A puppy that survived being thrown from a moving vehicle in Arden Hills was recently euthanized because, despite efforts to provide him with “a safe haven,” he couldn’t overcome the “severe trauma and abuse” he endured, according to a pet rescue organization.
A man is charged with leading deputies on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle, including driving the wrong way on Interstate 694 at speeds up to 75 mph in January. During the incident, a passenger in the vehicle pushed the dog out of the vehicle and into the path of a pursuing squad car, according to animal cruelty charges against her.
Deputies later found the dog, which was given the name “Taho.” He underwent surgery for a broken leg.
After a series of biting incidents, the nonprofit Pet Haven wrote on Facebook that “Taho came to us confused. Broken. Discarded. He was in severe physical and emotional distress. We know more about his background now and we know from a young puppy he was terribly abused.”
The dog entered Pet Haven’s behavioral rehabilitation program.
“He was given the time and space to decompress, to feel safe and loved, to trust, and to just simply be,” Pet Haven wrote. “… Taho was constantly in an unhealthy state of mind where he was either very fearful or in an extremely intense drive to bite someone or get to something. Taho was not a candidate for a sanctuary. He was not a candidate for another home. He was a serious risk to the community. And we could not, in good conscience, let him continue to suffer in this state of daily anxiety and trauma.”
Pet Haven wrote that “behavioral euthanasia was the only option for him.”
“Goodbye to this beautiful soul who had been living his life in constant fear, anxiety, and severe trauma,” Pet Haven wrote. “A tortured existence.”
Prosecutors have filed federal and state charges against Donovan Alan Goodman, 33, in the case. He’s accused of being the driver of the fleeing vehicle in January and of carjacking another vehicle at gunpoint after running from the vehicle he was fleeing in.
Raylean Chastity Gurneau, 26, is charged with animal cruelty, animal torture and animal abandonment in the case. Gurneau pleaded to felony animal cruelty in March involving a different dog, for which she is on probation.
She told investigators that she’d been “dog sitting” Taho and said she hadn’t thrown the dog out of the vehicle, but she also said she didn’t remember what happened, according to a criminal complaint.
“While our hearts break for Taho, we currently have filed multiple charges against Raylean Chastity Gurneau, one of which is a felony charge,” said Dennis Gerhardstein, Ramsey County attorney’s office, in a Friday statement. “This is still an ongoing investigation, and we believe that we have charged the highest most provable offenses in this case.”
More: The people of Pet Haven spoke about Taho’s life and death in a town hall event on Facebook.
