By DAN TELVOCK
On Friday last week, Spotsylvania County animal control officers delivered two gaunt hunting dogs with cracked and bleeding paws to Spotsylvania Animal Hospital.
Veterinarian Katherine Siefker said the beagle-mix dogs were about 20 pounds underweight. One of them had a number spray-painted in black on its side. The paws were infected, which she said means the injuries were more than a few days old.
To Siefker, this was a typical animal neglect case.
But what happened after the dogs arrived at the hospital was anything but normal, she said.
On Saturday, Supervisor Emmitt Marshall went to the animal hospital with the dogs' owner, Jake Payne, and two other people.
Siefker said Marshall wanted the dogs released to Payne. She said employees told her that Marshall announced: "Do you know who I am? I am Emmitt Marshall, and I am going to have the sheriff come here."
Siefker said employees were uncomfortable with Marshall's presence, so she called in animal control officers.
On Tuesday, Marshall said he was just trying to help his son's friend. Payne has not been charged with any crime. A custody hearing to determine ownership of the dogs is set for Friday morning in General District Court.
Seifker said she is talking about the incident because Marshall was getting involved with a case to help a friend, and he was pressuring people not to press charges.
"They aren't [Marshall's] dogs, and he really has nothing to do with it," Siefker said.
On Monday, Animal Control Director William Tydings was in meetings most of the day.
"I met with a lot of people [Monday] about this case," Tydings said. "I can't really discuss anything right now because we are in the preliminary stages of this case. I am not going to confirm anything right now."
Tydings' boss, County Administrator Randy Wheeler, also declined to comment. Wheeler works for the supervisors. In some localities, the animal control officer answers to the chief law-enforcement officer, typically an elected sheriff.
Also on Monday, Siefker said two Spotsylvania prosecutors came to the hospital to look at the dogs--something she said has never happened in her five years there. She usually speaks with prosecutors on the phone.
Marshall, a stockholder with Hunter's Dream in Caroline County and the Berkeley Hunt Club Inc. in Spotsylvania, is an ardent supporter of hunters. He recently led efforts to defeat limits on where people can hunt. He also criticized a state study under way on the humane use of hunting dogs.
Marshall said he just went to the animal hospital to help Payne retrieve his dogs. He said the dogs ran away during a hunting exercise.
"I just tried to explain to them that when you turn these dogs loose and they go on a long chase they get exhausted, and they look terrible when they go two or three days without food or water," Marshall said.
Marshall said it is normal for hunting dogs to have sore paws after a hunt. Marshall said the dogs were only 2 or 3 pounds underweight.
Marshall said he met with Tydings briefly and spoke with animal control officers about the case.
"I haven't made any demands on those people at all," he said. "I just tried to convince them to give the guy his dogs back. I told them I didn't think it was animal cruelty."
Marshall said Payne takes good care of his dogs.
"I was just trying to help a guy who was in some trouble," Marshall said. "I felt that if they had given him his dogs back, and he takes them to the vet himself, that would have been better. If they told you I came in there and was ugly to them, they are wrong. I tried to conduct myself like a gentleman."
Payne could not be reached for comment at his Louisa home yesterday.
Siefker said the dogs are on a feeding and antibiotic regimen. They already have gained about 5 pounds.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com