WILSON COUNTY – A Wilson County woman who last year surrendered more than 70 dogs to a shelter was arrested Saturday on an animal cruelty charge after police found more malnourished animals at her residence.
Glori Penshorn was booked into the Wilson County jail on the misdemeanor charge after investigators discovered 11 dogs at her home. Authorities were notified by a passerby who noticed an emaciated dog by the gate of Penshorn's house in La Vernia.
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Penshorn surrendered the 11 canines, who were taken to Deason Animal Hospital for evaluation. The dogs are now at the Wilson County No Kill Animal Shelter, according to Facebook posts. At least one died.
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A post from the shelter said the dogs were "severely emaciated, covered in fleas, have mange, hair loss, and hookworms. Some have whipworms, round worms, and coccidia. Some have yellow crusting on their skin and eyes."
One of the dogs, whom the shelter named Titan, was unable to walk and had to be carried off Penshorn's property. He was listed as being in critical condition due to starvation, anemia, parasitic infestation, and dehydration on Sunday, according to the shelter's Facebook page.
The arrest comes more than a year after authorities discovered 84 dogs at her home in April 2018. Seventy-four were removed from her home after the Wilson County Sheriff's Office received complaints from neighborhood residents. Read more on that story here.
Penshorn wasn't charged due to her cooperation with authorities in that case. She willingly surrendered the vast majority of the animals, police said, but kept 10.
Penshorn told authorities that she operates an animal foster program out of her residence.
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None of the 10 dogs Penshorn was allowed to keep last April were part of the 11 dogs seized on Saturday, Alena Berlanga, the president of with the Wilson County No Kill Shelter, told KSAT.com.
We are devastated to give this update......Titan has died. We have experienced a roller coaster of emotions this week....
Posted by Wilson County No Kill Animal Shelter Inc on Thursday, September 5, 2019
The shelter posted an update on their Facebook page Thursday stating that Titan died as a result of his injuries.
Penshorn was released on bond Sunday with conditions that she is not allowed to possess livestock or any other animals until her court date.
"We are... hopeful that this case will be prosecuted successfully and this person is never allowed to possess another animal again," a post on the shelter's Facebook page said.
Stay with KSAT for more details on this developing story.
KSAT reached out to Wilson County Attorney Tom Caldwell and received the following statement:
On August 31, 2019, Deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, acting upon a report by citizens regarding possible animal cruelty, made an arrest on an individual at a location near La Vernia. The person was arrested for suspicion of "Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals," which is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in county jail and/or a $4000.00 fine. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges or counts could be added in the future.
At this time, I also wanted to address the outpouring of public opinion about this particular case on social media and elsewhere. I understand the feelings and raw emotion that some of the images being circulated can evoke in people. I myself am very fond of man's best friend. However, I have witnessed a great abundance of comments and vitriol that is at best rank speculation that is completely counterproductive to the ongoing dialogue we need to have to address the issue of how to properly handle the excess or unwanted animal population of Wilson County. Comments and statements that imply that certain persons are "connected" to County officials or members of law enforcement and nothing will be done or that the County doesn't care about the enforcement of laws related to animals are quite simply, unsupported by any actual evidence and are frankly, ridiculous. I urge people to be patient and to respect the process of justice. Make no mistake, while it is not always quick, it is in motion here. I cannot discuss the particulars of the investigation, but I will state unequivocally that based upon the evidence gathered so far, my office is fully planning to proceed with prosecutions against any and all persons who ultimately are formally charged with offenses related to this situation.