People are idiots. . .

[pinky]

This happened just miles from where I live.

>>Woman faces $8G in fines for gerbils

MIDDLETOWN: A township woman charged with abandoning three gerbils and a hamster in a wooded area in the township is facing up to $8,000 in fines.

Wendy Fiolek, 38, was charged with animal abandonment and failure to provide sustenance and shelter to the creatures, which had been household pets, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief humane law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Eatontown.

The charges, all disorderly persons offenses, are scheduled to be heard Oct. 8 in Municipal Court, according to the summonses issued on Wednesday.

The small rodents had been put in a cardboard box and left in the woods by Sleepy Hollow Road, Amato said.

"A youngster walking a dog heard them scratching, and that's how they were found," Amato said. A shipping invoice with Fiolek's address also was found inside the box. (my emphasis)

When he first questioned her about the rodents, Fiolek said her daughter had previously owned gerbils, but they had been given to "a good home," Amato said.

She ultimately admitted leaving the animals in the box because her daughter didn't take care of them, he said.<<

[Die Fledermaus]

People are idiots - and pieces of lying crap.

You heard me.

[Hamsters82]

Poor gerbils and hamsters, thankfully there are good people out there like that little boy who found them and the A/SPCA's that care.

A co-worker of mine was telling me about this volunteer's daughter who was looking to rehome her horse. I've seen pictures of this horse and it's sad.

Yes, there are a lot of uncaring people in this world.

[pinky]

Here are some of the reader responses to the article. Unbelievable.

Diskullman: If she fed them to a pet snake, that would be OK.

I confess. I swatted at least six mosquitoes Saturday. Come arrest me.

chickenlady: I am an animal lover, but $8,000 fines for this is outrageous.

Seasider2: She wasn't fined $8,000. That is simply the maximum for this charge. She will have her day in court.

As silly as this sounds to some, it is a real problem if people abandon pets. They may carry disease to native animal populations and cause great environmental harm. Dogs and cats can become dangerous when left with no food or water. It is just cruel to let animals with no survival skills starve.

McDog1: I am an unarmed agent for SPCA law enforcement in Monmouth County. I am also an animal control officer who is well known in the towns I cover. If this woman would have reached out to me, I would have assisted her. It is my business to protect animals and help them, but it is also my responsibility to educate and help pet owners as well.

The chief agent is the only armed agent for SPCA in Monmouth County. When a complaint is filed, we have to respond. It's a job that is not always pleasant. I wish this person would have made a better choice.

star10: That is crazy, $8,000. For what? Why didn't she just let them loose?

peggyh888: The $8,000 would be for abandoning animals in her care; that's for what. It's about time people become accountable. Those animals did not ask to be left in the woods without food or water.

There should be zero tolerance for any animal abandonment or abuse. There are plenty of rescue groups that will take an animal.

ramada: You can feed them to your snake, but you can't leave them in the woods. Go figure.

jacqui: Florida is having a crisis with freed non-native iguanas destroying local endangered plants and eating owl eggs. There are many such instances throughout the country with non-native fish, birds, reptiles and animals. If you must have a pet, be responsible.

Exit12: A gerbil can destroy the ecosystem and harm the local flora and fauna? That's one powerful gerbil!

JerseyChick: Oh, come on, $8,000? Gerbils and hamsters are fancy words for rats. $8,000? For rats?



NGH144: The owner was traced because a shipping invoice with her address was found inside the box with the rodents. Next time, she should empty the box.

Lilofee: Some posters sound as cold-blooded and cruel as the woman who abandoned family pets. Why not take them to the SPCA? I hope she gets fined.

Why not make her spend a few nights in the woods and fend for herself? I wonder if her daughter knew what really happened to the animals? Well, now she knows.

I am not fond of gerbils or hamsters, but I have a problem with family pets being left in the woods to fend for themselves instead of being taken to the SPCA.

fuufuu: We should protest the spraying for West Nile virus. We're killing innocent, helpless mosquitoes. Who cares that people have died? Those people shouldn't have gotten in the way.

She's a danger to society. They better take her shoelaces away from her. I don't know how she lives with herself.

When are they going to interview the gerbil and hamster to see how they feel? They must investigate to see how long the abuse has been going on. What other animals were harmed in that household? Don't leave any stone unturned. This is tragic. I can't believe the world we live in.

I needed a good laugh this morning. I haven't laughed this hard in a while.

mercman123: What the heck is wrong with our government? Don't they have anything better to do than arrest people for gerbil crimes?

newarkboy: No wonder this state is in trouble. Few writers respond to issues that mean something, such as taxes and corruption in this state, but they have lots of time for nonissues such as rodents.

juspasinthrew911: I sit here wondering what the penalty would have been if she left them to die in her home? Pet stores are overpopulated with these rodents. If you buy a cage, you get two free hamsters. I do believe there should be a penalty for abandoning animals, but this one is ridiculous.

luvdawoods: I think the ASPCA is privately funded, as are some other animal shelters in the area. We taxpayers aren't footing the bill.

But what happens when the ASPCA becomes overwhelmed with strays and surrenders? Do they then make a decision to euthanize the weaker ones? Or is it first in, first out? Private donations would dictate how many the organization could keep alive and feed.

amusedtdth: People cry when the punishment is a slap on the wrist and then turn and cry because the maximum penalty is $8,000. People have been advocating for stricter punishment for animal abusers. Just because these are a hamster and gerbils, they don't count? An animal is an animal, no matter how big or small.

Cruelty to animals should be punished harshly. If you don't want it or can't take care of it, don't buy it.

