riggs

Riggs

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Sample Letter Written By
Sandra Hender
PTI Writer

Dear

I am writing to bring to your attention the following case. In Mukwonago, Wisconsin, Joshua Silverman committed one of the most horrendous crimes that can be committed against another person and an animal. First, he stole Riggs, the beloved dog of Mrs. McPherson and her daughter. This is a crime that is comparable to kidnapping a child. Most pet lovers treat the family dog or cat as their "child". Please try to imagine what it must have been like for Mrs. McPherson to suddenly find their beloved dog missing, and then to begin to search for him believing and praying the whole time that Riggs would be found all right. In this case, when Mrs. McPherson found Riggs, she found him tied to a leash and literally baked by the hot sun. Please try to feel the split second of denial that would have occurred followed by her pain and anguish at the reality of this horrible and tragic discovery. When I try to picture this happening to one of my own dogs, I find myself grabbing them protectively and holding them tight. Are you a dog owner? If you are, please try to imagine this happening to your dog.

The punishment for Silverman holds a possibility of five years in prison. This is not severe enough in my opinion; he would get life if he had caused a child�s death, and this is not unlike that. Since this is the law though in regards to a crime committed against a totally helpless and defenseless dog, I implore you to be sure he is convicted to the fullest extent the law allows.

There are actually two crimes here that were committed; first, the theft of Riggs, and then the deliberate killing of Riggs by leaving him tied in the hot sun where he had no chance of getting to the safety of shade and water. The juvenile in question of the latter crime should also be punished to the fullest extent of the law. A 14-year-old is old enough to know the dangers of this act.

I trust you will give the case of Riggs your full attention and see to it that the perpetrators of this crime are severely punished. Keep in mind that, no matter what; nothing can replace Riggs in the McPherson family. Providing her with another dog is not going to ease her or her child's suffering and pain over this unspeakable crime.

Thank you very much for reading this letter and your time.

Sincerely,

Man charged in theft of family pet that died in hot sun
Wednesday, July 11, 2001

A Mukwonago, Wisconsin man faces charges that he stole a family's 6-year-old boxer and sold the dog to a teen-ager who left it tied to a post near a boat launch on Tichigan Lake where the dog, Riggs, died in the hot sun on July 8th.

Ann Marie McMahon and her 7-year-old daughter, Brittany McPherson, buried Riggs under the shade of a maple tree in the yard of their Mukwonago home. She stated that Riggs was a trusting and gentle soul who had been her daughter's companion from age 1.

Joshua Silverman, 20, is accused of and stealing Riggs as the dog romped in a cemetery behind the McMahon home on June 27. Silverman allegedly sold Riggs to a 14-year-old Waterford boy for $200, but when told by his father that he couldn't keep the dog, the boy chained Riggs to a post near the boat launch and then left on a family trip.

Police have asked Racine County prosecutors to file a juvenile petition against the boy for cruelty. At 14, he should have known that tying a dog out with no food, no shelter and no water is going to be fatal.

When Ann Marie McMaho found Riggs,"I ran to him," she said, "As I came up to him, I fell to my knees and screamed. He was baked by the sun."

Silverman, charged with being party to the crime of felony theft, could pay a maximum penalty of five years in prison. It is imperative that both Silverman and the 14 year old should be charged aggressively, as their young age doesn't excuse them from being responsible for a selfish crime that cost a dog his life. Silverman took money for a
stolen pet and the younger boy tied him out neglectfully. Both should be made accountable for his death.