Waco woman surrenders severely malnourished dog to authorities, police say

WACO, Texas (KWTX) — A Waco woman gave up her severely malnourished dog after police found the animal so weak it had trouble standing, police said.

Police reported that they were called about concerns over a dog’s welfare and found a brown and white animal that was extremely weak and struggling to stand. An animal control officer who came to the scene said the dog appeared malnourished.

The dog’s owner, Mary Louise Peña, spoke with officers through her doorbell camera before coming outside, police said. Peña told officers she had owned the dog for about two years and agreed to give up the animal, authorities confirmed.

Officers brought the dog to Pet Circle Regional Animal Center on Circle Road, where a doctor examined the animal. The veterinarian said the dog was extremely thin and missing one eye, with the remaining eye sunken so far into its head that scarring surrounded it.

The doctor also reported that the dog had been in this condition for two weeks to a month or longer. He rated the dog’s condition as 1 on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst, the doctor confirmed to police.

The animal center planned to keep the dog comfortable overnight before attempting risky surgery to open the dog’s mouth, which was stuck shut. The doctor said the dog had a 50% chance of surviving the surgery.

The veterinarian confirmed “yes” when asked if the dog was malnourished enough to cause serious bodily injury.

Peña was arrested and charged with cruelty to non-livestock animal.

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