This video purports to show footage of puppies being kept in a kennel which appears to be flooded with filthy water at the Marlboro Co Animal Shelter in SC. I have reached out to the shelter, as well as a couple of other groups for comment but none of my messages received immediate replies. I was going to wait and see if any replies came in tomorrow (which is more likely than receiving a reply on a Sunday) but decided to go ahead and post as this appears to be an urgent neglect situation. I will post any responses I receive and in the meantime, if anyone has any additional information, please share.
The scared puppy standing in the corner just about broke my heart. I’d like to get these pups some help, if possible. Will keep you all posted as to any new information.
Animal Control
Contact: Walt Pratt, Control Officer 479-1756
We do not provide service for injured animals or the disposal of dead animals. We have one officer who works the entire Marlboro County area – we do not have same day service. It may take several days for the officer to get to your complaint. Always leave your name, address, phone number, and nature of your call on the answering machine. DOT NOT CALL 911 UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY (VISCIOUS DOG). DO NOT CALL 911 TO PICK UP STRAY DOGS.
If a cage is provided to you at your request – do not touch it in any way or move it. If you interfere with this service – we will not provide it again. Cages are to be handled by County Personnel only. If you release an animal from the cage – the cage will be removed.
NOTICE TO PET OWNERS: You are responsible for containing your pet(s) within your property (lease law). If you do not contain them and we receive a complaint, you may be liable for a fine and/or possible removal of the animal depending on the number of offenses. Any vicious type dog that is not contained may be removed at the discretion of the officer.
For the Humane Society, call Peggy Bishop (843) 479-7356
For Wildlife, call (843) 479-3312
I’ve tried these numbers, hoping to receive some responses tomorrow.
Wow, you can’t touch the cage or remove the animal, but they do not have same day service? That is kind of frightening right there, and they state that publicly. This doesn’t sound good at all.
I assume you have already called the above numbers. My heart is hurting looking at that little black puppy trying to stand so tall and above the dirty wet mess. They certainly need to get out of there fast. Could the persons who took the video get them out because of the emergency situation? I’m hoping.
I have a message in to the poster of the video as well. Will let you know what I hear. On the one hand, I’m glad there appears to be an open door leading to outside. On the other hand, I don’t know if the area outside is better/worse/the same as the inside area. Nor do I know if that door is open 24/7.
You know we live in a screwy society when, if this situation was in a private residence, those pups would be confiscated and the owner charged with neglect or abuse. In this country, it’s very likely that such pups would be sent to a shelter where they’re kept in the same (if not worse) squalor yet it’s considered ‘business as usual’!
A double standard, and the animals suffer both ways.
How can those faces, those eyes & their posture NOT break anyone’s heart? Anyone can see the pleading from those puppies.
I also will help in anyway I can!!!!! My heart is aching for these pups (and yes, especially the pup standing in the corner0. Please keep us updated!!!
Hi, I’m Trish the volunteer photographer for Scotland Co.Humane in North Carolina. I live 45 minutes from the Marlboro SC County run shelter & was asked after someone down there saw my photos, to come help them post animals on Facebook in order to improve their adoption rate. I gave this a 3 hour window, assuming I could probably fit in around 20 dogs and some cats. What I increduosly discovered was that there is no staff, only a prisoner who is dropped off once a day to feed/clean and an ACO who works M-F who just dumps dogs and cats willy-nilly in cages.
I HAD NO, I repeat NO idea what I was walking into. I am “just a mom with a pocket camera” who takes “pretty pictures”. I did my best to remain composed, get in as many pics as I could and get home before dark. I had one other person who is a volunteer for their newly formed Humane Soc. who was granted keys by the ACO. We did NOT have keys to the back where we could have accessed these pups or any of the dogs on the “swimming pool” side of the facility or my backseat would have been filled with these guys.
I have gotten 5 hours of sleep since I posted the images and videos Saturday night on Facebook. A huge outpouring of support has occured as a result and the HSUS is expected to respond. Financial contributions and ChipIns have been established. 3 dogs have either been rescued or are in the process of adoption. Reputable rescues have been contacted and hourds of people are taking action.
My own shelter is donating 15 raised platform beds and as much food as I can shove into every crack and crevice this morning in our old van.
