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1 Sickly Dog Plus 1 Dead Dog Equal Arrest Of St. Pete Man

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - A man was arrested Thursday after a chow-shepherd mix was found dead in his back yard along with an emaciated pit bull, authorities said.

Reinaldo Shazel, 37, of St. Petersburg, was charged with animal cruelty. He also was charged with resisting arrest with violence because he swung his arm at an officer who was trying to handcuff him, St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman George Kajtsa.

The two dogs were spotted by employees of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who were responding to a complaint about an injured opossum next door, Kajtsa said. One of the SPCA workers looked through a fence and saw the two canines.

The pit bull had fleas and hookworms and appeared to be anemic, Kajtsa said. Both dogs were chained to trees. The chow-shepherd mix had access to food but not to water, and the pit bull had access to both, Kajtsa said.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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