Florida: Jarring video of emaciated Fla. dog sparks animal neglect investigations

FLORIDA -- Skin and bones. That's how a Wisconsin woman describes her nephew's dog in the video she says he sent her on Sunday from Jacksonville.

First Coast News and the City of Jacksonville have received numerous calls from concerned residents about the video that was posted on Facebook and appears to show an emaciated Great Dane inside of what the boy describes as a filthy home.

The animal rescue group, Pet Rescue North, posted it on its Facebook page and it has been shared and commented on hundreds of times.

"I was appalled by it. I couldn't believe my nephews were living in that type of home. I couldn't believe the dog was absolute skin and bones," said Sara Stadler.

Stadler says her nephew was concerned his Great Dane, Alaska, was going to die of starvation.

"My 12-year-old nephew reached out to us to help his dog. Everybody can see the video. That's all I could do from Wisconsin was to get a hold of rescue groups in Florida to help me to get this video out and figure out how we could get this dog out of there."

A spokesman for the Department of Children and Families says the children who were in that home are safe and now in the care of other family members.

"We were very concerned about the allegations. We began our investigation immediately. We are working to find out more details about what the living situation had been for the children," said DCF spokesperson John Harrell.

The boy's mother was cited Thursday by Animal Control and Protective Services for neglecting an animal.

According to a city report, a cruelty investigator said, "Based on the evidence I have at this time, there is cause to believe the dog has been neglected. However, when I viewed the dog on 1/5/16, it was not in distress, and was not confiscated per Florida State Statute 828.073. The fact the condition of the dog appears to have improved since the video was taken also factors in to the decision to not confiscate this dog."

The investigator went on to report, "I will continue to follow up to monitor the progress of Alaska, and if at any point she is found to be in distress, she will be confiscated."

"It was absolute filth, urine and feces all over the place. Their bedrooms were completely destroyed, carpet torn up by the door. The door was all scratched up. The dog had bit off the door handle trying to get out because it was locked in there for a week with no food and water," said Stadler after talking to her nephew and seeing the video.

"They want their dog and they want to make sure she is safe and eating."

According to the city report, the dog's owner told the investigator that it had a history of stomach issues, which caused her to frequently lose weight, but proof of active veterinary care had not been provided.

First Coast News spoke to attorney Seth Schwartz, who represents the father of the boy who took the video. Schwartz says his client is doing the best he can do try to get the dog back from the boy's mother but legally at this point there is nothing that can be filed.

(WMAZ - Jan 8, 2016)