JUSTICE FOR STARVED DOGS

MANITOWOC – A Manitowoc couple is facing charges of mistreating their two dogs after one of the dogs died, a Manitowoc police report said.

The police report said an officer responded to the 1100 block of North Eighth Street at 6:56 p.m. Tuesday for an anonymous report that James A. Nettles, 26, and Jennifer E. Nettles, 30, were yelling at one another. The responding officer learned the argument was regarding the death of one of the couple’s dogs.

According to the report, the deceased dog was wrapped in a blanket, and the officer wrote: “I observed an extremely malnourished gray and white pit bull type dog. The dog appeared to be skin and bones. I could see the ribs and hip bones protruding through his skin.” James Nettles told the officer the dog was a 2-year-old pit bull mix, the report said.

The police report said another dog inside the home, also a pit bull-type dog, appeared “extremely malnourished and weak.” The officer wrote in the report, “I could see the dog’s rib bones and hip bones protruding through her skin.” James Nettles told the officer the dog was a 7-year-old pit bull mix, the report said.

The police report said James Nettles said the dogs were kept in the downstairs of the residence. The officer wrote in the report: “As I walked down the steps, I could smell a strong odor of feces. I observed multiple piles of feces on the carpeting and multiple stains on the carpeting. There were stacks of baby toys in the basement covered in feces.”

The officer said in the report that no water or food dish could be found for the dogs downstairs. The officer did, however, see “a large plastic bin of dog food in a kitchen cabinet.” James Nettles told the officer he had gotten the bag of dog food the previous day, the report said.

The dogs were transported to a local veterinarian, who stated “the live dog was extremely underweight and dehydrated,” the police report said. The police report also said the veterinarian said the dog appeared to have suffered from starvation and no signs of chronic diseases were found. The live dog was to be cared for and transported to Lakeshore Humane Society, the police report said.

The police report said the veterinarian's report of the deceased dog was that “the dog was severely emaciated and dehydrated. There were bruise(s) on the insides of the lips and three circular sores on the left ear. The most notable condition was the absence of subcutaneous and intraabdominal fat tissue. The stomach and small intestines contained no food. The larges intestines did not contain any feces. [The veterinarian] did not see any chronic debilitation disease to account for the dog’s death.”

The police report said the following charges would be referred to the District Attorney’s Office against Jennifer Nettles: one count of mistreating animals causing death, one count of mistreating animals, two counts of providing proper food and drink to confined animals, and two counts of providing proper shelter. The report said Jennifer Nettles was released from police custody.

Police are recommending the following charges be referred to the District Attorney’s Office against James Nettles, who was out on felony bail: one count of mistreating animals causing death, one count of mistreating animals, two counts of providing proper food and drink to confined animals, two counts of providing proper shelter/sanitation standards, and one count of felony bail jumping. James Nettles is being held at Manitowoc County Jail.