Three Arrested for Animal Abuse, Including Local Vet Tech

John Mitty Thursday, February 6, 2014

Three people have just been arrested in an animal abuse case involving a pit bull puppy named Miss Harper.  Two of the people charged are Lee and Shawanna Hughes, who owned the animal.  The two have been accused of animal abuse before.  The third person charged is a veterinary technician on Long Island named Reginald Smith, a friend of the couple.  The three tortured the puppy by cutting off her ears with scissors and cutting off the circulation to her legs.  They then paid the vet tech to amputate one of her legs. 

The local SPCA has taken charge of Miss Harper, who is oblivious to her mutilated condition.  “She’s just a loving, playful puppy,” stated Gary Rogers of the SPCA.  “We’ve had an outpouring of support for her.”  The puppy had to be treated for numerous infections when she was brought in.  She will be fitted with a prosthetic leg.  The three perpetrators were investigated for months by the SPCA and the Attorney General’s office for their actions, and have now been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.  The vet tech has also been accused of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, and with conspiracy with his friends.  Meanwhile, thousands of applicants have asked to adopt Miss Harper, not just on Long Island, but around the world, even as far away as Australia.  

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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