Two kittens mauled after break-in, dogs injured in fight

ATTICA, Ind. (WLFI) - For the volunteers at the Paws'n'Claws animal shelter in Attica, Thursday morning started out like any other morning. Yet, when they walked inside, they were greeted by what Veterinarian Dr. Tracy Sudlow described as a gruesome scene.

"Someone had come in, taken the other Pit Bull mix and put him into the kennel with our other resident pit bull, closed the cage and left those two dogs in together in a small space where they fought quite extensively," said Dr. Sudlow.

Dr. Sudlow said both the Pit Bull, Chopper, and the Pit Bull-Mastiff mix, Flynn, are both very friendly dogs. However, she said when they are closed in together for a lengthy period of time, they can become territorial. Dr. Sudlow said whoever did this didn't stop there.

"To add insult to injury, someone had taken a cat out of one of our cat cages and thrown a cat into the kennel with the two fighting dogs," said Dr. Sudlow. "So, when my workers came in this morning, they found two bloody Pit Bulls and a dead cat."

Dr. Sudlow said the person then took another kitten and threw him in a kennel with a mother Pit Bull and her 11 puppies. That kitten was also found dead.

Dr. Sudlow said the security around the shelter was not very good, but said they are now looking into installing better security features. She said what she witnessed Thursday morning was something she hopes she never sees again, and said she hopes the person responsible is brought to justice.

"If they would come down here and purposely try to harm an innocent animal, not only does that concern me for the animal, but that type of person, what are they capable of doing?" said Dr. Sudlow.

The two dogs are okay and are recovering at the Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Attica, but Attica police said whoever is responsible could face criminal charges.

"If they gained entry into the building, which we believed they did, they can be faced with a felony burglary charge and each count for each one of the animals will be a cruelty to the animal," said Attica Police Chief Bobby Bass. "The prosecutor may have additional charges also against them."

Bass said depending what charges the person or persons are convicted of, they're looking at a year or more behind bars. Bass has been a police officer for 27 years and said in his time on the force, he's never seen anything quite like this.

"We've had people who have heard about what happened this morning and they've come to us and said, 'Give us a few minutes alone with them, and they'll make sure justice is done,'" said Bass. "Unfortunately, we can't do that. So, we're hoping the prosecutor will prosecute these people, and they'll be held accountable for the crime they committed to the animals."

Bass said if you have details about the case, you're asked to call the Attica Police Department at (765) 762-2449. The Paws'n'Claws shelter is also offering a reward of $1,000 for any information that leads to a conviction.