Dogs starved to death
Flat Rock, MI (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 1, 2012
County: Wayne

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Name Undisclosed

A man could be facing animal cruelty charges after four dogs were found dead on his property, another found alive and one so thin it had to be euthanized, police said Sunday.

Officers were called to 28000 block of Cahill about 1:30 p.m. after a neighbor reported finding the dead American bulldogs and two sick ones.

At the scene, officers found the dogs among five makeshift kennels in the backyard.

The four dead dogs appeared to have been malnourished, police said.

One of the surviving canines was described as thin and dirty but active.

Its kennel held another dead bulldog. Some of the organs appeared to have been eaten, police said.

The other surviving dog was hiding in its kennel, too weak to raise its head to eat or drink food or water provided.

Officers photographed the scene, collected the dead animals and transported the living ones to the Affiliated Veterinary Emergency Service in Allen Park.

The attending veterinarian determined the sick bulldog had to be humanely euthanized due to starvation. An examination revealed it had a host of issues, including protruding bones, mouth bruising and dehydration, police said.

The other dog was found to be in normal condition, bathed and brought to the Flat Rock Animal Shelter.

The owner told police he had vacated his home in December but returned every few days to feed and give water to the animals.

Officers on Sunday were unable to find fresh foot traffic in or around the kennels.

Charges are expected to be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review.

References

« Back to Search Results
« MI State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Wayne County, MI

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.