Owner Arrested for Animal Cruelty After Dog Found With Severe Neck Wound

NEW YORK -- A dog owner whose pooch was found with an elastic hair band around her neck that led to a severe and painful neck wound has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty, according to police.

Victor Colon, 36, brought his dog, a small Maltese-Shih Tzu type named Oreo, to the ASPCA on Monday, where a doctor recommended treatment for the pet's gash.

However, Colon rejected the doctor's recommendation and left the hospital with Oreo, after which the ASPCA called the NYPD.

Officers Dona Czvekus and Eveling Veloz from the 42nd Precinct brought the dog back to the humane center on Tuesday to be evaluated and treated.

Oreo, who is about a year old, has a wound going under her neck from her left ear to her right ear caused by an elastic hair band that was still around her neck as of Wednesday, according to police and court documents.

The wound is infected and causing Oreo severe pain. It cuts through her left ear canal, meaning that she will need reconstructive surgery to save her ear, the criminal complaint said.

Deputy Inspector Steven Ortiz, who commands the 42nd Precinct, said he believed the band had been placed around Oreo when she was younger and then became embedded as she grew up.

"You take a puppy and put a collar on it, and the dog becomes an adult and you never change it, you’re basically choking the dog," he said.

This is the latest in a string of recent animal cruelty cases in the South Bronx.

On Friday, a puppy was taken to the ASPCA after being beaten with a shovel and buried in the snow on East 167th Street. In January, a malnourished dog was found abandoned in a suitcase behind 700 Morris Ave.

(DNA Info - Feb 5, 2015)