UKIAH (KRON) — A Ukiah couple has been arrested after their dog was strangled to death while he was tied to a post.
62-year-old Juan Fernando Favila Alvarez and 53-year-old Loresto Garcia Favila were charged with animal cruelty after their dog died while they were away for the weekend.
Saturday, police were called to the 1300 block of North Bush Street after getting a report of a dog in distress. Before they got there, the caller phoned again to say that the dog had died.
When police arrived, they saw that the dog had wrapped the cable around the post repeatedly, shortening it each time and eventually cutting off the animal’s airway.
Police said that they found an empty food and water bowl on the porch, but that it was out of reach once the cable shortened.
When police spoke to the dog’s owners, the couple told them that they had left town Friday with plans to return on Sunday.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement in the July 2, 1996, Federal Register against tethering:
“Our experience in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act has led us to conclude that continuous confinement of dogs by a tether is inhumane. A tether significantly restricts a dog’s movement. A tether can also become tangled around or hooked on the dog’s shelter structure or other objects, further restricting the dog’s movement and potentially causing injury.”
The Humane Society of the United States says tethering can be “acceptable if it is done for a short period or while supervised. However, keeping an animal tethered for long periods is never acceptable.”