The North Carolina woman who caused outrage on Facebook after posting a photo of her dog with its muzzle clamped shut with duct tape to keep it from barking appeared in court this week to face animal cruelty charges.
The charges stemmed from the November Facebook posting, featuring the duct-taped dog and the caption, “This is what happens when you don’t shut up!!!”
The posting outraged animal lovers across the world and soon led to the arrest of Katharine Lemansky, 45, of Cary, North Carolina, on animal cruelty charges.
This week, the woman appeared before a court and asked for a public defender, after which the case was continued.
She left quickly afterward and took no questions from the media.
However, authorities have noted that the woman’s home was reviewed by animal control officers and her dogs were found healthy and well cared for.
“Taping the dog’s muzzle shut was a terrible decision on Ms. Lemansky’s part, and charging her with animal cruelty under North Carolina law was the right thing to do,” Police Captain Randall Rhyne said last month.
At the same time, it’s important to also note that our animal control officers who physically examined both Brown and her littermate found the dogs to be very well cared for, which is why we did not and could not remove them from the owner. The dogs are current on their shots, spayed, and microchipped. They are clean and well-nourished and appear to be comfortable in their surroundings. And there were no signs of injury to Brown’s muzzle, not even detectable hair loss.
The charges Lemansky faces carry a fine and up to 150 days in jail. The woman is next due in court on Jan. 5.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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