Effingham woman charged in death of 9 dogs, officials say

Yahoo

25-03-2025

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — An Effingham woman has been arrested and charged in connection to the deaths of nine dogs, including seven puppies, officials said.
Sarah Lynn Gonzales, 44, was booked on Feb. 7, 2025, according to the Effingham County Sheriff's Office (ECSO).
After several reports and complaints, officers conducted a search warrant on her home located on Pine Road. Officers found two adult dogs and seven puppies dead.
'The dog was so badly decayed that there was no internal organs left of it, other than what appeared to be it's heart,' the reporting officer wrote. 'The dog appeared like it had been eaten after it died due to its extremities being torn off and the only thing remaining intact being the skin/spine that was connected to its skull.'
Immediately beside the initial dog found deceased, there was the second dog. The officer reported that they found the seven dead puppies on a tote lid.
Gonzales is charged with nine counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, three counts of cruelty to animals, reckless conduct and willful obstruction of law enforcement officers.
'There was trash all over the home as well as a magnitude of animal fecal dropping everywhere in the home,' the officer reported. ' In the guest bathroom the toilet was completely empty, although there was running water in the house after checking the faucets. This fact as well as the fact that the only two dog bowls I saw were empty leads me to believe the dogs were drinking water from the toilet bowl to stay hydrated.'
Gonzales was indicted on March 18 and granted a $10,000 bond. She is due back in court for arraignment April 16.
This was not the first run in with Effingham officers, according to an incident report. Law enforcement received a report of a neighbor's dog entering their yard and biting them in Bloomingdale Nov. 28, 2024.
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The responding officer contacted Gonzales on Dec. 3, 2024, over the phone. She was reportedly hostile with the officer, yelling and cussing over the phone call where she also denied owning the dog, the incident report said.
When the officer attempted to ask for the dog's rabies vaccination, she hung up and block the number, the officer said.
Another officer then reportedly told the responding officer that they had another case open from Oct. 28, 2024, where a different dog had gotten out of Gonzales' home and killed a neighbor's chicken. That officer was able to provide a photo of the dog that allegedly bit the neighbor inside her home which the neighbor confirmed, according to the incident report.
The responding officer then sent a citation to Gonzales for no proof of rabies and 'dog at large.' She was given a court date for Jan. 9.
On Jan. 16 and 17, the neighbor reportedly texted the officer and told them that they saw Gonzales bringing in dog food and taking two dogs out of the home. The neighbor later updated the officer and told them that she hadn't seen anyone at the home since Jan. 17 on Feb. 1, around two weeks later.
Officers reportedly found two empty dog food bags during the search of Gonzales' home and no other found source was found.
The two dogs reopened unsecured siding at the home and were running free, the neighbor reportedly said.
'At this point with several complaints over the dogs continuously being out, no contact whatsoever from Sarah, and the same dog that previously bit [the neighbor] being out again still without proof of rabies a search warrant for 130 Pine Road was completed and issued for reckless conduct,' the officer wrote.
The dog that reportedly bit the neighbor was alive, along with a brown terrier and another brown dog, the officer said.
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