SAVANNAH, GA ( April 26, 2012) Animal control officers have filed charges a Savannah man after finding 19 dogs abandoned in his home.
Animal control officers were dispatched to a house on 6902 Howard Foss Drive, after a neighbor called Animal Control. She walked in the neighborhood and had noticed a bad smell and did not think anyone had lived in the house for some time, but could hear dogs barking.
Over a span of a week or two police officers had responded to the home a couple of times. They discovered a dead animal in a wood line near the residence and assumed the smell the neighbor was complaining about was coming from it. On April 24th animal control officers responded to the residence and could see the conditions inside of the house because the dogs had ripped the curtains down. It was obvious to them nobody was living there.
A notice was placed on the door by animal control giving the owner 24 hours to respond. When they did not respond within the allotted time, they contacted the owner of the property. He in turn gave them the name of the tenant, Kirby CAMPBELL. He was contacted and gave police permission to enter the residence.
Once inside officers found 10 dead dogs in different states of decomposition. Some were just skeletal remains, and there was evidence the dogs were forced to eat each other to survive.
Nine of the dogs were removed from the house and taken to the emergency clinic to be evaluated. The dogs that were able to be medically released have been taken to Animal Control and will be evaluated for adoption. After a request by Animal Control to come to police headquarters, CAMPBELL did so and was arrested on numerous charges.
He has been charged with state charges of (10) counts of felony aggravated cruelty, (9) counts of cruelty to animals, (19) counts of abandonment. City ordinance citations include (1) count of keeping of animals sanitation, (1) count of distance of animal ( too many animals) (19) counts of no shots, no tags. CAMPBELL was transported to the Chatham County Detention Center. This is an ongoing investigation, more dogs may be found.
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