Fonseca
A Miami man faces two counts of animal cruelty after a dog at his former home in suburban West Palm Beach was found abandoned and in poor health, authorities said.
Luis D. Fonseca, 32, was arrested Friday in connection with an investigation started last July by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control Officers. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $4,500 bail.
The investigation began when animal control officers were called to the Casa Del Monte mobile home park, near Forest Hill Boulevard and Jog Road. An employee from the management office reported that a dog had been left alone for about two weeks. A neighbor reported that the dog’s owner had left to move back to Miami.
Officers found “Carly,” a German Shepherd mix, alone on a patio. The dog’s hip bones were visible, the patio was covered with dog waste and there was little food and water, according to an arrest report made public Monday.
Animal control officers took custody of Carly and took the dog to be evaluated and treated by a veterinarian. In the meantime, Fonseca’s wife contacted Animal Care and Control requesting to get the dog back. The woman explained that she and her husband had only been gone for a couple of days and asked a cousin to care for the dog.
She could not provide a name or phone number for the cousin, the report said. Officers obtained a copy of Fonseca’s driver’s license showing that he was the renter of the property.
Carly survived and was adopted about a month after being found, said Capt. David Walesky of Animal Care and Control.
