Editor:
Re: Dog brutality prompts lifetime ownership ban, Dec. 2.
Reading the absolutely disgusting story about Ryder, the black Lab who was tortured by a woman, makes me wonder why the judge in this case believed the ridiculous defence of the woman’s lawyer: that she was in a psychotic state after indulging in too much marijuana.
Never mind that this criminal is only 23 years old, Lindsey Susan Hirtreiter has no excuse, absolutely nil, for doing what she did, no matter what state she was in.
Many people go through bouts of depression, stress or drug use, but what she did is so horrendously cruel and vicious that indeed she should not ever have the right to own any kind of animal again.
As if the despicable act of torturing a dog was not enough, the insanity that followed – putting sunglasses and a cigarette on the dog to cover up the bloody mess she had inflicted – shows she must have been aware this dog was in extreme pain. And all she gets as punishment is a lifelong ban from owning a dog and probation?
Many will remember the case of a dog-loving woman, spending time in jail, losing her job, money and reputation for, rightly or wrongly, removing a few dogs in distress from their uncaring owners (Conditional sentence for dog thefts, Feb. 26, 2015).
Justice, once again, has not been served. The judge should be ashamed of this kind of leniency.
M. Keij, Surrey
