Police Arrest Former Danbury Rescue Group Employee For Cruelty

DANBURY, CT — The former manager of a controversial pet rescue in Danbury was arrested for multiple counts of animal cruelty and practicing veterinary medicine without a license, among other charges, in Wolcott.

Krsytel Lopez, of 1260 Woodtick Road in Wolcott, former manager of Tails of Courage at the same address, and a rescue of the same name that operated at 39 Smith Street in Danbury until last year, turned herself into the Wolcott Police Department after learning that there was a warrant for her arrest.

The warrant and arrest were the culmination of an investigation that began July 10 after police in Wolcott were notified of a puppy that had passed away from parvovirus within 24 hours after being adopted from Tails of Courage.

The animal shelter left Danbury last year in the face of a lawsuit filed by the city. The city's suit charged the shelter violated a cease-and-desist order, stayed open after it was ordered closed following health violation notices, and accused one shelter employee of animal cruelty. Danbury dropped its suit when Tails of Courage pulled up its Danbury stakes last May.

Lopez was charged with seven counts of animal cruelty, three counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a License, 21 counts of invalid health certificates, 27 counts of failure to provide veterinary care within 48 hours of an animal entry to the State, and one count of possession of vaccines and serums.

"We subsequently learned that there had been a total of seven puppies that had been adopted from Tails of Courage, four of which succumbed to Parvo. Three were nursed back to health and returned to their adopted owners," Wolcott police reported.

Lopez was released on a $5,000 bond.