Man Drugged Rival Dog Show Husky, Cops Say
Ralph Ullum, a Pennsylvania resident, has been implicated in a dog show drugging.
Facing up to a year in jail, it has been alleged that, in order to give his girlfriend's dog a leg up in a Wheaton, Illinois dog show, Ullum drugged a rival dog with Benadryl and Protonix.
Indeed, the seedy underbelly of the dog show world has been revealed.
Tagging along with his girlfriend and her Siberian husky named Diana, Ralph Ullum was spotted by the kennel of rival husky, Pixie, petting and feeding the dog. While he claims he only had a doughnut, Pixie's owner found a crushed pink pill nearby.
Suspicious that a dog show drugging had occurred, Pixie's owner called the vet, who induced vomiting, reports the Daily Herald.
Pixie coughed up an undisturbed tablet of Protonix. The police were then called.
Though Benadryl (the pink pill) and Protonix are often given to animals, in large doses they can make a dog lethargic or sleepy, reports the Chicago Tribune. They can also cause death.
Because of this, Ralph Ullum is now being charged with cruelty to animals and attempted criminal damage to property.
While the cruelty to animals charge makes sense, some of you may be wondering how a dog show drugging can result in property damage charges.
Even though most pet owners would never consider their animal property, under the law, that is exactly what they are. Aside from animal cruelty, the only way to a person to be held liable for injuring an animal is to be held responsible for damaging property.
Related Resources:
- Man Drugged Competition at Dog Show: Cops (NBC)
- Animal Rights (FindLaw)
- Is Cruelty to animals the Mere Destruction of Property? (FindLaw's Writ)
- How Courts View Pets: Personal Property or Part of the Family (FindLaw)