Two Roaming Pit Bulls Wander Into Shelter And Kill 13 Cats
Dogs kill 13 cats in animal shelter
Saturday, July 3, 2004 Posted: 7:29 AM EDT (1129 GMT)
WILMINGTON, North Carolina (AP) -- Two pit bulls that may have wandered inside a shelter for sick animals killed 13 cats, authorities said.
Lee Esada, whose wife, Heather, manages the Southport-Oak Island Animal Rescue, found the dead cats early Friday and then found the dogs sleeping in a cage in the back of the shelter.
"I was so shaken up I could barely pick up the phone to call somebody," Esada said. "I've never been through anything like this before."
Richard Cooper, director of Brunswick County Animal Services, said there is no evidence of foul play. The dogs could have pushed through a hole in the chain-link fence surrounding the shelter and come inside the building through the cat door. The shelter housed about 75 sick cats.
The dogs, one weighing 60 pounds and the other 40 pounds, were in custody of animal services Friday night.
The owner of the dogs was cited for creating a public nuisance and allowing the dogs to run at-large. Authorities declined to release his name.
The Brunswick County Sheriff's Department planned to investigate further.
