Tennessee animal shelter shut down after live dog found in the freezer

TENNESSEE -- An investigation is underway in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, after a dog was found alive in a freezer at the county animal shelter.

The shelter is located in Ripley, about 53 miles northeast of Memphis.

The dog was left for dead until a citizen discovered it was alive and had a pulse.

The shelter has been shut down and an internal investigation is underway. The sheriff's department is also investigating.

The woman who took the pictures was too afraid to go on camera.

The dog, named Asher, is a survivor.

Just last week, Asher was left for dead in a freezer at the Lauderdale County Animal Shelter.
The freezer is where euthanized animals are kept until they are disposed of.

The woman who found the dog opened the freezer looking for a different euthanized dog when she discovered Asher barely alive.

The woman took the dog from the shelter to a veterinarian for help.

The video shows the dog’s eyes were open. It was clearly weak, but breathing.

The next day, after a trip to an emergency veterinarian and an IV, video shows the dog was clearly doing better.

When animal advocate Jimmy Patterson heard what happened at the shelter and saw the video, he was shocked.

“It was heartbreaking. Just to imagine what that animal could have been going through. It's very disappointing. I've had people express emotions from sadness to rage," Patterson said.

The shelter is now closed, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Questions such how and why was the dog put in the freezer?

Sources tell the Local I-Team, lab results from the veterinarian show there was no evidence of sedatives or the drug used to euthanize dogs in his blood stream. That suggests the dog was put in the freezer alive and left to die.

Sources said one shelter employee is suspended and an emergency meeting will be held Thursday to try and get to the bottom of what happened.

It is a very unfortunate situation, but the good news is the dog is safe, alive and well,” Patterson said.
This is just the latest incident at the shelter that has a history of problems which include animal control officers shooting dogs and illegally putting dogs in a gas chamber.

(Local Memphis - April 2, 2015)