- Nevada, USA -
UPDATE: February 4, 2021
Lily’s guardian, 42-year-old ARNOLD GALANTO, has been charged with two ridiculous counts of MISDEMEANOR animal cruelty.
Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that GALANTO was formally charged in North Las Vegas Municipal Court on January 12, 2021.
According to a criminal complaint, GALANTO is accused of illegally tethering Lily, a brown Labrador retriever, and Optimus, a white Pitbull mix, while they were outside his home near Tropical Parkway and Bruce Street in North Las Vegas, from August 19 to August 20.
Gina Greisen, president of Nevada Voters for Animals, told Las Vegas Review-Journal that officials told her Optimus was moved inside after Lily died.
Ms. Greisen is now waiting for court hearings to learn if Optimus is healthy.
Although Nevada Voters for Animals pushed for felony charges against GALANTO, the organization consider the misdemeanor charges as a “win.”
Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the charges against GALANTO came about a month after the city in December changed ordinances to set harsher penalties in some instances of animal abuse.
On September 3, 2020, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that following Lily’s death, advocates tried to strengthen animal cruelty ordinances in North Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, Nevada Voters for Animals and its president Gina Greisen were outside North Las Vegas City Hall during a virtual City Council meeting asking for felony charges to be filed against Lily’s guardian.
Las Vegas Review-Journal also reports: “The group declined to identify the owner of the dog when asked by the Review-Journal.”
GALANTO is scheduled to appear in court on February 25.
~ Original post:
A resident in a North Las Vegas neighborhood saw a dog chained in the yard of a home exposed to extreme heat and tried her best to save her.
According to the witness, who wishes to remain unnamed, she first saw the dog on Wednesday, August 19, and as a responsible citizen she reached out to the authorities for help.
She told News 3 Las Vegas: “ She [the dog] never moved”, “Never got up.”
Although she tried to help and rescue the furbaby, the 20-foot walls prevented her from doing so, so, she grabbed her phone and recorded what was going on as evidence for the authorities.
News 3 Las Vegas has not published the video due to the graphic nature.
Reportedly, the poor soul can be seen convulsing and breathing heavily.
The witness has reached out to the authorities for help multiple times and shared with News 3 Las Vegas all the evidence she has gathered.
On Wednesday evening the resident wrote: “Its [sic] over 100 degrees out and it literally torturing an animal to death by denying it water and some kind of shade from the sun.”
The following day, a representative with Animal Control responded: “Thank you.”
On Friday, August 21, the resident wrote: “Dogs STILL out in the heat and sun with no access to water. Dogs can hardly move and need help STAT!”
Then on Saturday morning, August 22, she wrote in an email: “(it's) been 3 days with no water or shade. 3 days? in this heat? The owner just put water out and the poor dog cannot get up to get to it. CAN SOMEONE DO SOMETHING HERE? A slow heat fried death is torture.”
News 3 Las Vegas reports that on Saturday afternoon “North Las Vegas Police and Animal Control showed up. But by then, the dog was dead.”
News 3 Las Vegas has reached out to the North Las Vegas police and they confirmed that the “incident is the center of an active animal cruelty investigation.”
This is what the police emailed to News 3 Las Vegas: “The North Las Vegas Police Department takes any and all allegations about animal cruelty very seriously. The incident shown in a video posted on Facebook is currently under investigation. Due to the sensitivity and nature of the incident, NLVPD appreciates the public’s patience as all facts are gathered.”
Adding in a separate correspondence,
“This is an active animal cruelty investigation and any potential charges will based on the outcome of the investigation.”
News 3 also tried to talk to the dog’s guardians to get their version, however, a man at the residence asked the reporter and photographer to leave after confirming the dog had died.
News 3 then contacted Animal Control multiple times, but they have not heard back from them.
Ms. Gina Greisen, activist and president of Nevada Voters for Animals, started a petition addressed to North Las Vegas City Council, Mayor & Police Chief. Nevada Legislature, Governor Sisolak to demand, among other things, felony animal cruelty charges to be filed against whoever played a role in the death of this innocent dog.
Ms. Greisen said: “We are not gonna let this dog die in vain!”
We constantly repeat the phrase “See something, say something!”, but what happens after you saw something, you said something, and no one does anything about it?
This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.