Alamogordo, NM: Ronnie Chavez, 55 of Alamogordo, NM was arrested and charged with a fourth degree felony of animal cruelty for strangling his dog. Chavez went to get his dog and proceeded to drag the dog down the street by the leash. Chavez was upset because the dog got out of the yard and had “cost him some money”. In November of 2011, Chavez was ticketed for “an animal running at large”. The fine was $100. 

A neighbor had reported that he saw Chavez holding the 4-year-old pit bull in the air by the leash with his hind legs dangling. When the police responded to the call they found the dog dead on the sidewalk near a vacant lot. During the investigation, there were several reports of Chavez “holding the dog in the air by the leash while the dog's back paws were dragging and clawing the ground”. Chavez stated the “dog had gotten the leash wrapped around its neck and choked itself”.

Chavez is being held in the Otero County Detention Center on $5,000 bond. 

For more information: http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_20544601/alamogordo-man-charged-cruelty-animals

This petition will be updated as more information becomes available; however, the intent will remain the same.