A children’s doctor has been charged with animal cruelty after her starving and matted dog was discovered trapped in a storage bin.
Anita Damodaran, 38, is under a 12-hour nightly curfew at her home after her dog, Betty, was found badly abused.
The poor animal was suffering from impact sores, severe malnutrition and urine burns, as reported by Need To Know.
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Betty, a Portuguese water dog, was discovered by a cleaner in a plastic bathtub inside a bin.
Police said the animal was trapped in the bin after Damodaran was evicted from her apartment for failing to keep it in a sanitary condition.
A rescuer said: “When the two crates were removed, we stopped in our tracks because we suddenly saw the lid pop off and a tiny paw reach out.
“We thought it was a container of stuffed animals.
“Then the lid fell completely off and out came a matted creature staring at us in despair, with eyes that were stoic and unblinking.
“It took at least 30 seconds, although it felt like eternity, for us to realise that this was a dog close to its last breath.”
The dog was found in May 2024 but Damodaran was not arrested on animal cruelty charges until December after fleeing from Illinois to Florida.
She initially claimed that Betty belonged to her parents and she did not know how the pooch had got in the bin.
Damodaran, who is originally from Chicago, was extradited to Illinois, where she has been ordered to remain.
Heartbreaking pictures of Betty show the dramatic difference in her health after being rescued.
John Garrido of the Stray Rescue Foundation said: “Betty had impact sores all over, urine burns, her fur was extremely matted and she was probably surviving on her own faeces.
“She’s fully recovered, she’s in a new home, she’s living the life she deserves.
“That is such a horrific act of cruelty, it can’t be forgotten.”
Damodaran is set to appear in court again on 14 February.
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