Arkansas woman, 38, arrested in animal cruelty case; more than 40 animals removed from 'deplorable' conditions, officials say

NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE Carmen Nelson, director of the Animal League of Washington County, checks out a female Labrador Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019, in a kennel at the Lester C. Howick Animal Shelter of Washington County. The dog is one of 34 dogs, eight cats and two rabbits that were seized from an owner in West Fork. Foster homes for the dogs will be needed once they receive needed care from a veterinarian and shelter staff.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE Carmen Nelson, director of the Animal League of Washington County, checks out a female Labrador Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019, in a kennel at the Lester C. Howick Animal Shelter of Washington County. The dog is one of 34 dogs, eight cats and two rabbits that were seized from an owner in West Fork. Foster homes for the dogs will be needed once they receive needed care from a veterinarian and shelter staff.

A Prairie Grove woman was arrested in connection with multiple counts of cruelty to animals after more than 40 dogs, cats and rabbits were taken from her home.

Rachael Parrish, 38, was arrested Monday in connection with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony; 20 counts of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor; and theft of property. Parrish was being held Tuesday in the Washington County jail in lieu of $1,500 bond.

The county's animal control officer, Lori Widder, was called to Parrish's residence on Malico Mountain Road on Dec. 16 after an animal complaint, according to a report from the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Widder said she smelled urine and feces coming from inside the house and heard several dogs inside barking, according to the report.

Widder said a man who answered the door gave her permission to look inside and, after seeing the conditions in the house, she called a sheriff's deputy. The deputy went to the house with Widder the next day and detailed the condition of two dogs tied up outside on a short chain and another dog and a goat in separate outdoor pens.

Inside, there were no water or food bowls and "the house stunk of filth like feces, urine and trash," according to the report. Several dogs inside the house were underweight, and some had noticeable hair loss, the report added.

The sheriff's deputy went to the Washington County Animal Shelter on Wednesday and discussed making room for some of the dogs there. The officer said a veterinarian who does surgeries for the shelter reported that Parrish had brought two dogs to his clinic earlier in the month and both had died. The veterinarian said both had died from lack of water, according to the report.

Tammy Harp, office manager, said the shelter took in 34 dogs and eight cats from the Parrish property. Harp said the animals will be cared for at the shelter until a court decides what can be done with them.

Carmen Nelson, director of the Washington County League of Animals, said the conditions at the Parrish house were "deplorable." Nelson, who said she has been active in animal rescue work for more than 20 years, called it one of the worst situations she has seen.

"Most situations like this are bad," she said. "This is up there at the top tier of bad."

Nelson said the animals were underweight and dehydrated, with several also having skin problems. She said several dogs had their ribs showing and hips protruding.

"It takes a period of time to lose that much weight," she said.

Nelson said the league will help find homes for them if the animals are made available for adoption by a court.

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