PORT ST. LUCIE — A 35-year-old Port St. Lucie pet groomer has been charged with felony animal cruelty, according to a police report.
Aja Zukas, who owns Paw’s Paradise, said Port St. Lucie animal control officers arrested her in September after receiving complaints that dogs were left in the building without food or water for more than 24 hours. He was arrested Thursday after first being dispatched to the store on the 6th. According to the report.
They found a 9-year-old male terrier mix named Boo who appeared malnourished, according to the report. Zukas said her dog had not been left unattended for less than 24 hours. She said she knew the dog was not healthy and could no longer care for it. She voluntarily surrendered the dog.
Officers took the dog to an emergency veterinary hospital, where they found it had little muscle mass, pressure sores, a small wound along the edge of its ear, and blue gums, which could be a sign of anemia. It turned out that.
According to the report, the dog was re-examined on September 17, and a veterinarian found that the dog had gained 6 pounds in 11 days, indicating that the dog’s health problems were due to malnutrition. It is said that The patient appeared to be recovering, and the prognosis was good.
Zukas told detectives that the dog was thin because it had an intestinal blockage and that the sores were caused by the dog rubbing against the crate, the report said. She said Boo was a problem dog who often escaped from his crate.
When Zukas was arrested early Thursday afternoon, she reportedly said she made a mistake and did not provide Vu with the proper care he needed. Zukas was released from the St. Lucie County Jail Thursday night on $5,000 bail, according to the jail’s website.
The following message was posted on the Paws Paradise Facebook page Friday night:
“At this point, I’m sure you’ve received the damning photos and accusations against me (the owner),” according to the post. “This charge I am facing is false and pertains to my dog.”
“This accusation has caused me tremendous stress and affected everything in my life, from physical to mental,” the post continued. “With my character vilified, extreme fear for my safety, and my store vandalized with feces on the exterior, I will no longer groom there, and probably never will.”
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPpalm’s entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Please email laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her “What To Do in 772” weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
