A Madera couple faces charges of animal cruelty after deputies discovered one dog dead and a second apparently suffering from dehydration, the Madera County Sheriff's Department reported.
We petition you to vigourously prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law. We seek the stiffest penalties and that these two undergo mandatory psychological testing and counseling.
A Madera couple faces charges of animal cruelty after deputies discovered one dog dead and a second apparently suffering from dehydration, the Madera County Sheriff's Department reported.
We petition you to vigourously prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law. We seek the stiffest penalties and that these two undergo mandatory psychological testing and counseling.
Deputies discovered the dogs after neighbors of Irving Manuel Morelos
complained that the dogs were continuously barking and sounded
distressed, sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said. When deputies Mike
Hardin and Sgt. Patrick Majeski arrived at the home near Arizona and
Amador Streets, they found the two small dogs.
Deputies notified animal control to take the dead dog away and rescue the second, Stuart said.
On
July 5, Majeski told Morelos and his wife, Maria Elizabeth Castro
Gomez, that they are facing animal cruelty charges, Stuart said.
Passive cruelty is typified by cases of neglect, where the
crime is a lack of action rather than the action itself - however do
not let the terminology fool you. Severe animal neglect can cause
incredible pain and suffering to an animal.
Examples of neglect are starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations,
allowing a collar to grow into an animal’s skin, inadequate shelter in
extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek veterinary care when an
animal needs medical attention.
In many cases of neglect where an investigator feels that the cruelty
occurred as a result of ignorance, they may attempt to educate the pet
owner and then revisit the situation to check for improvements. In more
severe cases however, exigent circumstances may require that the animal
is removed from the site immediately and taken in for urgent medical
care.
These two people need to be held accountable for their actions. Even people with only the most basic knowledge of animal care can
see that an animal has degenerated to the point where it is only skin
and bones.
Many times, animals are purchased as pets, and simply forgotten
about. Animals in this situation however do not merely gather dust.
They are slowly starved or dehydrated to death, literally bled dry due
to parasite infestations, or slowly garroted by their own collars.
Sincerely,
