San Mateo Animal Groomer Pleads Not Guilty To Strangling Dachshund
June 24, 2016 1:03 PM
Filed Under: Animal Abuse, Animal Groomer, Crime, Dachshund, San Mateo
Juan Zarate (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office)
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) — A pet store employee has pleaded not guilty to animal abuse and animal cruelty in the alleged strangulation of a 1-year-old dachshund last month in a San Mateo pet store, San Mateo County prosecutors said.
On May 15, Juan Zarate, 38, of Hayward, took the dog Henry to a back room to trim its nails but got angry when the dog was not cooperative, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Zarate rushed to the front of the store three minutes later with the dog, which was unresponsive and had blood foaming from its mouth.
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A veterinarian at the store was unable to revive the dog, prosecutors said.
Police responded at 5:15 p.m. to the PetSmart at 3520 S. El Camino Real on a report that a dog had died. Police arrested Zarate at the store the same day.
Henry came to the store with his owner, a 47-year-old San Mateo man, who brought two other dogs with him to have the dogs’ nails trimmed, according to prosecutors.
Wagstaffe said Henry’s owner was in court Thursday and indicated Henry was a beloved member of the family.
“It was such an impactful thing for them,” Wagstaffe said of Henry’s death.
A necropsy determined that the dog was strangled. A post-mortem X-ray showed the dog also suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Zarate has no other history of animal abuse, according to Wagstaffe. He is out of jail on a $50,000 bond.
A superior court review conference is set for 1 p.m. July 21 and a preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. July 29 in the county courthouse in South San Francisco.
CBS San Francisco
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Do we know if there is any surveillance footage from hidden cameras? I believe this is what is needed to determine the cause. I’m not sure exactly what happened but someone at Petsmart is guilty and needs to pay dearly. This is a damn shame!
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There are no surveillance cameras in the back area, they are only out in the public area to catch shoplifters!!! He took the dog in the back room to trim the nails and the dog was uncooperative and he lost his temper 3 minutes later he came out with a dog bleeding from the mouth and unresponsive.
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Yes I read that, I was just hoping they had footage to go by. Well, now I guess they’ll be adding cameras to the back areas as well. It always takes an unfortunate occurrence before change is made for the better. So sad what a damn shame that poor baby. This guy needs to pay dearly damn pos.
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They would be smart to put cameras in the grooming area for the protection of all!!!
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