There is never a moment’s rest when animals are desperately depending on you, and so many depend on us at IDA’s Hope Animal Sanctuary in rural Mississippi.

On Friday, Sept. 21^st, Carroll County Deputy Scott Beck accompanied me to a residence just a few miles around the hill from HAS.

We had received a report that two small dogs were neglected.  Sure enough, at the residence we discovered Cassidy and Krammer penned separately on the far sides of the wooded area behind the mobile home. 

We were horrified to find both dogs were confined in small pens laden with months worth of dried feces, molded food, and debris.  Their water containers held filthy green water, polluted with debris and excessive algae.  Each dog had only the upturned bottom of a carrier for shelter, leaving the ground bare and susceptible to parasites. The floors of their pitiful “shelters” surely had become cold muddy pools during the rainy weather.

Back at the Sanctuary, while I awaited Doc’s return for a written statement affirming the gross neglect of the dogs, I developed the photos I had taken of the premises. Then I went to the courthouse to testify to the condition of the dogs and to seek a court-ordered seizure warrant under the authority of the Sheriff’s Department.  Deputy Scott saw that the order was approved and Judge Jimmy Avant signed it.

This afternoon, Deputy Brad Carver, a friend to animals, escorted me to seize the dogs.  The dogs’ “guardian” was at home and cooperated.

Initially, he gave all the usual excuses for the dogs’ neglect.  He hoped to impress us that his sister had worked at Doc’s clinic and took care of his dogs’ medical needs.  Interestingly, he didn’t know that rabies vaccines could only be administered by a veterinarian or what heartworm prevention was. 

He claimed that Dr. Bailey was his vet.  When I told him I would call Dr. Bailey for confirmation that he had seen the dogs, he finally admitted these dogs hadn’t been to Dr. Bailey.  We were not surprised.

In the end, he decided to sign a release giving IDA-HAS guardianship of the dogs.

It is sad for everyone when things don’t work out in a human/dog relationship, but in the end, the dogs’ welfare must prevail. This time, happily, it did.

I always want to acknowledge that we could not do it without the support of caring people like you, who are reading the story of these two neglected little dogs and how they made their way to us at HAS.

It is comforting to know that, in our hearts, we are in the trenches together. They can be lonely when you only see their walls.

Thank you for being there with us in spirit.   – Doll