Ugh, No! Bones of More Than 200 Dogs Found on Awful Dude's Property

After neighbors complained about a "foul stench" coming from a Goose Creek, SC, home, police investigated. They found more than 40 malnourished dogs, a mix of Hounds and Beagles. 

That was shocking, but it was nothing compared to what they found themselves walking through in the yard -- "thousands of dog bones," according to KSLA.com, which were strewn about the woods behind the home. 

"That's when they began to uncover the gravity of the situation," said Berkeley County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dan Moon.

All in all, authorities estimate that the bones of more than 200 dogs are on the property. 

"It's a terrible sight," said Moon. "When you look at the carcasses of the animals and the bones everywhere, it's horrific."

Crews have made a few sweeps of the land and concede there is no way they've found all the bones. Yet they have more than enough evidence. 

"They've got search teams, and they're going back through there again and marking the bones as they find them -- marking the carcases and marking the bones, because some of them have been back there a very long time," said Moon.

How did the dogs die? Preliminary investigation points to neglect as well as murder. 

"Some of them we already found do have bullet holes in their heads," said Moon. 

As for the owner of the property, 64-year-old Loney L. Garrett, he's been charged with 43 felony counts of ill treatment of animals.

A neighbor said that animal control had visited the man four years ago,and had left without acting, which outraged the neighbor.

"There were skeletons in the ditch of dogs that had just died," she said. "It looked like they had just been tossed to the side."

Unbelievably, Garrett has one defender: his daughter-in-law.

"He's not a bad person," Diane Luckie told ABC News 4. "He's not done anything wrong but love those animals. ... This is his hobby, to hunt deer and rabbits. He enjoys everything that he does with those dogs. He has no intentions to hurt those animals."

As for the 45 alive dogs found on the property, which Moon calls "so emaciated, just skin and bones"? 

"Those are hunting dogs. They run. They carry their weight off," Luckie said. "You don't want no fat dog."

Fortunately, we're confident that no judge in his or her right mind will see it that way. 

Via KSLA.com and ABC News 4

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Product Review – Smart Bones

many Veterinarians never endorse dogs chewing rawhide because of concerns about the digestibility and potential choking hazards. Many consumers also have concerns about chemicals used to process rawhide and the general lack of regulation in the leather industry. And let’s face it … rawhide is hide. It’s skin. Processing leather for consumption takes quite a bit of work; work that results in toxic waste, which has a negative effect on the environment.

I’m not an anti-rawhide person. I’ve fed rawhide to my dogs. But I do worry about the chew when it gets to be so small that the dog might swallow it. Unless I’m watching him chew the entire thing — or unless I look up as he gets to the end of it — I may not know that he’s about to swallow the last of it. I also had a Dachshund who would maul and gum the rawhide until it was soft, wet and floppy. When I took it away from him, I pulled a bunch out of his throat that he had partially swallowed. Yuck.

And yet, rawhide has benefits. It’s a long-lasting, protein chew that will give a dog hours of chewing activity, which they need to keep their minds occupied in their modern confinement lifestyles. It also helps clean their teeth.

So I was interested in the concept of Smart Bones, a chew that’s veggie-based chewy outside and chicken jerky inside. I tried two of their varieties, the chicken and the peanut butter, in size large, which is 6.5? long. They also have a dental variety (see below for sizes and flavors).

The “vegetable” outside is mainly extruded corn starch, and includes (depending on the flavor) sweet potatoes, peas, carrots or kelp.

I gave one to my 12-week-old Shiloh Shepherd puppy, who’s a shark right now (everything goes in the mouth, right?) and one to my nine-year-old Irish Setter. There was a little bit of crumbling on the outer part of the chicken one, but the chew seemed to be palatable. While it did not last as long as a rawhide, it did keep her busy for half an hour. The Irish Setter had a ball with the peanut butter one. His teeth aren’t as sharp as the puppy’s milk teeth, and he’s not as frantic, so he got nearly an hour’s fun out of his.

