A Campbell man has started serving twenty days in jail after police found an emaciated dog at his Morely Avenue home.

The sentence was handed down in Campbell Municipal Court to 45-year-old Maximo Fred after he pleaded no contest to violating a state law that protects companion animals.

Responding on July 19 to complaints from people who reported seeing the dog on Fred’s front porch, officers say the pit bull named Pedro appeared emaciated, with a bloated abdomen, its skin sinking beneath its bones, and missing patches of fur.

Fred told officers the dog looked that way when he took the stray into his home four months before. Officers told him he was responsible for the dog’s care and should have taken Pedro to a veterinarian.

Police took Pedro to a local vet who treated him for worms and fleas, saying the dog was suffering from depression and severe neglect.

Pedro was taken to a kennel and received further care from another veterinarian who discovered a heart murmur, jaundice, anemia, Lyme disease, and an abdominal tumor.

The dog underwent surgery and was given fluids, medications, and medicated shampoo.

Police say as soon as they left the clinic, blood came out of the dog’s rectum.

Pedro was turned over to foster care to recover.

In addition to the jail sentence, Fred has been fined $100 and ordered to pay $1,000 in veterinary and kennel bills.

The judge also prohibited Fred from owning an animal for five years.