Animal Abuse: Dogs with ears, tails mutilated - Salinas, CA | Pet-Abuse.Com Animal Cruelty Database

Cruelty Database » Case Details

Case Snapshot

Case ID: 17321

Classification: Mutilation/Torture, Fighting

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

More cases in Monterey County, CA

More cases in CA

Login to Watch this Case

Images for this Case

all 7 media files »

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Dogs with ears, tails mutilated
Salinas, CA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jan 26, 2011
County: Monterey

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 7 files available

Alleged: Damian Maldonado

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

The SPCA of Monterey County has found another puppy that was given a faulty ear and tail cropping by a man posing as a licensed veterinarian.

On Wednesday, the SPCA got a call from the owner of an 11-week-old Doberman Pinscher whose ears and tail were cropped by Damian Maldonado, who the agency believes is falsely representing himself as a licensed veterinarian.

Authorities are looking for Maldonado based on the accusations of animal cruelty and practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

The Doberman is thought to be at least the fourth dog Maldonado has disfigured, SPCA for Monterey County spokeswoman Beth Brookhouser said.

Maldonado reportedly performed the surgery in the owner's living room on a plastic folding table.

Brookhouser said that he lodged sticks up to two inches deep into the puppy's ear canal and sutured the wounds with fishing line before wrapping tape directly over the exposed flesh.

The SPCA directed the owner to a licensed veterinarian in an effort to prevent infection.

Brookhouser said the veterinarians immediately noticed that the job was done by an amateur, as there was not enough cartilage left to support the ears and the tail was cut too close to the puppy's body.

"Times are tight and people are trying to cut costs wherever possible," Brookhouser said. "But cutting costs on veterinary bills is not what should be done. All of these owners are ending up paying more to deal with the infections."

Ear cropping, which the SPCA described as removing part of a dog's ears to make them stand erect, should be performed by a licensed vet when puppies are 9 to 12 weeks old.

"Ear cropping and tail docking is controversial but not illegal," Brookhouser said. "However, performing these surgeries in a non-sterile environment is illegal."

Maldonado is described as a Latino man, weighing roughly 200 pounds and standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall. His business card says that he operates "El Cartel Bully Kennels" and provides veterinary medical services.

Maldonado reportedly offers general consultations, vaccinations, de-worming, general surgeries, supplements, accessories, vitamins, artificial insemination, stud services and puppy sales, according to the SPCA.

SPCA officials are offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Maldonado.

Maldonado could be charged with violation of Drug Enforcement Administration regulations, practicing veterinary medicine without a license, and other violations for cruelty to animals, according to the SPCA.

The SPCA is looking for other possible victims, especially since a phone number listed on Maldonado's business card has a 209 area code, which encompasses 130 cities located in more than 15 counties.

Anyone with information about this case or who believes a pet is a victim is encouraged to contact the SPCA at (831) 373-2631.

Case Updates

Local humane authorities upped a public reward leading to the arrest and conviction of a Salinas man who they believe is mutilating dogs while masquerading as a licensed veterinarian.

The $5,000 reward for Damian Maldonado was announced Thursday by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for Monterey County following the service of a search warrant conducted by its humane officers and Salinas police, said Gary Tiscornia, the local nonprofit group's executive director.

Authorities served the search warrant at a north Salinas home Thursday morning. It was not immediately clear what evidence, if any, they found at the home. Maldonado was not at home at the time of the search.

The SPCA initially offered a $1,000 reward, but increased the amount to $5,000 because of help from community members and the Santa Cruz SPCA.

"We very much want to bring him to justice, so we hope there's somebody out there who we can pay this $5,000 to upon his conviction," Tiscornia said. "What we're asking for is community support."

He said the group's humane officers developed enough information to request a search warrant from the county's District Attorney's Office.

Tiscornia said Salinas police were at hand to provide assistance if necessary. He declined to reveal what was discovered during the search of Maldonado's Salinas home.