I am very new to using YouTube and had established the account to help promote Scotland’s animals. I apologize for not seeming to respond quicker, to be honest I had no idea I could “get” messages on YouTube, or I would have certainly checked sooner. I just happened to log back on this morning and noticed the little flag that said someone had a message. It wasn’t a very friendly one that I received, something along the line of “you aren’t doing enough”, but I realize this is a hot button issue. I have received threatening emails on my Facebook account and my husband is mad at me because he feels we are unsafe. ALL I have had time to do is post these videos on Facebook (via YouTube), become the out-of-state administrator on the Humane Society of Marlboro County facebook page to aid them in the hundreds of communications they have received as a result of my images and do my best to process the actual “glamour” photos of the dogs I had time for.
The volunteer and I spent a huge amount of our time cleaning poop, replenishing water and food and assessing the health of many of the animals. The director of my shelter helped find a contact that got the pregnant Doberman DELIVERED to a rescue in Polkton by 2:00pm Sunday. The despondent chow chow in the corner is getting groomed today and assessed for termperament with the potential to go to a rescue specializing in geriatric canines. Many rescues are responding to the puppies and an offer of a donation of a sump pump has occured.
Once again, I don’t want my lack of responding to your email on YouTube to imply that no action has occured. I genuinely didn’t realize the videos I had intended to be posted on my little Facebook page would be noticed by anyone out in the world.
You are all heroes in my eyes. Thank you. Is there and address online/offline where we can send money?
OMG… what a WONDERFUL thing you have done! Please tell your husband not to fear. If only I lived closer to you… I’d help you. My shelter has locked advocates out. Please add me as a friend on FB. I’ll help you post and share. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.. Dot Kirby (FB profile picture is a dog.)
Trish, It is wonderful that you exposed this situation. I’d like to write an article about this. Please let me know the best contact info for you and I’ll contact you this evening. savetheferals@gmail.com
Hi Trish, I live in Illinois and people are cross posting in Ohio, Florida and Illinois at the very least to help those animals. From the attention that has been given, recently, many animals have been pulled from that shelter and some are being boarded and others are receiving veterinary care. I was informed that Winnie and Wanda were pulled along with others and Winnie is receiving vet care for her skin condition. That in no way means they are completely out of the woods yet but it is a start and with your help more people are stepping in to help. It seems that you have been quite the catalyst in helping these animals. great job and God Bless You!
i really hope they spilled their water or the run is flooded and that it’s not the consistency of their stool- otherwise i’d have serious concerns about parvo
(by the above comment mentioning sump pump, i’m assuming it’s the former)
I just talked with someone who said most of the water is a result of the prison staff member hosing down the inside and not pushing it back outside the kennel door. Though there are numerous holes in the roof and standing water in other locations. The water is NOT clear and smells septic.
Coccidiosis is wiping out so many of the younger animals here. The volunteers apparently DO pull the puppies within the day that they arrive, but not before they have been placed in this cell.
Obviously, they need raised, stainless pens, in a warm, well lit room with access to running water, like the ACO’s office. The cats need to be moved in there as well, since they’re in total darkness.
OMG tell me they did not hose that kennel down with the pups still in it. NO wonder they are scared to death. This is unacceptable living conditions.
You did the right thing and it is very often a lonely place to be. I have a great deal of admiration and respect for the efforts you took. Because of those efforts, action is being taken. There is always people (that are not involved) that will be critics and those that are guilty get angry. There is absolutely no excuse for these horrible conditions that essentially are cruelty and neglect. This goes beyond county and needs to be all the way to Governor. I will be happy to donate to the cause. I wish I were closer..as I would actively participate.
OMG!!! THIS JUST BREAKS MY HEART! THAT LITTLE BABY HAS TO BE TIRED OF STANDING LIKE THAT!!! THESE PUPPIES LOOK SO SAD AND SCARED!!
What I saw on the video is just a common way that many dog pounds deal with cleaning their kennels — they just hose down the kennels down with the dogs in them and leave everything soaking wet. This stresses the animals and leads to disease. But these pounds are just there to remove unwanted animals and dispose of them in the fastest and cheapest manner possible.
Until the majority of the public stands up for these pound animals and say that they do not want them treated this way, it will continue. A small handful of animal lovers (which will be called animal activist) complaining is just considered a small bother and will not force change. But this small group can start the movement to alert the general public to what is going on and get the public to ask for change. This will not be fast or easy but people with passion can produce change if they do not give up and keep building/joining with others.
this is despicable!!!!! criminals in prison live better than this and they are CRIMINALS!!!!!! these babies need a clen place to lay and play how you gonna let something so precious that hasnt done anything to anybody live like this but let murderers and rapists and child molesters live in comfort!?! you people disgust me!!!!!! if i had room i would take them all but i already have a houseful you people need to get a clue and start treating GOD’S creatures better i have faith in GOD that you disgusting people that treat these poor animals will have to answer to GOD!!! and good luck with that!!!!
