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Case ID: 17449

Classification: Beating

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior

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Dog severely beaten
Ridgewood, NY (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 10, 2011
County: Queens

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available

Alleged: Jerry Melendez

A 265-pound Queens man savagely beat his 8-pound Chihuahua to a pulp -- and then refused to pay the money needed to save the pup, ASCPA officials and his wife said.

Jerry Melendez, 33, allegedly took his rage out on his dog, Spotty, on Feb. 10, striking him with enough force to fracture his skull and cause a hemorrhage to the dog's left eye. Ultimately, the dog had to be euthanized.

"It appears he was just frustrated and became angry at his family dog," said ASPCA Assistant Director Joe Pentangelo.

After the alleged assault in Ridgewood, Melendez rushed 5-year-old Spotty to a private animal hospital, where doctors desperately tried treating him for seizures and head trauma.

But when told he'd have to cough up $5,800 to get the proper treatment at a Manhattan vet, Melendez refused, saying he couldn't afford it, according to his wife, Lillian Vargas.

Veterinarians claim they were left with no choice but to euthanize the poor abused pooch.

They notified the ASPCA, and a necropsy determined Spotty died of blunt-force impact.

Vargas later concocted a ridiculous story to defend her husband, who is facing two years in the slammer for felony animal cruelty.

She claimed that the towering man merely yelled at the defenseless dog for pooping on the couch and that its injuries were self-inflicted.

"He got up at 5 [a.m.] to go to the bathroom," she said. "He must have smelled the poop on the couch. He yelled at the dog, and the dog jumped off and ran into the leg of the dining-room table."

Melendez didn't have the money to save the pup because he lost his job at a pharmacy, said Vargas, 32.

She then professed her man's undying love for the animal he tortured.

"He loved the dog," she said. "He literally has not stopped crying. He had no intention of hurting the dog."

Despite the excuses, Melendez was charged and, besides prison, faces the possibility of a $2,000 fine.

"It's a serious arrest with serious consequences," Pentangelo said of the ASPCA's first felony arrest of the year.

References

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