Owner Charged With Animal Cruelty, Claimed He 'Found' Emaciated Dog: Naugatuck Police

NAUGATUCK, CT — A Waterbury man was charged with animal cruelty this week after he tried to pass off his emaciated dog as "found" to animal control officers earlier this month, according to police.

In a news release, police said Julio Galindez-Rivera, 37, of Waterbury, brought an emaciated Chihuahua, which he claimed he found the day before, to a Naugatuck Animal Control facility on Jan. 4.

According to police, the Chihuahua was in poor condition, emaciated and its nails were curled into its paws.

Naugatuck Animal Control requires every person who finds a dog to complete paperwork attesting they do not know any information about the dog or its owners, according to police.

After further investigation and receiving more information, officers determined the dog was owned by Galindez-Rivera, police said.

Galindez-Rivera was arrested Tuesday on a warrant and charged with cruelty to animals and obstruction of an animal control officer.

He was held without bond due to parole officers issuing a remand to actual custody order and arraigned in court Wednesday, according to police.