[HuffPo] A Chicago man was arrested Sunday after attempting to operate on his dog while drunk, according to police. Stewart Gibbs, 44, allegedly told officers he was trying to remove a cyst from his dog’s right ear, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Police were called to his apartment in the 200 block of North Clinton Street about 10 p.m. to conduct a well-being check.
Gibbs, who has no veterinary or medical training, appeared “very intoxicated” when officers arrived, according to CBS Chicago. They also discovered blood on the walls and floor and a Doberman with “a large open wound on its right ear.”
The dog was very friendly to officers despite its injuries, and was treated at a nearby animal hospital before being turned over to Animal Care and Control. Gibbs was charged with one count of felony aggravated cruelty to animals, the Sun-Times reports. He is expected to appear in bond court Monday.
Obviously you can tell by the rest of my posts that I’m a stickler for journalistic integrity. So imagine my dismay when I read this story five times in a row and saw no mention on whether or not the surgery was successful. I mean, that makes a huge difference on whether or not Stewart is a wacko or a hero, right? Seems like a rush to judgement to me. If you take in all the evidence presented above, you’ve got a smiling dog with a bloody right ear. Seems pretty happy, and the cyst was in the right ear. I’d say everything checks out. Yeah, the guy was drunk, but if you never operated on a dog before and were forced to cut open your best friend you’d have a couple of pops post op too, no? I’m sure the only reason this guy even had to operate was because he can’t afford the cost of health care. It’s really just a sad commentary on the state of our union. Politicians throw around the health care card like it’s nothing, just to score political points and votes. Meanwhile, your average citizens are caught in the crossfire. If we had universal health care for dogs, this never would have happened. I think Stewart did the honorable thing here. He tried saving his pup. It’s not like he got drunk, hopped in his car and ran his dog over like he was some guy with cerebral palsy.
