Dogs found in forest chained to trees
Olympia, WA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007
County: Thurston
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
A pack of neglected dogs has been rescued from Olympia's Capitol Forest. Nine dogs were tied to trees in the same area; another was roaming nearby.
The dogs had no water or food in the empty buckets that were in the area. The containers had "dust and rocks in them," said Thurston County Animal Services Director Susanne Beauregard.
In some cases the dogs were so tightly bound by their leashes, they had only about one foot of mobility.
"It was like cougar cafeteria," said Beauregard as she explained how the dogs she considers neglected could have easily fallen pray to large wild animals in the area. "It's like tying a sheep out to draw out a lion," she said.
Department of Natural Resources officers discovered the dogs last week as they were working in a remote part of the forest.
Beauregard says she thinks she knows who tied the animals to the trees and has turned the case over to the Thurston County Prosecutor's office.
If the prosecutor goes forward, the person responsible for the situation could face misdemeanor charges of Failure to Provide Humane Care.
"The why of it completely baffles (the mind)," said Beauregard. References« WA State Animal Cruelty Map
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