IRVINE WOMAN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED FOR ABANDONING GOLDEN RETRIEVER WITH 42-POUND MALIGNANT TUMOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Case # 16HF1750      

Date: October 26, 2017

IRVINE WOMAN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS OF PROBATION FOR NEGLECTING AND ABANDONING GOLDEN RETRIEVER WITH 42-POUND MALIGNANT TUMOR

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – An Irvine woman was convicted and sentenced today to three years of informal probation for failing to provide care for her 7-year-old golden retriever, resulting in the dog’s cancerous tumor growing to 42 pounds.

Circumstances of the Case

• On May 12, 2016, Haughton brought a golden retriever named Henry to an animal hospital in Huntington Beach claiming that she found the dog abandoned on the sand in Newport Beach.
• Animal hospital staff located a tumor on Henry’s right side that was approximately the size of a basketball, affecting the dog’s mobility and other basic functions.
• The staff contacted Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) Animal Control staff and told Haughton that the dog should be dropped off at the City of Newport Beach animal shelter.
• The defendant refused to transport the dog and abandoned him at the animal hospital.
• NBPD Animal Services took custody of Henry and provided a veterinary assessment.
• NBPD Animal Services determined the tumor on his right side was 42 pounds and malignant, severely impacting his ability to walk and function, and required immediate medical treatment. 
• In June 2016, NBPD Animal Services coordinated surgery through donations. After the surgery, Henry lived with a local foster family.
• NBPD investigated the circumstances of Henry’s abandonment on the beach. After they released information to the public about the dog, his physical condition, and the abandonment, witnesses identified Haughton as Henry’s previous owner.

At the sentencing today, an Animal Control officer for the city of Newport Beach, Valerie Schomburg, delivered a victim impact statement to the court pursuant to Marsy’s law. Schomburg stated in part, “Henry seemed to make the most of [the] weeks he had left. He became a local celebrity as the media picked up his story. Soon, he had fans all over the country, and beyond.” She continued, “No animal should be abandoned by its owner when they are suffering. Henry was thrown out like trash by [the defendant], but one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Henry will always be my treasure and he will never be forgotten.”

There are many resources available to pet owners who find themselves unable to provide care for their animals. These include finding a new home for the pet, bringing them to the shelter for your jurisdiction, seeking help from nonprofit organizations that supply food and medical care, and in some cases where no treatment will bring quality of life to the animal, euthanasia may be the most humane option.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone, Environmental Protection Unit