Pryor Couple Pleads Guilty To Neglecting Dogs, Is Given Deferred Sentence

A Pryor couple has been given deferred sentences and ordered by the court not to own any new animals after pleading guilty to animal cruelty, documents show.

Affidavits say two of Charles and Jennifer Henry’s eight dogs were malnourished and lacking in veterinary care.

A Mayes County deputy went to the couple’s home in November 2014, and the Henrys told him their dogs had a skin condition, which caused them to lose their hair and have poor health.

The deputy told the couple he would be back the next week to check on the dogs and he would need them to provide proof the dogs had been seen by a vet, a report says. A brief examination of the feces in the yard showed the dogs had been eating persimmons, according to the deputy.

Another deputy went to the home a few days later to make a welfare check on the animals after someone called and reported neglect.

Three pit bulls inside the house, two pit bulls outside the house, and a small dog appeared to be well taken care of, the deputy said. Two Great Danes were in worse shape, he said.

An affidavit says one of the Great Danes had a shrunken stomach, visible ribs and its eyes were sunken into its head.

11/12/2014 Related Story: Two Starving Great Danes Rescued From Mayes County Home

“I watched the dog walk up to a five gallon bucket that contained water and start to drink. The dog drank approximately 3-5 minutes… only to return to the bucket to drink for approximately another minute or so. I have seen cattle and horses drink like this, but that is normal for them. This did not appear normal to me,” the deputy wrote.

A second Great Dane inside a doghouse was “in the same shape or may be worse shape as the one walking around the yard,” the deputy said.

Contrary to what they reportedly told the first deputy, the Henrys told the second deputy they hadn’t gotten vet care for the dogs because they didn’t have time, the affidavit says.

A bowl full of dog food sat near the dogs untouched, according to the affidavit.

A local rescuer agreed to take the dogs and obtain care for them.

According to the deputy, the Henrys finally admitted they had not been feeding the dogs as they should and “tried to give them away, but no one wanted them in this shape.”

District Court Judge Rebecca J. Gore sentenced both Charles and Jennifer Henry to three years deferred, and each are required to complete 120 hours of community service and repay $162.25 to the dog rescuer.

As terms of their probation, the couple is not to own any new dogs. They currently have five, court documents say.

Saving Whiskers and Tails, a non-profit animal rescue in Pryor took in both Great Danes and nursed them back to health. The dogs were placed in loving forever homes earlier this year and News On 6 is told they are both happy and healthy.