The Brinkley Animal Control located in Brinkley AR has been running a city shelter for several years and are not in compliance with state and federal laws. The building has no heat or air. Last year they were able to get one small space heater and they have one fan. The animals are not being fed nutritious food and kept with fresh water. The feces and urine is not cleaned out of the kennels on a regular basis. They’ve had a high turnover of animal control officers and they only have one officer working the shelter. In the past year, the mayor appointed two volunteers last year to network the dogs.  They’ve networked every dog and none have had to be put to sleep because of lack of rescues or adopters. Several have died due to poor conditions in the shelter.  The dogs do not have nutritious food. Cages are not cleaned out regularly. Cages are not disinfected properly. Dogs are not let out to get any exercise. The dogs are denied medical care. One little dog sat for weeks with a hurt leg before he was taken to the vet.  This year, a Dogo, a very breed worth $3000.00, died in the shelter due to a hookworm infestation.  A little puppy died because it froze to death.  Unaltered male and female dogs are not separated. The shelter doesn’t have basic supplies on hand nor do they keep any documentation.

Last week a rescue pulled a German shepherd from this shelter. She was brought to the shelter in June due to flood evacuations.  Her owner did not surrender her until October 9, 2014. He had been told that she’d found a home. Yet she sat in a kennel not seeing the light of day for almost 5 months. She was not let out to exercise. She had no bedding and stood in her own feces and urine. She contracted coccidia and a severe case of hookworms. Volunteers were not allowed inside the shelter to check on her. When they finally did see her, they realized she was nothing but skin and bones. They begged for her to be taken to the vet. The local vet prescribed medication for hook worms and Albon for coccidia. She was transported back to the vet and declined over night.  By the time the rescue picked her up the next day on October 17, 2014, she was unable to maintain her body temperature and was falling when walking because she was so thin. The rescue rushed her to a vet in Little Rock, AR. She was given two baths to get the urine smell off of her.  She was dehydrated and given fluids. The vet said she is starved and she’s so critical that on a scale of 1-9, with 1 being the worst, her body score is a 1. She was trembling and her gums had begun to bruise.  The vet would not release her because he felt she may die if he did. She’s staying in boarding at the vet. She’s heavy heartworm positive. She’ll be tested for tick diseases this week. There are 6 dogs left in the shelter. The rescue also transported a starving pit bull to a pit bull rescue on October 17, 2014. The remaining dogs are in various stages of poor health and starvation. We are asking for change. Animal cruelty and neglect charges need to be brought against the Mayor and the ACO who did this to Lucy.  If an individual had done this to her, they would be facing charges for abuse and neglect. Because these two people are in positions of power, it’s possible this could happen again if it’s not dealt with. We want Justice for Lucy. We want the shelter cleaned out and in compliance with state and federal laws.