Painter surrenders on animal neglect charges
Published 9:18 pm Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Donations sought to save Snoozy’s leg
By Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com
A woman wanted in connection with the abandonment and neglect of three dogs in Columbus surrendered to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, Jan. 7.
Sabrina Renee Painter, 38, was served with arrest warrants for charges of animal abandonment and cruelty to animals by the sheriff’s office and was released from custody after posting a $7,000 bond, according to sheriff reports.
Now the sheriff’s office and community is rallying to save one of the dog’s legs after it was found with a cord wrapped around and embedded in its leg.
The sheriff’s office received information on Dec. 28, 2015 regarding abandoned dogs at 812 Landrum Rd., Columbus, where three dogs were found, one extremely matted and another, now named Snoozy, with a cord embedded in its leg, according to sheriff reports.
Painter’s last known address was where the dogs were found and the sheriff’s office issued press releases searching for Painter.
All dogs were removed from the property and the dog with the cord embedded in its leg was taken to Cloverfield Veterinarian Hospital.
The dog had surgery on Monday, Jan. 4 in an attempt to repair its leg, but that surgery did not hold.
Donations to save Snoozy’s leg are being sought so she can be sent to a specialist to have surgery for plates and fusing at a cost of approximately $6,000. A special foster home is also being sought for the dog to care for her during her recovery.
Anyone wishing to donate to the veterinarian bills for the dog can contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 828-894-3001 or visit www.gofundme.com/savesnoozysleg on Facebook.
Following is what is stated about Snoozy on the gofundme page:
“A report came into Animal Control asking for a welfare check to be done at a home in our county. When animal control inspected the home they were horrified at their findings. They found a very matted Sheepdog who was terrified and running on the property. They also found a Dachshund mix tied up. Lastly, they found Snoozy chained along with a cord wrapped around her leg that had embedded so deeply that the cord had cut through tendons. Snoozy was unable to move in any direction forcing her to simply lay down. All three dogs were well fed leading us to believe someone was feeding them witnessing this torture but leaving Snoozy and the others to wonder why they were being subjected to such neglect. Through everything they’ve been through all three dogs have kept high spirits and are very friendly.
Due to the extensive damage to Snoozy’s leg, every attempt so far has failed. The surgery now is to fuse tendons together to save her leg which is estimated to be $6,000. Any amount will help and if we go over our goal, absolutely any money will go towards the care of any future cases.”