Former Blakely police Officer Anthony Mercado is charged with animal abuse after an animal control officer found dogs at his home in poor condition, according to a criminal complaint.

Mercado worked for Blakely police until recently, when he was let go because of the charges, according to Police Chief Guy Salerno.

According to the criminal complaint:

Humane Society Officer Marci Zeiler received a report April 29 of a dog in poor condition at Mercado’s residence. The report included a photo of a dog that appeared to be emaciated.

Zeiler contacted Salerno on April 30 to discuss the situation. Zeiler then met with both Mercado and Salerno at the Police Department to discuss the condition of the dog.

Mercado said the dog, a female boxer, was thin, but didn’t gain weight even though she ate well. He said she had a wound on her front leg that he was treating himself.

The three then went to Mercado’s home on Hickory Street in Peckville. Mercado asked if Zeiler could inspect the dogs outside, but said she could walk through the house to get to the backyard.

When Zeiler stepped inside the house, she was hit with the smell of urine.

There were two animals inside the residence: a German shepherd on a leash and a “Lab type dog” in a crate near the back door.

Mercado first let the German shepherd outside to be inspected. The dog had a dull coat and was losing tufts of hair. It scored a 4 out of 9 on a body condition score scale.

Zeiler then inspected the Lab, who also scored only a 4 out of 9 on a body condition score scale.

She noted that because the Lab was a puppy, she hadn’t initially been concerned. However, Mercado said the Lab had been “really fat” when he got it a few months ago, but had lost weight.

Both dogs were dirty, as was the yard, Zeiler said.

Mercado pointed out there were food and water bowls in the backyard, but they were empty and dirty.

Zeiler then inspected the boxer, who scored only a 1 on the body condition score scale.

“Every bone in her body was visible,” Zeiler wrote in the complaint. “She had an open wound on her right front carpal joint with extreme swelling, She had open sores on her left front carpal joint, both ischium bones on her back end and the end of her tail. Her feet had urine stains turning her white marks yellow.”

Mercado said the dog lived in a crate. He said the crate currently had feces in it, but claimed he cleaned it often.

Zeiler told Mercado he could surrender the boxer or she could come back with a warrant.

Mercado said he would take the boxer to a veterinarian, but Zeiler said it was too late for that, and Mercado agreed to surrender her.

Zeiler told Mercado that if she took the animal back to the shelter and she immediately gained weight, that would indicate he hadn’t been feeding her enough.

Mercado took issue with that logic, saying the animal would have access to intravenous fluid and have a different standard of care.

When Zeiler put the boxer in her vehicle to transport her back to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, the animal began to “eat anything she could find.”

Once at the shelter, a veterinarian examined the animal and noted she didn’t have any conditions that would account for her low weight.

The boxer, named Reya, ate and drank enthusiastically and was put on a refeeding program to gain weight slowly.

Lab tests indicated that Reya was positive for giardia — an intestinal parasite — and she was successfully treated with medication costing less than $20.

Although giardia sometimes causes some weight loss, it doesn’t usually affect older dogs.

The boxer gained about 20 pounds over the course of the next month and was adopted.

Mercado — who is charged with cruelty to animals and animal neglect — is awaiting preliminary hearing, according to court documents.

 

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