© Provided by KVEO Brownsville PD: Woman arrested on 20 counts of animal cruelty
MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A McAllen woman was arrested on 20 counts of animal cruelty on Sunday.
Paola Andrea Gaytan Hernandez, a McAllen resident was charged with animal cruelty after a concerned neighbor called the police about a constant loud barking coming from Hernandez’s residence, authorities said.
Police saythey responded to Hernandez’s residence Sunday afternoon in reference to a welfare concern. Neighbors reported to police that they have heard dogs bark throughout the night and feared that there were several dogs chained up and possibly injured, according to an offense report obtained by ValleyCentral.
Upon arrival to the residence, police made contact with Hernandez who said some of the dogs in her backyard belonged to her while others were just dogs that she was watching for a friend.
While in the backyard, police reported seeing a black female labradoodle held by a chain-linked leash with “limited space to move around.” Officers reported that the dog did not have any food or water and had open wounds on its left back leg.
When asked who the labradoodle belonged to, Hernandez replied, “It’s a friends,” an offense report from McAllen PD stated. “She had me take care of her temporarily.”
Police said there was another cage that held a black cat without any food, a dirty water bowl and cat litter.
As the suspect escorted police further into the backyard they discovered eight more dogs.
Three of the dogs were Labradoodles and appeared to be malnourished, police say. The animals did not have food or water and were surrounded by fecal matter.
The dogs were held by a chain-linked leash onto a clothing line which limited their movement to a maximum of about a foot each, police said.
Police say Hernandez was also hoarding four Yorkshires in cages in pairs. While both sets had water in their bowls, the water appeared to be contaminated with dirt.
In a third crate, police said they saw another Yorkie that appeared to be “extremely malnourished.” The dog had little to no hair and appeared to be suffering from severe illness. Police said they asked Hernandez if she had taken the dog to the veterinarian. After some questioning, police discovered that Hernandez could not prove that she had taken the injured animals to receive any medical attention.
Police said they also entered Hernandez’s home where she had four other dogs, one of which was completely immobile.
Due to the severity of the neglect, officers say they arrested Hernandez at her home.
She was arrested on 17 counts for not providing necessary food, water, care or shelter for pets, a Class A misdemeanor, and three counts of causing serious bodily injury to the degree that the pets are in a condition of dying, a third-degree felony.
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