Monticello Shelter Investigating ‘Dumped’ Dogs

*Above image is not a picture of dogs referenced in story.

KCRG is reporting that Animal Welfare Friends in Monticello says that someone is abandoning or 'dumping' dogs in Jones County. Now for those of you who don't know what a dumped dog is, I have experience in the term. No, not because I ever got rid of a dog, but because we often took them in.

I grew up on a farm south of Monticello, and often times we would discover a stray dog in the area. They often were very tame and you knew at that point they had been someone's pet. They didn't want the dog anymore so they drove off into the country and dumped it. Fortunately there are kind people like my parents who took in multiple stray dogs. Many became wonderful family members who I have fond memories of. But the act of dumping a dog is cruel and just wrong.

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The shelter manager with Animal Welfare Friends tells KCRG that they have picked up 10 stray dogs within the last four days. Only two have been claimed so far. Seven of the dogs were found in the Morley area. All were the same breed, a pocket Pitbull, which can sell for thousands of dollars each. Officials say they expect to see an increase of stray dogs in the spring, but they've never seen this many at once, all from the same breed.

All seven dogs found within one mile of each other look to be under two years of age. The shelter says all seven are very friendly with people and will be available for adoption within the next few weeks.

Animal Welfare Friends reminds people that if they see an abandoned pet, call authorities who can then contact a local shelter. And for the dumpers out there, anyone in Iowa that commits animal neglect that does not involve injury or death to the animal is guilty of a simple misdemeanor.