Port Washington Man Sentenced to Jail for Severely Neglecting Dog

A Port Washington man was sentenced to six months in jail and was forbidden from owning any animals for five years for the neglect of his dog that was believed to be dead when discovered by authorities, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced Tuesday.

Oseas Bracamonte, 39, was arrested in September 2014 after officers found Zara, a young schnauzer, in a crate at a building on Main Street.

Zara was covered in plastic and because of the odor, she was believed to be dead, authorities said

It appeared as though Zara was never let out the cage or appropriately cared for, said Port Washington Acting Police Chief James Salerno. The dog was brought to North Shore Animal League America for treatment.

Zara had a badly injured and severely infected front paw due to her coat growing so tangled that it wrapped around her leg and cut off circulation, doctors said. One digit had to be amputated due to a cut-off blood supply.

NSALA removed almost nine pounds of hair, cut nails that were nearly four inches long and treated several wounds and lesions on her body, which were the result of her sitting in her own waste on days on end. (Scroll down for video)

Bracamonte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty in March.

“This was one of the worst cases of neglect we’ve ever seen on a single animal,” Singas said in a statement. “Zara was treated so poorly that she almost certainly would have died if it weren’t for a tip going to police and the quick, miraculous work done by Animal League America.”

The judge on Tuesday also ordered restitution to NSALA for $6,105.

“I thank our partners in our aggressive animal crime prosecutions for helping us to stand up for these defenseless creatures and hold their abusers accountable,” Singas said.

Zara was adopted by her forever family in March. Click here to see Zara pictured with her new mom Margaret.

Images via NCDA