Dog neglect
Haltom City, TX (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Mar 5, 2002
County: Tarrant

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Patricia Ann Diaz

Luis Diaz said he gave his children a dog as a Christmas present in 1993 so that they could learn responsibility, but on Friday jurors found his ex-wife guilty of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor.

Patricia Ann Diaz, a single, working mother, could receive a year's jail sentence, a $4,000 fine or both. She blamed a lack of time and money for the situation. But the six-person jury took less than 30 minutes to reach a verdict after the two-day trial.

Judge Billy Mills ordered an investigation by the county probation unit, after which he will decide how to punish Diaz. That could take a month or more.

The case of Copper, a 10-year-old German shepherd mix, caught the attention of Haltom City police and animal control on March 5. The dog, renamed "Bob" by animal control, was severely underweight, sick and covered with fleas and ticks when he was taken there by Luis Diaz, at the request of Patricia Ann.

Defense attorney Felipe Calzada presented Patricia Diaz as a single mother, working extra hours to pay the bills and trying to raise teen-agers. Copper's care fell through the cracks after Luis Diaz was laid off about November and stopped paying child support, Calzada said.

Patricia Diaz said she regularly put out food and water at night after she came home from work, and didn't notice the dog's weakened condition for some time. When she did notice something was wrong, she couldn't afford a veterinarian.

Jessica Diaz, 14, testified in court that she was "lazy" and dumped responsibility for the dog on her mother.

But prosecutors Elizabeth Bourland and Ashley Johnson argued that this was a clear case of animal abuse and cruelty.

Animal control officers said they found the dog severely underweight and weak. He could not lift his head, and there was evidence he had been lying his own feces and urine for days.

References

• Star Telegram

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