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A McAllen woman was arrested last Wednesday on accusations of neglecting her dogs after one was found to be dead in her backyard and the rest living in an unsanitary environment, according to a criminal complaint.
Febe Garza Alcantar was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty after leaving her dogs unsupervised over a weekend she spent at South Padre Island.
Officers responded to 1508 W. Flamingo Ave. in reference to a welfare concern after a dead dog was found in the backyard and the owner couldn’t be found, the complaint read.
The responding officer walked toward the backyard and found four deceased puppies and one female dog inside a kennel. They also observed three other dogs outside of the kennel, one of which was tied to a leash and the other two were loose, according to the complaint.
Officers were able to make contact with Alcantar by cellphone who stated she left to SPI on May 6 and that she wouldn’t be returning until Sunday, May 8, noting that she left the dogs unattended but had left them with sufficient water and food, the complaint said.
Police said that when asked for permission to enter the backyard in order to retrieve the dead puppies, Alcantar refused.
“We made forced entry to the backyard, cut a cord that was securing the door and retrieved the dogs,” the complaint states. “Inside the kennel (we) observed the dogs’ food container was full of flies, the water was green and appeared to have slime making it unsafe/undrinkable.”
Within the kennel, a 2×2 square foot area where the dogs used to relieve themselves looked like it had not been cleaned in days because the feces were piled 4 inches high, according to the complaint.
Alcantar told officers that two of her puppies appeared to have had parvo, a highly contagious common disease which affects the stomach and small intestines and is known to be deadly among puppies if not treated, because they had been throwing up the day before she left to SPI, the complaint read.
Alcantar was released the same day she was jailed on $12,000 in bonds.
