NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A boxer breeder was busted for animal cruelty and will be added to the animal cruelty registry.
John Henry and Marigold have playful personalities. Watching them play now, you wouldn't know they were confiscated from an animal cruelty situation, and placed with Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue. Director Sara Peeples said the case was hard on animal advocates.
"We lost some of the puppies because they had so many parasites that they really just didn’t have much blood left in their bodies," Peeples said.
John Henry had two blood transfusions as a puppy in 2017. Due to his health issues, Peeples adopted him. The breeder, Tracy Eaves of Joelton, was convicted of 2 felonies and 2 misdemeanors for animal cruelty as they reached a settlement in court last week.
"It feels like there’s finally a little justice," Peeples said.
Eaves also goes by 'Tracy England.' She will serve 30 days in jail over 15 consecutive weekends. Assistant District Attorney Laney Cuthbertson said the dogs were sickly and living in deplorable conditions. The breeder cut some of their tails off, and performed surgery on her own.
"She has to go on the animal cruelty registry, and she cannot own, harbor, or possess an animal," Cuthbertson said, "No anesthesia so they were being maimed and tortured which is why it is so important we don’t support this industry."
Cuthbertson said she's cracking down on breeders who treat animals like commodities.
"This is a situation where she tried to use the legitimacy, the semi-legitimacy, of a breeder to cover her cruelty," Cuthbertson said.
As the case closed, Marigold and John Henry are adjusting nicely. All of the boxers in the case have been placed in approved homes by the rescue.
"At the end of the day they are pets, and they deserve to be treated like pets," Peeples said.
The Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue has boxer socials with the dogs involved in the animal cruelty case. Coming up next, they're having a boxer birthday party.
