Ascension Parish deputies arrest a homeowner, identified as 50-year-old Thomas West, after locating 33 dogs in horrid conditions and one of them already dead.
The surviving dogs were taken to Cara’s House animal shelter for treatment. Shelter president Reagan Daniel describes the property as trashed, overgrown, and no food or water bowls in sight.
“The property bordered a bayou that was basically the dogs’ main water source. It was disgusting. Flies, feces, urine… you name it,” said Daniel.
Daniel says the dogs have puncture wounds, heartworms, and other parasites, and were covered in fleas. The shelter is now soliciting for food donations as they get the animals the proper nutrition.
“They were feeding on stuff out of the bayou. They’ve had a lot of boiled crawfish heads that they were passing, so it looks like they had gotten into some trash from a crawfish boil and that’s what they were surviving on,” said Daniel.
Daniel says the dogs are not yet available for fostering or adoption due to the legal investigation, but they still need help freeing up space at their facility.
“The dogs that we’ve had here for a few months, now their space is limited due to the new intakes,” said Daniel.