We introduced you to a dog named Trooper. He and six other dogs were rescued from a northern Michigan home through the kindness of some people right here in Mid-Michigan. But, the story is far from over. NBC25’s Kathy Hoekstra tells us about a group that wants justice for these animals.
Read more: Local, State, Crime
On January 11th, a severely emaciated male yellow labrador (Thor) was picked up by Crawford County animal control.
These warriors were united by 6 dogs, removed from a Roscommon County home in January. They went immediately to Heather Smith of Bay City. She runs “A Few Steps From home” animal rescue on her own dime. "I didn't know what I was gonna do... So I sent out a mass e-mail to everybody that I knew for help. And thank God five people stepped forward to help me.”
| Heather brought the dogs to Riverside Animal Hospital in Flushing, where veterinarians were appalled by what they saw. Dr. Michele Koan recalls "You could see their hips.. You could count their ribs... They were covered in urine and feces.." Dr. Greg Brown was also shocked “Their body condition was woeful.. It was neglect.... Starvation... someone's responsible for this." Enter Thors Warriors, an effort started by Author Chris Wright after he learned the dogs’ former owner faced no legal action and was re-issued a kennel license. Chris built a website that chronicles the ongoing journey for justice "and I feel like I just keep banging my head against the wall with this whole thing... We have clear evidence of animal cruelty and nothing being done about it in Roscommon County." The Roscommon County Prosecutor tells me he didn’t press charges against the dogs’ owner because in his view, and that of the animal control officer, the evidence did not go beyond a reasonable doubt. But, try telling that to Thors Warriors. "I'm kind of horrified that nobody has tried to contact me either... About any of this" says Heather. | .jpg "Thor beforeafter")
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Dr. Brown adds "Michigan is supposed to be known as the state with the strictest animal protection laws in the country and I guess that's true unless it's in Roscommon County." And until something is done, they fear more animals could be at risk.
The Roscommon County prosecutor tells NBC25 he was satisfied in part because the dogs’ owner, Larry Baumgart, voluntarily gave up the 6 dogs. He also says Baumgart issued a full confession in Crawford County involving Thor, the dog who inspired Thors Warriors. In the meantime, the animal control officer has not returned any of our calls.
Important Links:
Previous Story: Fighting for Man's Best Friend
Thors Warriorswww.thorswarriors.com
A Few Steps From Homewww.fewstepsfromhome.homestead.com
MichiganState University College of Law-Animal Lawwww.animallaw.info/contact.htm
Michigan Association of Animal Control Officerswww.maacoweb.com
Attorneys for Animalsattorneysforanimals.org
Roscommon Countywww.roscommoncounty.net
Genesee County Humane Societywww.geneseehumane.org
