Indiana: 20 Poodles found covered in feces in Paoli home belonging to vet tech Laura King

INDIANA -- A disturbing crime. Twenty poodles found neglected and abused in Southern Indiana. The owner of the home the dogs were found in is facing serious charges.

The owner of the home, Laura King, 40, lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she works as a vet tech. 

Upon learning that a member of their staff had been arrested and charged with animal cruelty, Metropolitan Veterinary Specialists spokeswoman Donna Medley released a statement:

“We became aware of a TV news story about animal cruelty last night, and are very disturbed to learn that the cruelty and neglect of the animals occurred at the home of Laura King, one of our employees,” Medley explained. “We knew Ms. King was a breeder of poodles, but no one associated with our clinic has ever been to her home in Paoli.”

She went on to say that the staff was “stunned” and no one has had any contact with King since her arrest.

The Orange County Humane Society took the dogs in and the director of the shelter, Deanna Kendall, said she suspects they were being used for breeding.

 

 

The poodles were found when a power crew came to the house to cut off services. The dogs were covered in feces and maggots, the house was filling up with the dogs’ waste.

  

“It was the worst I have ever seen,” said Kendall, “Anybody that works up here, even the vet also said it’s the most despicable thing he’s ever dealt with also.”

Two of the dogs died after they were rescued, another is still with the vet receiving much needed care. The Orange County Humane Society has taken the rest.

  



“Some of them couldn’t hardly walk, [the vet] shaved one, weighed it, and it was almost 10 pounds of feces he shaved off the dog,” Kendall explained.

 Most of the dogs have been groomed. They’re now a far cry from the condition in which they were found.

“It’s sad, I mean, the workers here, they deal with a lot of stuff, I mean, they’ve even been in tears over these dogs. It’s heartbreaking to know a human being can treat animals like this,” Kendall said.

  



 But, the shelter is small, and the dogs need a lot of help. The US Humane Society is coming this weekend to help clean the dogs and lay out a plan for their care. The OCHS is taking any donations to help with the care of these dogs and the rest at the shelter.

 Laura J. King was charged Wednesday with 20 counts of animal neglect and abandonment.

(WHAS11 - May 14, 2014