Dog owners in Santa Cruz were fined €10,000 for animal cruelty.
In Santa Cruz, two residents were fined €10,000 each for mistreating dogs, which were kept in unsanitary conditions and without proper care.
The city of Santa Cruz has decided to seriously crack down on those who abuse animals. Local authorities fined two residents large sums – €10,000 each. The reason was the terrible conditions in which they kept their dogs.
According to the Department of Public Services, based on police reports with photos and videos, the dogs lived in unsanitary conditions and were neglected.
One case occurred in May. The police received a complaint about a woman who allegedly had mental health issues and kept a dog in terrible conditions. It turned out that the animal had been living on the roof for eight months without proper care. Neighbors out of pity threw water to it from their balconies because the owner was not at home. When the police came again, they heard barking. A neighbor said that the dog was neglected, although a few days ago a woman came and locked it in a room.
Eventually, a co-owner was found who said that her mother had abandoned the dog. The mother was contacted, but she threatened that the dog would simply disappear. Then the police entered the house through the roof and saw terrible unsanitary conditions. The dog was no longer there. It was found later and taken to a shelter.
Veterinarians examined the dog. It was eight years old, small, and without a microchip. Overall, the dog's condition was satisfactory, although there were health problems due to mistreatment. The dog was later placed with the owner's relatives. But the woman was still fined €10,000 for keeping the dog in a neglected state, locked up and in the dirt.
Another case occurred in July. The police arrived on a call because a pit bull had escaped. It turned out that the dog lived locked in a room full of garbage, scattered food, and a lot of feces. The dog was taken to a shelter. Veterinarians determined that the dog was two years old and his name was Balu. He was exhausted and could have died of thirst. It also turned out that in October last year, two more pit bulls belonging to the same owner as Balu ended up in the same shelter. He never took them back because he did not have a license to keep dangerous breeds of dogs.
As a result, the owner was fined €10,000 for abandoning the animal without food and water.