Over 40 animals rescued in Union City; officials call the home ‘deplorable’
Obion County, TN – Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), a national animal protection nonprofit, assisted the Union City Police Department and Animal Control late this evening in the rescue of approximately 40 animals found living in deplorable conditions at a property in Obion County, TN, about three hours west of Nashville, TN. All of the animals were seized by Animal Control.
Union City Department of Animal Control visited the property after the property owner inquired about getting help feeding her dogs. Upon inspection, they found clear violations of state and local safety and animal cruelty codes. Small dogs were visible loose inside the house with a floor piled thick with animal feces, strewn with debris, soaked in urine, and no food or water could be seen. The stench and dangerously high levels of ammonia gas from the animal waste were detectable from outside the home and neighboring properties. The property owner was sited, with animal cruelty. Authorities reached out to ARC, who specializes in large scale animal cruelty cases, and a team responded within hours of receiving the call for help.
“I’m so grateful we were in a position to respond to this request; we didn’t get here a moment too soon,” said ARC Director of Animal Welfare, Kim Rezac. “These animals were on death’s door when we arrived, but they’re safe now and we’re going to do everything possible to help them recover.”
The dogs inside the house, mostly Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes and Shih Tzus, were found without food or water loose inside the feces-strewn home. Adult dogs and a new born puppy exhibited signs of severe, chronic neglect, including broken bones, emaciation, mange, dehydration, intestinal worms, external parasites, runny eyes, and alopecia. Found outside on the property were several large chained dogs including Labradors and Hounds. None of these animals had food or water.
“The conditions here are so bad, we knew we had to do something immediately, “said Amanda Hayslett of the Union City Department of Animal Control, “We called ARC and sited the property owner.”
ARC documented all of the animals on the property and transported the dogs to the emergency shelter set up for this rescue, dubbed Operation Desperate Plea, in Lebanon, TN, about 40 minutes east of Nashville. Each animal will receive a thorough veterinary exam, appropriate vaccinations, and any necessary medical treatment. All of the animals have been surrendered to Animal Rescue Corps. ARC will provide daily care until they can be transferred to shelter and rescue organizations that will ultimately adopt them into loving homes.
