Twin Sisters Face Animal Cruelty Charges After 16-Year-Old Chihuahua Was Thrown From Their Car as It Traveled About 50 MPH on a Roadway, Cops Say

Two women who are twin sisters were convicted on animal cruelty charges on March 2, for throwing a Chihuahua dog from a speeding car on a Florida runaway in January. Investigators also said the women refused to provide the dog with immediate medical treatment at a nearby veterinary clinic after the incident.

The dog, a 16-year-old Chihuahua named Princess, was thrown from a speeding vehicle traveling about 50 mph. Princess suffered serious injuries and required emergency medical treatment, which investigators say the dog's owner, Stacy Fitzgerald, initially refused to provide. Although a nearby veterinary clinic was available, the refusal prompted animal welfare officers to take custody of the dog.

According to investigators, the dog's owner is Stacey Fitzgerald. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the speeding SUV, driven by her sister, Tracey Fitzgerald, when the incident occurred on January 22. While the vehicle was travelling along a road in Largo, Tracey Fitzgerald allegedly threw the Chihuahua out from the front passenger-side window.

A witness told the police that the dog was “thrown approximately five feet from the vehicle onto the sidewalk.”

The witness also identified Tracey as the person who threw the dog, which her sister later confirmed while speaking to the police. However, investigators said motive for the alleged act remains unclear and was not mentioned in the court records.

According to police and veterinary records, Princess' injuries included “acute blunt force trauma,” abrasions that exposed “vulnerable parts of her cranium,” a bleeding eye, and a suspected traumatic brain injury. Despite the dog's condition, Stacey Fitzgerald, refused to provide emergency medical treatment or any life-saving care, investigators said.

The January 22 incident led authorities to determine that Stacey Fitzgerald was unwilling to properly care for the animal. As a result, the county’s Animal Services Division took custody of Princess and began civil proceedings against Stacey.

“The dog seized is suffering, and it is evident from the circumstances surrounding their removal that the owner cannot care for the animal and will not, in the foreseeable future, be capable of caring for the animal,” officials said.

The Fitzgerald sisters were arrested at late February and booked into the county jail. Tracey Fitzgerald was later released after posting a $ 5,000 bond, and a judge ordered that she is “not to own or possess any animals.” After spending a night in jail, Stacey Fitzgerald was released on her own recognizance.