Andrea Rosebrock 
An 8-12-week-old mixed breed puppy is recovering today at the Buncombe County Animal Shelter from wounds to its paws, legs, stomach and face after two men dragged it by a leash on Sunday.
At least two called were logged into the police, the first at 7:10 pm and the second about 25 minutes later reporting two men dragging a puppy, its paws bloodied. At first, police couldn’t locate the men but the second caller, Troy Leeper, followed on his bike and was able to lead the police to them.
Two Asheville men, Richard Darnell Brent, 49, whose address was listed as the Buncombe County jail and James Lewis Drew, 58, have both been charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
The puppy, who was treated for its wounds, is expected to recover and didn’t even belong to either of the two men. For some unknown reason, the puppy’s owner had allowed Brent to take the puppy temporarily.
“It probably had never been trained to walk on a leash,” Shelly Moore, executive director of the Asheville Humane Society said. “I just don’t understand why someone would do this. It’s a 6-pound puppy. You need to pick it up and carry it.”
What the hell is wrong with people that they would drag a helpless little puppy along concrete sidewalk until it was injured and bleeding and then continue to drag it?? OMG!! Someone need to tie a leash on these brainless morons and drag them around! These idiots were dragging this puppy for at least a half an hour. Thank goodness a good Samaritan stepped in and called 911 and followed at least one of this POSes until he could point him out to the police. Looks like the idiot’s residence is going to stay listed as the jail!
OMG, did you see the face on that little one?
First off, what the hell is wrong with the owner of the puppy to allow anyone, and I mean ANYONE, to take their baby, for whatever reason. You don’t let anyone take your small baby for any reason what so ever! The owner of this little one should be charged with cruelty also.
As for the resident jail bird, what kind of idiot puts the jail as his permanent address – unless that is where he has spent most of his life, and where he should spend the rest of his life.
Thank God for the good samaritan. I am grateful that we still have people with a heart and soul to help our defenseless little babies. I hope to hell they do not release that baby to its original owner, because it is evident that he/she does not deserve to have any type of companion animal. I just cannot fathom how someone would even assume that a baby like that would know how to walk on a lead. That is something you work on a little at a time; their attention span is just as a human baby’s – a little bit at a time. Poor sweetie, I hope he gets all the love and attention at the shelter that he so deserves, and just pray that they do not give him back to the original owner.
Susie, the baby will be put up for adoption once the case is taken care of and he is healed. He won’t be going back to the idiot owner!! I agree, how could anyone let their baby go to someone like this?? OMG!!
D.
It just stupified me that the owner allowed his baby to go with these dimwits! I could NEVER EVER EVER let my babies go with anyone (other than my kids), unless it was a dire emergency, and boy, I better know who has my babies – I would probably spend the extra monies to have a background check on them – only for the safety of my boys.
God, where are these peoples minds? Have they smoked too much weed and taken too many illegal drugs to even think of doing something so horrible as this?
I don’t know the owner but perhaps these two vermin had them fooled. Oh, I’ll bet that most if not all have seen these kind of weinies before, you know the kind that sugar wouldn’t melt in their mouth and are so all over that little puppy, like isn’t he cute etc., etc., etc. You all know what I mean. So unless someone knows any different. I say lets give this pups owner some slack. They could be beating themselves up for not seeing these douch bags for what they really areas we speak.
I’m Troy Leeper, and it wasn’t weed (which I support the legalization of) or illegal drugs that these idiots were on. They are alcoholics (a drug the state makes a profit on) and they were drunk. They were physically aggressive toward me when I tried to get a closer look at the puppy and asked me for money to buy more alcohol. The elder of the 2 “gentlemen” (I never saw him touch the puppy) has already been to court and it’s my understanding the charges were dropped, the other (which I saw abusing the puppy) is still in jail and probably will remain there on our dime until we go to court Aug. 26th (I’ll be there to testify), at which time I’m sure he will get a judgment of “time served” and be released. I really wish I knew whom they got her from in the first place, as they should be charged too.
Troy
Troy, glad you were there to intervene, who knows what could have happened to the poor puppy otherwise.
Unfortunately you’re probably right about the sentence. A “slap on the wrist” tend to be the order when it comes to animal abuse. Sounds like these guys need some serious help and they’re not going to get it on the streets.
Like to know who handed the puppy over to these winners too, they should be charged with neglect at the very least!
Sadly animal abuse is not taken as seriously as it should be. There is a know connection between those who abuse animals and those who abuse or hurt people.
Thanks for filling in some details and again, from a dog lover, thanks for being there.. at the right time and right place and making a concerted effort to save that baby!
Deanna
I’d offer my car and I’ll drive if I can hook these up to it and drag the skin off them .. OH please will someone say yes…Like Susie said what kind of person would even let people like near anything … We need to take people like out back and just shoot them I also have a hole out back that needs to be filled…. scum just plain and simple scum
Katrina, you would not want to infect your land to fill the hole with these sick sobs!!!
They need to be put on a leash and dragged for a half an hour. I wonder how they would feel. That poor little puppy. Why in the hell would that owner let that poor baby go. Didn’t they even watch what was going on. The owner should not be allowed to have this poor baby back if they are that irresponsible. Just a baby. I hope the little tyke heals properly and gets a good home this time.
The poor little puppy must have been in so much pain and to top thatt off was scared witless, I dont know what is wrong with people in this world what monsters, I say they should be leashed and dragged and humiliated in public.
What do you do with idiots that call jail home ?
OMG. Cruelty and heartlessness comes in many faces. But two adult so called people would do this to a puppy. I be they got their kicks. I am so glad there are caring people out there and saved this poor little one from any further harm. I hope they find a good loving caring home. I am so sad and angry that people would do this to helpless beings that can not defend themselves.
1st off…thank God for the person/persons that stepped up to save this little one. A miracle it wasn’t killed. Probably would have been, had it not been for the person on the bike. Susie’s right. What moron would hand over thier tiny little baby to ANYONE? I am so glad to hear the little one will be okay and adopted out to a furever home instead of given back to this complete idiot! Good luck little one and may you have nothing but happiness and love for the rest of your life and may it be a long healthy one.
What a beautiful little pup , these two love birds should be given a good beating as putting them in jail would not accomplish much would it . Good work for Troy not letting them get away
These Jerks should no way,or under any circunstance ever be refered to as men. More like S~C~U~M, makes for a closer more acturit discription.
Some of these cases I simply cannot read the details. I have been so traumatized by the horrific killing of an innnocent 8-week-old kitten by a sick Bronx, NY teen that I can’t bear another incident involving an animal trapped and burned to death in an oven.
We need to band together and demand that our elected officials, the judicial system, and law enforcement stop treating crimes of cruelty to animals as misdemeanors. THEY ARE FELONIES!! The first crime is a felony! There needs to be harsh punishment and forced mental tests. These people are dangerous and need to be removed from society. How many innocent animals must be hacked up, burned, tortured, starved, drug to death, thrown off roofs, abandoned to die before we say….ENOUGH!!!!!! People who treat animals so callously are sick in the head!