LEXINGTON, S.C. — We reported Thursday that Lexington County investigators charged a 40-year-old man, Robert Jachim, with the ill-treatment of five dogs.
According to Lexington County investigators, four of the dogs in the home were in wire crates, and the fifth small breed dog was dead in a bathroom.
Authorities said only two of these dogs survived and were taken in by a local animal rescue. Pawmetto Lifeline said they are now nursing Donald and Rosie back to health.
And it was thanks to one of their board members who heard these dogs cry for help.
"I've always loved animal, especially dogs and a lot of times they are overlooked. They are treated as property often, like these were," said Alicia McAngus, Pawmetto Lifeline board member. "These dogs were left behind like a table or a mattress and they are living, feeling beings that can't just be left abandoned and our community, the community and society as a whole cannot allow this to happen."
McAngus said she was driving through this neighborhood, the 5000 block of Corley Street, when she heard dogs barking and crying.
"After speaking with the neighbors, I was concerned that the house was abandoned and that the dogs were abandoned inside. I know legally I could not enter, but knew it was an emergency situation with the heat, no air, no water, no food. So the main thing is if you see something, if you think something's wrong, speak up," McAngus said.
McAngus said she called other Pawmetto Lifeline board members and Lexington County Animal Services and encouraged neighbors to do the same and report it.
According to Pawmetto Lifeline, these two dogs need a few months to regain their body weight and muscle. After that, they'll have the opportunity to be fostered.
“When they are ready to be fostered, they will need a little extra TLC to help them get socialized. They’ve been alone for we’re not even sure how long," McAngus said.
