LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A young couple have been arrested after one of their dogs was found dead in their apartment.
21-year-old Hannah Carr and 21-year-old Kayla Barnum were arrested on Dec. 19 and are facing felony charges of willful and malicious torture, maiming and/or killing of an animal.
The deceased dog named Cash and another dog named Venus were found by the manager of Sax Studios on 10th Street during a routine inspection of fire extinguishers.
The manager called the city’s animal control officers and they contacted Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit.
During an interview with police, Carr said that she and Barnum had been together for about 4 years and owned the dogs together.
Barnum said that Cash originally belonged to her mother and she took the dog with her when she left home.
She and Barnum, who were married shortly before their arrest, had been staying at Barnum’s mother’s house recently to help take care of newborn twins.
Barnum admitted in her interview with police that they had not been taking care of the dogs properly because work, marriage and helping take care of the twins was taking their time. It appears they were only feeding the dogs periodically.
Cash was transported to a local animal hospital for a necropsy. At the time of his death, the dog weighed 38 pounds and 3 ounces. Based on records from another animal hospital, it was determined that he lost almost 45 pounds in one year.
The apartment and two dog crates were covered with a “large amount: of feces and urine.
It was determined that it would have taken weeks to months for the dog to lose that much weight and the pain was mostly likely tremendous.
The other dog, Venus, is still alive and in fairly good health, according to the arrest report.
