Mark Billiot, 39, arrested on animal cruelty charge after emaciated dog euthanized

LOUISIANA -- Authorities arrested a Waggaman man after Jefferson Parish officials said he surrendered a dog so emaciated a veterinarian determined the animal had to be euthanized.

Sox, a tan and white pit bull mix was barely conscious, struggled to breathe and was shaking uncontrollably when her owner, Mark Billiot, 39, carried her into the West Bank Animal Shelter, 1869 Ames Blvd., Marrero, on Tuesday (Aug. 18), Director Robin Beaulieu said.

Sox' distended stomach was the size of two basketballs. She could not stand and had labored breathing. Her sunken skin clung to visible ribs with a gap that measured 1.75 inches between her chest and rib cage, an arrest report said.

"Based on what we've seen and our experience, we feel that she hadn't eaten or had proper nutrition in a very long time, for at least two months, if not more," Beaulieu said.

Billiot brought Sox to the shelter and asked staffers to euthanize her. The shelter officers such services to residents whose animals are grievously ill.

But Billiot told workers that Sox had been in her present condition for about three weeks, and he had not sought veterinary care or any other type of help for the ailing dog, according to Beaulieu.

Based on his statements, the shelter contacted the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Investigators arrested Billiot Tuesday afternoon at this home, 129 Aster Lane, Waggaman, and booked with him cruelty to animals and an outstanding attachment, an arrest report said.

A veterinarian at the shelter determined that Sox was too ill to recover. "She was so dehydrated and in such poor condition, they had trouble finding a vein," Beaulieu said.

Officials euthanized her Tuesday and sent her remains to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge for a necropsy.

Billiot was still being held Wednesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on a $5,500 bond.

Often, residents don't have the means to care for an ailing pet.

"They might not be able to afford a vet," Beaulieu said. "We (the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter) want to be a resource for people. If a dog is sick, surrender it so it can get the help it needs."

Had Billiot done so when Sox first became ill, shelter staffers would have understood, Beaulieu said.

But his statement that the dog suffered for three weeks without medical attention made his actions -- or inaction -- criminal, according to authorities.

"Sox suffered pretty horribly," Beaulieu said.

(NOLA - Aug 19, 2015)