Man Sentenced to One Year in Jail for Killing his Dog
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Pasado's Safe Haven
January 2014

Additionally, having been convicted of animal cruelty in the first degree, Dillingham is prevented from ever being able to own, care for or reside with another dog – forever. This is why Pasado’s pushes so hard to make sure animal cruelty cases are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; not only does it ensure justice for the animal who suffered, but it has the potential to save other animals from a similar fate.

When Cabela the dog was brutally killed by her owner, Pasado’s Safe Haven fought for animal cruelty charges against the man who killed her. Now we applaud the Prosecuting Attorney for his tenacity in getting a sentence for the crime.

In August of 2013, Christopher W. Dillingham strapped explosives to his gentle Labrador retriever, Cabela, praising her with treats for wearing the strange device. Cabela was happy to accommodate him.

Pasados Cabela killer sentenced

Then he did the unspeakable – he detonated the homemade bomb, violently killing the innocent family pet.

When Dillingham was arrested and booked into jail, he wasn’t initially charged with animal cruelty. Pasado’s contacted the Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Skamania County and asked that Dillingham face animal cruelty charges in the first degree. We explained the importance of this man being held responsible for this very intentional and premeditated act. Besides getting justice for Cabela, it is critical that this charge show up on Dillingham’s record, because it would prevent him from ever owning a dog again.

On January 2, 2014, Dillingham, 45, plead guilty to animal cruelty in the first degree and possession of explosives without a license. He was sentenced to one year in jail for each charge (both are felonies). The sentences are to run concurrently. Dillingham has already served five months in jail and is now serving the remainder of his sentence on probation as part of a supervised work release program. If he misses any of his work release days, he will have to immediately return to jail.

The Prosecuting Attorney amended Dillingham’s charges to ensure that he would be supervised by a probation officer for five years. Had they not amended the charges, Dillingham would not have had five years of probation.

Additionally, having been convicted of animal cruelty in the first degree, Dillingham is prevented from ever being able to own, care for or reside with another dog – forever. This is why Pasado’s pushes so hard to make sure animal cruelty cases are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; not only does it ensure justice for the animal who suffered, but it has the potential to save other animals from a similar fate.

It’s not surprising that Dillingham has a criminal history that includes domestic violence.

“Violence against animals is a proven pre-cursor to violence against humans,” said Kim Koon, Pasado’s Safe Haven’s Director of Cruelty Investigations and Rescue. “Pasado’s sees countless cases in which domestic violence is present when we respond to cases of animal abuse.”

Those who commit violent crimes against nonhuman animals are five times more likely to commit violence against humans than those who do not hurt animals.

She added: “By taking animal cruelty seriously, not only are we doing right by the animals, we are helping our communities be safer for people as well.”

Please consider making a donation today to help us continue our fight against animal cruelty and ensure that Pasado’s can continue to press to ensure that cases like Cabela’s are properly investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

With your support, we can continue to speak for animals like Cabela who can’t speak for themselves.

Thank you for joining us in the fight against animal cruelty.


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