Malnutritioned, Gracie, a black, short-haired female lab mix, was unable to stand on her own. Every bone in her body was allegedly visible.
The owner, who gave authorities conflicting accounts of how long he had the dog, blamed Gracie's condition on his lack of time and energy.
Veterinarian Michael C. Fleck, who treated Gracie after she was seized from owner Clarence Criswell, said it is one of the worst cases of animal emaciation he has seen in almost five years.
"She had no ability to stand or even move from a crouch position or even right herself," Fleck wrote in a report.
Fleck hopes the state attorney's office, which Wednesday received the case file from Manatee County Animal Services, will prosecute Criswell.
An anonymous complaint of animal cruelty led Animal Services officer Dorsett Browning to Criswell's home in the 200 block of 39th Street East in Palmetto on Sept. 14.
What Browning found resulted in the rescue of Gracie. Criswell told officials the dog had spent the previous three months of her life in a crate, according to records.
The dog was "so thin that every bone in its body could be seen," Browning wrote in an impound report.
Criswell was not home at the time of the recovery but later told authorities that he and his wife, Claudia, were "too busy or too tired to take care of the dog," a probable cause affidavit states.
The neglect almost killed the dog.
"The dog needed immediate medical attention or she may have died," the affidavit stated.
Officers took photographs of Gracie's condition and brought her to Fleck for an emergency exam.
Gracie was force-fed, which brought "signs of life and movement," Fleck said.
"She was so thin that all of the large bones and ribs were very visible to the naked eye and also to the touch," he said.
Almost one week after officers confiscated Gracie, authorities contacted Criswell to get his side of the story.
Criswell told authorities he had found the dog a week before Animal Services did and was planning on having a friend pick it up, according to the impound report.
"I had someone that was going to take the dog, but they must not have came to get it," Criswell wrote in an affidavit.
Criswell later changed his story and said he had owned the dog for at least six to eight months.
Cat Depot manager Marilyn Warner frequents Animal Services and often picks up kittens that she later puts up for adoption. But when she saw Gracie last week, she couldn't resist.
"I was there to pick up kittens to take to the shelter," Warner said. "She was the most pathetic animal I have ever seen."
Warner took Gracie for an exam and to be treated for heartworm.
During the exam conducted by veterinarian Stephen Romero, Gracie was found to be "severely neglected," and an "abnormal finding in the teeth" was located. The dog also has heartworm, according to the physical examination report.
Gracie weighed only 22 pounds.
The State Attorney's Office received the case Wednesday and will decide whether to press charges against Criswell. Case UpdatesA judge yesterday sentenced a Palmetto man to 60 days in jail for starving a black Labrador mix in a cage in his backyard.
Clarence Criswell also received one year of probation, during which he will not be allowed to own an animal.
In the courtroom, Laurie Crawford, president of The Animal Network, a local animal rights group, called for jail time for Criswell, saying the dog, named Gracie, was left "in a deplorable and neglected condition."
During an investigation of the case, a veterinarian said the animal cruelty was one of the worst he'd seen in at least five years.
County Judge Mark D. Singer said that the dog was being kept in a cage for much too long.
"Starving an animal like that is intolerable," Singer said.
Because of a complaint, a Manatee County Animal Services officer went to Criswell's residence in the 200 block of 39th Street East, Palmetto, and found Gracie so emaciated she could not stand up.
Criswell gave authorities conflicting accounts of how long he had had the dog, and blamed the situation on his lack of time and energy.
Before the judge, Criswell apologized to the court and the animal rights activists in the courtroom. He said he didn't mean to starve the animal. | Source: Bradenton Herald - April 26, 2007
Update posted on Apr 27, 2007 - 4:25PM |
A Bradenton man arrested on charges of neglecting his dog and leaving it for dead has had his trial postponed to April.
Clarence Criswell was set for trial this month, but during a hearing Thursday at the Manatee County Courthouse, his attorney, Greg Hagopian, asked for a continuance in order to interview prosecution witnesses in the case.
Criswell is charged with one count of animal cruelty, a third-degree misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to a year in jail. Prosecutors said Thursday they are seeking a 60-day jail sentence.
An anonymous complaint of animal cruelty led an Animal Services officer to Criswell's home in the 200 block of 39th Street East in Palmetto on Sept. 14.
Gracie, a short-haired female Lab mix, had spent the previous three months in a crate, according to records. The dog was "so thin that every bone in its body could be seen," an impound report states.
Criswell was not home when the dog was found, but later told authorities that he and his wife, Claudia, were "too busy or too tired to take care of the dog," a probable cause affidavit states. The dog needed immediate medical attention, without which it might have died. | Source: Bradenton Herald - Feb 2, 2007
Update posted on Feb 5, 2007 - 9:48PM |
The State Attorney's Office announced today that it will press animal cruelty charges against the owner of a lab mix who was in near-death condition in September.
Veterinarian Michael C. Fleck, who treated the dog after she was seized from her owner, said it is one of the worst cases of animal emaciation he has seen in almost five years.
Gracie, a black, short-haired female lab mix, weighed only 22 pounds and was unable to stand on her own when she was found in a crate outside of Clarence Criswell's residence. Criswell blamed Gracie's condition on his lack of time and energy.
An anonymous complaint of animal cruelty led Animal Services officer Dorsett Browning to Criswell's home in the 200 block of 39th Street East in Palmetto on Sept. 14.
Criswell was not home at the time of the recovery but later told authorities that he and his wife, Claudia, were "too busy or too tired to take care of the dog," a probable cause affidavit states. | Source: Herald Today - Nov 2, 2006
Update posted on Nov 2, 2006 - 7:05PM |
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