Florida woman charged with Felony Animal Cruelty after drowning her dog

Margaret Kinsella, 43, allegedly drowned her Labrador retriever in her bathtub because she said he barked too much.     Kinsella reportedly committed this act of cruelty on November 5th, 2019 as maintenance workers were repairing her air conditioning  unit.

Kinsella confessed to deputies, ” I drowned my dog.”  She was arrested and charged with third-degree felony animal cruelty under Florida law.    A necropsy showed the dog died of drowning.

Wilfredo Asia, one of the maintenance workers, said Kinsella took the dog for a walk at 2 PM and upon her return she went into the bathroom with the dog.   Asia heard screaming and asked her if she needed help but she refused.

When Asia heard Kinsella’s screaming intensify, he opened the bathroom door and saw the dog floating in the tub and rushed to remove the dog.

According to the deputies who interviewed Kinsella, she told them she suffered from anxiety and depression and both had intensified since the deaths of her husband and father within the past year.    She said she became angry after the dog barked and bit her driving her to drown the animal.

photo courtesy of Manatee County Sheriff Office/ Margaret Kinsella

Kinsella was released on a $5,000 bond on December 17th, 2019.   If found guilty she could face a fine of up to $10,000.

No word on possible jail time.    Kinsella is scheduled to appear in court on January 10th.

A bill was signed into law last year by President Trump  making the more egregious acts of animal cruelty a felony in all states.

Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.