Warrants for animal cruelty were being taken out Friday for a woman residing on East Eighth Street in Tifton, said Regenia Wells, director of Tifton-Tift County Animal Control. Wells said her office was in the process of gathering all of the information so that the warrant could be served.

Wells said that Tuesday afternoon she got a call from a woman who was looking at a house for sale and noticed the situation of a dog next door. After visiting the area several times to look at the sale house, the woman called Animal Control. “The lady said the dog was chained in the back yard and had not had any food or water for two or three days,” Wells said.

The dog, a young chocolate lab, was picked up and taken to the Tifton-Tift County Animal Shelter where Wells attempted to remove the chain that had become embedded in the dog’s neck. “Chad Shadle with Code Enforcement was here, and I asked him to help me,” Wells said. “He got the bolt cutter.”

They could not removed the chain because it was so deeply embedded in the dog’s neck. The dog was taken to Quailwood Animal Hospital.

“He had to be put to sleep (tranquilized) to remove the chain,” Wells said. “He’s fine and back with us now.”

“You don’t have to dump animals on the side of the road,” Wells said. “All you have to do is bring them out here to us. There is no charge.”

Wells’ concern about animals being abandoned on the side of the road stems from incidents like one that happened this week with some Lab-mix puppies.

A woman in Ty Ty saw a garbage can on the side of the road. It was the type of kitchen garbage can that has the swinging lid on the top. Just as she saw the can, she saw the head of a little black puppy peek out. There were three puppies abandoned in the garbage can: Two tan puppies and one black Lab-mix puppy.

She took the puppies home and fed them — she said they were starving to death — and kept them several days. Then she took them to the Tifton-Tift County Animal Shelter.

“They are all in one pen together and happy as can be,” Wells said. She said she didn’t think she would have any problem finding them a home.



To contact reporter Jana Cone, call 382-4321, ext. 208.