Lisando Arellano Florida man charged with animal cruelty for dragging French Bulldog pet behind pickup truck and dismissing injuries. Dog found suffering days later.
Probably not the dog owner of the year … A Florida man has been booked with animal-cruelty charges after continuing to drag a French bulldog by the collar behind his pick-up truck after the animal fell out, while later telling cops that the dog was ‘OK’.
Lisando Arellano, 45, was seen driving a red Toyota Tacoma in Palm Beach County on Oct. 9 as the canine was being pulled behind the vehicle for over a half-mile according to a release via the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A driver who witnessed the unfolding scene said the dog was ‘spinning on its side as its flesh scraped along the roadway,’ the release noted.
The witness and another driver honked their horns and flashed their lights to get Arellano’s attention, believing him to be unaware that the dog had fallen out of the truck bed and was now being dragged.
But how wrong they were.
‘The dog will be OK,’
The Good Samaritans finally caught up to the driver at a red light and rushed over to alert him about what was happening, only for Arellano to get out of the vehicle and dismissively toss the injured animal onto the bed of the truck and continue to driving, according to a probable cause statement cited by CBS12.
According to authorities, Lisandro failed to tend to the injuries Blanco sustained from him dragging her by the neck with his truck as her body scraped along the roadway. Furthermore, Lisandro unnecessarily allowed Blanco to suffer in pain repeatedly.
‘The dog will be OK,’ the dog owner told the drivers before driving off with the truck bed still open, according to the probable statement.
Five days later, a sheriff’s deputy and an animal control officer went to Arellano’s home, where they noticed the pickup truck bed covered with what appeared to be blood.
The dog, named Blanco, (white in Spanish) was reportedly lying on a bloodied sheet in a room filled with feces and urine. The deputy and animal control officer said the French Bulldog had deep cuts and was whimpering.
A veterinarian said the injuries were consistent with being dragged along a hard surface.
‘Blanco’s limbs were trembling and she could only stand for short periods. Blanco’s heart rate and respiratory rates were elevated,’ Dr. Sara Chapman told CBS 12.
Dogs condition would’ve worsened had it not received care
‘Blanco’s top layers of skin were missing in several areas of her body. The worst injuries to Blanco are on her right front and hind limbs,’ she added, while noting that Blanco hadn’t received any treatment following the incident.
Arellano told officials he couldn’t afford to get Blanco medical care.
The man maintained the dog was ‘just scratched’ and he thought she was fine because she was able to ‘get up,’ the police report said.
‘If Blanco was not brought in for treatment of her injuries, her condition would have continued to worsen and her health would have deteriorated due to the risk of Blanco’s infections spreading throughout her body,’ Chapman said.
David Walesky, director of the Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control, said that Banco has been recovering well from the incident.
‘Ultimately, she could have died from this. We are very thankful that the public brought it to our attention,’ he told CBS 12.
Dog owner agrees to give up dog
‘It looks like she’s gonna make a full recovery. She may have some scarring and things like that, but, you know, psychologically, and from a health standpoint,’ Walesky said.
‘If you’re going to keep an animal in the back of your truck, it needs to be in a secure enclosure, or it needs to be double tethered. That means tied from both sides of the vehicle so that the animal cannot fall out while you’re driving. In this situation, the animal was only tethered on one side,’ he added.
Arellano has been jailed on charges of aggravated animal cruelty and cruelty to animals with his bond set at $3,000.
When Blanco makes a complete recovery, she will be put up for adoption.