Dog transporter arrested after stolen animals found malnourished, injured in U-Haul Van
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - A local dog transporter and her employee are behind bars after the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office found several dogs in the back of a stolen U-Haul.
The dogs were without food and water, and were covered in their own feces.
Sergeant Jason Smith, with Precinct 2 of the Montgomery County Constables Office, says what they discovered in the back of a stolen U-Haul van around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night was beyond disturbing.
"The first thing I noticed when I walked up was the complete horrid smell of the vehicle," Smith recalled.
Officers pulled the van over on College Park Drive in the Woodlands. In the back, they found four malnourished dogs in kennels filled with urine and feces. One of those animals, a cane corso, had a gruesome wound over its entire back.
"I would equate it to some type of burn, possibly a bacterial infection, that dog had it not been treated was at a very substantial risk of death," said Sgt. Smith.
He told FOX 26 that all of the dogs found in the back of that U-Haul were stolen and worth thousands of dollars.
Officers arrested 26-year-old Tiara Alsaid on numerous charges, including theft and animal cruelty.
Smith says Alsaid is a licensed animal transporter who promises to deliver dogs to destinations across the country, but instead, she allegedly sells them or worse.
"Just a simple Facebook search of Ms. Alsaid's name gave me numerous results of people that were either missing their dogs or their dogs had been injured while in her care. I found one instance where she delivered a deceased dog to somebody in Florida," Smith explained.
Officers also arrested Alsaid's employee, 57-year-old Anthony Johnson, for possession of marijuana. They're still working to figure out what role he may have played in the neglect of these animals.
Since the news broke, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says they've received numerous calls from people claiming they used Alsaid's services and never saw their dogs again. He hopes this will serve as an important reminder for people to be more careful who they trust with their pets.
"It's important that people really do their due diligence before they put their animals in the care of unknown people, because those animals depend on us to take care of them," said Smith.
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He tells FOX 26 that more charges could follow. All of the dogs rescued are expected to make a full recovery, officers have found the owners of one of those dogs, and are working to reunite the other three with their owners.
Anyone with information about this investigation or who has used Alsaid's services is asked to call or email Sgt. Smith at (936) 538-3545 or via email by clicking here.