Sarasota man’s dog was biting his tail, so he grabbed the tree branch clippers, cops say

A Sarasota man is facing a felony animal cruelty charge after deputies say he cut off part of his small dog’s tail.

Pablo Vega-Padron, 77, was arrested Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest last week.

A neighbor reported to Animal Services he was concerned about Vega-Padron’s 1-year-old Chihuahua-terrier mix, Randy, according to the sheriff’s office.

When Animal Services officers arrived at Vega-Padron’s home in the 1600 block of Olympia Fields Street in Sarasota for a welfare check on Aug. 17, they found Randy with bandages on his paw and tail, according to the sheriff’s office.

Animal services officers directed Vega-Padron to get veterinary service for Randy, according to the probable cause affidavit.

While the dog was being cared for at the Parkway Animal Hospital, Vega-Padron said he cut Randy’s tail several days earlier. He told deputies Randy was chewing on his tail for “several days” and the tail was “rotting off,” so he used a pair of tree branch clippers to cut off the “rotting” portion because it was “bothering the dog,” according to the affidavit.

A vet’s examination of the dismembered portion of Randy’s tail, about 5 inches long, showed an old fracture at the end of the tail that would have been the result of trauma, either purposefully or accidentally, along with two old, rotting cuts on the tail.

Vega-Padron told deputies he did not have the money to take his dog to a veterinarian and expressed remorse to investigators.

Randy was taken into protective custody and Vega-Padron later relinquished ownership to Animal Services. A vet closed the wound to Randy’s tail during surgery.

Vega-Padron was released from jail Tuesday on a $1,500 bond.

Randy was adopted and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the sheriff’s office.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 9:47 AM.