A detention request for a doctor to remain in custody has been denied after she allegedly abused her dog.
According to Fox 32 Chicago, a recent court hearing saw 38-year-old Anita Damodaran of Chicago being instructed to stay in Illinois and follow a 12-hour nightly curfew after her dog was found malnourished and barely breathing in March 2024.
The outlet reports that the Portuguese water dog, Betty, was found by a cleaner in a plastic storage bin in a bathtub.
According to CWB Chicago, the doctor — who is due back in court on Feb. 14 — was being evicted from the apartment when the landlord hired cleaners to clean the apartment.
“When the two crates were removed, we stopped in our tracks because we suddenly saw the lid pop off and a tiny paw reach out,” one of the rescuers told the animal protection organization Hinsdale Humane Society. “We thought it was a container of stuffed animals.”
They added, “Then the lid fell completely off, and out came a matted creature staring at us in despair, with eyes that were stoic and unblinking. It took at least 30 seconds, although it felt like eternity, for us to realize that this was a dog close to its last breath.”
In December, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release that Damodaran had been arrested in Florida on animal cruelty charges.
This came after an arrest warrant was issued by the Chicago Police Department. Authorities revealed at the time that the pediatrician would be extradited to Illinois.
They also shared a photo of Betty when she was first discovered malnourished, as well as a photo of herself sitting next to a Christmas tree and appearing healthier.
“She had impact sores all over, urine burns, her fur was extremely matted and she was probably surviving on her own feces,” the Stray Rescue Foundation’s John Garrido told Fox 32 Chicago.
“She’s fully recovered, she’s in a new home, she’s living the life she deserves,” Garrido, who founded the Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation with his wife, said.
Betty during the Christmas season in December.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
On Jan. 21, the organization’s Facebook page posted pictures of Betty appearing malnourished with sores on her body.
Writing in an accompanying Facebook caption at the time, the foundation, which supports almost 200 dogs every year, claimed Damodaran would be due to appear at the Skokie Courthouse on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
Fox 32 Chicago reported that advocates told the court the dog owner claimed Betty was her parents’ pet and she didn’t know she was in the bin.
The outlet added that 20 pet advocates appeared in a Skokie courtroom three weeks ago to fight for Betty’s justice.
“That is such a horrific act of cruelty, it can’t be forgotten … for the person who did it,” Garrido told Fox 32 Chicago.
