NYPD officer convicted of animal cruelty for starving his dog caught violating his probation

NEW YORK -- A married Farmingdale couple previously convicted of animal neglect was arrested Thursday for owning animals despite being banned from doing so, acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced.

Rose Neira, 34, and Danny Neira, 43, were found guilty of animal neglect for failing to feed and to provide medical care for their pet dog Zach, who was found severely emaciated in 2010, the DA reports.

  

Nassau District Court Judge Tricia Ferrell signed two court orders in February that banned The Neiras from owning, harboring, or having custody or control of any animals for five years.

A probation officer discovered that the Neiras were violating their court orders when he saw a large dog running around and barking inside the couple’s home on Sunday, May 21, according to the DA.

A DA investigator knocked on their front door the next morning and heard a “dog barking and clawing at the front door from the inside,” the DA reported.

The Neiras did not answer the door.

Officers executed a search warrant on the couple’s home on Thursday, May 28. They found a dog, a cockatoo and a tarantula on the main floor of the home and also found two dogs that belonged to a tenant living in the home’s basement, authorities said.

The case dates to Nov. 22, 2010, when district attorney investigators and members of the DA’s Animal Crimes Unit went to the Neiras’ home after receiving multiple tips that an animal was being neglected there.

Investigators found that Zach, a 2-year-old Great Dane, was “grossly emaciated with protruding ribs and its backbone visible through its skin,” former Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

The dog weighed 87 pounds. In comparison, a normal, healthy Great Dane should weigh between 120 and 150 pounds.

In addition to the dog’s emaciated appearance, its nails were damaged and overgrown and its ear cavities were caked with dirt and grease. Zack’s multiple health issues forced veterinarians to feed him intravenously, authorities said.

When questioned by investigators, Rose Neira initially claimed that the dog’s condition was due to parasites, but she could not provide the name of a veterinarian for the animal, nor could she produce any medication that was being administered to the animal. She stated that she kept the Great Dane in the kitchen, taking it out only once a night, and that she hadn’t sought veterinary treatment for more than a year.

Despite extensive rehabilitative efforts by veterinarians including surgery, Zach died about a month after he was removed from the couple’s home.

“One of our goals in prosecuting these cases is to ensure that people who are found guilty of animal abuse and neglect do not have the opportunity to harm another helpless and defenseless animal,” Singas said in a statement. “Animal ownership is a privilege and not a right, and those who violate a court order will be held accountable by my office.”

The husband and wife were charged Thursday with second degree criminal contempt. The Neiras face up to a year in jail if they are convicted. They will next appear in court on Thursday, June 4.

Patch reported in 2012 that Danny Neira is an officer with the New York Police Department, according to the district attorney’s office.

(Syosset Patch - May 28, 2015)

Earlier:

• Farmingdale Couple Convicted of Animal Abuse