PPBrat: This is good information to know. Now we all know we should just kill them and dispose of the bodies in the trash instead.

Nowadays: This mother should have found a better answer to her problem with the hamster and gerbils. She should be charged with stupidity and cruelty. And what a great example to set for her daughter.

njpaddy: What a waste of taxpayer money and court resources. How many child abuse cases will be put on the side burner while the police and court system investigate possible gerbil abuse? Do they have a course on this at the police academy? Are Andy of Mayberry or Barney Fife on the case?

starglow: It's not too extreme. I think she should get punished. When you bring any animal into your home, it's your responsibility to take care of it. They depend on you to feed them. It can't go to the 'fridge and open the door and pick out something to eat.

Starvation is no joke, not even for a hamster or a mouse or any living person or animal. Don't buy it if you can't take care of it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know if you don't take care of an animal, it will die.

hillsider: I'm glad the animal officer does not have to report to the morally-impaired likes of some of the posters here.

I doubt she will get an $8,000 fine. This story and the arrest make the point that some animals trust people for their care. If it becomes too much, there are simple choices besides the cruel choice of leaving them to starve in a box.

No wonder her kid did not care for animal life. The mother's actions say a ton about her family's values.

lilzinn: Next time, flush the rats down the toilet.

luvdawoods: Maybe she put them in the box near the woods to get air while she cleaned the cages. Yeah, that's it.

NAUtRN: I hope the animal officer keeps up the good work. These animals rely on people. I say prosecute to the fullest extent of the law when endangering defenseless animals.

AlexEng: The bottom line is what this woman did was cruel. How would she feel if she were left in a box to die? I'm all for her getting the $8,000 fine.

kevinb: You can't compare rats to people. The guy who gave out the summons needs to be fired. And all the people who think rats and people should have the same rights need to get a grip.

I think I am going to go squirrel hunting tonight or buy some gerbils and feed them to my brother's snake.

laguera: What about the people who hit animals in the road? What kind of a fine do they get for that vehicular homicide? Do police investigate those as hit-and-runs?

WeirdKevin: The rodents would have been fine. They would have chewed their way out of the cardboard box and found a way to survive. This whole story, and these posts, are ridiculous.

samanthasmith72: You don't even know this person. Don't judge her. These are ugly little rodents. It isn't as if she abandoned a baby, or even a dog or cat. These are animals people feed to their snakes, and that is legal.

You don't know the situation that caused her to do this. She may have left them in a box so they would have shelter until they were found. She may have felt she had no other option.

rvrstyx: Who cares if you think an animal is ugly? It still doesn't deserve to be dumped in a box and put in the woods to starve to death. They were pets. She should have taken them to a shelter or not purchased them in the first place. This woman is completely wrong.

herb4pres: Sorry if this angers anybody, but she would have been much better off just flushing them down the toilet. $8,000? Give me a break.

[Hamsters82]

Couldn't read all of it now, sorry--not feeling too hot, but dang! People. I agree with the people that said it's their responsibility to that animal and that to just contact a shelter or A/SPCA officer.

I don't know how anyone in their right mind could abandon an animal, then you start to wonder if they abuse the animal, will they do it to a child?

And they say $8,000 or a year in jail is enough? I say it's not! I say they should spend more time in jail, never own an animal again UNLESS they show they're more responsible as time goes on, and to be fined a heck of a lot more! These laws should be reinforced more and should extend some of their punishment to these animal abusers.

[Die Fledermaus]

$8,000 - or five minutes alone with me and a baseball bat. Two minutes will suffice.

You think I'm kidding?

[pinky]

No, I don't think you're kidding at all. . .

I'd rather make her muck stalls somewhere or clean cages at the ASPCA.

[Die Fledermaus]

Too good for her.

[Die Fledermaus]

>> ROSECUTOR COMES OUT CLAWING IN CAT CASE
CALLS PETCKA 'WASHED-UP'

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joseph Petcka

September 22, 2008

A former minor league baseball player was "washed up" and had "zero income and no prospects" last year when he became jealous and killed his girlfriend's cat, a prosecutor said Monday.

Joseph Petcka, who pitched in the New York Mets' minor league system in 1992, was a "washed-up, never-made-it-to-the-big-leagues athlete" and a "D-minus" actor, prosecutor Leila Kermani told jurors during her closing argument in Petcka's aggravated animal cruelty trial.

Kermani has told jurors that Petcka brutally killed the neutered and declawed cat in a jealous fury after complaining that his girlfriend at the time, Lisa Altobelli, loved the cat more than him.

Petcka testified Friday that he was defending himself after the 8-pound orange and white tabby named Norman bit his right hand and drew blood. He said Norman lunged at him with his paws outstretched and "his teeth were bared."

His attorney, Charles Hochbaum, argued that the animal cruelty law applies only in cases where animals are intentionally tortured with a sadistic intent to injure or kill.

Altobelli said she dated Petcka for about six weeks before he killed her cat. She said they quarreled after going out the evening of March 26, 2007, and he drank heavily.

Altobelli, a Sports Illustrated reporter, testified that Petcka woke her to complain Norman had bitten him. They argued and she went out, she said, and when she returned Petcka was gone and Norman was dead.

Hochbaum admits his client overreacted, but says: "This was a tragic accident. It was not intentional."

Petcka also appeared in a paper towel commercial and had small roles in "Sex and the City" and other television shows. He more recently worked as a bartender and waiter. <<

www.nypost.com/seven/09222008/news/regionalnews/prosecutor_comes_out_clawing_in_cat_case_130253.htm

Charming fellow. Where's my bat?