MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested Lynda Cummings and Louise Marzka.
Monroe deputies and the county animal shelter went to 445 Unionville Road for a welfare check after a complaint about abandoned or neglected dogs.
When deputies got there, multiple dogs were inside and outside the house in “deplorable” living conditions.
Officials contacted Cummings, and she met them outside and agreed to surrender all of the dogs to the sheriff’s office.
The animal shelter got in touch with the Atlanta Humane Society for help getting the dogs.
The Atlanta Humane Society went to the home with extra staff and started bringing the dogs to its facility.
Authorities removed 44 dogs, one of them dead, from the house.
The release says one puppy was dead and seven dogs have missing or deformed jaws caused by neglect.
Cummings is charged with seven felony counts of unlawfully and maliciously causing physical harm to an animal by depriving it of a member of its body, by rendering a part of such animals body useless, by seriously disfiguring such animals body or member thereof, one felony count of unlawfully and maliciously causes a death of an animal and 36 Misdemeanor Counts of unlawfully and unintentionally exercise custody, control, possession, or ownership of dogs, and failure to provide such animals adequate food, water, sanitary conditions.
Marzka was arrested and charged with 36 misdemeanors of unlawfully and unintentionally exercise custody, control, possession, or ownership of dogs, and failure to provide the animals adequate food, water, sanitary conditions, or ventilation.
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