Animal abuse is a form of abuse that unfortunately seems to slip through the cracks constantly, even more so than other forms of abuse.
Despite the best efforts of animal welfare organisation and rescue centers, most people still don’t even consider the possibility of their actions being potential animal abuse, let alone recognising it and seeing it elsewhere.
That said, the general public as a whole is getting better at this, with plenty of people now closely examining those cute animal videos for signs of distress in case it is inadvertently a form of animal abuse.
There are, however, some actions that are undeniably abusive to animals, which makes it all the more horrifying when the abuser carries on with their actions as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
59-year-old Mario E. Cardona is a disabled man, and relies on his electric scooter for independence and mobility.
He also has a 10-month-old German Shepherd named G2. Separately, these facts don’t seem to be anything problematic.
After all, why shouldn’t disabled people have pets too?
In fact, owning pets may even help with their mental and emotional health.
There are plenty of viral stories circulating online where caring for one’s pet had directly contributed to their eventual recovery.
Alas, any benefit Cardona may have gotten from caring for his dog should be completely revoked in light of his animal abuse.
Melissa Janelle Torrezis was walking along the street on a normal day when she spotted her neighbor, Cardona, dragging his German Shepherd on the asphalt as he drove slowly along on his electric scooter.
The poor dog was clearly in great distress, and was whining and pawing the ground helplessly as it was being dragged by its leash, which was attached to its collar.
Horrified at the sight, Torrezis sprung into action.
Many people have since told Torrezis that she should have pushed Cardona off his vehicle, or had cut the dog free, or some variation of direct action.
Emotionally, Torrezis agrees with these opinions, but she had to be logical about the situation.
She whipped out her phone and recorded the whole scene as proof of evidence that this animal abuse was happening.
This, in hindsight, turned out to be the right idea.
On camera, Torrezis directly confronted her neighbor, telling him that she will contact the police over this matter.
Cardona, however, had felt so secure in his position that he simply brushed off the threat. He even encouraged her to do so while yelling, pointing out that it is his dog.
Clearly, he thought that ownership of the German Shepherd was enough to protect him from the consequences of his actions.
True to her word, Torrezis submitted a report of the animal abuse along with her recorded video evidence to the police of Mission, Texas.
With clear, undeniably evidence provided by Torrezis, police could easily spring into action.
In just 15 hours, Cardona found himself facing arrest and animal cruelty charges.
Meanwhile, his dog has been examined and found to be in otherwise good health, and has been temporarily adopted by a local pastor.
It is good to see this abusive person has gotten the comeuppance he deserves.
SEE ALSO: Paralyzed And Abused Dog Thanks His Rescuers With The Most Loving Gesture (Video)
