By Adam Ghassemi
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It's hard to understand how severely 96 dogs have been neglected until you spend a few minutes with Dr. Heather Robertson.
She's normally a Veterinarian at the Nashville Zoo, but at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds she's volunteering her time while closely watching the most critical patients, including this Dachshund named "Sir Monty".
"Open sinus and no lower jaw," Robertson said while reviewing the neglect that she says let Sir Monty's teeth and lower jaw rot away. "I can actually take both lower mandibles and move them independently because from here forward is gone... there's no connection."
Volunteers are now giving the dogs food, water and shelter, the most basic needs they were simply going without.
"This is how a rescue organization takes care of animals," said Animal Rescue Corps Scoutlund Haisley who was in Graves County, Ky. Tuesday where they found 96 dogs nearly starving to death. The group also found eight dead dogs on the property as well as body parts and corpses in burn piles.
"They weren't living on that property they were dying on that property," Haisley said.
The owner of "Paws Claws and More Rescue Transport" spoke to NewsChannel 5 by phone Wednesday.
"There were no dead dogs anywhere," said Shannon Lacewell who now faces 2nd degree Animal Cruelty. Lacewell says she didn't know of any dead dogs on the property or in burn piles. She claims she was merely caring for the dogs that others had abandoned.
"Everybody has their own idea of rescue. Rescue is a horrible thing, and when people find out where you live then they dump their dogs that they care nothing about at your house," Lacewell said.
Doctors have to help the ones who are left survive after being rescued from a place that was supposed to be a second chance.
"Unless she pulled these guys in the day before we got there, there is no way that she has given them the attention that was needed," Robertson went on to say.
Haisley says Animal Rescue Corps say they've already gotten a number of used blankets and sheets, but they need more. They also need food for the volunteers that have to staff this rescue nearly around the clock.
Organizers say most of the dogs should be in shelters and possibly adoptable by the end of the weekend.
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