S.F. Man Convicted of Severing Dog's EarSAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A man has been convicted of animal cruelty for cutting off his pet pit bull's ears with a razor in an effort to make the dog look tougher, officials said.
Smokey, a tan and white male pit bull, was turned into city animal care workers after his owner lopped off the ears in a bathtub on Aug. 1.
Shadrach Go, 25, was accused of taping Smokey's mouth closed, straddling him and performing a crude "crop" job, according to authorities.
"We have seen really bad home 'crop jobs' but this was particularly bad," said Deb Campbell with the city's Animal Care & Control Department.
Go faces a maximum penalty of a $20,000 fine and a year in jail, but he will most likely receive probation and be prohibited from owning dogs for several years. Sentencing is set for Sept. 14.
Go's listed phone number was disconnected.
"Cropping" is frequent among unlicensed pit bull breeders and owners who use the dogs for fighting or intimidation. Authorities say many owners believe cropping makes the dogs look tougher.
Created: 8/31/2005 8:57:02 AM
Updated: 8/31/2005 9:00:27 AM
Author
