Son, Mother Charged in Southington Dog Abuse Case

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Two residents of the Plantsville section of Southington are facing animal cruelty charges after trying to pass a dog with multiple medical conditions off to authorities as a stray, according to a police report.

Police announced the July 12 arrests on Wednesday.

According to a case report, Kyle Burleigh, 21, was charged with cruelty to animals, failure to vaccinate a dog, failure to license a dog and second-degree false statement and Linda Burleigh, 45, was charged with cruelty to animals, failure to vaccinate a dog and failure to license a dog.

Back in June, Kyle Burleigh brought a dog to the Southington Animal Control Department, claiming that he found it in his yard six days earlier, a case report indicates.

According to a case report, the dog "had some difficulty walking," was found to have very long nails on all paws" and "large skin tags on its underside."

Kyle Burleigh claimed he found the dog in that condition and that he "did not recognize it from the area," according to a case report.

He then filed a statement with police proclaiming he was not the owner of the dog, according to a report.

The dog was taken to a local veterinary office for a medical evaluation, police said. The vet had a record of a dog named "Knight" matching the description of the one being examined — owned by Kyle Burleigh’s mother, Linda Burleigh, who lives with Kyle, according to a report.

The vet was familiar with Knight from treating him in the past, with the last record of treatment being in September of 2010, according to a report.

This time around, Knight was found to be "dirty with a strong foul odor," and suffering from "hair loss, scaly skin, chronically infected ears, masses hanging form the abdomen, some atrophy in the hind legs, and nails that grew long enough that they had grown into the toe pad," according to a report.

State Department of Agriculture records show that Linda Burleigh adopted Knight in August of 2010.

When confronted with the information, Kyle Burleigh admitted that gave a false statement, according to a report. Animal Control officers were let into the home and dried blood was observed on the carpet, something Kyle Burleigh admitted was the result of Knight’s ingrown nails, according to a report.

The Burleighs were each released on a $1,500 non-surety bond and are scheduled to appear in Bristol Superior Court on July 23, police said.

Knight is "receiving medical attention and his condition is improving," police said.

Photo Credit (Kyle Burleigh, left, Linday Burleigh, right): SPD