A man suspected of killing his neighbors' pet dog with an animal trap set on his front porch has been hit with cruelty to animals and illegal trapping charges, Anchorage police said Wednesda
Christian Kasprzyk, 41, faces the charges stemming from the death of Grizzly, a 4-year-old Rottweiler owned by Tony and Natalie Lazenby, on Nov. 26, police said.
Grizzly had been playing with another dog in front of the Lazenbys house that morning, the day before Thanksgiving, when at one point the dogs wandered off. Grizzly ran back minutes later, shrieking and thrashing wildly, his head locked in the death grip of a Victor Conibear 220 coil spring trap, police said.
Unable to remove the trap, the Lazenbys called the Anchorage Animal Care and Control Center, whose officers took Grizzly to a veterinarian. He died there a few hours later, his throat crushed.
Police have not released the reason Kasprzyk allegedly had the trap set on his porch, including whether he was targeting the dog or something else, though Parker noted the charges Kasprzyk is facing require criminal negligence.
Kasprzyk could not be reached for comment Wednesday night. He has been issued a citation pending an appearance in court, police said. If convicted, Kasprzyk faces a maximum of one year in jail and a $10,000 fine on each count.
This is a follow up to a very sad story that I originally posted on November 29th.
In that post I talked about Alaska's long history of trapping and the fur trade that is still celebrated with the Fur Rendezvous every February.
I called for an end to trapping in Alaska, as it seems to no longer serve any purpose other then to make men feel all "rugged and primal". And I stand by that sentiment.
But the truly important thing about this story is that it was a criminal act, which killed a beloved family pet, but could just as easily have badly injured or even killed somebody's child.
This Christian Kasprzyk, son of a bitch, placed a murderous device in an area where neighborhood children were playing, and it is only by happenstance that this poor dog stumbled upon it first.
A year in jail and a possible $10,000 fine just does not seem an adequate consequence for such a senseless act of violence.
Good. I hope he gets the maximum. I have a wonderful Rottie who normally does not wander off without me, but totally would if he smelled meat on a neighbors porch. My heart would break if he died the way Grizzly did.
ReplyDeleteDAD I know the Lazenbys!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThey own the cabin next to Grandpa's on the Kenai.
In fact I know that dog too.
This is really tragic, I hope that guy pays for what he did.
I have been searching for the address where this travesty happened as it may be close to my residence but cannot find anything more than "old seward and dimond area". Can anyone pinpoint where this happened?
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to the Lazzenbys.
Dave
one of my dogs got caught in a snare just a few feet from a rest area along the seward highway last year. i was able to free him, not easy though. when i looked around i found 8 more traps including a jaw trap and several conibears like the one that killed grizzly. i took them all and threw them in the river knowing full well that i was the only one breaking the law, setting traps next to a public area is legal, removing them a crime. Christian Kasprzyk has been sentanced now and it was a slap on the hand for him and a slap in the face for the family of grizzly. one can only hope that he feels remorse and that his depraved cowardly act will have some positive reprecusions
ReplyDelete