A 19-year-old woman has been charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals after she allegedly allowed her roommate’s dog to die from dehydration, heat, and starvation.
Jacie Renee Martino was arrested on July 13 by College Station police. A neighbor had earlier contacted law enforcement and stated that the dog was lying dead in the backyard.
The dog had been left outside without food, shelter, or water in 102-degree weather, tethered to a post. The owner told police that she was out of town and had left the dog in the care of Martino for a week.
Martino told police that when she left for work on June 22, she left the dog tethered to a post. Upon returning four days later, she discovered that the dog had died.
The dog was transported to the Aggieland Humane Society in Bryan for an examination, where a necropsy was performed. The finding was that the dog had evidence of severe dehydration and lack of food ingestion.
After being arrested, Martino was booked at Brazos County Jail and then released the same day after posting a $5,000 bond.
Governor Greg Abbot recently signed the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, officially known as Senate Bill No. 5. It requires dog owners to offer proper shelter and clean water to dogs in extreme weather conditions. The bill also bans the outdoor use of chain tethers on outside animals.
Passage of the bill was the culmination of a six-year effort by animal welfare agencies such as the SPCA of Texas and the Texas Humane Legislation Network.