An Anaheim woman faced arrest for the alleged animal cruelty, accused of throwing a dog over a fence at a local veterinary clinic. Tyler Nashae Thompson, 30, has been charged with felony counts of animal cruelty and evidence tampering, reported NBC Los Angeles. The incident, captured by surveillance cameras, occurred in the early hours of Nov. 12 at the University Veterinary Center on Glenoaks Avenue.
Dr. Ash Hakhamian, a veterinarian at the clinic, discovered the malnourished canine within a plastic bag, suffering from trauma and extreme neglect. "To see he went through this, and then hit his face or whatever he hit in that bag, and we found he sustained injuries to his jaw," Hakhamian expressed in a statement obtained by NBC Los Angeles. The dog was covered in fleas, anemic, and showed signs of having been neglected long before the incident.
The Anaheim Police Department confirmed the woman's identity, and Thompson was taken into custody after a two-week investigation. Eyewitnesses’ news provided insight from Dr. Hakhamian, who struggled for words to describe the abhorrent act, saying, "I mean, thrown is an understatement. He sustained mental trauma, even far beyond his physical trauma." This sentiment was echoed across reports, including an interview conducted with Dr. Hakhamian by ABC7.
Following the event, the clinic highlighted the importance of reaching out to local resources for pets that owners can no longer care for. The maltreated dog continues to recover and receive care at Orange County Animal Care. While the community has shown interest in the dog's adoption, Hakhamian noted it wouldn't be possible until the animal's recovery was more stabilized, as reported by ABC7 and KTLA. Police say they gathered evidence from an apartment complex directly across from the clinic, which led to Thompson's arrest.
