Father who used dog shock collar on his kids sentenced to prison

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January 31, 12:47 PM

by Helena Sung, Pet News Examiner

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David O. Liskany. (www.daytondailynews.com)

An Ohio man was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison for abusing and torturing his children.

David O. Liskany, 39, admitted that he "disciplined" his children--ages four, 11 and 13 at the time--by holding them underwater, forcing them to take cold showers, spraying water up their noses, and using a dog's shock collar on them. He had been convicted previously for burning one of his children's feet with scalding water.

The abuse came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2007 when Liskany's oldest son was reported missing. The boy, then 13, had fled the house after an altercation with his father. The teenager walked 15 to 20 miles through a snowstorm to seek safety at a relative's home.

Liskany was arrested and charged with 10 counts of felony child endangerment. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $25,000 bond.

In October 2008, Liskany cut a deal with prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to two counts of felonious assault and one count of attempted felonious assault.

At his hearing on Friday, the judge was harsh and frank. Judge J. Timothy Campbell sentenced Liskany to 16 years in prison (six years each for the assaults and four years for attempted felonious assault) rather than the four years recommended by state probation authorities. 

You have damaged your children for life. You don't put shock collars on children.

When you hear this it sounds like something from Guantanamo Bay...The only thing you didn't do is wrap their faces in cheese cloth, but basically they were water boarded.

--Judge Campbell, in sentencing the abusive father
 

Sheriff's Capt. Eric Spicer said it was the worst abuse he's ever seen. "No doubt about it," he said. "This was a prolonged period of abuse that was systematic."

Meanwhile, other people showed up at the sentencing hearing to ask for leniency, including Liskany's ex-wife.

My children did not wish for David to be prosecuted. I don’t feel that incarcerating him will help.

--Wendy Liskany, ex-wife, asking judge for leniency

 

Liskany’s attorney said his client "had expressed remorse and was no longer a threat to his children because he had been ordered to stay away from them."

Judge Campbell didn't buy the ex-wife and lawyer's pleas, finding that the ex-wife was partly responsible for knowing and allowing the abuse to occur.

Liskany also spoke on his own behalf.

I just want the opportunity to try and be a father. That’s what I was trying to do, be a loving father.

--Liskany, who abused his children, to judge at sentencing hearing

 

Using shock collars on dogs is controversial. Some claim it is an effective training tools, while others say it is inhumane.

Dr. Bonnie Beaver, veterinarian at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that the collars, in theory, are meant to provide an instant punishment, but that in reality, "the potential for over use and abuse of these devices far outweighs the benefit."

 

These devices [shock collars and fences] can provide an excessive punishment to the point that the dog is terrorized. They can be ineffective because the amount of shock is too little (poor contact, too much hair, weak battery). 

They can be used out of context (remote control) because the owner is mad at the dog and “zaps” at an inappropriate time out of anger. 

It can also do significant psychological damage to a dog that does not connect the shock with the reason for the shock. The shock is generally considered to be inhumane.

--Dr. Bonnie Beaver, veterinarian at Texas A&M