Dogs recovering after being rescued in Kansas animal cruelty case
PLEASANT HILL, Mo. – An all-hands-on deck situation at Daisy’s Dane Sanctuary where volunteers spent Friday afternoon making space in a garage for an influx of donations.
The Pleasant Hill, Missouri-based nonprofit organization took in nine Great Danes and one Shepherd-Mix more than a week ago after they were rescued from an abusive environment in Miami County, Kansas. The dogs range in age from puppies to nine years old.
“They were not in good shape,” said Chrissy Scott, who said that was all she could tell FOX4 about the animals due to the ongoing investigation. “I don’t want to jeopardize the integrity of the evidence or the case or anything.”
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But Scott did provide a glimpse at their condition on Daisy’s Dane Sanctuary Facebook page, calling it the “worst case of neglect she’s ever seen.”
She wrote that the dogs had been living in horrid conditions, which included surviving by consuming deceased Great Danes. One of the dogs, Scott wrote, ate her tail off while others could barely walk due to frost bite.
“It’s amazing what a little bit of love and general care for these guys will do,” she said.
While FOX 4 could not take video of the dogs we did see them getting walked by volunteers. They appeared to be happy with their tails wagging.
Scott has spent $5,000 on their vet bills, so she’s asking for donations to cover that. She’s also in desperate need of proper bedding. Since Great Dane’s are so massive, they need old blankets, comforters, and items of that scale as opposed to regular-sized dog beds.
“They’re not potty-trained. They’ve never been inside dogs.” The animals are going through a lot of bedding since they aren’t potty-trained; when they soil the bedding it gets thrown out so that it won’t be contagious,” she said.
The rescue is also asking for sheets, towels, toys, two kennels, and, again, plenty of bedding.
“We’re doing our best to keep them happy and healthy now,” Scott said.
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Scott and her organization took in the dogs on January 24 at the request of the Miami County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation led the department to a property in rural Louisburg where they found 10 dead Great Danes along with the ones who survived. Four suspects have been identified by officials but so far, no charges.
Detectives are investigating it as animal cruelty and believe it could be linked to a larger operation across the state of Kansas. For instance, the Topeka Police Department seized 73 animals from a home on Tuesday, 18 of which were dead. Two people have been arrested in that case but have yet to be charged.
As for the rescued dogs, Scott said the Missouri Department of Agriculture has put a quarantine on them, meaning it’s unclear when they’ll be able to be adopted or fostered.
The state puts a quarantine on cases just like this when animals are transported across state lines. Only when the state releases them can she move them out of her facility.
“Once that happens, we’ll be able to move them into approved protective foster homes,” Scott said.
