Anchorage man charged with animal cruelty in case of trapping and killing neighbor's dog.

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.

Beloved family pet dies in agony. Is it time to revisit the idea of fur trapping in Alaska?

One minute a family dog named Grizzly was playing in front of the house, the next he was shrieking and thrashing wildly, a trap locked in a death grip around his head, his face distorted by the pressure and pain.

The 4-year-old Rottweiler, pet of Tony and Natalie Lazenby and loved by others in the neighborhood, died a couple of hours later, his throat crushed, the Lazenbys said.

It took four people to get the trap off the dead dog's head.

The Conibear 220 spring-loaded trap that killed the dog Wednesday is now in the hands of authorities. It's designed to kill foxes, beavers and coyotes. Dogs occasionally die in them, too, but typically while on hikes with their owners in wild places, and typically in areas open to trapping.

Now it is important to note that this animal did not die due to a simple accident.  This dog died because somebody set a trap specifically to kill it, or another dog just like him.  Traps set within city limits are strictly forbidden.

Reading the description of how this beautiful animal suffered before it died will tear at the heart of anybody with even an ounce of humanity.  Nothing should have to suffer like this in its final minutes of life.

Which brings me to yet another example of something Alaskan that I find personally repugnant.

I am not a Vegan or PETA member but I am a human. And as a intellectual, compassionate being I feel a certain connection to the creatures that I share this planet with.  I simply do not like to see anything suffer, and my own personal code of ethics dictate that I not injure or kill anything that does not pose a significant danger to myself or my loved ones.

Trapping in Alaska has a long and honored history.  We even have a parade and a week long celebration in its honor called the Fur Rondy. (Short for Fur Rendezvous) In the early days of Alaska's history trapping was much respected way of life, and for many settlers and natives the only way they could support themselves and their families during the harsh Alaskan winters.

However as technologies improved and other employment opportunities emerged, trapping was relegated to mere pastime for most Caucasians though it is still considered a necessary subsistence activity for Alaska natives.

My point is that in 2008 fur trapping is not something that the vast majority of Alaskans need to participate in to survive, and if it is done simply as a "sport" then it needs to come to an end. Hunters can brag about following a moose for many miles through swampy underbrush and finally getting that clean shot which ends its life abruptly and relatively painlessly.  But trappers certainly can make no such claims.  They know that the creatures who fall prey to their snares or traps suffer mightily in their final moments, and simply do not care. 

And if it is not something that is needed for survival then it is simply killing for the sake of killing. And it is done in the most brutal fashion imaginable.

I recognize that in nature predators devour prey, and that death in the wild is always brutal and filled with pain and fear.  I accept that reality.  I also understand that human beings are nothing more then self aware animals.  However if we are to really live up to our fullest potential it seems to me that we should endeavor to cause as little harm as possible to other living things and to find the most humane methods imaginable to harvest our food.  Trapping is in no way humane.  The animal caught in the snare or trap suffers horribly before it breathes its last.  To my mind, in an enlightened world,  that is indefensible.