Woman Accused Of Abusing Her Pet Chihuahua

The small Chihuahua with the big sad eyes is doing better these days.

Photographs just released by Pembroke Pines police show the dog named Shadow as he was found about six months ago and, more recently, at a new home where his recovery is continuing.

It was Sept. 21 when, according to investigators, Shadow was found chained to a fence, had no access to food or water, was extremely dirty and suffering from mange, and had two lacerations on his body from wearing a harness that was too small for him.

Tina Kilci, a woman in the neighborhood, noticed the Chihuahua.

“His skin was like hard leather, kinda like an elephant’s skin or a pig and looked dehydrated, his body harness looked like it was embedded under the top of his legs,” Kilci said in an online posting.

She brought the dog to the Silver Lakes Animal Hospital, where investigators were notified, according to a Pembroke Pines police report.

The woman who owned the dog, Jenniemae Mathurin, 55, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty on March 22. She was booked into jail and released the next day on a bond of $2,500, court records show.

If you are a pet owner you have a responsibility to care for your animal. Poor Shadow was found tied to a fence, without food & water, and with deep lacerations from an ill-fitting harness. His owner was recently arrested for Aggravated Animal Cruelty; https://t.co/nqKQZdrVp8 pic.twitter.com/SPISOLZzqD

— Pembroke Pines PD (@PPinesPD) 2 April 2018

Mathurin told police she kept Shadow outside her residence on the 18400 block of Northwest 23 Place “due to the fact that he urinates inside the house,” the arrest report said. The dog did not have any injuries when she checked on him on the morning of Sept. 21, Mathurin told investigators.

The veterinarian who treated Shadow, Dr. Robin Kuhn, told police that the dog’s harness had become embedded inside his skin and she believed he had been unattended for at least several days, possibly longer. She described exposed tissue that was becoming infected and a bad smell caused by “the skin condition and rotting flesh.”

Kuhn performed surgery to repair the cuts to the Chihuahua’s skin, police said.

The dog’s veterinary bills reached more than $2,000 and were paid by Kilci and the Pompano Beach-based Milo’s Dog Rescue of South Florida. Kilci started a GoFundMe campaign to help defray the medical bills and Milo’s was able to place Shadow in a new home.

Police said the department was highlighting what happened to the dog to remind people that if they are unable to adequately care for their pet, “do the right thing and find a pet owner or animal rescue who will.”

The agency says people who have information about animals who they think are being neglected or abused can call the department’s Animal Assistance Program at 954-431-2200.

Reference: Sun Sentinel

Want to read more articles like these? Subscribe to our newsletter today!