Family recovering from home burglary, dog’s death on same day
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — A Madison County family says their home was burglarized and they lost a four-legged family member on the same day. Michelle James said as her home was being burglarized, the families’ nine cats and dogs were inside the home. “I can’t imagine what it was like for them while this was going on,” James said. James runs the Downtown Dogs Group animal rescue and sanctuary close to their home. She said they currently have about 63 rescue animals in their care. Dolly, an 8-year-old beagle and basset mix dog was once one of the rescues. “She had big hazel eyes and was just a sweetheart,” James said. “We rescued her when she was about 4 years old.” About a year and a half ago, Dolly went blind from health issues, according to James. On Wednesday, Dolly died after being hit by a car on Steam Mill Ferry Road. James said the alleged burglars left the family’s back door open causing the blind dog to wander onto the busy road. “I know Dolly being killed was incidental,” she said. “It was not their intent, but you know when you enter somebody’s home — it’s sunk in how lucky we are that one of us was not killed. I would imagine they were prepared to harm my husband or me if we had walked in on this.” James said she was surprised by the items the burglars left behind. She said they took about $12,000 worth of family heirlooms but left behind items including jewelry and electronics. James said at least six rooms at the family’s home have been ransacked. James said she is still dealing with the shock of the home invasion. “Part of your mind knows this could so easily happen to me, and the other part thinks ‘oh, it’ll never happen to me,’ and there were precautions we could’ve taken,” James said. “They were not themselves for about 48 hours, and they still seem kind of like us, on edge, when we hear a strange noise,” she said about how the other animals are adjusting. James said she hopes people who might put off installing a security system or devices will learn from her story.
