FAST FACTS:
(West Memphis,AR 11/12/2009) West Memphis police looking for a burglary suspect stumbled on a case of animal cruelty.
They found 3 Pit Bulls, one of them just a puppy, starving to death.
They were found near a home in the 2700 block of West Grove. The owner of the dogs could face felony charges.
It is hard to look at the dogs now at the West Memphis Animal Shelter. The ribs on one female Pit Bull are protruding and a puppy, just 4-months-old, is also emaciated.
Rachel Davis, with West Memphis Animal Services, picks up a lot of strays and neglected animals, but has never seen it this bad.
"It makes me angry people can treat animals like that. They have no regard that these are lives and these animals do have their own emotions and feel what people do to them," said Davis.
West Memphis police found the dogs next to a trailer in the Broadway Trailer Park.
They were all on short chains without food or water. We found a rusty chain, connected to an extension chord that was being used to tie up one of the dogs.
Officers say it was obvious the animals were in trouble.
"The adult female, you can see all her hip bones, the outline of her skull. She's got sores on her and general filth. The puppy the ribs were protruding with the stomach sunk in," said Davis.
The manager of this trailer park says the dogs had been chained up without food or water for at least a week.
Police say their owner could be facing serious charges.
In Arkansas animal cruelty is now a felony if the animal has been tortured.
"It could probably be argued that putting them on a short chain and not feeding them is torture and a felony, but that will be up to a prosecutor," said Capt. Don Oaks.
Animal Services say it's possible the dogs were used for fighting since they are aggressive toward other dogs and not people, but workers at the animal shelter say the pit bulls are eating a lot and doing well.
"With the right person and in home with no dogs they could have a second chance," said Davis.
The Humane Society, which runs this shelter, will decide whether the dogs can be adopted.
Police want to talk to the man who lived in the trailer where the dogs were found.
The manager of the trailer park says he was recently evicted, but was there earlier this week.. For more updates from the field follow me at http://www.twitter.com/melissamoon3.
- Police find 3 Pit Bulls starving near West Memphis home
- The dogs were on short chains without food or water
- The owner could be face charges
(West Memphis,AR 11/12/2009) West Memphis police looking for a burglary suspect stumbled on a case of animal cruelty.
They found 3 Pit Bulls, one of them just a puppy, starving to death.
They were found near a home in the 2700 block of West Grove. The owner of the dogs could face felony charges.
It is hard to look at the dogs now at the West Memphis Animal Shelter. The ribs on one female Pit Bull are protruding and a puppy, just 4-months-old, is also emaciated.
Rachel Davis, with West Memphis Animal Services, picks up a lot of strays and neglected animals, but has never seen it this bad.
"It makes me angry people can treat animals like that. They have no regard that these are lives and these animals do have their own emotions and feel what people do to them," said Davis.
West Memphis police found the dogs next to a trailer in the Broadway Trailer Park.
They were all on short chains without food or water. We found a rusty chain, connected to an extension chord that was being used to tie up one of the dogs.
Officers say it was obvious the animals were in trouble.
"The adult female, you can see all her hip bones, the outline of her skull. She's got sores on her and general filth. The puppy the ribs were protruding with the stomach sunk in," said Davis.
The manager of this trailer park says the dogs had been chained up without food or water for at least a week.
Police say their owner could be facing serious charges.
In Arkansas animal cruelty is now a felony if the animal has been tortured.
"It could probably be argued that putting them on a short chain and not feeding them is torture and a felony, but that will be up to a prosecutor," said Capt. Don Oaks.
Animal Services say it's possible the dogs were used for fighting since they are aggressive toward other dogs and not people, but workers at the animal shelter say the pit bulls are eating a lot and doing well.
"With the right person and in home with no dogs they could have a second chance," said Davis.
The Humane Society, which runs this shelter, will decide whether the dogs can be adopted.
Police want to talk to the man who lived in the trailer where the dogs were found.
The manager of the trailer park says he was recently evicted, but was there earlier this week.. For more updates from the field follow me at http://www.twitter.com/melissamoon3.
