Man sentenced for abandoning dog in Monterey

A man was sentenced to 60 days in jail for abandoning his dog in Monterey County.

The incident took place in December and was caught on camera.

A senior dog was tied to a bench near a business in Ryan Ranch. The dog, an 11 or 12-year-old Labrador retriever mix was rescued by the Monterey Police Department.

According to the SPCA for Monterey County, Joel Chavez pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to animal abandonment charges. On top of the 60-day sentence, Chavez was also given three years probation and must attend animal cruelty classes.

“It’s a win for the animals,” SPCA director of community outreach Beth Brookhouser said. “It’s definitely a reminder to anyone who might be considering doing something like this, there are so many other options.”

In a written statement the SPCA for Monterey County said, “SPCA Humane Officers investigated the case and identified Chavez as the owner. He eventually surrendered Missy to the SPCA. After veterinary care, including a long-overdue dental procedure, Missy was adopted to a new, loving family to spend her golden years.”

Today, the Lab mix has a new family in Santa Cruz. In January Dennis and Anne Taku adopted the dog, they renamed Copper, from the SPCA.

“We knew the minute we walked out the SPCA,” Copper’s owner Anne Taku said. “We opened our van door and she bolted and jumped in. We looked at each other and said ‘This is perfect’.”

“It’s like we’ve had her for 10 years,” Copper’s owner Dennis Taku said.

The Taku’s said right away Copper fit in with the family and her loving and laid back demeanor has been a joy.

“We would never give her up,” Anne Taku said. “I don’t know how that would happen.”