File photo.
Not every tail was wagging at the Happy Tails Dog Park in Plantation.
Jhnelle Amiel, 32, was arrested about 7 p.m. Monday for tormenting her dog and giving a responding officer a fake name, according to the police report.
Another woman at the dog park, in the 6500 block of Southwest 16th Street, recorded videos of Amiel repeatedly pushing the dog’s head into the ground as it cried and whimpered, police said.
The witness called 911 and when a police officer arrived she showed him the videos, the report stated.
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As the officer questioned Amiel, she was seen forcing the dog to lie down on the ground. It was on a short leash tied to a chair and its panting mouth was occasionally held closed by Amiel’s grip, the officer reported.
Amiel said she was training the dog, but the officer determined the dog appeared to be tormented and suffering and was not behaving in a way that required discipline.
When asked her name, Amiel told the officer she was Rebeca Thomas from Georgia. A records check revealed her real identity and a Plantation address, the report showed.
Before her arrest, Amiel phoned her husband who showed up at the park to take the dog home. He appeared surprised by what allegedly happened and looked disappointed with his wife when told why she was being arrested, police said.
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Amiel was booked into the Broward County Jail late Monday on charges of animal abuse and giving a false identity to police but she was later released on bond, records show.
