Humane Society gets custody of dog thrown off bridge

By Denice Thibodeau
Published: August 01, 2009

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The small dog that survived being thrown off a bridge on Henry Street on July 21 has been turned over to the custody of the Danville Area Humane Society.

In a hearing in Danville District Court on Friday, Judge M. Lee Stilwell not only turned the small dog, named Franklin, over to the Humane Society, but ordered its owner, Geraldine Turner, to surrender another dog she owns to the shelter by 11 a.m. Saturday.

Stilwell also prohibited Turner from owning any other animals.

Paulette Dean, executive director of Humane Society, said Turner testified that she asked Cecil McLaughlin, of Danville, to “find a place for the dog” but had no idea he would throw it into the ravine at the bottom of a small bridge on Henry Street, between Patrick Street and a baseball field.

Turner still faces animal neglect charges, based on the dog’s condition before it was thrown off the bridge, and McLaughlin has been charged with animal cruelty.

Dean said the dog is about a year old and appears to be a beagle/Jack Russell mix. It only suffered minor injuries from the incident and Dean says Franklin is now ready to find a good home.