An animal control officer in New Jersey is facing multiple animal cruelty charges for dumping a malnourished dog in a dumpster and leaving the canine for dead.
Reports say 57-year-old Richard A. Dubarton III worked as an animal control officer for different New Jersey towns, among them Irvington and Plainfield. Additionally, Dubarton owned a kennel facility in Mahwah— Aranwood Kennels — where the dumped dog was found.
Kennel owner and animal control officer arrested after dumping dog in dumpster
According to NorthJersey.com News, a client discovered the Dutch Shepherd stuffed into a garbage bag while picking up their pet from Dubarton’s kennel facility on Feb. 19.
In response, the customer alerted Dubarton about the horrific discovery since the dumpster was outside his facility. However, Dubarton claimed in his defense that somebody must have dumped the emaciated dog there.
Police said the concerned customer reached out to them the following day and briefed them about the dog.
As per Patch News reports, the Mahwah Police Department, in a statement, said they were “contacted by a customer who boarded their dog at Aranwood Kennel.” The statement further read: “While picking up their family pet, they heard whimpering coming from the outside dumpster.”
Authorities confirmed the dog was rushed to a local animal hospital. However, they haven’t disclosed the canine’s progress so far.
Investigations into the incident revealed the dog’s previous owner had surrendered the canine to the Irvington Police. Authorities then handed over the dog to Dubarton since he was the animal control officer for Irvington.
Following the shocking discovery, police took Dubarton into custody. To add to that, animal humane officers confiscated 37 other dogs found on his Mahwah property.
In a statement, the Mahwah Police Department said: “The dogs were all vetted and given to local dog rescues for the time being. Mr Dubarton was employed as an animal control officer for several other jurisdictions in the State of New Jersey, which were all contacted and advised of what had occurred at the facility.”
Dubarton will appear in court on March 8.