Most animal control facilities go above and beyond to protect pets. They’ll ensure that dogs are saved from abusive situations so they’ll never have to suffer again. But sadly, an animal control group in Georgia is accused of doing the opposite. Multiple individuals and animal rescue groups have claimed that the facility is purposely neglecting dogs in their care.
Animal control denies these claims, despite photo evidence of dogs losing extreme amounts of weight. So, animal advocates continue to stand their ground and demand justice for the innocent dogs suffering.
Neglected Dogs at Animal Control
Catherine Wood, who runs Rock on Rescue, said several people have complained about Laurens County Animal Control. One of the dogs Wood pulled from animal control was extremely emaciated, despite being under their care for 40 days. His name was King, and Wood’s rescue spent hundreds of dollars on tests at the vet to get him back to a healthy weight.
“He could have been euthanized at ten days and been put out of his misery, but instead, you kept him alive and kept him starved and he could have died before I got to him,” Wood said.
Maci Raffield said her family also has suspicions of abuse regarding this animal control. Their dogs, Dixie and Ruby, got into a fight over a month ago. Animal control ordered the dogs to be euthanized after Raffield’s mom got injured trying to break up the fight. Neither dog had targeted any humans.
So, Raffield assumed her dogs were dead for a month until information on Facebook said otherwise. She saw a photo of Dixie, but the dog was significantly thinner than the day she’d gotten to animal control.
“The status ended up changing — they no longer had to be euthanized. They could now be adopted back out and they were no longer deemed violent dogs. At this time, we weren’t informed of that,” Raffield said.
Animal Control Defends Their Actions
Not only is Raffield shocked about Dixie’s condition, but she can’t believe no one told her the dogs were alive. Even though the family cannot adopt the dogs again, the situation has been an emotional roller coaster for them. King, Dixie, and Ruby all endured neglect at this facility, so who knows how many dogs have suffered similarly.
However, representatives from Laurens County Animal Control deny these accusations. They claim that the dogs lost weight because they were fed table scraps in their home, but now they’re only eating dog food. Even if that was the case, a dog eating a proper amount of dog food shouldn’t be that malnourished.
“This is complete misinformation. People are misinformed. Unfortunately, when people see something on Facebook, they obviously assume it’s the truth. In this case, I assure you it’s not,” said county administrator Bryan Rogers.
There’s no denying that animal control has done lots to help dogs in need, but that doesn’t excuse these cases of neglect. Currently, King has found a new home while Ruby and Dixie are still up for adoption. Wood will keep doing everything she can to give the neglected dogs at this facility justice.
H/T: 13wmaz.com
Featured Image: YouTube
