Amy, a 2-year-old beagle mix, collapsed into convulsions and seizures before she died ? a scene all too familiar for her owners.
“She couldn?t breathe at all, and she fell down the stairs. She couldn?t control her actions,” said Molly Cassella, 17, who came home from school Jan. 3 to let Amy outside. The dog ? her “best friend” ? died several hours later at an Annapolis animal hospital.
“I had to tell my little sister she was dead,” Cassella said.
The Cassellas said their first dog died in 2004 in the same manner, raising suspicions that their neighbor of 20 years, Jack Schroeder, 59, of Laurel, poisoned the dogs becauseof their incessant barking, according to court records.
Schroeder admitted in a plea agreement in November to attempting to kill Amy by poisoning her with bowls of antifreeze and chicken bones. The remaining charges of aggravated animal cruelty were dropped, according to court records.
Schroeder was sentenced in Howard Circuit Court to 18 months in the Howard County Detention Center with all but 30 days suspended. He was placed on supervised probation for 18 months with counseling and must pay a $2,000 fine.
Schroeder said he?s embarrassed by his actions, but the dog?s bothersome barking forced him to sleep in a back bedroom and caused tension between his wife and him.
“My neighbors were being careless with their pet. I felt your pet?s intrusion …” Schroeder said, adding that the Cassellas ignored his concerns.
His apology left the Cassella family scoffing.
Schroeder moved out of the house, separated from his wife and was forced to resign from his job at the federal Department of Commerce. His psychiatrist testified that he suffers from depression and anxiety.
“This episode is a terrible failure for me,” Schroeder said.