I saw no ill effect when I took the dogs out to do their business. Sometimes, you can feed a new treat or chew and then regret it later. But there was no evidence that the Smart Bones were stressing their digestive systems. They don’t smell, which I like (some rawhide chews reek) and they don’t stain my carpets or sofa, which is nice, since my Setter likes to save some for later by hiding his treats under our pillows on the bed.

Smart Bones are also fortified with vitamins and minerals, which gives them an extra nutritional boost. Minor “cons” I see are that they have 9% protein content (vs. 80% and up for rawhide) and dogs with grain allergies might not tolerate the high corn percentage. Other than that, my dogs loved them. This is a smart alternative to rawhide if your dog does not like or should not consume rawhide.

Sizes: Mini, small, medium, large (also available in chips and “smartsticks”

Buy in bags or bulk boxes.

Flavors: Chicken, peanut butter, dental

View the original article here

Product Review – Smart Bones

many Veterinarians never endorse dogs chewing rawhide because of concerns about the digestibility and potential choking hazards. Many consumers also have concerns about chemicals used to process rawhide and the general lack of regulation in the leather industry. And let’s face it … rawhide is hide. It’s skin. Processing leather for consumption takes quite a bit of work; work that results in toxic waste, which has a negative effect on the environment.

I’m not an anti-rawhide person. I’ve fed rawhide to my dogs. But I do worry about the chew when it gets to be so small that the dog might swallow it. Unless I’m watching him chew the entire thing — or unless I look up as he gets to the end of it — I may not know that he’s about to swallow the last of it. I also had a Dachshund who would maul and gum the rawhide until it was soft, wet and floppy. When I took it away from him, I pulled a bunch out of his throat that he had partially swallowed. Yuck.

And yet, rawhide has benefits. It’s a long-lasting, protein chew that will give a dog hours of chewing activity, which they need to keep their minds occupied in their modern confinement lifestyles. It also helps clean their teeth.

So I was interested in the concept of Smart Bones, a chew that’s veggie-based chewy outside and chicken jerky inside. I tried two of their varieties, the chicken and the peanut butter, in size large, which is 6.5? long. They also have a dental variety (see below for sizes and flavors).

The “vegetable” outside is mainly extruded corn starch, and includes (depending on the flavor) sweet potatoes, peas, carrots or kelp.

I gave one to my 12-week-old Shiloh Shepherd puppy, who’s a shark right now (everything goes in the mouth, right?) and one to my nine-year-old Irish Setter. There was a little bit of crumbling on the outer part of the chicken one, but the chew seemed to be palatable. While it did not last as long as a rawhide, it did keep her busy for half an hour. The Irish Setter had a ball with the peanut butter one. His teeth aren’t as sharp as the puppy’s milk teeth, and he’s not as frantic, so he got nearly an hour’s fun out of his.

I saw no ill effect when I took the dogs out to do their business. Sometimes, you can feed a new treat or chew and then regret it later. But there was no evidence that the Smart Bones were stressing their digestive systems. They don’t smell, which I like (some rawhide chews reek) and they don’t stain my carpets or sofa, which is nice, since my Setter likes to save some for later by hiding his treats under our pillows on the bed.

Smart Bones are also fortified with vitamins and minerals, which gives them an extra nutritional boost. Minor “cons” I see are that they have 9% protein content (vs. 80% and up for rawhide) and dogs with grain allergies might not tolerate the high corn percentage. Other than that, my dogs loved them. This is a smart alternative to rawhide if your dog does not like or should not consume rawhide.

Sizes: Mini, small, medium, large (also available in chips and “smartsticks”

Buy in bags or bulk boxes.

Flavors: Chicken, peanut butter, dental

Lisa Woody is a former magazine editor and professional product tester for 15 years. She has been a pet products e-tailer for 8 years and loves to find out what's new and what works for dogs.

View the original article here