Kent woman is accused of starving puppy to death

The seven months of her life didn't go easy for Princess.

Abandoned to the King County Animal Shelter as a puppy, the 3-month-old pit bull was adopted by Zakeea Sykes and her boyfriend in March and taken to the Kent apartment they shared, according to police. And it was in that apartment that animal-control officers found the dog's decomposing body.

Sykes, 20, now stands accused of starving the puppy to death and faces felony animal cruelty charges, according to court documents.

Animal-control officers were called to the Ventana Apartments on July 10 when a witness spotted the dog's remains on Sykes' patio.

According to court documents, a veterinarian conducting a necropsy found almost no fat on the puppy; he went on to describe the dog's death as "protracted and agonizing."

Prosecutors assert that Sykes told investigators she had been spending time away from the apartment after her boyfriend moved out. Sykes, investigators said in court documents, "just forgot that Princess was there."

An official says the dog's death could have easily been prevented had its owner taken it to one of several animal shelters in King County that take in unwanted animals.

Gail Bisconer, operations manager at the King County Animal Care and Control, said the county shelter routinely takes animals whose owners can no longer care for them.

The Seattle/King County Humane Society shelter also accepts animals by appointment.

Bisconer suggested that pet owners should try to find a home for their animals before turning to the shelter.

"We are a last resort, but we take animals all the time," Bisconer said. "All they need to do is bring them in to us and sign them over to us."

Sykes was charged earlier this month with first-degree animal cruelty, a felony charge that could carry up to one year in jail. She has not yet entered a plea to the charge.