Beaufort Co. police find malnourished dogs in backyard while searching for suspect, report says

Beaufort County Sheriff Deputies assisted in the rescue of four dogs from two different homes in Burton over the holiday weekend.

On Saturday, deputies were searching for a suspect who ran from a traffic stop when they discovered a puppy struggling to breath in a nearby backyard.

The pit bull’s lead was entangled and “choking” the dog, a police report says. One deputy worked to free the puppy, while another secured the location on Roseida Road.

“We had to remove the collar to free it,” the report said. It estimated the dog to be about 4 months old.

Deputies found two more dogs tied in the backyard of the residence. Neither had food, water or shelter.

“The dogs appeared to be very scared and malnourished,” the report says.

A woman at the residence said she owned the animals and “admitted that she was unable to care for the dogs.”

She agreed to sign the dogs over to Beaufort County Animal Services, the report says.

In a second incident, deputies responded Sunday to assist Animal Services with a dog on an apartment balcony at The Oaks at Broad River.

The pit bull puppy had been on the balcony for three days and appeared to be in distress, the report says. Deputies were unable to make contact with maintenance workers at the apartment complex. A local fire department was called to assist.

A ladder truck was used to retrieve the puppy from the balcony, the report says.

“The dog was turned over to animal services and the poor condition of the dog and the living conditions were noted by the officer,” the report says.

All the animals are currently being kept at Beaufort County Animal Shelter, said Tallulah Trice, director of Animal Services. She also said all are doing well.

This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 4:01 PM.