subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sun, May 11 2008 

Breaking News:  Inmate escapes from work release  May 09, 2008 04:49 pm

Published: April 14, 2008 01:24 pm    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Arrest made over sickly Great Dane

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

The man who allegedly neglected, “Princess” a great dane who was discovered by Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter employees to be half of her recommended weight, has been charged with second-degree animal cruelty.

Virgil Whitaker, 39 was arrested by Knox County Animal Control Officer Carl Bolton on Friday morning.

Bolton said Whitaker was charged with second-degree animal cruelty mainly because first-degree animal cruelty deals with animal fighting.

Kentucky Revised Statute 525.130 lists second-degree animal cruelty as a class A misdemeanor, which means Whitaker could face some jail time and a fine.

While Whitaker was being tracked down and arrested, Princess, the Great Dane, was slowly being nursed back to health at the Knox County Animal Shelter. Shelter Manager Amy Young said the public response to Princess has been tremendous.

“Yesterday (Thursday) we had 300 people or more come in to visit Princess, we’ve just had a constant flow of people,” Young said.

Princess apparently enjoys the company.

“Ninety-five percent of our visitors were here to see Princess, the public is fantastic. People are coming to just see Princess and she seems to love it,” Young said.

The severely malnourished Great Dane is slowly gaining a little bit of weight according to Young. This is thanks in part to the public donations of rice, chicken broth and blankets, Young said.

Young said she has been contacted by radio and TV stations from all over Kentucky inquiring about Princess’ condition. One of Young’s fellow employees even got a call from a friend in Virginia asking about Princess.

“We’ve been getting one call after another about Princess,” Young said. “With all the people coming in to see Princess it’s been hard to get a whole lot of work done. We were here until nine last night trying to get our daily work done. But it’s really neat, the reaction that people are having.”

One of the people that has contacted Young is Veterinarian Dr. Craig Blair who has a clinic in Lexington called Clays Mill Veterinary Clinic. Blair has agreed to treat Princess in Lexington.

“I was driving my daughter to school and heard about it on the local radio,” Blair said. “I had the day off, so when I got home I checked the pictures on the Internet and there was just something that hooked me. My wife and I are both vets and we discussed taking care of it. There was just something, just seeing the pictures we decided we should help.”

Blair said Young would be bringing Princess to Lexington sometime Friday.

Young said she is a little worried about the possible tumor that is on one of Princess’ legs. Since gaining a bit of weight, the swelling around the tumor has also increased.

Blair has been in discussion with a radiologist he works with, on how to proceed with treating Princess. As soon as he can, Blair is going to take X-rays of the dog to determine if the malnourishment/weight loss is purely from neglect, or from a different underlying cause. Blair said the lesion could either be a fungal infection or cancer. Princess also has some fungal infections on her bottom, Blair said.

“If it is just neglect I think she’ll be able to pull through, if it is something worse we will make sure her last days are much more comfortable than the rest of her life has been,” Blair said.

If Princess recovers she will most likely need a new home. Blair said Young was looking into the legal issues surrounding ownership of the dog. But right now Blair’s main concern is giving Princess all the medical treatment she needs.

print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Recreation Specialist Needed
Horizon Adult Health Care, an EOE, has the following position available at our Williamsburg location:
Recreation ...>MORE

Post Office Now Hiring!
Post Office Now Hiring! Avg Pay $20/hr, $57 K/yr., incl. Fred ben, OT. Placed by adSource, not aff w/ USPS who hires. ...>MORE

Diesel Mechanics
G & M Trucking
Now hiring
Diesel Mechanics must have own tools pay based on exp.
No phone interviews
...>MORE

Mechanic Needed at RSC
Mechanic
Corbin, KY
Join RSC Equipment Rental, North America’s premier equipment rental company. As a Mechanic
...>MORE

Welders
Progress Rail
Services

Welders
Corbin, KY area
Starting pay- $10.14 to $12.14 per hour
C
...>MORE

Exp. Maintenance Man
Experienced Maintenance Man Needed

Must have at least 5 years experience in industrial maintenance.
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Rentals & Sales

Mobile Home For sale
***Owner Finance***
Nice 24x56 double-wide, 3 BR, 2 BA, w/ cent. h&a and a 28x40 detached 2 car garage w/ elec. & w
...>MORE

1/BR Apt.
1 BR Apartment for rent. Total Electric, Extra Clean. All Utilities Furnished.
Call 521-6391
...>MORE

Mobile Home for Sale
***Owner finance***
Very Nice 16X80 3/BR 2/BA w/ cent h/a located on 1 acre lot, 5 mi. west of exit 41 London $4000
...>MORE

See all ads

Deal of The Day

New Williamsburg Vendors Mall
The New Williamsburg Vendors Mall Located at 1000 S. Hwy 25, at the
former site of
Dollar Mania is now accep
...>MORE

Pond Stocking !
Pond Stocking! Sat, 5/27! The Fish Tuck will be at Corbin Farm & Garden Center (SS) from 12-12:45. 1-800-335-2077 or www...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

rc