Dubois County Humane Society seeking help as Huntingburg neglect/animal cruelty case pushes them to capacity

Huntingburg Police are investigating a neglect case involving a juvenile and 25 dogs.

Police were called to an apartment on the 200 block of North Walnut Street at about 2:18 p.m. on Tuesday after a report of a woman screaming for help as well as a man screaming and dogs barking.

According to a probable cause affidavit, an officer reported a strong smell and large amounts of urine and feces throughout the apartment when they entered. Along with a juvenile living in the apartment, police located 18 puppies, seven adult dogs, about five cats and a rabbit.

The Indiana Department of Child Services removed the juvenile, according to the affidavit.

Dayron Pavon-Rodriguez, 37, and Yisel Correa, 34, were booked into the Dubois County Security Center on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent and multiple counts of animal cruelty. The pair were still incarcerated as of Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday morning, the Dubois County Humane Society posted a plea on Facebook, seeking public support as it took in 20 dogs, most of them puppies, associated with the Huntingburg incident.

“Taking in this many animals at one time comes with an immense and immediate financial cost. Each dog needs veterinary care, vaccinations, food, housing, supplies, and eventually spay/neuter surgery before adoption,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page. “We also want to be transparent: this comes at an incredibly difficult time for DCHS financially. Our resources are already stretched, but this is exactly why we exist.”

Monetary donations are the greatest immediate need, they wrote, sharing the following page. The humane society shared a donation page for individuals to support their work and current needs. https://the-dubois-county-humane-society.raiselysite.com/

The shelter took 18 puppies and two adult female dogs, said Madison Kerst, the Humane Society’s board treasurer. The intake brings the shelter to 77 animals in its care, she said.

“While they weren’t severely emaciated, like sometimes you see in these cases, they were severely dehydrated and underweight for their age,” Kerst said regarding the dogs the shelter took in on Tuesday.

However, six of the puppies are in more critical condition and need closer supervision, she added. The humane society operates its own low-cost spay and neuter clinic and plans to work with its vet, Dr. Holly Renner, to assess the dogs Thursday.

“We thankfully have a lot of core volunteers that quickly step in and help that we’re able to call on in these situations. They are the backbone of our facility,” Kerst said. “Those volunteers that we can call on, and then our staff is amazing as well. They’re jumping in, doing everything we can to get those dogs taken care of.”

Regarding the request for help on Facebook, Kerst said the emergency intake comes after a hard summer of slow adoptions and lower donations. She explained that the shelter covers the medical costs for the animals it takes in and provides high-quality care through its 27 paid staff members and many volunteers.

“We actually take on the full financial burden when that animal comes to us,” said Kerst. “It costs us about $58 per day to keep the dog fed, sheltered, and then to pay the staff that has to take care of them.”

With the influx of animals, the shelter is seeking financial assistance.

“When we talk about critical need right now, especially just the medical care that’s going to be required, monetary donations are definitely preferred at this time,” Kerst said.

The shelter also needs adopters and foster homes to make room for the puppies.

Kerst said they recognize that many people want to help but can’t do so financially. “People who can’t give money can still help by sharing the shelter’s posts,” she said.

The other request from the Dubois County Humane Society is that animal owners spay and neuter their pets and ensure they are properly vaccinated.