The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

New charges possible in animal-cruelty case

By Natasha Collins

Two more complaints of animal cruelty have been filed against a local pet groomer, a recently released report from the district attorney shows.

The district attorney could not be reached to comment on whether new charges would be filed against Leo Jiminez, owner of Carmelita's Dog Laundry, at an upcoming hearing.

Five complaints have been filed against Jiminez with the Department of Public Safety since May.

According to recent complaints, dog owners said their pets were handled too roughly and were traumatized during grooming at Carmelita's.

Muffie, a West Highland terrier, was taken to Carmelita's to be groomed and appeared to be fine when her owner dropped her off. When Muffie left the store, however, she was holding up her back left leg, according to the police report.

Another complaint alleged that Misty, a 12 year-old Lhasa apso, was lethargic and had redness and swelling on her shoulders after being groomed.

Both dogs had been taken to Carmelita's several times before without any problems; Jiminez believes the complaints were filed because the pet owners had heard of his arrest for animal cruelty in May.

"The owners have said they read about the complaints and thought they should report what happened to their dogs," he said. "The dogs have been here several times, and there wasn't a problem before."

Jiminez contends that he did not hurt the dogs, and there was no reason for the owners to suspect he had.

"The one dog has arthritis, and the vet has prescribed aspirin for its pain," he said. "That is why the dog is limping, not because I hurt it."

Misty was not taken to the vet for her injuries.

Jiminez has been charged by the district attorney with three counts of animal cruelty.

During a preliminary hearing Sept. 2, veterinarian Mary Kate Cameron testified that a poodle had been brought to her clinic with severe nervous-system trauma after being groomed at Carmelita's.

When the dog, Sheba, arrived at the clinic, she had her head tilted to one side and she was unable to stand. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there was considerable bruising around her head and neck. The dog's injuries were consistent with being hung for at least two to three minutes, according to Cameron.

At Carmelita's choke collars are used to attach dogs to the grooming table. It is possible that the dog was left unsupervised and hung itself from the choke chain, according to court papers.

Jiminez said the dog was unruly and needed to be muzzled in order for it to be groomed.

"The owner told me that the dog had to be sedated where it was groomed before," he said. "We chose to put a muzzle on it instead of drugging the dog."

But according to Cameron, the dog would not be too difficult to restrain because it weighed only 10 pounds and was generally a very friendly dog.

"I would never intentionally hurt an animal," Jiminez said.

Jiminez has also been accused of kicking a cat and injuring an Australian shepherd. Both animals died.

An autopsy report showed the cat died from broken ribs puncturing its lungs and heart cavities. The dog had blood and other fluid around its heart and lungs and was euthanized.

Jiminez said he is innocent and will continue to fight the charges until he proves he did not hurt the animals. A trial date has not yet been set.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 12, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.