phoenix man accused animal abuse He did not appear at Tuesday’s arraignment because he is charged with cruel neglect resulting in the death of his dog.

Animal activists say all this could have been prevented if authorities had intervened sooner.

Neighbors said they saw the conditions Floyd Baker’s dogs were in. There was no food and the water was rotten.

They called the sheriff’s office more than a dozen times and conducted 13 welfare checks, but police only moved in after the dog suffered for an extended period of time and died.

“You don’t need to have an animal.”

Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Baker’s property in Dewey on a hot June day. The water was very dirty and the consistency was like thick algae.

Inside the shed was the body of a dog, swollen and infested with maggots and flies.

“If you’re going to ignore the suffering of animals, you don’t need to own animals,” said founder Terry Hoffman. Arizona animal rights activist.

She became aware of these situations seven years ago.

She said Baker, who lives in Phoenix, has three dogs on Dewey’s property and sometimes shows up to give them food and water, but most of the time they don’t.

The three dogs were quickly reduced to two.

People who witnessed the situation called the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office 13 times, pleading with authorities to do something about the situation, neglect and abandonment.

However, in the incident report, deputies said each time they checked on the property, the animals had adequate food, water and shelter and appeared to be in good health.

When based on laws and regulationsthere was nothing they could do without a search warrant from the county attorney, who never responded to calls or complaints from residents.

It took deputies to see the dog’s carcass before they could legally move in.

The autopsy report said the dog died from an intestinal obstruction and painful perforation due to neglect.

The sheriff’s office recommended two felonies and one misdemeanor charge, which would prevent Baker from owning a dog for 10 years, according to the sheriff’s office report.

County Attorney Dennis M. McGrane plans to file only two misdemeanor charges, but declined to explain why.

Animal rights activists say this is just one of hundreds of animal abuse incidents across Yavapai County.

“County attorneys are refusing to prosecute cases. Why would law enforcement or animal control do such a good job investigating a case if they know all of their work will be ignored? “If only,” Hoffman said. .

The Yavapai County Attorney said he could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

Baker failed to appear in court on October 8, and a warrant is expected to be issued for his arrest.