Update, 3:30 p.m.: Court records obtained by Clarksville Now reveal more details about the 22 dogs rescued from a property in New Providence earlier this week.
Arriving officers found a cage with two dogs inside with no food or water, covered in feces, according to the records.
Another dog was tied to a tree, also without food or water, and officers reported hearing numerous dogs in the residence and in a detached, padlocked shed on the property, the records said.
The two homeowners then arrived on scene and allowed Animal Control to walk through the residence. The records said the homeowners could not open the padlock on the shed, and a search warrant was then executed.
In cages across the street from the residence, they found the remains of six other dogs in various stages of decomposition, according to the records.
A number of the surviving dogs had parasites, and the veterinarian at MCACC will conduct a full evaluation on each dog.
Previously:
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Several dead or neglected dogs were found at a home in New Providence on Wednesday, and two homeowners have been arrested.
On Wednesday, officers were dispatched to 421 Plum St., just off Providence Boulevard, to check on the situation, according to Clarksville Police spokesman Detective Michael Patterson.
They found several dead dogs on the property. After executing a resulting search warrant, police found six dead dogs, along with 22 that were neglected, Patterson said.
With the assistance of Animal Control agents, the living animals were gathered and treated by a veterinarian. Dave Kaske, director of Montgomery County Animal Care and Control, told Clarksville Now that the dogs will remain on hold and not up for adoption until further guidance from the district attorney prosecuting the case.
“We had taken in 22 dogs, our shelter veterinarian has examined them all for their health status, and some of them did have neglect issues and other ailments from the condition they were in,” Kaske said.
MCACC is already at capacity with animals at the shelter facility, and Kaske added that if the public wishes to help, they can do so through dog adoptions.
“We have a lot of dogs that are adoptable right now. Our shelter is full and we already have a small shelter as it is,” Kaske said. “We have a lot of awesome dogs that could go into new homes and that would help us tremendously. We have cats as well, but we need a little more help with the dogs.”
MCACC is open Friday until 5 p.m., and open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The search of the house also revealed a felony amount of marijuana. The homeowners were charged with animal cruelty and narcotics violations.
The lead investigator is M. Ciupka.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.