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Severely neglected dog seized
Fort Lauderdale, FL (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011
County: Broward
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Alleged: Name Undisclosed
A four-day delay in rescuing a bloody, severely ill dog from its owner has led Broward County officials to overhaul procedures for preventing cruelty to animals.
Among the changes: A 24-hour animal cruelty hotline will be set up, brochures will be distributed throughout the county explaining how to recognize and report animal cruelty, and new rules that will leave less discretion to animal care inspectors on whether or not to seize a dog or cat from its owner.
The case began in early November when Carol Daniello, a physical therapist assistant doing a home visit just off Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale noticed Princess, a desperately sick female mixed-breed dog in a nearby yard.
"I saw the dog struggle to get up, pull itself up, covered with blood from head to tail, pus in her eyes," she said. "I just started crying."
She called Broward County Animal Care and the Fort Lauderdale police. The police officer deferred to the Animal Care specialist, who said they had to give the owner a warning and 72 hours to fix the problem.
"They were saying 'You have to calm down, ma'am. This is somebody's property,' " she said. "Somebody's property? This dog is suffering."
Daniello and several friends called Animal Care repeatedly, and Princess was finally seized four days after the initial report. The owner was cited for animal cruelty. After four days at Animal Care because the owner had not yet surrendered custody, an animal rescue group took Princess to Acacia Animal Hospital in Pompano Beach.
"She was one of the worst I've ever, ever seen," said Dr. Mark Stevens, the veterinarian who is treating her. "She was like one entire scab when she came in."
Princess suffered from such severe skin infections she trailed blood when she walked. She had serious ear and eye infections. And, worst of all, in what happens to older dogs that have not been spayed, she has mammary cancer. Stevens plans chest X-rays to see if the cancer has spread, and if it hasn't, he said, he has a good chance of stopping it.
Susan Pierce, interim director of the county's Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection Division, which includes the Animal Care and Adoption section, defended her workers' actions, saying they were following procedures intended to respect property and ensure the best outcome for the animal.
"I've examined all the facts, I've met with every person involved in the case, and from a procedural standpoint, no violation occurred," she said. "It's been our experience that the long-term benefit is to work with the owner and not take an animal away that is not in immediate distress."
But she acknowledged that while the rules may have been followed, the procedures needed to be changed to protect the animals.
As Princess recovered, a meeting was convened last week among officials from the county attorney's office, Animal Care, and two animal welfare groups - No Kill Nation and Be Kind to Animals Rescue.
"That dog should have been confiscated immediately," said Elizabeth Bressack, founder of Be Kind, which finds homes for abused, neglected or unwanted dogs, who had taken Princess to the animal hospital. "It was a clear case of neglect, abuse and starvation."
But she said she was pleased with the results of the meeting.
The current 72-hour period for owners to correct problems by, for example, taking their dog or cat to the veterinarian, will be reduced to 24 hours. The wide latitude given the county's 12 animal care inspectors will be sharply reduced, with a series of strict criteria for assessing an animal's well-being drawn up this week and training sessions held to go over them. And a 24-hour hotline will be established to allow people to report cases of animal cruelty.
"Princess is going to be the poster child for their training sessions and everything, so it's good," she said.
Fund-raising events were quickly organized, with bands at three bars, to pay for Princess' care, now in her fifth week at the animal hospital. Princess has gained 10 pounds, and according to the veterinarian and others who have seen her, is livelier and happier than the suffering wreck that came in.
"Just finished visiting my friend Princess," Daniello wrote on Facebook. "Her spirit is coming back! Kissing, running, jumping and just full of life! Her skin looks a lot better however she is still bleeding considerably in certain spots. She has a little fuzz growing in :-)." References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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