Horses and dogs found emaciated Evans, CO (US) Incident Date: Monday, Nov 7, 2005 County: Weld Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Jose Luis Meza

Case ID: 5947 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull), horse View more cases in CO (US) Login to Watch this Case

Dogs living on property south of Evans may have been eating horse manure to stay alive.

After an investigation, Weld County animal control officers took three dogs into custody and made certain five horses on the property were being fed.

The owner of the property and animals, Jose Luis Meza, 35, of Greeley was issued a summons November 7, 2005 for seven counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. Officer Gary Schwartz said animal control officers met with Meza that day and he denied the dogs were his. However, the dogs were living on Meza's property, one was chained to a tree and someone had fed them at one time.

"By law," Schwartz said, "keeping and feeding the dogs means they are owned by the person taking care of them."

Two of the dogs are extremely malnourished, Schwartz said, and the third one -- which was able to get out of the fenced area -- was not as sick, probably because neighbors were leaving food out for it.

Steve Clink, acting director of the Humane Society of Weld County, said the dog that was in better health is actually a pregnant pit bull-mix, ready to have pups very soon. The two seriously ill dogs are heeler-mixes.

The dogs were first taken to the PETS emergency office for veterinarian care. They were then transferred to the humane society shelter in Evans.

Clink said the two dogs that are malnourished will be held at the shelter until the case is decided, but the pregnant pit bull can be given back to Meza if he wants it because the dog was not the subject of any of the cruelty charges.

After a neighbor reported finding a badly malnourished dog November 6, 2005, Weld animal control officers went to the scene to investigate. It took them some time to find Meza, who lives in Greeley but owns the area at 2385 49th St., which appears to be a junkyard.

Schwartz said horses are rated on a 1-9 basis, with 1 indicating emaciated and 9 being obese. He said the five horses on Meza's property ranged from 2 1/2 to 5 points on the scale. Only the horse at the "5" level is healthy.

"We left the horses on the property right now," Schwartz said, "but we always have the option of taking custody of them. We'll be checking on them every day."

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References

Greeley Tribune - November 8, 2005

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