Animal Cruelty Charge For Kent Resident: Putnam County SPCA

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A Kent resident has been accused of letting her dog Abby starve, the Putnam County SPCA said.

Shannon McMahon, 42, was placed under arrest Sunday by Putnam County SPCA detectives. She is scheduled to be arraigned in the Town of Kent Justice Court July 11 on a charge of animal cruelty.

"The severe condition of Abby ranks among some of the most emaciated animals that we have seen," said SPCA Chief Ken Ross.

Putnam County SPCA was asked to respond to an address on Chief Nimham Drive by the Town of Kent Police, who were already at the address regarding a dispute between landlord and tenant —and who saw a dog there in a state of severe emaciation.

Putnam County SPCA detectives and the Kent Dog Control Officer responded immediately. The dog was seized by PCSPCA detectives and transported by the Town of Kent Dog Control Officer to Guardian Veterinary Specialists.

The eight-year-old female Catahoula leopard mix named Abby was examined and found to be approximately 21 lbs with a body condition score of 1/9. According to the examiningveterinarian, a healthy version of this dog should be 40- 50 lbs. with a body condition score of 5/9, Ross said.

Additional tests performed on the dog found she is otherwise healthy and only starved due to lack of proper feeding.

"We want to remind pet owners of their responsibility for the health and well- being of their pets," Ross said. "Although we are not a shelter, we do offer outreach programs for people who have difficulty in feeding their pets, but we need to be involved long before the animal reaches the stage that Abby is in. Failing to do so will result in an arrest of animal neglect, and the possible death of the pet.”

"Basically, if the owner is having monetary difficulties (it wasn’t the case in this instance) and it’s early in the process, call us and we can see if we can help," Ross told Patch.

It's when someone does nothing and hasn’t pursued any avenues to solve the problem that it becomes arrestable, he said.

While the Putnam SPCA is not a shelter, it does does have animal welfare at the center of its mission.

"We currently supply dog and cat food to 11 food pantries and rescues in the county and to some individuals who have reached out to us," Ross said. "In the past, we have set up pro bono visits to the vet, had a company that produced horse feed offer to help an individual, a neighbor offered to provide hay, and we also have used our direct media and contacts to set the needy up with good Samaritans who will help. In 2023, we did over 280 donation pickups and made over 345 donation drop-offs."

Putnam County residents in need of that kind of help can call the PCSPCA Hotline at 845-520-6915.

Animal cruelty is a Class A misdemeanor in New York State. It carries a penalty of up to one year in jail, a thousand-dollar fine, or a combination of both.