CAUTION: Images are graphic and may be disturbing to some
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — A dog is on the road to recovery after its owner says it was found in horrific conditions.
21-year-old Bianca Gross was arrested Friday for animal cruelty first degree and has since been released on a $3,000 bond. According to court documents, several dogs were found inside a residence in July. One of the dogs was dead, the second dog was found malnourished in a crate, and another dog was tied to a couch.
Macie Goldman and her emotional support animal, Pickles, are best friends and nearly inseparable. In fact, Goldman says she planned to bring Pickles with her on a last-minute vacation trip in July but decided to find a pet sitter instead. She says she met Bianca Gross at a local pet store where Goldman says Gross is employed.
“I offered her $1,000 to take and train her for three weeks. Two weeks into my vacation, I got a call from an officer saying that Pickles was in their custody,” she said.
Pickles, who usually weighs 40 lbs, was down to 22 lbs according to Goldman. She says Pickles had burns all over her body from where she had been lying in her own urine and feces in a crate, and had holes in her paws where she had been gnawing due to irritation.
“I was so upset whenever I even had the thought that if she was there one more day, she would have died, and that was heartbreaking,” said Goldman.
Goldman says she was devastated over what happened to Pickles, but court documents reveal her dog was not the only one found in the residence.
“They said that the residence was extremely dirty. There was trash all over the floor. It was not just her. There was another dog there. There were actually two other dogs. One was deceased and had been there for a month, which was how they found Pickles, because the smell was so bad, and the other dog was in the same condition as Pickles,” she said.
Goldman says she spoke with Gross after the incident. She says Gross was devastated by the death of her own dog and was struggling to deal with it. According to court documents, a deceased dog was found in a bedroom in advanced decay and covered in fleas and flies.
“I feel sympathy for her, but I also think that she knew, she knew two weeks ahead of time, before taking Pickles, that that dog was there and that that dog was dead. I do not understand why someone would take in another animal knowing that they could not care for one,” she said.
Pickles is recovering well, according to Goldman, despite some of her wounds taking a couple of months to heal.
“She is doing fantastic. She has her dog friends here. She plays in the dorm. She runs and jumps. She is a happy dog,” she said.
Goldman says she contacted the pet store where she met Gross and informed the store about what happened to Pickles. Goldman tells me they said Gross would keep her job there. NBC 15 News called the store on Tuesday to ask about Gross’ employment and was hung up on.
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