Orange County prosecutors dismissed misdemeanor animal neglect charges against a 23-year-old Westminster man, whose dog chewed off part of his own left leg, because he took classes to better understand how to be an animal caretaker, a prosecutor said today.
Samer Samir Ibrahim could have faced up to a year in jail if he were convicted at trial of misdemeanor counts of keeping an animal without proper care and animal abuse.
“We looked at his case and decided he was a candidate to go to animal neglect prevention classes due to the fact that it was a one-time incident and he provided records the dog had veterinary care prior to the incident, and he tried to self-treat the dog,” Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Malone said.
Ibrahim’s crime was essentially one of ignorance, according to Malone. Now that he has finished the classes he can adopt pets again, she said.
Ibrahim left his 11-month-old dog, Rocky, unattended in his backyard between last Nov. 2-8, during which time the animal’s rear right foot became entangled in a chain leash, preventing adequate blood flow and causing the canine to gnaw off four to five inches of his paw and leg, Malone said.
Ibrahim waited a day to take the dog to a veterinary facility, and instead initially treated the severe wound with antiseptic wipes and by covering it with a sock, according to the prosecutor.
When he brought the dog to Orange County Animal Control in Orange on the afternoon of Nov. 9, the staff notified Westminster police.
Rocky was transferred to the Alicia Pet Clinic in Mission Viejo, where veterinarians amputated his rear right leg, according to Malone.
“He appeared to be an outdoor dog,” she said, adding that the animal was also flea-infested and underweight.
The dog has recovered and been adopted by a family in San Diego.
— City News Service