@Trish: Thank you for everything you have done
Is there a page on Face Book?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Humane-Society-of-Marlboro-County/163724947016163
TY… for sharing that…
Trish, thank you for everything you have done for these animals.
Amen! Thank YOU Trish.
What is still needed?? Plz friend me on fb http://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf and we will find you help!
I am a huge animal lover and seeing whats going on to these animals
is killing me. I want to help.. What can I do?
It needs to stop if I personally have to adopt all
of them…….
This address from the facebook page –
Humane Society of Marlboro County
PO Box 135
Bennettsville SC 29512
They need help! If you can’t donate material items/food/litter/etc, please consider donating money. Apparently they have rescues who are stepping up to pull some of the animals at this hell hole, but they need to be vetted and s/neutered. There are folks on the ground who are trying to make changes NOW!
(Too bad that Memphis can’t get their collective act together to actually do something about their issues . . . )
You are truly my new role model……… Your everything I try to be! Like I said before if there is anything I can do please do tell….
If you can’t go there – send some help any way you can.
It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback. For each of you who find these conditions reprehensible, I ask, do you live in Marlboro County and pay taxes there? Have any of you formed a partnership and spoken to your local representatives about the conditions at the shelter? Have any of you offered to volunteer your personal time to aid county officials in finding additional funding or grants to be used for facility improvements or added manpower to assist the one ACO working the entire county by themselves? You have a right to complain about these matters, but can’t you channel your collective energy more efficiently by offering solutions to solve the problem instead of demonizing others, and then working to implement the solutions. People want lower taxes and less government and then they want to complain when the money to address these issues simply isn’t there. There is nothing free in this life people. As the saying goes, “be a part of the solution, not the problem.”
How DARE you make it out that unless we live in Marlboro County, we can’t be appalled at what’s going on there!!! Do YOU live in that county? If so, how about YOU stepping up and doing something, like trying to find out WHY this is how they run their hellhole of a pound! Unless what you’re trying to say is that you think it’s perfectly okay to house ANY living creature in conditions like these, and that we should just shut up because we don’t pay taxes in that county! We ARE helping – even though we DON’T live in that county – with $ and networking to get animals out of that pit – what are YOU doing?
Many of us are NOT local, but we see wrongs and do what we can to right them. It might be as simple as getting the word out – which is a necessary first step – but many of us send money and supplies and moral support. We write letters, we share information and try to make a difference for the animals.
AND many of us ARE involved in saving the animals of our own communities.
I agree with KateH – what are you doing personally to change things for the animals in whatever community you live in?
I live in Caswell County, NC. I tried to voluteer, bathe dogs, pick ticks off dogs,take photos, post, share, foster, find dogs homes. My shelter told me it was too much work … they didn’t have the time to answer the phone. The shelter director came right out and said she didn’t want anyone coming in to take over the office duties, because it would stick her in the back shoveling poop and killing dogs. Because they don’t want to be liable for bites.. volunteers can’t even walk dogs. Only people that have had rabis shot could touch the dogs. Does any of this make any sense?
So, I foster for a group in Lyons, GA. I would love to help this shelter, by fostering, but I have two foster dogs that need homes right now. Anyone here on FaceBook.. please share my two fosters/get them placed. I’d have an opening. My fosters are in my house, I do not have kennels, no chains, no lots.. dogs are in a real home, living a normal life with freedom and love.
Chris Wilson, your a real jacka**. It’s not about tax dollars and politics for many of us. It’s about humanity and doing the right thing for another living creature who is suffering. You should be happy there are people like us in the world, as one day you may find yourself in need of someone with compassion. When that say comes you probably won’t be too concerned with what county we live in.
The video is bad, and the photos are worse. I’ve seen horrible conditions in Turkey, Greece, Italy, and India, but this shelter rivals them in awfulness. Take a look at the first 15 photos on this page, taken recently (some have the same puppies). I was also told be someone else that their GASSING KILL CHAMBER is still fully functional and stocked with gas, ready to be used. Are they using it now? I don’t know. They need to be shut down! A new, clean, caring facility needs to be built, and if animals need to be put down, they should be using lethal injection. Not die of disease, neglect, hyperthermia, or gas…. Totally inhumane!
I didn’t see an update here, but I noticed on the Marlboro County Humane Society’s Facebook page that all the puppies in this video have been rescued and are in foster homes. Of course, more dogs have come in and the need continues.
