SPCA announces arrest in animal rescue case
May 20—After several months of physical and behavioral treatment at the SPCA of Texas' Dallas facility, a dog rescued from a Hunt County home late last summer has recovered and been adopted into a new, loving and forever home.
According to the SPCA, on Aug. 21, the Hunt County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check on a dog and upon arrival, observed the dog unlawfully restrained with the use of a chain.
Deputies spoke with the owner — identified as Tonya Alexander — to inform her she was in violation of Texas' Safe Outdoor Dogs Act that make it illegal to have the dog on a chain.
The SPCA's animal cruelty investigations unit was notified by the sheriff's office at that time and had planned to follow up with the case the next morning to make sure the owner was in compliance.
At around midnight that same evening, the sheriff's office received a call from the dog's owner reporting that an unknown man had come through her yard and had slit the dog's throat.
The sheriff's office responded immediately to the scene and members of the SPCA ACI unit talked HCSO personnel through their response over the phone.
After reviewing photos the deputies provided from their first response of the evening, it appeared to ACI investigators that the dog had an embedded collar and the injuries to the dog's throat were consistent with the removal of such an embedded collar, likely occurring when the owner removed the dog from the chain.
The dog had an open wound on its neck as a result and deputies told the owner that she needed to get the dog to a veterinary clinic first thing the next morning and notified her that the SPCA would be following up to ensure the dog received medical treatment.
At approximately 9 a.m. the next morning the ACI unit visited the property to ensure the dog had made it to the vet but the owner was still in bed asleep. The dog had not received any medical care at this point.
The owner stuck to her story that the dog's throat was cut by unknown men that trespassed on her property the previous night.
Alexander agreed to sign the dog over to the SPCA and the dog, named Lucy, was transported to the facility in Dallas for medical treatment and forensic evaluations. The examination determined that the collar had been embedded in the dog's neck and the wound was made by the removal of the embedded collar, causing the dog significant pain and suffering.
After several months, a warrant was issued on April 15 out of Hunt County for the arrest of Alexander, who was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals — neglect, a Class A misdemeanor. Alexander voluntarily turned herself in to the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office on May 10.
According to the Texas Penal Code 42.092 (cruelty to non-livestock animals), a person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly fails unreasonably to provide necessary care to maintain the animal in a good state of health.
"This case was difficult to see," said SPCA of Texas chief ACI investigator Courtney Burns. "The poor dog was as sweet as could be and was likely in unbearable pain over a span of several weeks as her collar worked its way into her neck."
