CAIRO, Ga. (WALB) – A dog breeder has been arrested after the Grady County Sheriff’s Office began investigating an animal cruelty case in Cairo.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, on Wednesday, October 23rd, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office received a call from a neighbor who reported that several dogs were left unattended at a home in the 300 block of Lewis Road. It was there. Their enclosure had no food or water and they were dead.
The previous tenant, John Mark Morrell Jr., was a dog breeder who was evicted from the property due to foreclosure and left the dogs in cages for long periods without food or water, according to the release. said the neighbor. .
The next day, investigators contacted neighbors and learned that a live dog had been removed from the scene and taken to Cairo Veterinary Hospital.
The surviving dog, Nina, was treated by a local veterinarian but was found to be extremely dehydrated and malnourished, the statement said.
Investigators applied for a search warrant for the property, and on Friday, Oct. 25, investigators and a sheriff’s office captain executed the search warrant.
During the search warrant process, they were able to submit photos and videos of the conditions of the cages and property, as well as the three dead dogs left in the cages.
During the search, Grady County Sheriff’s Office investigators were able to obtain photos and video of the cage and property conditions. (Grady County Sheriff’s Office)
The cage the dogs were in had no water, food or escape, the statement said. Investigators found from the condition of the bodies that the dogs were extremely weak at the time of death.
When the chips were scanned to identify them, it was discovered that one of the dead dogs had a chip, and when checked against a national database, it was registered as Cardi, a female boxer to whom Morrell belonged. It turns out.
An arrest warrant has been filed for Morrell on four counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals. He was then arrested on Monday, October 28th.
Meanwhile, Nina was handed over for treatment to the Cairo Veterinary Hospital, where several people had donated to cover her treatment costs. The Grady County Sheriff’s Office considered her legal possession while she was hospitalized at Cairo Animal Hospital.
Nina is recovering well and has gained 9 pounds in five days, but investigators were told she still has a long way to go before she regains muscle mass, the statement said.
At this time, Nina is not available for adoption, but donations for her recovery can be made to Cairo Animal Hospital.
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