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Woman charged with animal abuse after video shows her putting dog in car trunk

Owner becomes angry when she can't surrender dog to shelter, Humane Society says

COCOA, Fla. – The Brevard County Sheriff's Office said a woman caught on surveillance video taking her dog in and out of her car trunk was arrested and charged with animal abuse on Thursday.

"If you harm an animal in Brevard County we’re gonna put your butt straight in jail," Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a Facebook post.

Investigators said surveillance video shows Sara Perry parking her car and opening the trunk to take a dog out.

The director at the Humane Society of Brevard County said she wanted to surrender her dog, but the shelter was full.

HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IF YOU ABUSE AN ANIMAL IN BREVARD COUNTY YOU’RE GOING STRAIGHT TO JAIL

Posted by Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida (Official) on Thursday, August 22, 2019

Executive Director Theresa Clifton said there are currently 42 dogs in 29 dog runs.

"Then she asked if we would euthanize it and we said we do not euthanize animals just because people don't want them and she got angry, so we gave her the information to go to another shelter," Clifton said.

And as Perry starts to leave, she pulls the dog on the leash pretty hard, and she puts the dog back in the trunk and slams it shut.

Clifton said the video is difficult to watch.

"It's horrible. It's just heart-wrenching to see someone care so little for an animal's life," she said.

Clifton said the shelter called 911 and Animal Services was able to find the dog and the owner, thanks to a humane society employee who took a picture of the owner's license plate just before she left.

The Humane Society said none of their employees knew the dog both arrived and left in the car's trunk.

"Had we known that she was doing that, we would have never allowed her to leave our facility."

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office Thursday said during their investigation a veterinarian determine the dog was malnourished.  

"The abuse of this innocent pet makes absolutely no sense and can only be attributed to someone who has zero compassion for animals, and frankly, shouldn’t be allowed to own a plant let alone a pet," Ivey said.

Perry has posted her $2,000 bond, and she was waiting to walk out of the jail on Thursday night.

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for developments to this story.
 


About the Authors
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Erik Sandoval headshot

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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