Woman Mails Puppy, Charged with Animal Cruelty
Do you really need someone to tell you that you're not supposed to ship live puppies in the mail? Stacey Champion attempted to mail a puppy via Priority Mail from Minneapolis to Atlanta in a closed box without air holes, according to U.S. postal workers. Champion was even clever enough to inform postal workers that the box might make some noise "because it contained a toy robot," the Star Tribune reports.
Employees became quite suspicious when the box suddenly shook and fell of the counter after the woman left the post office, Postal Service spokesman Pete Nowacki said. Postal inspectors then opened the box and found a 4-month-old poodle mix. The stressed pup was panting hard.
Champion, 39, is now being charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. She could wind up facing federal charges of illegally attempting to ship live animals in the U.S. Mail, the local FOX affiliate reports.
It's a ridiculous story but to the puppy, and animal lovers, it is serious business. The package would have been shipped without food or water in an unheated and non-pressurized cargo area. In other words, it would have died for sure. The dog has been taken to a Minneapolis, Minnesota animal control facility. I have a feeling this is a puppy that someone will want to adopt.
Animal cruelty laws punishing anyone who harms animals in a vicious way. Typically, a person can be punished for demonstrating a high degree of cruelty, viciousness and callousness towards animals which cases them harm.
Related Resources:
- Minneapolis woman busted trying to mail live puppy to ATL (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Does the Federal Anti-Animal-Cruelty-Depiction Statute Violate the First Amendment? (FindLaw)
- Is Cruelty to Animals the Mere Destruction of Property? The Highway Dog-killing And Animal Rights (FindLaw)
