FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Police arrested a Fort Lauderdale man Sunday on an animal cruelty charge after they said he failed to care for his dog, leaving her “emaciated” and “unresponsive.”
According to an arrest report, a Broward County Animal Care and Control officer had met with Fernando Gomez, 54, four times before Sunday and each time, the officer ordered him to get the dog medical care and provide documents stating that a veterinarian saw the dog.
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Officers at the scene were able to see the dog’s ribs and hip bones, the report stated.
The dog was “emaciated,” “lethargic” and “unresponsive” and it required help from Gomez’s brother to get the dog up and walking, as she was unable to walk on her own, according to the report.
The report also stated that there was a pus-like discharge coming out of both of her eyes and half of her body hair was missing.
The report also stated that the BCAC officer noticed that the dog’s condition had greatly deteriorated since her last visit and that the first three times she did her checks, the dog was energetic and responsive, as opposed to the dog’s now unresponsive and lethargic condition.
According to BCAC, throughout their four checks on the dog, which took place on May 13, 14, 30 and June 9, Gomez was told that his dog needed medical care and was advised to surrender the dog.
On June 9, Gomez was given a final warning by the BCAC Officer and was told that BCAC would come back the next week for the required documents.
Gomez is facing three charges: one count of felony animal cruelty and two municipal code violations: not having required tags and failing to provide proof of required vaccine records.
According to online records, Gomez was being held in the Broward Main Jail on a $10,300 bond.