A Demorest man is charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals after a puppy allegedly died while caged outside in sub-freezing temperatures.
20-year-old Bobby Kyle Nelms was arrested by Cornelia Police Monday and booked into the Habersham County jail.
911 call
Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) officers and Cornelia Police responded to the scene at NW Wayside Street in Cornelia around 10:45 p.m. Saturday after someone called 911 to report a dead puppy on the porch of the residence.
The two-pound, 8-10 week old, short haired, small breed female puppy was originally observed laying on a concrete slab porch, in a wire crate with no bottom, shelter, bedding, food or water, according to HCACC.
Officials say Nelms, whose address is listed as Demorest, was living in the house on Wayside Street when the incident occurred.
“Mr. Nelms had removed the animal and thrown the body into a burn pit in the backyard of the residence,” an HCACC press release states.
Officers removed the puppy’s body from the residence. She was autopsied by a licensed veterinarian. Hypothermia was ruled as her cause of death.
“No other possible cause of death was able to be determined,” says HCACC Director Madi Hawkins. “The two-pound puppy was provided no way to escape the below freezing temperatures and wind that night, and suffered from frostbite on all four feet.” The frostbite was so severe, Hawkins says, that the puppy’s foot pads were “blistered, discolored and, in some areas, blackened.”
See something. Say something.
With snow and sub-freezing wind chills expected over the next several days, HCACC staff urges pet owners to use caution. If your pet must stay outdoors, make sure they have adequate shelter, clean dry bedding and access to potable water.
HCACC also urges citizens to remain alert for neglected and abused animals. If you suspect animal cruelty report it to your local authorities.
