Women arrested after death of dog

They left a dachshund and a Pomeranian in a small crate with no water for hours, police say.

By JONATHAN ABEL, Times Staff Writer
Published September 29, 2007

Two Largo women left their dogs locked up for hours without water in a small crate baking in the hot sun Wednesday, police said.

Samson, a miniature dachshund, died as the temperature headed to a high of 90 degrees. A female Pomeranian in the same crate suffered dehydration and exposure but survived.

Within hours, the two dog owners found themselves locked up at the Pinellas County Jail.

Shannon Nichols and Rachelle Jamison, both 22 and both of 1676 Whispering Drive W, were each charged with a felony and a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. They were being held in lieu of $11,000 bail.

The sad chain of events began around 10 a.m. with the sound of a terrible whimpering, a neighbor said.

Joy Travis heard it from inside her house next door. She wasn't sure where it was coming from at first, but she quickly figured out it was on the other side of her neighbor's fence.

Travis' home is just 15 feet away from her neighbors' house, but two fences more than 5 feet high separate the properties.

As the day went on, the crying continued.

Around noon, Travis said, Nichols pulled up in the driveway, ran inside for a few minutes and then left.

The dogs were still crying, so Travis, 59, climbed up on a stepladder and peered over the fence.

That's where she saw the two dogs locked in a black metal crate, panting and suffering.

"I heard cries," Joy Travis said. "Really sad, loud cries."

She called Nichols on her cell phone.

"I said, 'Shannon, this is your neighbor Joy. Your two puppies are in trouble. When are you coming home?' " Travis said.

She remembers Nichols saying: "I'm busy right now. I can't talk to you." Then Nichols hung up.

Travis called 911 and was transferred to animal control. An officer would be there in 30 minutes, she was told.

But Travis couldn't wait that long so she called Nichols again, only to get voice mail.

Travis' husband, Tom, came home and tried to get to the dogs, but they were locked behind the fence. So he got the idea of spraying a fine mist from a hose across the fence and onto the dogs.

One dog started drinking the water as it pooled on the bottom of the cage. The other dog, the dachshund that died, lay motionless.

Just after 2 p.m., Nichols and Jamison returned home. They saw the dead dog and started shrieking, Travis said. They accused the Travises of poisoning their dogs, Joy Travis said.

Tom Travis, 59, and Jamison started screaming at each other across the fence, louder and louder until it came to a head and she spit, hitting him in the eye and mouth, according to Tom Travis.

"She charged the fence and let it fly," he said.

"I thought I could go kill her, or I could wash my face," he said. Travis elected for the second option and called police.

When police arrived, they arrested the two women on charges ofanimal cruelty. Jamison has not been charged with battery for the spitting, but police Lt. Mike Loux said that was still a possibility.

Results of a necropsy will be analyzed to determine the exact cause of death. The Pomeranian, whose name is not known, was being held by the SPCA of Tampa Bay and is doing well, officials said.

Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com or 727 445-4157.

[Last modified September 28, 2007, 23:13:22]