Vancouver woman appears in court on charges of failing to care for dog

A Vancouver woman appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court, accused of failing to get her 2-year-old German shepherd medical care resulting in its death in March.

Jacqueline Fritz, 61, faces allegations of first-degree animal cruelty in the death of her German shepherd, Rallf. Court records say the dog died from a ruptured bladder, though a veterinarian also noted he was emaciated and in overall poor condition.

Fritz, who appeared out of custody on a summons, told Judge Christine Hayes she plans to represent herself in court. When Hayes attempted to hear arguments on Fritz's conditions of release, Fritz became argumentative and said she's "highly sensitive to lights and electronics." She said Rallf was her security dog and that he died after being harmed by light rays, electronics and the internet.

Hayes told Fritz that Tuesday's hearing was not the time to litigate her case. Fritz continued to interrupt and raise her voice, saying she never received paperwork from Clark County Animal Protection and Control about her dog's death.

Hayes granted Fritz supervised release. She cannot own, possess, control or live with any animals.

Her arraignment is scheduled for Monday.

According to court documents, animal control officers responded March 6 to Fritz's apartment in the 10900 block of Northeast Sixth Street for a report of suspected animal abuse.

A neighbor showed the officer pictures of Rallf missing fur and noticeably thin. The officer then spoke with Fritz, who said Rallf lost his fur around October. She said he was covered in scabs from scratching and biting himself raw and had experienced several seizures that almost killed him, according to court records.

She said that despite this, she never took Rallf to a veterinarian because he was "fine and recovering." She told the officer she and Rallf were "vulnerable to and harmed by electronic devices, the internet, light waves and sound waves," court records state.

She told the officer she never let Rallf out of her apartment, only briefly allowing him access to her backyard to relieve himself, according to court records.

Animal control ordered that Fritz provide Rallf veterinary care. She made an appointment for March 22. But on March 20, two neighbors reported Rallf had died that morning, according to court records.

A necropsy determined Rallf died from a ruptured bladder and that there were signs of starvation, court records state.

Another neighbor later told animal control he had offered to bring Rallf to the vet on multiple occasions, according to court records.

In a follow-up conversation with Fritz, she allegedly told the animal control officer that "God killed Rallf" to teach the officer a lesson for previously compelling her to use a cellphone, according to court records.

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