Schaumburg woman charged with cruelty to dog

A 60-year-old Schaumburg woman has been charged with animal cruelty after her 9-year-old dog had matted fur clumping together to form a tourniquet that cut off circulation to one of its paws, prosecutors said.

Valerie Brewster, of the 1800 block of Hemlock Place, appeared in court Friday afternoon for a bond hearing after she was charged Thursday with a single felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals. She was released on her own recognizance.

The arrest follows an investigation that began when Brewster brought her dog Ernie, a Shih Tzu, to Golf Rose Animal Hospital on May 26 and a veterinarian observed that the paw was hanging on by matted hair but no longer attached to the body, according to Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Gates.

Gates said the loss of circulation would have been present for several months. The doctor also observed exposure of bone and the smell of rotten flesh, Gates added.

In a written statement to police, Brewster said the first time she noticed something unusual about the dog's paw was in April, and it wasn't until the past week that she smelled an odor. The day before she took the dog to the vet, he was able to make it only halfway around a pond where they went for a walk, according to Gates.

The last time Brewster took the dog to the vet was in either 2011 or 2012, and the last time he was groomed was in 2015, Gates said.

The dog has remained under the care of Golf Rose Animal Hospital, where he is reportedly recovering well, Schaumburg police Sgt. Christy Lindhurst said.

Brewster, a preschool teacher at Bright Horizons in Schaumburg, also has three cats, two parakeets and a turtle. Judge Marc Martin ordered Brewster to bring the cats to the vet for a checkup by June 6. She is due in court again June 12.