Woman caught on camera hitting dog no longer employed at vet clinic
AUSTIN, Texas - A South Austin woman caught on camera slapping and punching her dog is no longer employed at a Central Austin veterinary clinic.
In late April Annalyssa Aranda began recording her neighbor hitting her sick and elderly dog, Lola. She turned three separate clips over to the Austin Police Department.
"Once we finally got video footage we were like okay [the police are] gonna come. They're gonna rescue this dog and everything's gonna be fine," said Aranda.
A redacted police report shows an officer came out to the woman’s home. The officer wrote that Lola had a rare neurological condition, adding that "she cannot walk for herself and is in constant pain so she yelps."
The Austin Police Department and Travis County District Attorney’s Office conducted an investigation and found "no criminal offense occurred."
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Those close to the case say the police department and district attorney’s office were able to retrieve vet records dating back to when Lola was a "puppy" showing she was "excellently" cared for, adding the actions shown on video do not rise to the level of "animal cruelty."
Frustrated, Aranda shared the clips with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. "What does it take to save a dog?" she asked.
On Tuesday the group staged a protest in front of Austin Police Headquarters urging the department and district attorney’s office to "conduct a fresh review of the evidence and pursue all appropriate charges."
In a statement given to FOX 7 Austin Tuesday, the Austin Police Department wrote "We have taken steps to ensure the safety of the animal involved."
On Tuesday morning PETA told FOX 7 Austin they confirmed Lola had been euthanized. A PETA spokesperson told FOX 7 Austin an Austin Animal Center employee told them the dog was euthanized. She said they received the information from the Austin Police Department. Communications officials for both the Austin Police Department and Austin Animal Center were unable to verify the claim for FOX 7 Austin Tuesday.
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FOX 7 Austin is not identifying the woman accused of abusing Lola because she has not been charged.
The woman worked at Crestview Veterinary Clinic. On Tuesday Dr. Jordan Kautz, the clinic’s owner and medical director provided FOX 7 Austin with this statement:
"We are shocked and saddened by the behavior displayed in the video. Crestview Veterinary Clinic in no way condones this type of behavior or treatment of an animal, ever, and it certainly doesn't represent the care we provide to our patients. Abuse of any kind is never okay, regardless of the circumstances. While the events depicted in the aforementioned video did not occur at our hospital, the employee is no longer employed with our clinic."
"When we leave the door open for animal abusers they do not stop. She needs to be prevented from having contact with animals so this doesn't happen to anybody else." said Marley Delgado of PETA.