An Española Police officer was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor animal cruelty for allegedly allowing the health of an injured dog to deteriorate over a span of several weeks.
The dog, a 7-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix staff at the Española Valley Humane Society shelter named Jack, had to have his right leg amputated, shelter spokeswoman Nina Chiotasso said. The dog had about four inches of exposed bone and an infection spreading throughout his body when staff took him in March 24, she said.
Lisa Gipe, the shelter manager, said staff could smell decaying flesh on the dog.
Officer George Martinez, 29, of Chimayó, who is charged in the case, told investigating Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputy Cindy Quintana Tuesday he was trying to take care of the dog and turned it over to the shelter after he noticed the dog was not getting any better, court records state.
The officer and shelter staff are telling different stories about how long the dog was in Martinez’s care. Shelter workers claimed Martinez neglected the dog for weeks, but Martinez said he only had the dog for a few days.
Española Police Lt. Christian Lopez said the complaint prompted an internal investigation, to be conducted by Det. Miguel Maez. A call to Martinez Tuesday night was not returned.
Quintana’s probable cause statement tells the following story:
Quintana spoke to shelter receptionists, who said Martinez called there asking about a dog he found in Chimayó. He said the dog was run over by a vehicle three to four days before and he was treating the dog with peroxide. He said he was turning the dog in because he was afraid the wound would attract bugs now that it was getting warmer.
Martinez came in later and surrendered the dog. Gipe told Quintana she asked Martinez how long the dog had been with him and the officer said the dog was with him for four to six weeks and that the dog was injured when he found it. Gipe said Martinez returned later upset that Española Public Safety Chief Leo Montoya found out about the incident.
Gipe said she told Martinez that he let the dog suffer for weeks, so the case was animal cruelty. She said Martinez then told her he did not know the dog was suffering because it was only injured for a few days.
Quintana reported receiving a call from a veterinarian who studied the dog’s shoulder bone and estimated the injury was about two months old.
Chiotosso said the shelter hopes to get Jack adopted after he heals but he is not out of the woods yet. She described Jack as friendly around other dogs and said he allowed himself to be picked up and carried by staff while he still had his injured leg.