When Kurt Merbs, deputy dog warden supervisor, approached that house at 866 Sixth Ave., he also noticed the bad odor. When police and Merbs entered the residence, they found a deceased dog that had been partially eaten by another dog that had jumped out the open window, according to the sheriff’s office.
Police said the residence was in deplorable conditions and there were food cans that the dogs had apparently attempted to chew through to get to their contents. Neighbors said residents of the home had not been there for three months.
“There were still items in the house and food all over the place where the dog had punctured cans of people food to try to get something to eat,” Merbs said. They believe the first dog died, and the second dog was forced to eat him to survive.
The owner of the residence has been identified as Nora Leanne Dunn. Dunn, 52, has been charged with two counts of cruelty to companion animals, two counts of abandonment of animals, two counts of failure to license and one count of failure to confine in Middletown Municipal Court. A warrant for her arrest was issued Friday on the misdemeanor charges.
The surviving dog, a shepherd-retriever mix, has been treated by Butler County Animal Friends Humane Society and will be available for adoption.
In a separate case on July 13, deputies were called to a Madison Twp. residence on a report of a dog tied to a clothes line that had been barking all day and sounded distressed.
A dog was found in the back yard of 6583 Lorraine Drive with no shelter, shade, food or water. An empty bucket was beside the dog, but it was too weak to stand when deputies tried to provide water.
Merbs was in route to the residence, but the dog died, possibly of heat stroke, before he arrived.
“It appears he cooked from the inside out,” Merbs said.
Tyler Pence, 28, has been charged with cruelty to companion animal and failure to license through Middletown Municipal Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 7.
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