GALLATIN, TENN. — Starving dogs, horrific living conditions, and a slap on the wrist.
Animal cruelty laws are on the books, but too often go unenforced.
Well, no more.
A recent animal rescue highlights a change in attitude as sheriffs are cracking down to save animals and, in one recent case, children, too.
The laws are on the books to protect animals like these.
Authorities are supposed to take action. "There are still some good ol' boys ... or municipalites who see animals as property, but there is definitely a new awareness," said Michael Cunningham with Animal Rescue Corps, or ARC.
He sees it firsthand across Tennessee and beyond. This past month, ARC rescued dozens of dogs. Most recently, from deplorable conditions in Louisiana.
Starving dogs near death are now slowly being hand-fed chicken just to regain their strength; "You can tell they have never had anything so good in all their lives. "
Cunningham said elected sheriffs now hear it big time from their constituents -- they want animal cruelty cases prosecuted.
"When we started this organization, we did investigations. We brought cases to law enforcement, and that has totally flipped."
Now the law calls ARC -- which comes in for free to help build the criminal cases rescue the animals along with, in this case, three young children who were also living in the squalor.
"We were walking through a house with dirty diapers up to our knees. " The state placed the children safely with other relatives.
ARC took the dogs to the emergency shelter in Gallatin. "You get them out of the environment, but not out of the woods," said Cunningham.
One poor dog is so weak that it can barely eat. But she'll get better and someday be adopted out to a loving home.
And that will clear space ARC needs for more animals -- only too happy to help with the crackdown on animal cruelty cases.
In this most recent animal rescue in Louisiana, the owner was charged with thirty-three felony counts of animal abuse and three counts of child neglect and abuse.
If convicted, they face fines, jail time ... and may never own another animal.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com
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