About 150 dogs were residing at Animal Services in Abilene, Texas, prior to August 26, 2022. In the early hours of that Friday morning, a man broke into the shelter and unlocked several kennels. , causing chaos.
The man climbed over the fence surrounding the shelter and entered through the roof. Then he released a pack of dogs, roaming the building. Things got worse from there.
An unnecessary tragedy
One major takeaway from this incident and the resulting tragedy is that shelter dogs are kept in separate kennels for a reason. Some dogs don’t get along with others, and some don’t respond well to overstimulation in a shelter environment.
Animals ALL TYPES Initiative, a local animal welfare organization, worked frantically to clean up the mess this man had caused. In a Facebook post later that day, ALL TYPEs informed the concerned public:
“The gruesome break-in and ensuing mayhem at Abilene Animal Services resulted in the tragic death of one dog, many of which have yet to be found, and also left many injured dogs.”
Different dogs are suddenly shoved together into chaos that eventually leads to fear and violence. Some fought, others fled. Police officer Abilene, who discovered the devastating consequences, shared in a statement:
“Officers found one of the canines was dead, and several other canines were injured from what is believed to be a fight between the animals. Several other canines escaped the compound through an exterior gate, prompting Animal Sanctuary teams to attempt to locate them outside the compound’s premises. ”
Detectives then found someone who matched the description of a possible suspect and brought him in for questioning. Then, they officially arrested and charged George Paul Jones, 38 years old with crimes Intrusioncruelty to animals, and theft of a motor vehicle (he fled the scene in a van stolen from the shelter).
Jones is currently being held at the Taylor County Jail. For this post, his motives are unclear. Is he looking for his lost dog? Does he feel like unlocking the cage is really for the good of the dogs? Did he just cause mayhem?
In the end, sadly, shelter dogs that might have found the right home in time were severely injured and in one case died.
Abilene Community Dog protests
It was remarkable how quickly the local animal rescue and civilian staff responded to calls for help. Shelter staff arrived on their days off, volunteers stepped up, and a fast-acting animal control officer even saved a life by breaking up a dog fight.
RELATED: 6 Methods to Break a Dog Fight Safely
That saved life belongs to a dog named George, who is now recovering in a foster home from the injuries he received that day. ALL KIND has established a medical fund to help pay for his care as well as that of other injured dogs.
The ALL KIND statement continues:
“We are extremely grateful to the staff of Abilene Animal Services, the Abilene police department, and the All Kind volunteers who gathered to capture and provide immediate care and assistance to the dogs. as well as clean up and repair the ravages of the building. “
You can contribute to the fund in Facebook Pages of ALL TYPES. If you are nearby, you can also help by keeping an eye out for missing dogs. It is hoped that they can recover safely and focus on their primary mission of adoption. Contact Abilene Animal Services at (325) 698-0085 if you found out!
