Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog found dead, rocks in stomach

Dog found dead, rocks in stomach
Bellport, NY (US)

Date: Feb 2, 2006
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available

Alleged: Xinia Morales

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 7185

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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A North Bellport woman was arrested after one of four ill-fed Rottweilers removed from her home died of starvation, cops said. The charges against Xinia Morales, 42, of 602 MacDonald Ave., marked Suffolk County's second animal cruelty case this week involving a starved dog.

One of the sickly canines died at Brookhaven Animal Shelter. Veterinarian surgeons were able to save a second malnourished dog, removing five rocks from her stomach. "The doctor said that with these animals, to kill the hunger pains, they will eat anything they can," Suffolk County Police Lt. Richard DeChance said.

Morales, who cops said likely will face more charges, was arrested January 31, 2006. She had called authorities Jan. 16, 2006 for help with two dogs she said suffered from life-long hip injuries. They had become immobile outdoors when a cold front swept the area, Morales said. "I felt like I did what I knew was right," said Morales, speaking from her ramshackle home. "I would have loved to keep them, but I just didn't have the money to feed them." The dogs belonged to her recently estranged husband, Ivan Morales, who raised them but would not have their slowly degenerating hips repaired or have them put to sleep, Xinia Morales said. "My husband used to carry them into the house," Morales said. "It was just too much for me to handle. I called the police ... and now I am in trouble."

Ivan Morales could not be reached for comment. The voice-mail box at his telephone number was full. "She did make the effort to call the police," DeChance said. "It's possible that when this goes to court, they will take that into consideration. But at this point, she's responsible." Morales was charged with cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, and will be arraigned April 4, 2006 in 1st District Court in Central Islip.

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Cali the starving rottweiler became so hungry that she swallowed five golf-ball-sized rocks in her North Bellport backyard last month in a near fatal attempt to ease hunger pangs, rescuers said. By the time she had emergency surgery to remove the stones, 4-year-old Cali weighed just 40 pounds. "She was skin and bones," said Matthew Kearns, the veterinarian who treated the rottweiler at Animal Emergency Services in Selden.

Though Cali was lucky, her sister rottweiler wasn't. She died of malnourishment shortly after Suffolk police found the two starving dogs and turned them over to Brookhaven animal control officers. "In my 30 years of doing this, I haven't seen starvation to the point of death before," added Charles McGinley, director of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. "There's no excuse for it happening." Last week, police arrested Xinia Morales, 42, in connection with the dogs' alleged neglect at 603 MacDonald Ave. in North Bellport. Morales was charged with cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. She was issued an appearance ticket and released, and is scheduled for arraignment on April 4, 2006 at First District Court in Central Islip. Phone calls seeking comment from Morales were not returned.

Before surgery, an X-ray revealed Cali had ingested five stones - each one at least an inch in diameter. Kearns said that dogs who have gone for long periods without eating will sometimes fill their bellies with anything they can find, including dirt and stones. "This was a chronic thing," Kearns said. "Dogs don't get skinny and eat rocks over one day. They have to be not fed very much or not fed anything." Another vet who examined Cali said the chronic underfeeding may explain why the dog also had been nearly crippled by arthritis. "This is such an extreme case, it's very suspicious," said Arnold Lesser, a surgeon at New York Veterinary Specialty Center in Farmingdale. "I don't think there's any way to cure her, and the objective would be to keep her as comfortable as possible and that could be a long, long time because of her age." Despite her ailments, Cali is a favorite at the shelter. "This dog is just the biggest mush you could ever imagine," Kearns said. "She's a real love."

Those interested in adopting Cali should call the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center at 631-286-4940.

Source: Newsday News - February 7, 2006
Update posted on Mar 21, 2006 - 7:51PM

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References

	NY Daily News - February 3, 2006
	New York Newsday

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Dog found dead, rocks in stomachBellport, NY (US)

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Dog found dead, rocks in stomach
Bellport, NY (US)