61-year-old Linda Green charged with aggravated animal cruelty after 10 dogs were discovered to have passed away in her care due to gross neglect and lack of proper veterinary care.
On July 15th officers were dispatched to a home located at 472 Josephine Street after receiving a call from Memphis Animal Services (MAS) concerning several deceased dogs at the location. MAS Officers Sutter and Hunley explained they were responding to a call from a concerned citizen suspicious that the 10 canines under Linda Green’s care may be dead due to the odor coming from her property. Officers question Linda Green as to the status of her pets, and she replied that her dogs were dead and that she placed them in the city garbage cans. Memphis Police Department (MPD) was informed that Linda Green would be charged with aggravated animal cruelty and the conditions of her arrest. MAS officers provided a statement advising MPD that one of the puppies became ill around July 4th and that by July 10th the dogs began to die, and within three days all of the dogs had died. Green never made an attempt to get the dogs veterinary care, and only made contact with the Mayors Action Line to request instructions for disposal of the carcasses.
The backyard had no dog houses, no food containers, and there was only a single bowl of water in the front yard. Upon further investigation Officers Sutter and Hunley noted that there were only three piles of feces and considering the population of dogs the amount was too low, indicating that the dogs had been eating their own fecal matter for nourishment. One of the dogs discovered in the back yard was extremely decomposed and had no internal organs and it’s skill exposed.
All of the bodies were collected for autopsy, and Green’s remaining dog inside her home was taken by the Memphis Animal Services. In her statement taken later at the Memphis Police station located at 426 Tillman Street, Green verified the report from the MAS. She also stated that she did not get veterinary care for the dogs because she could not afford it and that the dogs had never received veterinary care before. She also claimed that she sought help from Memphis Animal Services, but that due to the Coronavirus no one was able to come out.
Linda Green was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and was released on her own recognizance.
