NEW YORKTwo Bronx residents were arrested by Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) agents of the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) on Sunday, October 24, and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Cesar Rivera, 49, was arrested by ASPCA Special Agent Pat Breen for starving and neglecting his neighbor’s dog. The dog, a 12-year-old Samoyed mixed-breed named Bear, had been left in Rivera’s care while his owner was out of town.
On July 9, 2010, Bear was surrendered to Animal Care & Control. He was emaciated, maggot-infested and in distress. ASPCA HLE agents responded to Animal Care & Control’s complaint and transferred Bear to the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, where veterinarians determined he had sustained heat stroke and starvation. In the days preceding Bear’s surrender, temperatures in New York City reached some of their highest on record: On July 6, temperatures soared to 103 degrees, and on July 7 and July 9, they reached 100 degrees.