Colusa woman accused of pet starving

A report of a starving dog has led to a felony animal cruelty charge against an 18-year-old Colusa woman.

Guadalupe Diaz told investigators she fed the dog noodle-soup broth and table scraps, but acknowledged he was starving, Colusa District Attorney Investigator Pamela Craig said.

The dog was a male German shorthair pointer named Capulina. He was less than a year old and extremely thin when he was discovered, Craig said.

The dog was seized in October and later euthanized.

The veterinarian's report said the animal was "unacceptably emaciated," infested with fleas and ticks, and not adoptable due to food aggression issues, "which probably happened because he had gone without food for so long," Craig said.

Diaz told investigators on Oct. 16 she did not want the dog back.

The shelter's staff did what they could for the malnourished animal, but it was too late, Craig said.

"She didn't argue or defend herself, but she expressed no remorse either," Craig said. "She just really didn't seem concerned at all." Craig said she responded to an animal cruelty report Oct. 8 on the first block of Market Street in Colusa.

She said she approached Diaz's house with a dog treat in hand so he would stand still long enough to be photographed.

"Before I could get to the kennel, the dog broke through the wire fence to try to get the food," Craig said.

Craig said the dog's overall living conditions probably would have been fine, "if there had been any food there."

Diaz is charged with one felony count of cruelty to an animal. If convicted, she faces up to a $20,000 fine, but no jail time.

She does not own any other animals and has no prior criminal record.

During a court appearance Wednesday, public defender Albert Smith was appointed to represent Diaz. She is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 17 and is expected to enter a plea at that time.

Contact Rob Parsons at 458-2121 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.