Dog Leads Rescuers to Neglected Animals

Animal rescue volunteers in Georgia say they went out to help a stray dog in Spalding County—and came back with six dogs and 10 puppies. The volunteers say that the stray mother dog, Clover, led them to a property where numerous dead or distressed and malnourished animals were in cages, Fox 5 reports. The volunteers contacted police after realizing something was very wrong at the property. "Upon walking the property with Animal Control six deceased animals were discovered in pens," police said an incident report. "There was a dog in a dog house inside the kennel, there was dead chicken in a coop, two dead ducks, and two dead rabbits in different cages."

Ashley Gresham, 27, was arrested and charged with six felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty after police determined she was responsible for the care of the animals, the Newnan Times-Herald reports. The dogs at the property, including Clover and her puppies, were released to an animal refuge, where several of them required urgent treatment. Volunteers say Clover is the hero of the story. "Not only was she trying to get us to her puppies but it was almost like she was looking out for everybody else there," says Mariel Weigand, director of Royal Animal Refuge, which is seeking homes for the dogs. "She's a very special girl.” (A dog attack in South Carolina may have uncovered a dogfighting ring.)