HEARD COUNTY, Ga. — A woman who owns an animal shelter is charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and abuse after more than 200 dogs were rescued from her home.
Wendy Brewer, owner of Dogs Rock Rescue, is out of jail on bond, but Heard County sheriff’s officials say the investigation is still underway -- and she could face more charges.
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Some of the dogs are now at the Heard County Animal Control shelter while most are at shelters and kennels in other nearby counties. Officers from 11 agencies across the region were involved in the rescue.
Lieutenant Dan Boswell of the Heard County Sheriff’s Office says officers arrived at the property on Fir Road to find dogs weak from hunger and living packed in filthy kennels. A few dogs had to be euthanized.
“There were feces everywhere, there was food in the feces,” he says.
Boswell says they also found the carcasses of dogs on the property.
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“We did find a burn pit out behind one of the barns,” he says. “In the burn pit we found 24 skulls of various sizes of dogs. Some of them even had bullet holes in the skulls.”
Channel 2′s Bryan Mims went to Brewer’s home on Fir Road but was told she wasn’t there.
The community has responded with loads of donations for the rescued dogs, including dog food, shampoo, cleaning supplies and cedar shavings for bedding.
“You take your dog and multiply it by 200, and that’s what we’re having to do,” says Robert Bell, the deputy director of the Heard County Emergency Management Agency.
Sarah Kozma and her 11-year-old son, Dylan Lemons, delivered a load of dog food and other supplies to the Heard County animal shelter.
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“We just read about the dogs and it just broke my heart,” Kozma says. “We have five animals, and if we could take them we would, but this is a way we knew we knew we could help out.”
Bell became emotional when reflecting on the rescue.
“And when we picked them up the other day, you could see the joy in their eyes that we were finally getting out of something and going someplace good,” he says. “Because these dogs are helpless and we were able to help them.”
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