A 19-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty after a “severely malnourished” dog was found in New Smyrna Beach on Monday.
According to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, an emaciated tan and white, spayed female dog was located on Monday, February 9, in the 200 block of Inwood Avenue in New Smyrna Beach.
Responding officers “found the dog in extremely poor physical condition, with visible ribs, hips, and spine, and significant muscle loss.” The dog was rushed to the Edgewater Animal Shelter, where she received emergency veterinary care.
Officers searched the area where the dog was found, but they were initially unable to identify the dog’s owner.
In a social media post on Wednesday, February 11, NSBPD requested the public’s help in identifying the dog’s owner. Several witnesses soon came forward who were “familiar with the dog and its owner.”
The owner was soon identified by police as 19-year-old Port Orange resident Arriana Washington.
According to New Smyrna Beach police, witnesses reported that the dog had endured “long-term neglect” that allegedly included “being confined indoors, not walked, urinating and defecating inside living spaces, and lacking proper food, water, and care.”
Washington was placed under arrest and booked into Volusia County Jail, where she remains in custody. Her bond has been set at $10,000, and she is being charged with one count of felony cruelty to animals.
In an update on Friday, February 13, NSBPD stated that the dog – now named Olive by the staff at Edgewater Animal Sehlter – is “recovering well.”
The shelter informed police that Olive has gained approximately six pounds so far, and she “continues to show steady improvement under veterinary supervision.”