Dogs Found Unable To Walk Because Of Hair
Owner Faces Animal Abuse Charges
POSTED: 4:39 pm EST February 14, 2006
UPDATED: 7:00 am EST February 15, 2006
A man in Melbourne, Fla., faces animal abuse charges after three dogs were found in a locked storage shed with hair so long that they were barely able to move, according to a Local 6 News report.
Animal control officers said the dogs were found covered in skin lesions and had so much hair that it was difficult to determine heads from tails.
"One of the animals weighed in at something like 24 pounds prior to its hair being cut," Brevard County Animal Service spokesman Bob Brown said. "Once the animal was groomed, he weighed about 10 pounds, 5 ounces. So, he had more than 100 percent of his body weight in excess hair."
The dogs were discovered after another dog laid down in front of the storage shed and refused to leave, according to the report.
Officers who found the shih Tzu dogs in the shed said they had never seen another case like it.
"Animal control officers said it had been years since the dogs had been groomed," Local 6 News reporter Donald Forbes said.
The animals are being housed at the Brevard County animal shelter as evidence against the owner.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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if it's that much of an 'inconvenience' to groom your dog, give him/her to someone that will.
