Home surgery on pet Chihuahua lands man in jail

CourtTV ^

[Olydawg]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Perhaps he was just being cheap, maybe he actually believed he could do it better or maybe he just didn't know better.

But authorities in Broward County continue to scratch their heads after learning about the man who needlessly neutered his own dog.

Jose Noel Rugama, 54, who is not a veterinarian, was arrested Dec. 19 at his home and charged with felony cruelty to animals after a female housemate reported the do-it-yourself excision to investigators.

Authorities say Rugama used a single-edged razor to perform the delicate surgery on Elvis, his pet Chihuahua. Rugama says he performed the procedure in order to remove a tumor in the dog's groin. Woefully, there was no such tumor and Rugama ended up removing one of the dog's testicles.

The dog was taken to Coral Springs Animal Hospital where it has made a full recovery. Remarkably, the amateur surgeon seemed to know exactly where to cut and did not severely harm the dog, authorities said, adding that it is surprising how trusting and calm Elvis has remained after the assault.

"[Rugama] assaulted a defenseless creature without using any anesthetic," said Hugh Graff, a spokesman for the Broward County Sheriff's Office. "But even after having suffered this horrible, traumatic experience, Elvis is still in good spirits."

A search of Rugama's home following the arrest uncovered a cache of weapons, including a .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .308-caliber rifle, a 1942 Enfield .0303 rifle, a Beretta pistol and a Taurus .357 revolver. Along with the weapons being confiscated, authorities also removed another Chihuahua named Priscilla, a rottweiler, two pythons and several fish and birds. The dogs will be put up for adoption.

Graff told Court TV that a judge denied Rugama bond after an investigation into the animal cruelty charge drew attention to a 1993 Palm Beach County warrant that accuses Rugama of manslaughter while driving under the influence.

"It's especially satisfying to know that this idiot will not be leaving jail anytime soon," Graff said.

[Wolfie]

Note to self: cancel kid's tonsillectomy for tonight, watch hockey game instead.

[.38sw]

Well, this is fascinating. The guy performs a little "home surgery" on his dog, and his "weapons" are confiscated.

A search of Rugama's home following the arrest uncovered a cache of weapons, including a .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .308-caliber rifle, a 1942 Enfield .0303 rifle, a Beretta pistol and a Taurus .357 revolver.

I'm afraid I fail to see the connection, nor do I understand why his "cache of weapons" were confiscated.

[newgeezer]

So, a farmer can castrate his pigs, but a pet owner can't castrate his dog.

Hmph.

[newgeezer]

Relevant to the bang_list:

A search of Rugama's home following the arrest uncovered a cache of weapons, including a .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .308-caliber rifle, a 1942 Enfield .0303 rifle, a Beretta pistol and a Taurus .357 revolver.

[Just another Joe]

So, a farmer can castrate his pigs, but a pet owner can't castrate his dog.

I ws sort of thinking that myself.

[Ratatoskr]

Well, this is troubling (and not just because I can't get my legs to uncross). That hamburger you ate for lunch probably came from an animal that was neutered in an even unkinder way.

Still, at least he went to jail for something else.

[Khepera]

Just another cheap wine, pass the cheese!

[lsee]

LOL

[.38sw]

"So, a farmer can castrate his pigs, but a pet owner can't castrate his dog."

That also occurred to me. we had some livestock when I was growing up, and I watched my dad turn the little bull calves into little steer calves. Then there was the de-horning process...

[ex-Texan]

Weapons confiscated because he is wanted on felony manslaughter charges ..... Not because of the illegal surgery on that poor little doggie.

[Mommyof3]

When I was growing up my folks had a friend who was a vet. He "fixed" my cat on the coffee table one night at a dinner party.

[.38sw]

I missed the manslaughter part until after I posted about the weapons.

[Darksheare]

And what else of relevance do you have, other than that?

[kaboom]

His "cache" of weapons sounds like a good sportsmans package. 1 small game, 1 big game, 1 target, 1 classic, and 1 self defense firearm. He just needed a shotgun.

[sparkomatic]

What a bunch of hooey.
OTOH, the guy that performed my vasectomy should be in prison. I have a pain in my you-know-where that serves as a constant reminder of the procedure I voluntarily subjected myself to.

[butter pecan fan]

When I was growing up my folks had a friend who was a vet. He "fixed" my cat on the coffee table one night at a dinner party.

Uh... yeah.

My philosophy is, if it ain't broke, don't "fix" it!

[sparkomatic]

When I was growing up my folks had a friend who was a vet. He "fixed" my cat on the coffee table one night at a dinner party.

That's convenient. Was there enough to go around?

[butter pecan fan]

But authorities in Broward County continue to scratch their heads after learning about the man who needlessly neutered his own dog.

Just caught the location...

Should we start a Flori-duh list???

[Movemout]

How about them hogs? I'll bet some of those farmers are well armed too. Weapons cache? I'm surprised the home wasn't referred to as a compound. Oh! And he needs to dump the roomie. Having said all that, why in the hell would he perform surgery on a Chihuahua? Give him his weapons back and tell him leave the canine surgery to a veterinarian.