League City groomer charged with animal cruelty after death of 5-year-old goldendoodle, police say
LCPD said the woman was on her phone while the dog was struggling, hanging from a grooming table by a collar.
LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- A 5-year-old goldendoodle is dead, and a groomer is charged after an investigation found that her negligence led to the dog's death, according to the League City Police Department.
Investigators said League City Animal Protection Officers responded to PetSuites League City on Jan. 30 after the dog's owner brought it for grooming services.
After a week of investigating, detectives handed the case over to the League City Police Department, which conducted a "comprehensive investigation" that included multiple subpoenas, interviews, and a review of surveillance video, LCPD said.
LCPD determined the dog's death resulted from negligence while in the care of its groomer, who was identified as 56-year-old Lisa Pfund.
Investigators told ABC13 they are not releasing the surveillance footage, but they did describe the chilling chain of events that led to the dog's death.
According to LCPD, the worker was blow-drying the dog while he was on a cinch collar. The dog started spinning, which tightened the collar, all the while the groomer did nothing to stop it. The groomer then got on her phone, while the dog's back legs slid off the table, and he hung from his neck. The dog struggled on and off the table until it was left hanging from the table, lifeless. It was only after that that the groomer left the room to get help.
Detectives said they obtained a felony warrant for Pfund's arrest on Feb. 24, and she was arrested nearly a month later, on March 30, at a hotel in Webster, five miles away from the scene of the dog death. LCPD said she was taken into custody without incident by the Galveston County Precinct 4 Constable's Office.
Police said Pfund is charged with a third-degree felony of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, and her bond was set to $50,000.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, PetSuites said Pfund is no longer an employee and lamented the incident:
"Our hearts continue to go out to the family affected by this tragic loss. The health and safety of pets in our care is our top priority, and we are devastated by the incident at our facility. The actions taken by the groomer were a direct violation of our safety protocols and do not reflect the values of our team."
During an appearance before a magistrate on Tuesday morning, Pfund shook her head and said, "The warrant's not correct."
Records show she was previously charged with terroristic threat after a dispute with one of her neighbors at a Galveston County RV park last November.
"She told my husband that he was gonna kill my husband," Deanna Karacostas said.
Karacostas said her husband had confronted one of Pfund's friends about a red wolf she'd brought by, which she claims had tried to attack the family dog, sparking an angry reaction from Pfund's friend and Pfund herself.
"My husband goes, 'and you're going to want to kill me?' She goes, 'I'm gonna kill you,'" Karacostas said.
