Little Peanut, a Sheltie mix, got the worst of the freezing temperatures that have descended over so much of the country. In a case of animal abuse, on Monday night, his owners, the Kimmels, left him outside in the backyard of their home in Dubois County, Indiana. It was a horrible decision: Peanut froze to the ground.
Fortunately, people other than Peanut’s owners were looking out for him.
“About five ’til 11 last night, our department received an anonymous call about some dogs that were being left outside at an address on State Road 56,” Stuart Wilson of the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office told 14 News.
When deputies arrived, they found two dogs — one dog outside on a leash and Peanut in his dog house, frozen to the floor.
“A barrel-style dog house,” said Wilson. “But it was certainly not appropriate for the temperatures we had last night. The dog — its stomach and feet and tail had frozen to feces that was in the pen.”
As for the other dog, his short leash prevented him from reaching the dog house. Deputies say the owners did leave a bowl of water out for the dogs. Of course, it was frozen solid.
As for Peanut, stuck to the floor, “they took warm water and poured it over the dog to free it from the floor,” Wilson said. “As a dog lover, I can’t imagine leaving a dog out when it’s that cold.”
Peanut is expected to fully recover. He was “seized” from the Kimmels and taken to Dubois County Humane Society, and a flood of people have lined up to adopt him, according to the group’s Facebook page.
“He received a bath and much needed flea treatment last night. He’s about half of the weight that he should be right now,” Andrea Hedinger of the Humane Society told 14 News. “He’s weighing in at about 15 pounds and we think he should be a little bit closer to the 30-pound mark. You can unfortunately feel every one of his little ribs.”
As for the Kimmels, they’re headed to court. Fifty-year-old George Kimmel and 55-year-old Dorothy Kimmel have been charged with animal neglect, a class A misdemeanor. The Humane Society is also attempting to get them to relinquish ownership of other dogs on the property who weren’t being “actively neglected.”
The Dubois County Humane Society praised the outpouring of support for Peanut on its Facebook page: “We appreciate all the support and messages we have received on behalf of Peanut. A very special thanks to our friends at the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department for facilitating this rescue. We are lucky to live in an area where the welfare of ALL members of our community is taken seriously.”
Via 14 News
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1 thought on “Peanut the Sheltie Mix, Left Out Overnight, Froze to the Ground”
Why aren’t pictures of these people published along with the article? I think we should see what these—- look like. Should be charged with abuse of an animal not neglect. Our courts need to get stronger on charges such as these against defenseless animals.