petition: