Dog sentenced to prison, false accusation of murdering a cat !

With so much of news on AI technology -  news item that Scientists are working on AI to match Dogs with perfect owners does evoke some interest !  they are among the most sought after pets. Their bond is strong, and picking a dog or other pet often comes down to a gut feeling. But computer scientists at the University of East London are hoping to take some of the chance out of the process. They're using artificial intelligence to help predict the personality types of individual dogs, so they can be better matched with humans.

Dog, (Canis lupus familiaris), domestic mammal of the family Canidae (order Carnivora). It is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and is related to foxes and jackals. The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other). For more than 12,000 years it has lived with humans as a hunting companion, protector, object of scorn or adoration, and friend.

While dogs are pets, obedient animals of its masters – they are feared too. They do attack people, other pets, stray animals and what not.  They could  ferociously attack and maim other smaller animals. Dog attacks on cats are a terrifying experience for the cat, their owner and the wider community. Such attacks many a times result in the death of a cat and witnesses can be left with long-lasting trauma. When vicious attacks take place in public, it can be deeply worrying and upsetting. While some dogs chase cats, dogs rarely eat cats. Instead, most dogs view cats as more of a toy. They’re something to chase and play with, though this sometimes leads to the cat’s demise. This is a post of a Dog falsely accused of murdering a cat !!

Gifford Pinchot [1865 – 1946] was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsylvania. Born into the wealthy Pinchot family, Gifford Pinchot embarked on a career in forestry after graduating from Yale University in 1889.  Pinchot became  the head of the Pennsylvania's forestry division under Governor William Cameron Sproul.

Pep was a black Labrador Retriever, who was falsely accused of murdering a cat. He was owned by Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot and was sent to live alongside the inmates of the Eastern State Penitentiary in August 1924. Pep was given inmate number C-2559 and had both his mugshot and pawprints taken. While he was logged into the prison ledger as having received a life sentence for murder, in reality he was given to the prison by Pinchot to boost the morale of the inmates.

Governor Pinchot was inspired to give Pep to the penitentiary after Maine governor Percival Baxter sent his collie "Governor" to the Thomaston State Prison. Newspaper articles following the arrival of Pep at the prison wrongly characterized him as a "cat-murderer" who had been sentenced to life in prison by the governor. The governor received hundreds to thousands of letters complaining about his apparent ill-treatment of the animal. Pep lived at the penitentiary for several years. He chased rats in the prison corridors and had to be put on a diet in his later years. He was later transferred to the Graterford Prison Farm and died in 1930.

Representational image - Faba-Photograhpy//Getty Images

The dog, Pep was a Labrador Retriever born around 1923 and given as a gift to Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot from the nephew of his wife, Cornelia Bryce Pinchot. Pep joined the Pinchot family at Grey Towers residence in Milford, Pennsylvania, during the governor's first term. Pep was taken to the penitentiary in August 1924. He was received in "due and ancient form",and on August 31 was given the inmate number C-2559.  His entry listed his crime as murder, his alias as "A Dog", and his sentence as life imprisonment. Pep was characterized as a "cat-murdering dog" and journalists embellished the tale with claims that the cat had belonged to his wife or that there had been a trial where Pinchot served as judge and jury.

Pinchot had to write to the newspapers to clarify that Pep had not killed a cat and was sent to the penitentiary so that "the lot of the prisoners would be lightened". Despite his clarification, the governor received hundreds to thousands of letters about the imprisonment of the dog.  Pep wandered the prison and the grounds freely and was well-liked by both prisoners and guards. He served as a mascot for the prison and was intended to boost the morale of the prisoners as a therapy dog.  In 1925, Pep was featured in a radio program that was broadcast from the penitentiary and aired on WIP. The Boston Daily Globe published an article on December 26, 1925, with a photograph of Pep sitting in front of a radio microphone while surrounded by prison guards.

Pep accompanied guards on their nightly rounds and excelled at catching rats in the prison corridors. Pep's time at the penitentiary probably did not coincide with that of Al Capone, who was transferred there on August 8, 1929.

So in Western Countries, even animals have been sentenced, and this dog wrongly sentenced at that !!

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
1.4.2024