The SPCA said Maldonado represented himself as a licensed veterinarian and had performed "ear cropping" and "tail docking" on area canines. "Ear cropping" is a surgical procedure that includes detaching parts of a dog's ear to help it stand up. The SPCA said the reasons for this procedure range from cosmetic purposes to gaining advantage in dog fighting.

The SPCA said it learned about the case after locating four puppies with cropped ears, three were found Jan. 21.

They said the puppies' owner, a Soledad resident, had hired Maldonado at a rate of $100 per puppy to crop their ears. The SPCA said Maldonado performed the procedure on a makeshift table using fishing line for suturing in the owner's backyard.They said two puppies, each about 4-month-old pit bulls named Frankie and Anna, are now doing well on medication. A third pit bull puppy was treated by a licensed veterinarian and is recovering with his owner.

On Jan. 25, the fourth puppy, an 11-week-old Doberman Pinscher, was identified after its owner contacted the SPCA, the group said.

The illegal surgery on the puppy's ears and tail was performed on a plastic folding table in the owner's living room in Salinas, the SPCA said. Two-inch sticks were placed inside the puppy's ears to keep them upright and the cuts were sewn up with fishing line, they said. The puppy's open wounds were then wrapped directly with tape, the SPCA said.

Veterinarians noted that the ears were not cropped by a trained veterinarian �" that there was not enough ear cartilage left to support the ears correctly.

The dog owners provided business cards of the service, which had the names "Servicio Medico Veterinario" and "El Cartel Bully Kennels" with a cell phone number and Maldonado's Yahoo e-mail address.

Maldonado is described 5-foot-8 inches to 5-foot-10 inches tall and between 200 and 210 pounds.

If caught, the SPCA said, Maldonado may face violations of Drug Enforcement Administration regulations, illegally practicing veterinary medicine and a number of criminal charges related to animal cruelty.

The group is also looking for information about a possible fifth puppy similarly maimed, found a month ago.

"It's mutilation," Tiscornia said. "Pure and simple, and it's not OK."

Source: thecalifornian.com - Feb 4, 2011
Update posted on Feb 4, 2011 - 11:26AM

Back to Top

A fake veterinarian accused of mutilating at least four dogs on the Central Coast said the dog's owners knew he wasn't a licensed vet.

Damian Maldonado spoke with Action News on Thursday and said that the SPCA of Monterey County is defaming him, and that he is in the process of hiring an attorney.

Meanwhile, the SPCA raised its reward to $3,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maldonado, who they said is posing as a veterinarian and botching surgeries on local dogs.

Images: Fake Vet Sought In Dog Mutilations

"Our goal is to make sure this doesn't happen to any more dogs, and we need the public's help to end this practice of torturing and mutilating these dogs," said Gary Tiscornia, of the SPCA for Monterey County.

Maldonado first caught the attention of humane society officers Jan. 21 after three pit bull puppies from Soledad were surrendered to the SPCA. The puppies had infections on their ears after a botched procedure.

On Wednesday, an 11-week-old Doberman pinscher was turned over to the SPCA with its ears and tail cropped.

The dog's owner said Maldonado showed up at his Salinas home and cropped the dog's ears and tail in the living room.

The SPCA said the dogs' ears are being cut with a pair of small scissors and fishing line is being used as stitches.

Frankie and Anna, two of the three pit bulls Maldonado is accused of mutilating, are being held as evidence by the SPCA, and will eventually be up for adoption.

The SPCA is handling the investigation into Maldonado and said humane society officers have the power to execute warrants and make arrests.

Source: ksbw.com - Jan 27, 2011
Update posted on Jan 28, 2011 - 10:35PM

Back to Top

References

« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Monterey County, CA

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.

Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy

Dogs with ears, tails mutilatedSalinas, CA (US)

Case Updates

References

Dogs with ears, tails mutilated
Salinas, CA (US)