SAN ANTONIO – A woman was arrested in west Bexar County for animal cruelty Thursday after the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said she admitted to taping a dog’s muzzle shut.
BCSO deputies responded to a report about the small dog at an apartment complex around 9:30 a.m. in the 11700 block of Culebra Road, near Roft Road.
According to the sheriff’s office, BCSO deputies found the dog inside a crate with its muzzle taped shut.
A person at the complex, who asked not to be identified, told KSAT they called 911 after seeing the confined, taped-up and “scared” dog on a backyard porch.
BCSO said after taking the dog out of the crate, it was found to be in stable condition.
Deputies arrested Kenyatta Smith, 51. Court records show she faces a state jail felony-level charge of cruelty to non-livestock animals.
The dog, along with another on the property, were seized by Bexar County Animal Control, according to the sheriff’s office.
A county spokeswoman said the county is holding both dogs until a judge decides what to do next.
She said it was not clear whose dogs they are. They could belong to relative instead of Smith.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters on Friday that Smith had admitted to taping the dog’s mouth because it was barking too much.
“Well, if you’re just to that point where you can’t stand a dog barking that much, maybe you ought not be a dog owner,” he said.
Taping the dog’s snout put it in danger, Salazar said, and it was “immaterial” whether it was done irresponsibly or intended as an act of cruelty.
“When dogs pant, they’re not just breathing, they’re dispersing body heat is what they’re doing,” he said. “Taping their mouth shut stops them from being able to do that. So in essence, that dog could overheat and die as a result of that."
Smith declined to talk when KSAT knocked on her door Friday in an attempt to get her side of the story.
A neighbor, though, was surprised by her arrest, calling Smith a “really nice lady.”
“She’s always cared for those dogs pretty well from what I’ve seen,” he said.
Salazar said there was at least one other person at the apartment, but BCSO considers them a witness at this point.
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