If you follow the Kennett Humane Department ‘s posts you are probably aware of a recent situation where the staff had to retrieve a mother dog and her litter of puppies. Every single one was in terrible condition.
“The mother dog and her babies are all in bad shape,” stated Kennett Humane Officer Tena Petix. “This group of dogs were living in deplorable conditions. The feces was several inches thick on the floor of their kennel. It was compacted like hardened concrete,” she added
Officer Petix said, “Once we approached, we saw that one puppy was already deceased, and the other puppies were licking on it.”
Petix advised that the water bowl had very little water and there was no food visible inside the kennel for them.
“The puppies were in distress because of the heat. They were panting hard, and were very lethargic,” she advised. “The mother dog was panting hard as well. She was pacing and stopping to rest periodically. The mother was extremely emaciated. All of them were flea infested, which eventually led to them having extremely low iron, which causes severe anemia.”
Petix reported that the dogs’ fur was covered in flea dirt, as well as live fleas.
“Dr. Mobley did retrieve a maggot from one puppy,” Petix explained. “This mom and her babies were facing death. If it were not for a concerned resident calling this in, I’m certain they wouldn’t have made it.”
Petix said she and her fellow staff members just can’t wrap their minds around how people think this behavior is ok.
“KHD has worked hard over the years to make it known that we, the employees of the Kennett Humane Department, the Kennett Police Department, and the citizens of Kennett, will not tolerate crimes against animals,” she confessed. “If you are committing a crime against an animal, such as neglect, abandonment, cruelty, or abuse, someone will take notice and they will contact us. And for anyone in doubt, we have every intention of filing charges and letting our judicial system help violators understand these are serious crimes and will not be tolerated here in Kennett.”
The Kennett Humane Department has so many good dogs and puppies available.
“We are full with only two kennels open,” Officer Petix explained. “If you have considered adopting, please reach out to us. If you can donate towards vetting costs, that would be awesome as well. If you can afford a can of dog food, or a bag of puppy food, we would greatly appreciate that too. We honestly feel overwhelmed and are mentally exhausted. We have cases that we have not had time to post, but will get them on our page soon,” Petix added.
For those interested in donating food or towards medical costs, visit KHD’s Facebook page where you will find a link that will direct you.
“We will also provide the address where anyone can ship from Walmart or Amazon, if that is easier,” Petix explained.
“We understand rescues, pounds, and shelters are all struggling right now. We also understand prices have increased on everything. But, we also know these dogs and puppies did not deserve the hand they have been dealt. And it’s the good people who support us at KHD that help right the wrongs. We did not make it this far without being blessed with wonderful supporters and God’s guidance.”
The Kennett Humane Department will continue to post updates on their page. If you are interested in donating for vetting, you can do so by submitting payment to: Kennett Veterinary Clinic, 1704 St. Francis St. Kennett, Mo. 63857. The phone number to the KVC is (573) 888-2255. You can also submit your donation via PayPal at kennettvet.com. If you are interested in shipping food or supplies directly to KHD, you can use the delivery address KHD, 200 Cedar St., Kennett, Mo. 63857.