This past week, most everyone on Facebook saw the story of the dog Jax. Poor Jax was a dog that was left tied to tree with no food or water in sight. The photos of Jax are just heartbreaking. Unfortunately, we had a cold snap, and due to the malnutrition and neglect of the owner, Jax didn’t make it.
Local veterinarian Ashley Bentley tried her best to care for Jax. She reported that he did at least have a day or two of warmth and love from her and her staff at the Clarke County Animal Clinic. Bentley and her team showed compassion, but Bentley is only one person and can only care for so many animals out of her own pocket.
Animal neglect and cruelty seem to be a problem in Clarke County. There are currently laws in place to hold people accountable for how they treat their animals, but these laws are not being enforced. If they are finally enforced, are the abusers actually being held accountable?
Most people cannot fathom hurting a dog or even letting it starve to death, but there are people who don’t give it a second thought. Those who are intentionally and knowingly hurting animals are breaking a law. If there is no punishment for breaking a law, then what is stopping them from continuing the abuse?
Clarke County will continue to see animal abuse cases because there is no enforced punishment. Jennifer Bozeman stated, “I've been to court on three separate cruelty and neglect cases, and the shelter was out thousands of dollars. Did we ever see a dime of restitution? Did we ever see a dime of restitution? No, because not one person made those people pay their fines.”
Until there is community support to help with the abused animal’s medical bills and people willing to take the animal in if it survives, law enforcement enforcing the law, and those who abuse being held accountable, there will be more animal abuse cases. If people can abuse animals and get away with breaking the law, then to them, why stop?
If you have an animal and need assistance with spay or neuter and vaccines, Creature Comforts is still here to help with those needs. Although Creature Comforts no longer has a physical shelter, they are still working in the background to help our community as best they can by providing low cost spay and neuter vouchers along with free vaccines. To contact Creature Comforts, please message them on Facebook or call them at 601-557-5058 and leave a message.
