At 6 p.m. Sunday, Pettis County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the 1500 block of Crestview Drive in Pettis County regarding an animal complaint.
Deputies located one dog that appeared to have been dead for some time. They noted several of the many dogs on the property did not have adequate food or shelter and were standing in stagnant water. Some of the animals were attached to chains that were caught on debris scattered throughout the yard.
Deputies arrested Kourtney L. Kreisler, 24, and Amber Kreisler, 31, for 24 counts of animal abuse or neglect. Formal charges had not been filed by press time.
The sheriff's office has reached out to several contacts to assist with the removal of the dogs and other animals on the property.
“There were some complaints in the wintertime that the dogs were out in the cold without food or water,” Sheriff Brad Anders said Monday. “We had been out there several times during the winter and requested assistance from the Humane Society. The Humane Society responded, went out there and felt that the animals were being taken care of in a proper fashion but did state that the owner agreed to relinquish custody of some of the animals, not all of them. Same thing again yesterday, we had a call of a deceased dog that was being drug around by another dog, got out there and it appears that there are more animals, possibly more animals than before. We arrested two on scene for animal neglect or abuse.”
Wanda Reno lives next to the messy property, filled with muddy, barking dogs. She said the property has come to the sheriff’s department’s attention in the past.
“They've come out and took a bunch of them and then she got another bunch,” Reno said, “but you can see what it's like in the yard, standing in water. Those dogs don't have a dry place. She just needs to clean that filth up.”
Anders has reached out to other agencies trying to find shelter for the animals, 12 dogs and 12 cats. One of the homeowners has already bonded out of jail and supposedly will be able to care for the animals short-term until other arrangements can be made.
“We've requested help from the Humane Society on how best to proceed,” Anders said. “I've spoken with their investigator for this region and they've opened up another investigation on it.”
