Animal-Charity Leader Found Guilty of Theft

The leader of a nonprofit group that helps dogs was found guilty of theft and receiving stolen property for taking a sickly 19-year-old dog named Jake from a yard and refusing to give him back to the owners, reports the Altoona Mirror, in Pennsylvania.

Tammy Grimes, who founded Dogs Deserve Better, will likely not face jail time for taking the dog from the yard of Steven and Lori Arnold, of East Freedom, Pa. A neighbor of the Arnolds told a representative of the charity that the dog had been chained up and was lying on his side for several days without food or water. Ms. Grimes took Jake to the vet and then refused to turn him over to the authorities. The Arnolds were not prosecuted for animal cruelty.

Ms. Grimes has won supporters internationally because of the case, the newspaper reports. She says she will continue to fight for legislation that would prohibit dogs being chained up from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.