Animal Abuse in the Lowcountry
Opening Our Eyes by Denise K. James
The old agreement about a dog being "man's best friend" has its own guidelines and stipulations just as a friendship between two human beings does. Like any friendship, the one between man and beast depends on trust, consideration and treating one another with kindness and respect. But what happens when the terms of these delicate relationships are violated in a most frightening manner? Pay a visit to the Doc Williams animal shelter, and a group of dogs fighting to regain their strength and wellbeing can show you. The "Goose Creek Dog Massacre," as the incident has been dubbed in local news sources, involved the grisly deaths of over two hundred dogs, and the marginal survival of 45. It's unclear as to what, exactly, happened to these dogs; at this time, no one has been named guilty in the case, though a Goose Creek man named Loney Garrett was arrested. Still, there are important lessons to learn from this sad story, and residents of the Lowcountry who love animals and fight for their rights should be aware. Michelle Reid, Executive Director of Animal Rescue and Relief, said that her organization had been receiving anonymous phone calls, beginning in January, about the particular area where the dogs were discovered. Finally, the organization pinpointed the location where 45 dogs were more than ready to be rescued. "With each phone call, we got closer to where the problem was taking place," Reid said. "We then got in touch with the Berkeley County sheriff's department and went out there to remove the 45 living dogs. Over 200 did not survive. It took about 12 hours to remove not only the living dogs but also the remains of the deceased animals, as evidence in this case. We had about ten volunteers help us with the job, including veterinarians and vet techs." The 45 dogs were not in the best of shape - many were malnourished, afflicted with heart and stomach worms, parasites, open wounds and showing other signs of neglect and abuse. Today, these dogs are being housed at the Doc Williams SPCA. Animal Rescue & Relief is meeting their medical needs as they recover. "We partnered with Doc Williams. We don't have a shelter of our own, so we needed a place for these dogs to stay," said Reid. "The shelter agreed to house the animals for us, and, because we don't want to impact other animals living there, Animal Rescue & Relief is delivering extra food, cages, anything that 10
Lowcountrydog
photos by Dana Cubbage Photography