Police: Ames Woman Abandoned, Starved, Dog

Sign up for Ames Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

An Ames woman is accused of leaving a dog without food or water for up to five days, according to a criminal complaint from the Huxley Police Department.

Kimberly R. Griggs, 29, Lincoln Swing, was arrested by Ames police on a warrant for animal neglect on July 13. She allegedly locked a dog in the bathroom of her Huxley apartment, complaints said.

The apartment's owner found a lethargic dog with protruding ribs and urine-soaked fur locked in a bathroom on Dec. 28, 2012, complaints said. Urine was on the floor. There was no food or water. The dog's ribs were protruding and its fur was urine soaked and matted, complaints said.

The dog was impounded at the Slater Animal Hospital and examined by a veterinarian who said it was 50 percent of its average body weight and estimated that it had gone without food for five days.

The animal neglect charge is a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $625 fine.