Dog frozen to death
Santa Fe, NM (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Dec 2, 2004
County: Santa Fe

Disposition: Not Charged

Abuser names unreleased

The Santa Fe Animal Shelter says a woman brought her dog into the shelter, frozen solid, and asked for a new one.

The shelter's executive director, Kate Rindy, said the woman and her family left town for a few days, and left the dog out in the cold to freeze to death.

Rindy said far too many pet owners say the frigid temperatures can and do kill pets. In most cases, incidents go unreported.

In this case, Rindy said, the woman put the one-year-old terrier mix's frozen body on the counter at the shelter, and asked to look for a new dog. Workers did not allow her to adopt another dog.

Rindy said the best thing to do for pets in this cold weather is simple. "Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in," she said. "It's not that much different than you or I out there in our bare skin. The difference between us and them is we can put on layers of coats."

The woman who brought the frozen dog in could face criminal charges of cruelty and neglect. The case has been turned over to the Santa Fe Animal Control unit.

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