Deputies with the Denver Sheriff's Office went beyond the call of duty to help an inmate keep his beloved dog.
When Jeffrey Menendez was arrested and sentenced to 30 days for misdemeanor crimes, the homeless man didn't have anyone to take care of his 1-year-old dog, Bonnie.
"She was something for me to care for," Menedez said. "Everywhere I went, she went with me."
Bonnie went to the Denver Animal Shelter and was put up for adoption.
“Usually somebody's family or friends would step in to take care of the dog if they were arrested, in the case of this particular individual, he's homeless, he doesn't really have anybody,” said Simon Crittle with the Denver Sheriff Department. “He was heartbroken when he was separated from the dog and he was really worried that the dog could be adopted or even euthanized while he was in jail.”
However, the cost of keeping Bonnie there was $246.
"So DSD officers contacted dog advocacy group, New Hope Cattle Dogs Rescue of Colorado, which agreed to pay the shelter fees," the Sheriff's Office said.
"If they didn’t do that, I wouldn’t still have Bonnie," Menendez said. "That kind of kindness is something you don’t expect. I have never experienced it before."
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