It looks as if they’re going for a big cleanup day at the end of October. I hope a lot of people come. They need all the help they can get.
I actually finally got one of these puppies last week, the border collie mix, he is amazing given the circumstances he came from and it took about 6 weeks to get him up here to new england, but he’s here and safe now, as well as 2 of his siblings (in a nice rescue league that will find them a great home) when I saw this video the other night, with him in it, it totally broke my heart, he’s such a good boy and didn’t deserve such a crappy start in life
I just got the little black dog named Jett.. took me a month to get her. She was in a video also.. Kennel 9 I think…Poor baby must have been living on the street.. no training at all.. but she’s doing great. For those of you on FB.. Her album is called “Jett”
If anyone has any up-dates.. Please share
Looks like a 3rd world country! Unacceptable and unbelievable! I am in shock!
The people in charge can only allow these conditions if they themselves are a little more than off the rails. It’s ultimately a reflection on the community. They don’t value the animals enough to put decent, caring and compassionate and knowledgeable people in charge. Any shelter that refuses to let volunteers handle the animals is hiding huge, dark, stinking, ugly secrets. That aren’t very secret. But they are deluded into thinking that they are going to continue to get away with terrorizing these animals. I think not.
I’ve been trying to get information and a photo of the dog “Jett” in kennel 9.. whoever is running that place is really restricting who goes in , takes photo and when.. The volunteers are trying their best.
Hi everyone, i pulled 20 dogs from that hell hole right after this video surfaced. i have been rescuing animals from the county next door called Chesterfield for the past 3 years. its not much better over there BUT what goes on in this place is absolutely DEPLORABLE AND REPREHENSIBLE! The animals i pulled were in the worst health of almost any of the 1500 dogs i have rescued in the past 3 years which says A LOT! i will NOT stand by and watch these innocent amazing animals being abused and mistreated this way by a COUNTY and a COMMUNITY!! it is beyond shameful!! i am wondering if anyone in or around this county has been to this hell hole? do locals even know it is there and in this deplorable state? i am not local but all too familiar with chesterfield and marlboro county SC as ive been rescuing from there for 3 years. up until recently there was a gas chamber on the property and this place was killing 99% of the animals they took in!! i dont know where the gas chamber went but i do know that the only local vet hasnt been euthanizing dogs SO…what is happening to these dogs?? its all very hush hush and the county would like nothing more than to keep it that way- they’d rather cover up their dirty awful secrets and continue this abuse than admit things need to change and accept the help of the many peoploe who have offered it. WHY?? well..there is strength in numbers and i am looking for people -local and not- to jump onboard and work with me in getting this place dealt with. Pleeeeease! if u love animals and are as horrified as i am at what is being allowed to happen to them down there please CONTACT ME IMMED!!
Michele.. you posted on my wall this morning. I really wish I could be there on Tuesday. If you know of anyone from my area heading that way, ask if I could hitch a ride.
I’d also like to know what’s happening to the dogs.
Question.. do you have any information on a dog named “Jett”? She’s at Marlboro shelter.
I just saw this post. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THERE? Who’s in charge? Who can I contact?
Humane Society of Marlboro County Just to let you know the reason you are not seeing photographs of the dogs that were seen at the shelter today is because the photographer, who was told beforehand could work alone, was not permitted once this person arrived, to take any photos of animals in pens, indoors or out or receive any assistance from their staff. The only option was for this person to single handedly hold a dog on a leash and attempt to photograph them in an open air parking lot, which ran too much of a risk for it to escape and made it impossible to produce any type of decent image. We have chosen clip art that best portrays the individuals there, until we can return. Time is of the essence for this group, the nights are cold and the pens are sopping wet.
I have just moved to Marlboro County SC and find it hard to believe how many homeless animals I see running about. I an constantly told don’t feed them maybe they will go away. Go away where?? I am willing to help as much as I possibly can with food and in the animal shelter but this is a large problem that needs to addressed by the general public and county officials. These poor animals need help asap. One neighbor has a poor female living at her house that she doesn’t want which has 2 half grown puppies and will soon be having another litter. She can’t take care of these unfortunate animals but I see her coming back from the liquor store with a bottle once or twice a day. I just don’t get it!! Is there a low cost spay/nuter clinic any place close by?? Tell me how I can help.
I haven’t check lately, but I was under the impression the shelter was closed down, animal control was no longer helping the animals, but Humane society was taking over.. not sure what’s going on there, but I have a foster from there. Are you on FB? Maybe we (you/me) can do something for the dogs you mentioned.