Monticello shelter investigating several abandoned dogs, all of same breed, found within one mile radius

MONTICELLO, Iowa (KCRG) - Animal Welfare Friends in Monticello says someone is abandoning and “dumping” numerous dogs.

Shelter manager, Ashley Bradley, said they’ve picked up 10 stray dogs within the past four days. Only two dogs have been claimed so far.

Seven dogs, all of the same breed, were found within a one-mile radius of each other near Morley. She says the interesting part is that all seven dogs look healthy and are the same “pocket Pitbull” breed, which can sell for thousands of dollars online.

Bradley says finding seven dogs of the same breed in the same area is alarming.

In the spring, the shelter expects to see an increased number of stray and dumped dogs, however, she wasn’t expecting the alarming results of the past four days.

“We’ve never gotten this many all at once, from the same area, from the same breed,” Bradley said.

Cindy Bagge with Animal Welfare Friends says further investigation is necessary. She says typically when someone is missing a pet, they will notify local authorities or shelters, but no one has come forward.

”Each spring we anticipate we’re going to see a large number of dogs come in, but not to this magnitude. This is pretty shocking and beyond the usual scope of ‘spring dumping,’” Bagge said.

She mentioned that all seven dogs found within one mile of each other look to be under two years old. The shelter says all seven are friendly with people, and they’ll be ready for adoption within the next few weeks.

Under Iowa Code - Chapter 717B - A person who commits animal neglect that does not cause injury or death to an animal is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.

Animal Welfare Friends reminds people to call local authorities if they see an abandoned animal, who can then contact a local shelter.

The shelter is working with the Iowa Humane Society and Jones County Sheriff’s Office to further investigate.

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