Investigators Find Malnourished Dog Chained To Another's Dead Body
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May 24, 2006, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA -- Police said a foul odor led them to the home of a Northside man who was arrested and charged with animal cruelty Tuesday, according to WJXT-TV.
Animal Control officials said the surviving dog weighs just 24 pounds, compared to the 50 pounds it should weigh.
Mortimer Day was arrested after investigators found one of his dogs dead and another on the verge of death, according to the WJXT-TV report.
Police said both dogs were chained to one another and attached to a fence with no food or water.
The surviving dog was taken from the home and is being cared for at Animal Control, where the veterinary technician said the dog weighs half of what it should.
"If one animal has died and begun to decompose, that is a sign the owner has not visited with the animal in days or maybe even weeks," said David Flagler, Animal Control.
Day's fiance, Chiquita Bell, said the couple did not know one of their dogs had died.
"I saw one standing up and one lying down, and my assumption was that one was sleeping," Bell said.
Day was locked up in the Duval County Jail and will now be forced to go to court and pay a fine.
The surviving dog remains under evaluation in critical condition.
