A woman who abandoned 84 dogs and left them without food or water in July 2004 was sentenced Monday to 60 days in jail by a Larimer County judge.
Catherine “Dodie” Cariaso, a dog breeder from Loveland, also must serve five years of supervised probation and continue with mental health counseling, according to the sentenced imposed by Judge Ronald Schultz.
In addition, Cariaso cannot breed any animal in Colorado or any other state and can own up to only two spayed or neutered dogs, said Larimer County district attorney spokeswoman Linda Jensen.
Cariaso and her pets will be monitored by either the Larimer County Humane Society or some other animal organization, said humane society spokeswoman Cary Rentola.
Cariaso pleaded guilty to 15 counts of animal neglect and nine counts of abandonment, Jensen said. Police said she abandoned 84 Labrador retrievers and left them without food or water for several days near Berthoud.
Fifty-four of the dogs had to be euthanized because of their health. Three more later died, and 27 survived. They are in private homes after spending months being rehabilitated at the humane society shelter, Rentola said.
“For some of the survivors, it could take months or years to learn to act like normal dogs,” Rentola said.
The humane society was pleased Cariaso will have to spend time in jail.
Rentola said: “We feel it sends a strong message to our community that if you are going to neglect or abuse animals, you will be punished.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
