Neighbors video of man regular beating his dog leads to 4 year prison sentence

[Liberal_in_LA]

Oakland: Neighbors honored for taping dog beating
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

For the neighbors, the worst part about the beatings was when they ended. Blueberry, a brown and white pit bull, would lie his bloody frame on the apartment balcony, his head against the metal bars, and shiver.

"It was so awful. ... It was never a case of should we do something, it was how," said Steelee Faltis, 32, an Oakland artist. "Talking to the dog's owner didn't work. But we knew that no one could argue with a video."

So Faltis, his brother and a friend kept a video camera on a nightstand for months, ready to record their neighbor attacking his dog in their quiet neighborhood just south of Lake Merritt.

Finally, on Feb. 19, 2010, they got it: a high-quality video of their neighbor, Charles Black, striking Blueberry repeatedly with an ax handle raised high over his head. In the film, the dog emits harrowing squeals and cries as it cowers against the blows.

That video led to Black's conviction in January for felony animal cruelty, resulting in a four-year prison sentence. On Thursday, the Faltis brothers and their friend were lauded as heroes by the Oakland police and a slew of other organizations.

Vince Faltis, who recorded the video used to convict Black, was awarded $2,500 by the Humane Society, $1,000 of which he donated to the Oakland animal shelter.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/17/BABI1HPGQI.DTL#ixzz1ELQyUea2

[Iris]

1. Poor Blueberry

And those poor neighbors. I'm glad they were able to finally get this on video to end both Blueberry's suffering and theirs.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. Blueberry has been adopted and is ok now

[Iris]

11. That makes me happy!

[roguevalley]

12. good. I can't think of a hell bad enough for people who do this.

what a wonderful dog and what wonderful people.

[Foo Fighter]

25. [phone]

I can't even imagine raising a hand to a dog, much less hitting one. That's just incomprehensible to me.

Any SOB that abuses a dog (or cat or other defenseless animal) should be sent away for a long, long time. There is something seriously wrong with a person that abuses an animal.

[here_is_to_hope]

3. Our dog stole

4 lbs. of thawing ham of the kitchen counter this morning.
He got tossed outside in the rain...
But not beaten or even yelled at.
He was, after all, being a dog.

Good for the neighbors getting involved, hope this guy has fun in prison!

[Boswell]

4. a dog's job

is to keep you on your toes :)

[rbixby]

5. I'm sure it was totally worth it to him too

NT


That's how my dog acts when I catch her eating something off the kitchen counter. She looks all sad, but she's got that look......

[Very_Boring_Name]

14. Oh man my dad's dog had some fun over christmas

My dad had bought a huge bottle of Baileys as a gift for someone, and the dog got into it (knocked it off the counter somehow and it broke on the floor), drank nearly the whole thing. Poor little doggy was hung over for three days straight :rofl:

[Foo Fighter]

26. Nice story!

When I was growing up (on a farm) and we butchered a steer, the carcass was usually strung up outside. The dog stayed there and guarded it all night without being asked. (She normally stayed in the house.)
She never, ever touched a thing, even though the legs of the carcass were very easily within her reach.
And we never had to tell her not to.
She just knew. (She was a VERY smart dog. We didn't have to tell her much of anything at all. Most of it, she just somehow knew.)

Dogs are the best. Anyone that could inflict harm on a dog is lower than pond scum and should be treated as such.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. People who abuse animals sicken me.

That poor pup. The snarky part of me wonders when we'll be able to see footage of the regular beatings the criminal will get during his 4-years stint, but the rational side knows we shouldn't hope for prison violence, however well deserved.

Glad there's a happy ending this time. Support the ASPCA!

[glinda]

7. One of my dogs is from a past neighbor who beat him, tied him 100 degree weather

in the sun without water or food for hours and kicked him on a regular basis. Due to the crying and barking we could no longer take it and demanded he give the dog up. Could not find a home for him so he has lived with us for almost five years now. Totally dysfunctional from trauma but slowly getting better.
Hope the dog is able to emotionally recover and that the new owners will not give up on him. They can get better.

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. 'demanded he give the dog up'. love it!

[GSLevel9]

9. forgive me for my manners... FUCK YEAH!!!!! woot! nt

[get the red out]

16. Nothing to forgive

The piece of shit got scraped off the street and put away for a while, that's definitely something to cheer about. He should be grateful he didn't get what he really deserved, the worthless creature.

[Dappleganger]

10. Had that been my neighbor...

that dog would have mysteriously disappeared a long time ago and ended up as someone else's baby.

[northernlights]

28. yup. that's the level I've reached too nt

[Gold Metal Flake]

13. Once he has served his sentence, Charles Black will be eligible to play for the NFL.

[get the red out]

15. To beat an innocent being like that

I can't understand how someone does that to an innocent being depending on them for its life. This man is depraved. It gives me shivers to think of what that dog endured. God I just hate people like this man with everything in me. There is no way to express what I feel toward them.

[driver8]

19. I feel the same way that you do.

This story makes me sick to my stomach.

I am glad that this asshole is behind bars, and the dog has a safe home, now.

[Blue Owl]

17. Bravo to Vince Faltis

And I will be glad to kick the former dog owner's motherfucking ass if I ever get the chance.

[saras]

18. If life were a movie, the dog would have ate him

[A Brand New World]

20. This breaks my heart to hear of this poor dog being treated

so horrendously. Not only are abused animals physically tortured but emotionally. We have a 6 year old rescue golden retriever that we got when she was 10 months old. She had been beaten also. It took her many months to not be afraid of my husband. She is just now starting to show her true personality and is puppy-like now - playful, completely open & trusting of people. But she had an episode a couple weeks ago where something fell over unexpectedly and she started to panic while trying to hide, which she then knocked over a bunch of other stuff. It took us 1/2 hour to calm her down. She was so scared, she was stiff & acted like she was having a seizure. Abused animals suffer greatly for a long, long time, even when they are loved and cared for. Anyone who would do something like this to a pet deserves years in prison.

[Chimichurri]

21. Poor dog. His eyes look so sad. I hope he can find a loving home. Faltis is a hero!

[Liberal_in_LA]

22. He's in a loving home

[liberalla]

23. "Vince Faltis, 31, a union pipe fitter.... "

He's a UNION guy!

"Vince Faltis, 31, a union pipe fitter, said he hopes the incident will encourage other people to "stand up and make a fuss" when they encounter wrongdoing."


Vince & Blueberry


I hope Blueberry has the bestest, greatest, lovingest home ever. He sure deserves it.

[uppityperson]

24. k&r for someone standing up for what is right and stopping someone doing wrong.

[Pooka Fey]

27. Good on those neighbors! knr

[xchrom]

29. thank you mr faltis -- thank you.

and blueberry -- may you have the happiest home ever.