TOWN OF PATTERSON – A Putnam Lake man has been charged with animal cruelty by Putnam County SPCA detectives after they found his severely neglected mini-poodle at his Lake Shore Drive residence.
The nine-year-old dog, “Pierre,” weighed close to 14 pounds with over eight pounds of feces and urine-soaked matting that had to be removed from his body.
“This is one of the worst cases of matting that we have encountered,” said SPCA Chief Ken Ross.
The dog was unable to see or walk properly due to the extreme matting in front of its eyes and around its extremities, SPCA officials said.
It took three Guardian Veterinary specialist staff members over two hours to remove all of the matting from the dog.
Ross said the dog was suffering from urine scalding because of the neglect.
“The situation could have been resolved with the normal case a pet owner should provide their pet,” he said, after Pierre was removed from the home on Saturday, August 5.
The pooch is still in the animal hospital and is doing well, Ross said.
