Several dogs were found dead after the breeder abandoned his property in Cairo, authorities said

CAIRO, GA. (WALB) – A dog breeder was arrested after the Grady County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into an animal cruelty case in Cairo.

According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, at approximately 9:30 pm on Wednesday evening, October 23, the sheriff’s office received a report from a neighbor who said several dogs had been left at a home in the 300 block of Lewis Road. Their pens were hungry and thirsty and died.

According to the statement, the neighbor said the previous tenant, John Mark Morrell Jr., was a dog breeder who was evicted from the property due to foreclosure, leaving the dogs in pens without food and water for long periods of time. .

The next day, an investigator contacted the neighbor and learned that a live dog had been taken from the scene and taken to Cairo Animal Hospital.

The surviving dog, Nina, was treated by a local veterinarian and was suffering from extreme dehydration and malnutrition, according to the statement.

The investigator applied for a search warrant for the property, and on Friday, Oct. 25, the investigator and a captain at the sheriff’s office executed the search warrant.

During the search warrant, photographs and video of the pens and conditions of the property were seized, as well as three dead dogs left in cages.

In the statement, it was stated that there was no water, food or escape route in the pens where the dogs were kept. Researchers found that due to the condition of the bodies, the dogs were extremely emaciated at the time of death.

When scanned to identify the chips, one of the dead dogs was found to have a chip, which was then compared to the national database and was registered to Cardi, a female boxer owned by Morrell.

An arrest warrant was issued for Morrell on four felonies involving aggravated cruelty to animals. He was later arrested on Monday, October 28.

Meanwhile, Nina was delivered to Cairo Animal Hospital for treatment; many people here donated to cover his medical treatment. The Grady County Sheriff’s Office had assumed legal possession of him during his stay at Cairo Animal Hospital.

According to the statement, the investigator was informed that Nina had recovered and gained nine kilograms in five days, but she still had a long way to go to regain her muscle mass.

Nina is not available for adoption at this time, but donations can be made to the Cairo Animal Hospital for her recovery.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs fixing? Let us know. Please include the title of the article in your message.

Follow WALB to stay up to date with the latest breaking news Facebook And X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app at: Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2024 WALB. All rights reserved.