WEST ASHLEY, SC (WCSC) — Officials say four bulldogs have died and six others have been taken to the Charleston Animal Society after recovering from a deteriorating West Ashley home.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office responded at 1013 Orleans Rd. Tuesday in response to reports of a dead dog in the garden.
At the scene, officers spoke to a cleaning crew hired to clean the property. They said some of the dogs in the backyard didn’t look alive. Investigators found seven dogs in the backyard, four of which had died.
The other three dogs were still alive; however, one of them was unable to walk and was visibly ill, an incident report said.
Agents then attempted to contact the homeowner; they knocked on the door but got no answer. Finally, they called the homeowner, who said he was in but would come out.
The homeowner told investigators he was unaware that the cleaning crew would be arriving or that the sheriff’s office was at the residence.
When officers explained why they were there, the man claimed he hadn’t seen the dogs since the night before when he fed them and was unaware that they had died, the incident report said. He told them he was concerned that the dogs might be poisoned.
Deputies say the man initially refused to let them in to get the remaining dogs, but he eventually let them in and the dogs were removed.
A follow-up report found that eight out of ten dogs tested positive for Parvovirus. The Parvovirus is extremely contagious and deadly. Without treatment, dogs can die from it within 72 hours.
The homeowner was bitten by one of the dogs while trying to get it out from under a bed; that dog has not yet been tested for the virus, but the virus is not transmissible to humans.
All ten dogs were bulldogs, according to the Charleston Animal Society. Of the six bulldogs brought to the animal society, one is still in critical condition.
“This comes at a time when our shelter is overcrowded, but we’re not going to stand by and let these dogs suffer,” said Alwin Roman, Charleston Animal Society’s Vice President of Operations and Strategy. “Our mission has always been to prevent animal cruelty, but if cruelty does happen, we will provide life-saving care and seek justice for these voiceless victims.”
The residents of the house have been remanded in custody because of the circumstances in the house. The keys to the house were handed over to Code Enforcement and the county. Code Enforcement deemed the house unlivable.
At this time, no charges have been issued in this case.
A deputy sheriff described their experience at the home in the incident report:
We could barely walk from room to room or down a hallway; the garbage, dirt, animal droppings, cobwebs and objects thrown all over the house were unbelievable for a reasonable human being… Parts of the ceiling had fallen and the house had walls that appeared to have been chewed and eaten by dogs.
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