New mom charged with muzzling dogs
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NBC 10 News
Published: October 7, 2008
JOHNSTON, R.I.—A woman allegedly muzzled her two pit bull dogs with tape and left them in her apartment without food or water for two days while she went to the hospital to give birth, police said.
Johnston police say the 20-year-old woman muzzled her two pit bull dogs with tape and left them in her apartment on Osgood Avenue without food or water for two days. Police found one pit bull in a bedroom closet with its mouth taped shut. The dog’s leash was so tight it was choking itself.
Diana Tetrault pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. She was released on $2,000 bail and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation before appearing later this month in District Court in Warwick.
Neighbors heard the dogs whimpering last week and told police they hadn’t seen anyone visit the apartment for two days, according to Johnston Police Maj. Ralph Bubar III. An officer found the animals emaciated with wounds from electrical tape that was wrapped around their snouts.
In a handwritten statement after her arrest, Tetrault took responsibility for her dogs’ condition and admitted to taping the dogs’ snouts shut, Bubar said.
But George Tetrault, who said he was Tetrault’s grandfather, said he could not believe the woman would do that. “She loved those dogs very dearly,” Tetrault said. He said someone else had promised to care of the dogs while she was in the hospital.
“She had no idea what was going on,” he said.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( thekleevers ) on October 08, 2008 at 8:12 pm
for this woman’s sister, the media isnt blowing anything up, she admitted to doing it! someone should tape her mouth shut, lock her in a closet, and make her eat her own feces. then, throw her white trash a** is jail and throw away the key. people who abuse animals deserve to be pay for it, and if you ask me, the punishment isnt severe enough. this makes me sick.
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Posted by ( iacqui ) on October 08, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I think being a DCYF foster parent this woman should have her child taken away immediatly. If she does this to animals what is she going to do to her infant. I would hope before it is to late for the infant DCYF steps in and takes the baby from her. There are people out their that would love to have children. You have people like her that spit kids out and cannot even afford to care for them WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD
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Posted by ( why allow it ) on October 08, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I’m not sure what has happened to the people in this world. If this girl did do this, shame on her and shame on those allowing her to keep a newborn child without supervision. If she didn’t do it and someone else did, shame on her for associating with this person. Would you have that kind of person around your child? I wouldn’t. Animals and children were not put on this earth to be abused, tortured or killed. They are here for love and they will give that love back given the chance. If you can’t care for children or pets in a kind, generous, loving manner, don’t waste their time or their lives. You don’t have to be wealthy or pretty to take on children or pets, you just need love and compassion. It’s not really too much to give. People who intentionally hurt someone or something else, should have the same thing done to them. If you have no sympathy for what you’ve done you should be made to really feel what you’ve done to someone else. Smarten up people. The world is in enough of a crisis.......take responsibility for your own actions for once!!
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Posted by ( Norma ) on October 08, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Perhaps all the facts are not yet know in this case. However, the report states that the animals were found in an emaciated state. Dogs who have been properly fed, do not become emaciated in 2-3 days. There is clearly animal abuse going on in that woman’s home, and she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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Posted by ( mcw282 ) on October 08, 2008 at 11:41 am
This makes me sick to my stomach. Anyone who would do this to an animal should be locked up to think about the pain they’ve caused to an innocent animal. I don’t believe for a second that a “friend” did that, what type of a friend would do such a thing? I can’t believe this girl is going to be a mother… that’s upsetting. She shouldn’t be allowed to breed if she treats animals like this!
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Posted by ( debvickery ) on October 08, 2008 at 11:34 am
If a supposed “Friend” has done this to this woman’s animals, what the heck kind of people does she associate with? Are they the type of people that she will trust to babysit, only to come home and find that she has to rush to Hasbro Children’s Hospital with a potential tragedy?
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Posted by ( LINNROCKY ) on October 08, 2008 at 11:14 am
In regards to this women doing what she did to those dogs, I believe they should taped her mouth and legs shut. Obviously if she can’t take care of animals then how is she going to take care of her son?? As to her sister’s comment firstly, the media doesn’t blow facts out of proportion and if you have time to write and post a comment, then maybe you should of watched the dogs. Your sister is a cruel person and Animals are family and it is time that someone makes these kind of people responsible for there actions.
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Posted by ( twilight ) on October 08, 2008 at 10:37 am
People like this woman should not have pets..........let alone be a mother!!
I hope they find good homes for these animals. It is terrible what she did to these 2 poor dogs. She should be fined and send to jail, or do community work at an animal shelter, and CLEAN the animals urine and poop!!
I was just SICK when I heard this story. God only knows what other people are out there and abusing their animals. Justice should be done!!
Make them pay, let them go through what they make these poor animals go through. Just SICK about the whole situation.
I wonder how she would feel to have her mouth TAPED and be in a cage and have no food or water for three days.
That would make her think twice about it.
And..............she’s a new mother?
I don’t even want to think what she would do to that baby if it won’t stop crying...............would she tape up it’s mouth too?????
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Posted by ( MTetrault ) on October 08, 2008 at 10:27 am
Listen, Everyone is believing what your hearing, not what is really whats going on. YOU DONT KNOW THE SITUATION AND THE MEDIA IS BLOWING THIS WAY OUT! This is my sister. SHE WOULD NEVER DO THIS TO A DOG! SHE LOVES ANIMALS. Her b/f’s friend was watching the dogs for them. While she went into labor. The police are looking for him now. The only thing she is guilty of is leaving the dogs with someone irresponsible.
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Posted by ( debvickery ) on October 08, 2008 at 9:36 am
This is outragious. If this woman can not take care of animals, she does not qualify, in my opinion, to take care of a child. DCYF should show up in a heartbeat before she tapes the poor baby’s mouth shut, or refuses to feed him. I hope those dogs are put into good homes, and not allowed to be returned to this idiot.
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