Gilbert woman lets dogs rot in apartment for 2 months

GILBERT, AZ - A Valley woman is accused of letting her two sick dogs die, and then rot inside her Gilbert apartment.

Police arrested Sadie Madrid for animal cruelty last week.

Madrid’s roommate and her boyfriend found the dogs after smelling a foul odor and seeing large flies in the apartment.

“We just freaked out. We called the cops immediately. I never thought she was capable of this. Ever,” said Madrid’s roommate, who did not want to be identified.

Gilbert police said Madrid let her dogs, both puppies, suffer after they got sick in December.

She kept them in a kennel with no food or water and never took them to the vet because she told officers she could not afford it.

When the dogs died, investigators said Madrid left the dogs in their crate for nearly two months.

Madrid’s roommate said she was horrified when she found the dogs.

“They were in a kennel and it was covered up by a blanket. Both of them were in the same kennel. After I found out they were both in there I just couldn't even stay in the apartment. It made me disgusted. It made me angry,” said the roommate.

Earlier this month, a Peoria woman was arrested after police claim she let her dog suffer so much pain, the dog chewed part of its leg off.

She also said she could not afford a vet bill.

For owners worried about health costs for their pets, many Valley veterinarians will work out a payment plan with pet owners.

There are also a few low cost pet care clinics in the Valley that provide some medical services.

There are also a few websites that can help pet owners with costs.

CareCredit claims to offer special financing and low monthly payment options, no up-front costs, and no-prepayment penalties to keep your pets healthy.

GiveForward creates an online fundraiser to cover the costs.