More than 40 malnourished dogs rescued from Wilson County property
More than 40 hunting dogs were placed with animal rescue groups after being found in poor condition in Wilson County.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said the owner of the dogs had died and the owner’s wife could not take care of them.
“We feel as though Mrs. Davis was doing everything she could do during this difficult time, after losing her husband and father,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Animal enforcement officer said some of the dogs were underweight and four were improperly tethered.
Deputies did not press charges and instead chose to "educate" the owner.
“Should Ms. Davis be charged or not? I don't know," said Sherry Bass, one of the volunteers who helped rescue the dogs. "Animal control, here in Wilson, was called to help her … In my opinion, they need to be held accountable.”
“I was shocked," Melanie Thrift with Rimertown Rescue said. "The condition of the dogs was the worst I had seen in that condition in probably 20 years.”
Thrift made the initial complaint. She also traveled for hours and worked with a small group of volunteers to help rescue the dogs.
“This is a horrible situation of neglect and abuse with these dogs, and there was no reason to leave these dogs behind or at least not even help a rescue,” Thrift said.
The founder of one of the animal rescue groups first reported the dogs to the county on July 25. She said she saw firsthand several dead dogs on the property when rescue groups went to rescue the remaining dogs.
The sheriff’s office sent WRAL News a statement saying deputies did not find any dead dogs on the property. Photos shared with WRAL News, however, show bones on the property that appear to belong to dogs.
Other photos show the extremely malnourished dogs: some without teeth, others with shaven teeth. In many of the photos, the dogs are very thin to the point that their ribs can be seen through their fur.
WRAL News reached out for further comment from the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, but have not heard back.
As of Monday, many of the dogs were taken to rescues across the country, with some traveling as far as New York.
