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Animal Care Services seeks to identify, place seized animals in safe homes after animal cruelty bust

According to Joel Skidmore, Program Manager for Animal Care Services, residents will need to bring a picture of their dog to the office to see if it's a match.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — 35 dogs and one cat were removed from a house in Corpus Christi on Wednesday, and four people were arrested on animal cruelty charges.

It happened on Niagara Drive Wednesday evening, and on Thursday police identified those who were arrested as John Contreras, Stephanie Medicine Top, Isaac Arismendez and Dominic Rizzo. All are charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals.

"There were a multitude of cruelty violations that we saw," said Joel Skidmore, Program Manager for Corpus Christi's Animal Care Services. "From squalid living conditions that are completely unsuitable. Animals housed in close proximity to the urine and feces. Forced to live with it. In small kennels. With multiple animals in the small kennels, and there were several animals that had unaddressed medical issues."

According to Skidmore, if the City is able to win its seizure case in court, then the animals won't be adopted out by the City. Instead, they will be turned over to a rescue group for placement to try and keep the previous owners from reclaiming them.

"We have had situations where friends of the person who cruelly treated the animal, family members of the person who cruelly treated the animal, will try and come to reclaim them on their behalf," Skidmore said.

Skidmore also said that he's been getting calls from people who think that one of the seized animals may actually be their own pet.

"They may have lost their animal or they're saying that they believe their animal is stolen," Skidmore said. 

He's asking residents to bring a picture of their dog to the office to see if it's a match with one of the seized animals. He's also hoping people will call in if they see or suspect animal abuse taking place anywhere around town.

Skidmore added that his department will investigate those claims and take action if they have to just like the city did along Niagara Drive.

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