She doesn’t have a name yet, but the 7-month-old white-and-brown beagle mix dog that ended up in the Castaic Animal Care and Control Center has plenty of people wanting to care for her.
“She’s healthy, she’s just a little shy,” said Don Barre, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.
On Wednesday, the pup received medical attention from a veterinarian who gave the dog — described as part-beagle and part-labrador retriever — all its required shots, Barre said,
“So, right now we’re accepting applications to find the most suitable family for her,” she said, noting shelter staffers have received quite a few calls about the dog.
Animal control officers prefer the adopting family would have no children under the age of 12, she added.
“She has to be socialized,” Barre said, alluding to the trauma endured by dog in the last couple of weeks.
On April 5, deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to the 23600 block of Lyons Avenue for a reported case of animal abuse.
The incident happened mid-afternoon in the parking lot near the Smart & Final Extra store and the Valencia Lanes bowling alley.
“A caller heard the sounds of a dog loudly yelping, whimpering outside of a business in the parking lot, and at first thought a dog had been hit by a car,” said Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
“No dog had been hit by a vehicle. However, a 6-month-old puppy was allegedly witnessed being struck and harshly disciplined by its owner for relieving itself in his vehicle,” Miller said.
Responding deputies arrested the man on suspicion of animal cruelty, a felony.
The scared pup was coaxed out of the car by deputies, Miller said, and taken to the animal shelter in Castaic.
On Tuesday, Zackary Matthew Burnette, 25, of Nolensville, Tennessee, about 16 miles south of Nashville, appeared in court in Santa Clarita where he pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of cruelty to an animal, said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
“He was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation, 27 days of county jail, ordered not to own or possess any animals during his period of probation, and surrender the dog in this case and agree that it could be adopted (through) Animal Control,” Santiago said.
The story serves as a reminder, said Marcia Mayeda, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, for anyone who witnesses animal abuse to report it immediately.
“We commend the sheriff deputies who quickly responded to this call and rescued the puppy from this terrible abuse. We encourage anyone who witnesses or suspects animal neglect or abuse to report it immediately to the Department of Animal Care and Control, the sheriff, or the local police department,” Mayeda said Thursday.
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