"Inexcusable! These dogs don't deserve this,” said Laurie Tharp, an animal control officer with the city of Terre Haute. “They're in pain, it can cause severe skin irritation, it can wrap around their legs -- causing no circulation! They can even lose a leg!"
Tharp and her colleague, Officer Tim Manley, showed News 10 the two dogs Friday morning behind the Terre Haute Police Department. The officers had just picked up the animals on a call but were uncertain of the rightful owner, who could well be charged with animal cruelty.
"These are nothing but balls of mat! You don't even know where his leg is and the mats begin,” Tharp demonstrated, showing the pathetic state of both animals’ bodies.
The thick, matted hair is not only unsightly, it’s unhealthy. And the dogs’ uncombed coats covered a potentially lengthy list of health problems including malnourish.
"On the black and white one there, you can feel his hip bones and spine, readily,” said Manley. “On these breed of dogs, you're not supposed to be ale to feel their hip-bones or anything like that."
Animal control officers quickly transported both cocker spaniels to the Terre Haute Humane Society, where the staff animal healthcare specialist, Melanie Collier, offered a quick, overall health assessment.
Collier also gave the dogs a health rating of eight on a one-to-ten scale, ten being the least healthy.
“Those mats hold a lot of bacteria and infection, and we don't know what's under there,” Collier said.
Both dogs were taken inside the shelter for haircuts that will be not only life-changing, but potentially life-saving.
Pictures of the animals were taken, before and after, for any future court proceedings.
News 10’s Brent Frazier has the full story tonight at 10:00 p.m. on My Fox 10, and 11:00 p.m. on News 10 Nightwatch
(WTHI - May 17, 2013)
