The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office charged a Sarasota man with felony Aggravated Animal Cruelty after he cut off a portion of his one-year-old dog’s tail.

Animal Services officers first made contact with 77-year-old Pablo Vega-Padron on August 17 when they responded to his home for a welfare check. According to a neighbor, he had concerns related to the wellness of Vega-Padron’s Chihuahua-terrier mix, Randy. When animal services officers arrived, Randy had several bandages on his tail and front legs. Vega-Padron explained the dog’s tail was infected so animal services officers told him to take the animal to the emergency vet for treatment. A few hours later, officers were notified by Parkway Animal Hospital in Sarasota that the removal of Randy’s bandages revealed a portion of his tail was missing. Through interviews, Vega-Padron admitted to deputies he cut the dog’s tail off because it appeared to be rotting. Deputies recovered the dismembered tail and branch clippers at Vega-Padron’s home. Veterinary staff confirmed the tail suffered a fracture from trauma and should have been surgically removed by medical professionals. 

 Vega-Padron, of 1616 Olympia Fields Street, was released Tuesday on $1,500 bond. Randy has since been adopted and is expected to make a full recovery.