Dog Owner May Face Cruelty Charges

Animal control officer finds urine in dog’s water bowl, was
unable to reach food
Morgan Hill – The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is ready to charge a Morgan Hill man with animal cruelty after code enforcement and animal control officers found his German Shepherd unable to reach food, water, shelter and chewing on an electrical wire.

Hamid Shahrokh, 47, a Woodland Court resident, could be charged with what is actually a violation of the “confined animals” section of the California Penal Code, according to Morgan Hill police Sgt. David Swing.

The code says that confined animals in enclosed areas should have adequate room for exercise and access to shelter, food and water. This section of the code also states that if the animal is restrained by a leash, rope or chain, it is attached so it won’t become tangled or injure the animal or prevent it from reaching shelter, food and water.

Swing said the female dog, owned by Shahrokh, was found by a code enforcement officer this summer who alerted the department’s animal control officer Daniel Pina that the dog was possibly being mistreated.

“She was found tied to a basketball goal, unable to get into her dog house,” Swing said. “Near the basketball goal there was an electrical line going across a portion of the court, and there were several frayed areas that she had chewed on.” 

The dog also didn’t have adequate food and water.

“There was urine in her water bowl, and other buckets of water contained green algae with a minimal amount of water,” Swing said. 

Pina impounded the dog June 15 and took her to the police kennels. Swing said she was scheduled to be picked up by a group that specializes in rescuing German Shepherds.

If the Santa Clara County Superior Court judge reviewing the request for charges by the District Attorney issues an arrest warrant, Swing said, Shahrokh would be charged with the misdemeanor offense of violating the law. The judge could issue a warrant as early as Wednesday.