A McAllen woman was arrested Sunday after a concerned neighbor, who believed the woman’s leashed dogs were being neglected, called police for assistance and was proven correct by the scene authorities discovered during their welfare check, according to a criminal complaint.
Paola Andrea Gaytan Hernandez, 49, is charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty for failing to provide necessary food, water or care for non-livestock animals in her custody.
McAllen police responded to a welfare concern at 1121 N. Fifth St at approximately 1:22 p.m. where officers made contact with Hernandez who claimed only a couple of the dogs were hers and the rest she was taking care of for acquaintances, according to the complaint.
Hernandez escorted police to her backyard where they found multiple dogs, which includes Labradoodles and Yorkshires, leashed and or in cages without food or water and surrounded by their own fecal matter, the complaint said.
According to the report, the leashed dogs could only move about 1 to 2 feet from where they were tied.
The report also says several dogs were lethargic, missing fur and close to death.
One particular female, black Labradoodle was observed to have open wounds on its left back leg which prompted police to ask Hernandez about the dog, to which she responded it was a friend’s and she was taking care of it temporarily, according to the document.
Officers also noticed a black cat “isolated” inside a cage without any food “forced to sit down in its own feces,” the complaint said.
Hernandez also escorted the police inside her home where they found an Afghan who she claimed was her own, yet officers observed that it too had neither food nor water nearby and appeared to also be neglected, the complaint said.
The complaint states that while officers continued observing the conditions of the neglected animals, Hernandez “was making numerous … phone calls and sending messages.”
Eventually, a woman identified as Lizbeth Anahi Zarate arrived at the residence and stated Hernandez contacted her about picking up her dogs due to police being at the location, the complaint said.
“Zarate further advised she has been breeding her dogs for years with [Hernandez],” the complaint said.
As the investigation unfolded, it was determined that all dogs at the location would be taken to the Palm Valley Shelter which Zarate was referred to in order to follow up with her Yorkshires, according to the document.
Officers arrested Hernandez for 17 counts for not having necessary food, water, care or shelter for pets, three counts of serious bodily injury to the degree the pets were in conditions of dying and transported her to the McAllen jail to be processed.
She was released Wednesday, according to jail records.
