SPCA: Man arrested after 10 allegedly cruelly-treated dogs found

VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — The SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office removed 10 allegedly cruelly-treated dogs, three of which were dead, from a property near Wills Point this week, according to a press release.

The SPCA of Texas says they began investigating the property after receiving a complaint about dogs in the cold and, at the time of the investigation around 6 p.m. Tuesday, there were 10 Pitbull-type dogs confined on the property  – six were confined to their own kennels and of the six, three were dead. The other four were running loose on the property, the SPCA of Texas says.

Investigators didn’t find food available to the dogs and water sources were frozen, officials said in the press release.

The SPCA of Texas’ animal cruelty investigations unit took the surviving dogs to their facility in Dallas, according to the press release.

“Necropsies were performed on the three deceased dogs,” the SPCA of Texas’ news release reads. “Preliminary findings showed that the dogs suffered from starvation and dehydration and ultimately succumbed to their conditions in the freezing temperatures without adequate protection from the elements.”

The SPCA of Texas located and interviewed the alleged caretaker of the dogs, James Eubanks, on Thursday, officials say.

Eubanks was booked into the Van Zandt County Jail Friday on complaint of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, jail records show.

“These freezing temperatures can be lethal to animals,” said SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns. “We urge pet owners to make arrangements to ensure that their pets are safe and warm as temperatures drop. Failure to do so will result in consequences and we will pursue the prosecution of these cases to the fullest extent the law allows.”