Sheriff Douglas Pernell is fed up with animal abusers in Dillon County, South Carolina, and he’s cracking down with a unique idea. The straw that broke the camel’s back came after Pernell found out what happened to a litter of 12 days-old puppies in his county. Since Pernell used to be a local animal shelter director, he is all too familiar with animal neglect and abuse cases in his area. Finally, he feels he has a solution to cut down on the number of animals who are harmed.
A shelter worker happened to come upon something lying in a ditch recently. On closer inspection, that “something” turned out to be a litter of 12 puppies who were a few days old. A heartless person dumped the furbabies without their mama into the ditch and left them there. They would certainly have perished if they were not found. Sadly, two of the puppies passed away, but the other 10 were rushed to the area shelter. They were in rough shape, with maggots crawling all over their tiny bodies.

“Put someone on our staff that would be in charge of investigating neglect to animals,” Sheriff Douglas Pernell said in response to cracking down on animal abusers. “I hope that will deter people from doing, this past weekend by leaving them out in ditches, abandoned houses, side of the road. I’m hoping we can educate them.”

Fortunately, the 10 pups are being bottled fed and taken care of and so far, all 10 are recovering and doing well. In the meantime, deputies are investigating the case and hope that someone will come forward with more information. If you have information, please contact Dillon County Sheriff’s Office at (843) – 841 – 3721 or the Dillon County Animal Shelter at (843) – 841 – 8844. I Love My Dog reminds our readers to get in touch with local animal control or a local rescue if you can no longer care for your pets. It is never a viable option to abandon or dump an innocent animal, as the outcome will likely be harm, abuse, death, or all three.