Man Calls for Help, Shocked at Response

Morgan Fogarty,

MT. HOLLY, N.C. – Ricky Thomas is a guy who sees something wrong and jumps in. He did that last week when he called Gaston County Animal Care and Rnforcement about his neighbor’s dog. “The dog couldn’t stand up without falling over. Every bone was showing in his body.”

So a “specialist,” as they’re called, came out to assess the animal. “He (the specialist) stood there for a minute or so and then him (sic) and the owner walked off, he handed the owner a sheet of paper, he drove off. He was here like, five minutes.”

Thomas says he was shocked the specialist didn’t take the dog with him. Two days later, Thomas checked on the dog. When he got there, his instinct kicked in. Thomas grabbed his phone and recorded a few seconds, for, as he puts it, evidence. “The dog was having a seizure,” he explains.

Thomas called animal control again, found the dog’s owner, and says he insisted the guy put the dog in his car and take him to the vet. A few minutes later, the owner returned. The dog had died in the car.

“Animal control witnessed him carry the dog’s body to the backyard and covered it up,” says Thomas.

Gaston County Police Chief James Ramey confirms there’s an ongoing investigation. He says, “Our specialistΒ viewed the dog in question and noted it was active, alert, never fell down, but was obviously thin.” Ramey also said, “…the dog did not appear to be critically ill.”

We’ve learned Animal Control has been called to the residence 16 times since 2008. Five of those calls were this year. One was even today.

Thomas wants to know what type of training the specialists get and why the specialist decided to leave the dog. He says, “I believe that if he woulda’ done his job that day, the dog could have died a more dignified death and not suffered or the dog could have been brought back to health.”

There are still other dogs on the property. An Animal Control supervisor issued rabies and license violations on Saturday. The Attorney General’s office tells us it’s been in touch with Gaston County Police.