Twenty One Abandoned Dogs Rescued
The dogs’ owner is reportedly in hospice care and the dogs, mixed breeds of various sizes, could have been without food and water for up to a month and their living conditions were extremely unsanitary and dangerous; several inches of compacted feces, empty glass bottles and cans, broken furniture, mattresses, tires, broken large appliances, and other hazardous trash covered the floors and filled the crowded rooms. Roaches crawled over all surfaces and countless cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The dogs were all extremely thin, some emaciated. They were dirty, malnourished, dehydrated, and suffering from eye and ear infections, respiratory issues, ear mites, and other internal and external parasites.
“This is our fifth operation in Tennessee in the past three days, three of which have been abandonment cases with at least 19 dogs in counties that have limited resources for animals,” said ARC President Scotlund Haisley. “This is why we started ARC five years ago this coming Monday – to provide expert humane rescue services to communities and animals who desperately need help. After speaking with Macon County’s animal control officer and seeing pictures of these dogs trapped in this horrible place, we quickly finished our fourth operation and rushed straight to the fifth.”
The planning for this rescue began when Macon County Animal Control was contacted by the building owner who visited the property to serve an eviction notice to the dogs’ owner and resident, who reportedly had not paid his rent for over a year, and found the property and the dogs abandoned. The animal control officer had seen news coverage of ARC’s Operation Resolution Part One in Clay County on Wednesday and reached out for assistance with this case.
“We take animal abuse and neglect very seriously but lack the resources to do rescues like this. We only have 11 runs in our shelter and we’re already full,” said Macon County Animal Control Officer Corey Lawrence. “These animals desperately needed help so we didn’t hesitate to reach out to Animal Rescue Corps for assistance.”
ARC documented and safely removed all of the dogs from the property and transported them to an emergency shelter in Lebanon, TN. Each of the animals rescued this week will receive a thorough veterinary exam, appropriate vaccinations, and any necessary medical treatment. ARC will provide daily care until the animals are placed with shelter and rescue organizations that will ultimately adopt them into loving homes. For people wishing to foster or adopt, ARC will publish its list of shelter and rescue placement partners on its Facebook page once the dogs are transferred to these groups.
