Feces was caked onto portions of dog’s fur: affidavit
William Lee Harris, 20, of Bruceville-Eddy, was charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, according to court records.(KWTX GRAPHIC)
BRUCEVILLE-EDDY, Texas (KWTX) – A McLennan County man was charged after authorities found a skeletal dog tethered by a two-foot wire to a tire at a property in rural Central Texas.
William Lee Harris, 20, of Bruceville-Eddy, was charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, according to court records.
On May 16, McLennan County Sheriff’s Office Detective Eric Carrizales received a report from a deputy stating that the deputy went to a residence in the 200 block of Bluebonnet Ridge Lane to complete a welfare check on a dog.
After arriving on scene, the deputy found a brown and tan “smaller sized dog, which was extremely emaciated, dirty, connected with a wire lead to a tire, with no visible sources of water or food,” according to the affidavit. The dog taken away and placed in the care of Waco ACU.
An occupant at the house identified Harris as the owner of the dog, the affidavit states.
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A medical examination of the emaciated dog was completed and revealed an obvious loss of muscle mass with no discernable body fat.
The dog was also positive for heartworms, the detective wrote in the affidavit.
“The dog had a large amount of flea dirt on it, indicating a heavy and prolonged flea infestation,” the affidavit states, “the dog’s fur was stained with urine and feces caked onto it in some areas.”
According to the veterinarian’s report, “the dog was kept in poor conditions that were unsanitary, not fed adequately, not offered a sufficient amount of water and, overall, was cared for poorly to the point of cruelty and neglect.”
During his interview with the detective, Harris stated that he shortened the wire lead, which was seen to be only two feet long, to not allow the dog to walk into the neighbor’s residence. The affidavit then stated that the bowls left out for the dog were extremely dirty and moldy with no signs of recent food or water.
When asked about the last time the dog had been to the vet, the affidavit states that Harris said “it’s been a while, it’s been a long time.”
Harris was arrested and later released from the McLennan County Jail.
An update on the dog’s condition was not provided.
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