Animal abuse case is shameful
The revelation that approximately 80 malnourished pit bulls were being kept at a residence in Dudley Shoals last week should serve as an eye opener for our community, and one that brings with it plenty of outrage.
It is indeed a shame that so many innocent animals were treated in such a manner. Many of them were found staked to chains with very little shelter and hardly any food and water, if any at all.
Exposed ribs, flesh hanging from the bone, festering infections in some and others riddled with internal parasites - these were the animals discovered by deputies with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office when they went to make arrests following a lengthy drug investigation.
Yes, the drug charges were bad enough, but the grisly discovery of animals in such bad shape - some dead and decaying - made it even worse.
The suspicion by officers with Caldwell Animal Care and Control is that these 80 or so dogs on the property of Rockey and Jennifer Sigmon were used for fighting purposes. Many of them bare what appears to be scars and wounds - some healing, others fresh - from such outrageous behavior.
Items often used with training dogs for fighting also were found and seized from the property, further indicating that there may be much more to this than mistreating dogs.
If that is the case then this certainly is a greater travesty than simply the abuse of these animals. No animal should have to be subjected to such mistreatment, to languish in the elements day after day with little food or water to sustain themselves. All of God's creatures deserve better.
When I first heard of this, I was a bit shocked, thinking again that this couldn't be happening in one of our communities. But as more and more details emerged, and things were made clearer, I came to the realization again that Caldwell County is not immune to such wrongdoing.
Like many of you, I only saw the pictures at first, and that was enough to really get my blood boiling. But when I saw some of the animals at Lake Hickory Veterinary Hospital, I was truly outraged. I saw their open wounds, their broken bones, their scarred faces and bodies. I saw the abuse they endured. It made me sick to my stomach and filled with anger all at the same time.
Again, I wonder how people could be so cruel and callous, how they could consciously treat another life in such a vile and wretched manner. And from what I've heard from residents across the county and read in letters sent to the News-Topic, many of you feel the same way.
This is something that our community should not tolerate. Whether dogfighting charges are brought against these people or not remains to be seen, but regardless, they still have abused too many poor animals that didn't deserve such inhumane treatment.
As a resident of this county and a dog lover myself, I implore each of you to take a stand against such behavior. Don't let it go on. If you suspect someone of mistreating animals or engaging them in some kind of illegal activity, don't let it go unchecked. Report what you know. That may be the only way to protect our animals and keep disgraceful situations like this one from happening in the future.
Managing Editor