Dogs Allegedly Kept In Cages Without Food, Water, 1 Dead, 2 Euthanized

A California man was arrested Friday after police found a number of dogs inside his travel trailer in deplorable conditions. One of them was found dead and two others were “so sick and injured” that they had to be euthanized.

Jeremiah Weberling, from Concord, was charged with 10 counts of felony animal cruelty Saturday and remained in jail on $100,000 bail. The suspect was the owner of the trailer from which a resident in the area reported hearing loud barks, and alerted the police.

“Yesterday [Friday], a concerned community member called the Concord Police Department reporting that there were 3-4 dogs ‘going crazy’ inside of a travel trailer that was parked on the street. When Officers arrived on scene, they saw a small dog standing inside by the open trailer door,” the Concord Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. “The dog was barking, panting heavily, and its fur appeared matted and wet. From outside, the officer was able to see that the trailer was filthy and stacked with various items that were almost touching the ceiling in some places."

When tracked down by the authorities, the man admitted to owning the trailer, which he claimed to have transformed into a mobile “dog house.” However, when investigators decide to search the so-called “dog house”, they found that the animals inside where being kept in less-than-humane conditions.

Upon entering the trailer, an officer found five dogs in wire crates, apart from the small dog they found upon arrival. “None of the pups appeared to have any water or food and looked to be in poor health. The condition of the trailer was so bad that the officer was only able to take a couple steps before having to go back outside,” the police said in the social media post.

After placing Weberling under arrest, the Contra Costa County Animal Services was called to the scene to evaluate the condition of the animals. Animal control arrived at the scene and found a total of 10 dogs, which were owned by the suspect, one of which had already died. Barring the dead dog, the nine others were rushed to a local veterinary clinic.

While seven of the nine were expected to survive, the health of two of the canines was deemed worse than the others. Hence, they had to be euthanized. The police said they were not sure when the dogs would be ready for adoption but they would keep dog-lovers informed on the updates.

“We know that these cases are extremely sad and difficult to even read. This is a reminder that animal abuse is a very serious crime,” Concord police’s Facebook post added.