September 28, 2023 - Today, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office officials released the following:

Again...it's sad...it's sick...and it's completely avoidable!!!

Mr. Felix Valdovinos of Lorenzo Street in LaGrange was arrested and charged with Cruelty to Animals.

18 French bulldogs were taken from Valdovinos.

Animal Control Officers along with Sheriff's Deputies responded to the Lorenzo Street address for possible animal neglect. When officers and Deputies arrived they found multiple animals with no food or water and at least 11 of the 18 dogs seized needed immediate veterinary care.

Their conditions ranged from oozing wounds, eye infections, ear infections (including maggots inside the ear, neck and throat), visible scabs to severe mange. One with severe mange was almost hairless and her entire body was covered in scabs and was raw to the touch.

Four of the animals needed to be euthanized after being examined by a vet due to their severe health conditions. The remaining animals are being housed and care for at the Mariposa County Animal Control Facility.

Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said, "Our Animal Control Officers are being extremely pro-active when it comes to responding to calls for neglected animals. Its not something that they take lightly nor to do I. I am proud to say their hard work has saved the lives of several severely neglected animals. The partnership between our Patrol Deputies who make the arrests of these horrendous pet owners and our Animal Control Officers who locate these pets in need is amazing. Please, if you can't take care of your animals call our office and release them to us or take them to a shelter, any of those options are better than purposely harming your pet"

Source: Mariposa County Sheriff's Office