A man was arrested Monday after officials discovered two dogs that had passed away and several others in extremely poor condition on his Grand Saline property.

Kenneth Wayne Adams was arrested and charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals on Monday following an investigation in December by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

On Dec. 13, Van Zandt County deputies responded to a report of animals that had passed away on a property, where they found two pit bull-mixed dogs tethered to trees and in extremely poor physical condition.

The deputies made contact with Adams, the property owner, and requested the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigators (ACI) Unit to assist with the investigation. Adams told investigators that the two dogs that had passed away belonged to previous owners who had moved out two weeks earlier.

Adams allowed investigators to observe five other dogs, which he owned, inside his residence.

Investigators entered the home and found four of the five dogs in extremely poor condition and in need of immediate medical attention, all of which were living in unsanitary surroundings with urine and feces found on the floor.

The five dogs included two Cane Corsos, one Boxer, one mixed-breed dog and a Chihuahua mix. Only the Chihuahua was reported to be in good condition, and investigators learned that the dog belonged to a friend of Adams, for whom he was providing temporary care.

Adams refused to surrender custody of all of the dogs but agreed to surrender the two dogs in the poorest condition along with the two dogs that had passed away. The surrendered dogs were transported to the Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center in Dallas for veterinary care and forensic evaluations.

The two dogs that had passed away were determined through forensic evaluation to have died due to a severe lack of food and water while under Adams’ care after the alleged previous owners had moved away.

After receiving search and seizure warrants for Adams’ property, the SPCA investigation unit returned on Dec. 15 to remove the remaining three dogs and transport them to Dallas for evaluation and care.

In a civil custody hearing on Dec. 23 in Van Zandt County, the SPCA of Texas was granted custody of two of the three seized dogs after a judge determined that they had been subjected to improper care. The other dog, the Chihuahua mix, was returned to its original owner after being spayed, vaccinated and microchipped by the SPCA.

Examinations of the four living dogs that Adams owned showed that they had experienced a prolonged lack of food and water, along with parasites.

The SPCA ACI unit obtained a warrant for Adams’ arrest through Van Zandt County. He was taken into custody, arrested and booked into the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office on the same day, Jan. 5.

According to Van Zandt County Jail records, Adams was released after posting bail shortly after his arrest.

The SPCA highlights the importance of this case, as it comes during Unchain Your Dog Month, an annual public awareness initiative focused on establishing minimum standards of care for dogs kept outdoors.

“Responsibility for an animal does not disappear when circumstances change,” SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator Courtney Burns said. “When someone accepts care, custody or control of an animal, they also accept a legal and moral obligation to provide basic necessities such as food, water and appropriate shelter. Failing to do so, as the evidence in this case demonstrates, can result in devastating and sometimes fatal consequences.”

Source: Ketk