Dogs left alone at home for 7 months

Four dogs have been kept in a fenced kennel outside a foreclosed house in Monticello, Indiana for over seven months with no one to care for them.

Neighbors are furious about four dogs left behind at this house, and some said these dogs have been neglected and are starving.

"These dogs are lucky if they get fed once a week, and that's with the neighbors being generous enough to be able to throw scraps and stuff over to them," said neighbor Becky Harrison.

The former owner, Patricia Willoughby, said financial issues contributed to the current situation. Willoughby, who now lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said she and her family were forced into a homeless shelter and were unable to take the dogs with them.

Willoughby said she thought they would be able to return for the animals, and that she had arranged with a neighbor to bring them food and water.

But Willoughby departed in January, over nine months ago, and Willoughby's dogs have been the subject of much discussion. 17-year-old neighbor Brittany Henson said some of the dogs have died from neglect.

"There used to be 10 ... in there, and there's like three or four now. There were puppies that me and my boyfriend tried to rescue, but they ended up dying," said Henson.

Another neighbor said that there were multiple plastic bags on the property with dead dogs in them, but Willoughby said she hadn't heard about anything like that. She said she had asked a neighbor to check on the dogs just before speakign with News Channel 18, and had been told that there were no dead dogs currently on the property, and that the living dogs were fine and had food and water.

Willoughby did admit some animals have died, however.

"I do know that one of the dogs had puppies, and they died, and the kids had buried them in their backyard, is what I was told," said Willoughby. "They were sick."

Although distraught neighbors have contacted the Carroll County Sheriff's Department to remove the dogs, another financial issue has kept the dogs in place. Sheriff Tony Burns said that in 2007 animal control was cut from the county's budget.

That's not the only issue.

"The other thing that we have going against us is that there are no shelters in Carroll County. So the issue becomes, even if we could pick the dogs up, where would we take them and who would pay for it?" asked Sheriff Burns.

The Sheriff's Department told Willoughby she has until Sept. 1 to remove the dogs.

If that doesn't happen, sheriffs said a report will be filed with the county prosecutor to press charges of neglect against Willoughby.

Willoughby said if no one can take the dogs today, she will have them euthanized.

UPDATE: 11:44 a.m. Sept. 1 

Willoughby recently gave no-kill shelter owner Tricia Davis permission to come onto the property take all the animals to her shelter.

( Click here to read more about the rescue. )

Davis thanked neighbors and News Channel 18 for saving these dogs' lives.

"The minute it was on TV at 6:30 in the morning, people were calling, and that's what it takes, is somebody to take enough initiative to get something done," said Davis

Now the real recovery begins. Today the dogs will be vaccinated, cleaned and checked for fleas. Then they will be held for observation at Tricia's Dog House in Lafayette. After that, they'll be eligible for adoption.

If you are interested in adopting these animals, you can contact Tricia's Dog House at (765) 742-6605.