PETITION TARGET: Marked Tree Police Department
Seven puppies were found starving, sick, and abandoned in an Arkansas cemetery — duct-taped into a tiny cardboard box.
“You could see their spines,” Rhonda Davis, from Marked Tree Animal Rescue, told Lady Freethinker in an interview. “Their bellies were full of worms and they were infected with coccidia.”
The puppies, only weighing 2-3 pounds, were found in an extremely small box with no air holes. Two of the female puppies were trampled during their confinement, and are currently in worse condition than their siblings, according to Davis.
After being taken to the Marked Tree Police Department, they were moved to Marked Tree Animal Rescue (MTAR), according to KIRO 7.
There, Davis and the team of dedicated MTAR volunteers have been working to care for the abandoned puppies. Davis recently shared on the rescue’s Facebook page that the dogs were being dewormed and cared for. They have all gained weight and are slowly outgrowing their collars.
“I just don’t know how you could look at them and stick them in that box,” Davis told Lady Freethinker, “and not know if they would be found — not know if anyone would be out there to help them.”
Davis told us that this is not the first case of animal abuse in Marked Tree. Just months ago, Davis rescued similar-looking puppies dumped in the same cemetery. She told us that this points to an ongoing issue in the area, and the shelter is doing its best to keep up.
“We are here to handle difficult cases. We do what we have to do to make room,” Davis said. However, the Marked Tree Animal Rescue is run entirely on donations, and there is a great need in this county for animal care and education on animal cruelty. If you would like to learn more about the Marked Tree Animal Rescues’s work, we encourage you to visit their Facebook page.
Despite what these seven puppies have endured, Davis said that they love people and are little bundles of joy. She believes that they will be ready for foster-to-adoption in a few months — depending on their recovery and the investigation.
Please sign our petition to urge the Marked Tree Police Department to thoroughly investigate and hold accountable the person(s) responsible for this cruel act, before they have the chance to harm another animal.
Marked Tree Police Department is asking the public for any information about the abandonment. If you do have information about the case, please call them at 870-358-2024.
