New Mexico Dog Groomer Sheila Baca Charged with Animal Cruelty
Another dog groomer in New Mexico faces animal cruelty charges. Sheila Baca, a groomer at Pet Paradise near 528 and Northern, was arrested after allegedly hitting a dog she was grooming.
Initially, Baca called the police, claiming that her manager had elbowed her in the face. However, after reviewing security footage, officers found no evidence of the manager’s alleged assault. Instead, the video showed Baca striking a Husky she was grooming. As a result, Baca’s manager terminated her employment.
Additionally, police observed that the dog was not properly secured to the grooming table, causing it to fall off repeatedly.
This is not Baca’s first issue with the law regarding animal care. Court records show she was previously charged with failing to care for her dogs in Bernalillo County in 2019 and Valencia County in 2022. Both cases were dismissed pending further investigation.
This incident follows a recent case in Santa Fe, where dog groomer Onan Sanchez was charged with animal cruelty for allegedly beating several dogs in his care. Sanchez’s case is still pending.
Pet Paradise issued a statement regarding the incident:
As pet owners ourselves, we are devastated that this incident occurred. Pets are precious family members, and their safety has been our top priority for more than 20 years.
As soon as this incident was reported by one of our staff members, we terminated the employee responsible. We are also fully cooperating with the local police department.
KRISTEN MAJDANICS, VP, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
