Sunday, June 16, 2013

Neighbors say authorities are ignoring neglected dogs in Chickasaw County

IOWA -- Folks in rural Fredericksburg are concerned authorities are ignoring a case of animal neglect.

"It's just high time something gets done," said Dale Miller, a man who lives near the property.



Miller said he can hear dogs barking every night. He believes the dogs are malnourished and neglected.

"It's time something gets done. It's cruelty to animals. You can see the shape the dogs are in," he said.

Other passers-by said they have stopped to feed the dogs and give them water. They said the house hasn't been lived in for "quite some time."

"It's not fit for a dog to live like that," said Miller.

[In the video they say that neighbors told them that there were more dogs locked in the barn, but the police weren't able to say whether they'd bothered to check on them.]




No one from the Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office would go on camera, but Chief Deputy Marty Hemann said another deputy looked into recent complaints Friday morning.

Hemann hadn't gone to the property, but said based on what he knew the dogs were deemed healthy with adequate food, shelter and water.

According to Hemann, a Chickasaw County Deputy obtained permission to search the property on Friday and look at "several" dogs, though he wasn't sure how many.




Hemann said the owner has been given a week's notice to obtain medical records for every dog from a veterinarian. He said if the dogs were not deemed healthy, the Sheriff's Office would consider consulting the U.S. Department of Agriculture or a veterinarian, but at this point no consultations were being done.

Hemann said the Sheriff's Office plans to follow up with the owner next week

(KWWL - June 15, 2013)