Police: No charges in case of injured, dumped dog
JACKSON, Tenn. — Police have determined that no criminal charges will be filed in the case of a critically injured dog dumped in a Bemis dumpster. Lt. Jeff Shepard said when he first began investigating why the miniature poodle, named Baby Boy, was so severely hurt and presumably left for dead, the situation looked grim. “At the beginning of this it looked really bad,” he said. “It looked intentional, and once we did the investigation we found out that it was the opposite.” Baby Boy’s owner, Billie Jo Ganow, said she’s shocked by the department’s decision. “I want to know why there’s nothing being done, why there’s not an arrest being made,” she said. Investigators said they’re not releasing the name of the man responsible because he did not break any laws. “They said they couldn’t do nothing about it,” Ganow said. Lt. Shepard said Baby Boy got into an altercation with two Chihuahuas owned by an elderly woman in the Bemis area. According to the investigation, the man attempted to break up the dog fight when Baby Boy bit his hand and would not let go. “His reaction was to pull Baby Boy off him, and he dropped Baby Boy down to the ground or the concrete to where the dog went lifeless,” Shepard said. Witnesses and the man involved thought Baby Boy was dead. Ganow said she’s never known Baby Boy to be aggressive. “He’s playful,” she said. “I do not believe it one bit. The story is not right.” Ganow says she’s not sure what she can legally do next, but she still wants justice for the poodle. The 8-pound dog broke free from his collar the day he was injured, according to Ganow. “It doesn’t matter if he was just running wild. He did not deserve to be beat,” Ganow said. Lt. Shepard said Ganow was in violation of the leash laws.
