MARLIN, Texas — Several Marlin residents gathered outside the Falls County Courthouse on Wednesday, Jan. 31, calling for accountability for the alleged abuse of animals at the city's animal shelter and arrests of the employees of the shelter for neglect and abuse.
As it stands there have been no arrests to date for the conditions law enforcement found at the Marlin Animal Control Center earlier this month.
"Whether that's the Animal Control Office, the animal control officers, we need people to be held accountable," said Frances Fischer, co-founder of Journey Home Rescue in Temple, TX.
Dogs were found dead at the shelter as early as Dec. 3, and three dogs were found dead over a 37-day period.
Fischer's organization rescues dogs and nurses them back to health before finding them loving homes through the adoption process. She said one of the three dogs they rescued may have to go into hospice and all three were underweight and malnourished.
"In over ten years of experience I have never seen a city-run shelter in such bad condition," Fischer said. "When I walked through I saw 300-400 pounds of dog food just laying there on the floor, so in my mind, there's no reason those dogs should have been malnourished."
Dorothy Sanders, an advocate for the protest, said those responsible should be given felony charges "for every life that was impacted."
"All nine dogs that were found in the shelter were malnourished and not in good health," Sanders said. "Being a pet owner I couldn't just sit back and I don't understand why there weren't arrests."
Sharvannha Warren said she brought her wife's dog to the shelter after losing their home in a fire on Nov. 3.
"Every time we would go there it seemed like they would be getting smaller and smaller," Warren said.
Warren said just two days after seeing their dog in the shelter on Nov. 26, he died.
"He was four months old, when we got there he had a bloody discharge coming from his mouth," Warren said. "It's really heartbreaking to know that there are people in the world that would treat animals like this and go to sleep like everything's fine."
Fischer called the lack of accountability and justice for the dogs the real cruelty.
"We have been involved in other cruelty cases in other cities and the people are arrested the day the dogs are confiscated, this is unreal that they're allowing this to happen," Fischer said.
Fischer is also calling for those publicly advocating for donations for the animals to "live up to their word" and get the supplies to the households taking in the dogs.
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