HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A concerned citizen reached out to ValleyCentral about a possible case of animal cruelty.
The woman said she has seen a dog in poor condition caged since last month on the 100 block of West Matz Avenue.
ValleyCentral visited the home today and there was no response at the door.
We also reached out to the city and Harlingen police after seeing the dogs living condition.
Harlingen Police and the City of Harlingen’s animal control department went to the scene where the dog was found caged, in waste, and its water and food dumped.
Luis Quintanilla with the Rio Grande Valley Humane Society says issues like these should be reported to authorities immediately.
“Animals lying in their own filth, not having access to clean food or water not having adequate shelter, all of that stuff, all of the above, I would think fit the parameters of the legal protection animals have in the State of Texas,” Quintanilla said.
Harlingen’s Director of Communications and Media, Cristina M. Garcia, issued a statement on Thursday.
On Thursday, June 8, the Harlingen Police Department, and the city’s health department along with animal control arrived at the location and found a dog in a kennel. In consideration that the kennel had not been kept free from waste, as required by city ordinance, Harlingen Animal Control shall issue a citation to the owner. Animal control solely has the authority to issue Class C citations. This case remains under investigation.
Christina M. Garcia, Harlingen Director of Communications and Media