By Emily D. Williams

A stove fire in a Batesville home may have been a blessing in disguise, according to Panola Humane Society president Yvonne Taylor.

In the aftermath of a kitchen fire at a rental home on Perkins Lane earlier this month, 13 dogs and puppies were found living inside and outside the vacated property, abandoned by their owners.

Renter Prestine Adair  was staying at the Skyline Motel after the July 13 fire in her residence at 228 Perkins Lane. She has been charged with animal cruelty after ten dogs, a mother dog and nine puppies, were found inside the house three days after the fire, with no food or water or air conditioning.

She pleaded not guilty in Wednesday’s session of Batesville Municipal Court.

Property owner Mike Fudge had asked Adair to remove the dogs after he found them there several days after the fire, according to a report filed by Lt. Ruby Myers of the Batesville Police Department. When the dogs were still found at the house later, Fudge contacted police.

Animal Control officer Benji Caine found dogs running loose, some in the back yard, and inside the residence were nine small puppies and a mother dog, without food, water or air conditioning in the closed up dwelling.

“The odor was very bad all through the residence,” Myers’ report stated. “Inside the home there was a mess where the dogs urinated and feces was all in the floors.”

Caine was able to retrieve all the dogs, making several trips to take them to the city’s dog pound.
Alderman Stan Harrison immediately started making phone calls to Humane Society members.
Yvonne Taylor came to the house while Caine was still trying to get puppies out from under a bed.

“The house was not fit for human occupation” Taylor said.

“If the fire hadn’t happened, the animals would probably still be there. It was a blessing in disguise,” she said.

Taylor said she called PCHS members Debbie Jones and Summer Thatcher to the residence to help.

Taylor said she felt bad for the officers due to the floors being infested with feces, urine, fleas and cock roaches.

Temporary homes have been located for the some of the dogs. Becky Slinkard is providing foster care for the nine puppies and the mama dog.

The other three dogs are at the pound until they become more accustomed to people. They had been kept tied in the back yard, Taylor said, though they did have access to some food and water.

Bonus
While the Humane Society members were helping to retrieve the dogs at the home, they noticed an abundance of cans in the yard, and decided to pick them up to recycle.

“We made $16 dollars for the Humane Society with those beer cans,” Taylor said.
Now the Humane Society members have hatched plans for a new fund-raiser.

“Cans for K-9s” will allow people to drop off aluminum cans in containers placed around town. The cans will be sold, with the proceeds helping to fund the group’s low cost spay and neuter program.

The kick off will be in September.

Humane Society member Debbie Jones said all of this could have been avoided if the owner simply filled out the low cost spay/neuter form and gotten her pets fixed for free or almost free.