Rogers County Deputies Investigate Animal Abuse Case: ‘One Of The Worst’

The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office said it’s investigating one of the worst animal abuse cases deputies have ever seen.

They said a six-month-old puppy that was found severely starved and injured last week has died. Now, investigators and the community say they want justice. 

“Nellie was in pretty bad condition, maybe one of the worst conditions we've ever seen. She was severely emaciated," said Lt. Daniel Welch said. Lt. Welch with the Rogers County Sheriff, who is investigating this case. 

He said they found Nellie last week and took her to a rescue in Owasso. Deputies also had to cover the cost. 

“What a lot of the public doesn't realize is that Rogers County doesn't have an animal control service, so the sheriff's office has to act like an animal control service, and we have very limited resources,” Welch explained. 

That's where Wild Heart Ranch comes in. The ranch is animal rescue north of Claremore and heard about Nellie's poor condition and lack of funds. So, they asked the community to step up. 

In just hours, the ranch raised over $5,000 for Nellie’s Vet bills. Unfortunately, the pup was in such bad shape, she died just a few days later.

"When I see what humans do to animals, I feel that pain for those animals - it shouldn't happen," Annette King told News on 6. King runs Wild Heart Ranch and said Nellie’s abuse strikes a nerve.

“When I see a puppy, who had never known kindness, never known a day where her skin wasn't inflamed or had a warm bed to sleep in. I've seen this too much, and something needs to be done, and if its not me then who?" King said. 

King said they still have over $4,000 left from Nellie fundraiser and she plans to give the money to the Roger's County Sheriff's Office to use towards helping future animals. 

“Nellie is a poster child for 'we can do better.' It's not just her, it's all the rest of them that fall through the cracks," King said. 

Investigators do have a suspect in this case but haven’t made an arrest yet. They said the suspect is Native American so this case will be handled in federal or tribal court.