Man accused of killing dogs flips off animal rights activists in court
About two years ago, Jason Gentry came to a “Salem Saves Animals’’ meeting. He left his dog in the car.
“He had just opened up a training facility in Salem,’’ recalls Salem Saves Animals founder Lorelei Stathopoulos. “He came to the meeting to promote it, but didn’t want to train my dogs, two small Chihuahuas, and only wanted to do a particular type of training, which seemed to be for bigger, more aggressive dogs. My antenna went up because something seemed off about him.’’
On Tuesday, Gentry was arraigned on charges related to the killing of two Donovan Pinscher puppies. Their bodies were stuffed inside a trash bag that was left behind a Revere gas station last November.
Shortly after the bodies were found, Gentry told Revere police the dogs were hanged until they stopped breathing because they didn’t meet Donovan Pinscher breed standards.
Ernest Stone, Gentry’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment. But, after Tuesdays’s arraignment, he told Globe that Gentry was innocent and didn’t hurt any animals.
During their investigation, Revere police found that both dogs had been in Gentry’s care at Alpha Canine Performance in Lynn, which was a training facility he operated. Dominick Donovan, the man who created the Donovan Pinscher and who named the breed after himself, drove to the facility in November to transport the animals back to his home in Long Beach, New York, according to Renee Algarin, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Donovan Pinschers are what are known as “designer dogs,’’ not unlike labradoodles or cockapoos. Designer dogs are crosses between purebred dogs and aren’t recognized by the American Kennel Club, which has specific breed standards for more than 180 types of dogs. This means that the breed requirements for the strong, mastiff-looking Donovan Pinscher were determined by Donovan himself.
From left, Cynthia Stathopoulos, Leanne Marrama and Lorelei Stathopoulos from the group Salem Saves Animals sit in the courtroom during the arraignment.
Designer dog or not, most breeders wouldn’t think to kill dogs that don’t fit a certain set of standards. Rob Halpin, communications director for the MSPCA, said he can’t recall a single incident when a breeder dropped off an animal because it didn’t meet breed standards. Ami Bowen, spokesperson for the Animal Rescue League of Boston, agreed.
“It’s not a humane way to do business and I don’t see why anyone would get rid of them because of it,’’ she said.
Tuesday’s court appearance was Gentry’s second in a week. Last week, Lynn police raided the training facility and found five poorly cared for dogs and all around “deplorable conditions,’’ according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office.
Gentry was arraigned last Wednesday on 10 counts of animal cruelty, and one count of operation an unlicensed kennel. He posted $500 bail last week, and $1,000 bail this week. He will appear in court in August for the Lynn charges, and again in September for the charges related to the Donovan Pinscher deaths.
Donovan was taken into custody in New York and will face arraignment at a later date, according to Algarin.
Stathopoulos attended the arraignment Tuesday. Gentry gave her and other Salem Saves Animals members the middle finger as he left court, she said.
“I’ll be at every hearing,’’ she said. “Abusers abuse everyone they’re around, and what he did to those dogs was horrible. Those animals deserved to live.’’
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