Cruelty to Animals Antidepressant 31/05/2003 Florida Man Cuts Tails Off Six Dogs
 
 Summary:<br><br><!--StartFragment -->Paragraph seven reads: &quot;deputies found the six Akita-mix dogs, <strong>tailless and bleeding </strong>but alive on the floor strewn with broken glass, melted candles and <strong>antidepressant medications&quot;.</strong> <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-locpuppies29052903may29">http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-locpuppies29052903may29</a><br />,0,63355.story?coll=orl-news-headlines<br /><br /><br />Man arrested after dogs&#39; tails cut<br /><br />By Walter Pacheco | Sentinel Staff Writer<br />Posted May 29, 2003<br /><br /><br />A 36-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on charges of animal cruelty after he was accused of chopping off the tails of four puppies and two adult dogs and then storing the animals and their tails in a refrigerator.<br />Orange County deputy sheriffs said Nelson Rafael Rodr&#55797;ez rented a room for two months in Pine Castle from Ovilio S&#7075;hez, the owner of the Akita-mix dogs.<br /><br />According to S&#7075;hez, Rodr&#55797;ez took the dogs into his room Tuesday night, but he later released them. However, Wednesday morning, he grabbed them again and refused to let them go.<br /><br />S&#7075;hez called the Sheriff&#39;s Office after he peered through the window and saw S&#7075;hez holding a machete.<br /><br />&quot;I was scared for my life. I did not know what he had done to the dogs or what he could do to me and my family,&quot; S&#7075;hez said.<br /><br />Deputies arrived later that afternoon and tried to coax Rodr&#55797;ez out of the room. He attempted to flee through the back door but was immobilized when deputies used their Taser guns against him.<br /><br />Inside the 200-square-foot efficiency, deputies found the six Akita-mix dogs, tailless and bleeding but alive on the floor strewn with broken glass, melted candles and antidepressant medications. Deputies also found a bloody refrigerator where the dogs and their severed tails were stored. Akitas are known for their curled tails.<br /><br />&quot;It was just disgusting and frightening,&quot; said Luisa Sanchez, who lives in the house.<br /><br />Sanchez&#39;s daughter, Michelle, 12, named one of the puppies Safety because it was the only one whose tail was not severed.<br /><br />&quot;I&#39;m just glad it&#39;s over,&quot; Michelle said.<br /><br />All six dogs were taken to an animal clinic and returned to the family with the remainder of their tails bandaged.<br /><br />Walter Pacheco can be reached at wpacheco@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6262.<br /><br /> 
</font>
<br><br>