Police: Bulldogs Starved To Death On Downriver Property

FLAT ROCK (WWJ/AP) - Flat Rock police are investigating a shocking case of suspected animal cruelty.

It came to light Sunday when police were called by neighbors to a home on Cahill Road near Gibraltar. That's where,  in a backyard kennel, they  discovered four dead American bulldogs along with two sick dogs that appeared not to have been tended to in some time.

One of the dogs was so malnourished that it had to be euthanized.

Lieutenant Robert Hale of the Flat Rock Police Department said this case ranks as one of the worse he's seen.

"In the past, we've investigated some animal abuse complaints of this nature, but I believe nothing like this in my career," Hale told WWJ Newsradio 950.

An initial investigation indicates the deceased animals were starved to death.

Hale said the home is in foreclosure. It appears the owner moved in December, leaving the dogs behind. Police said the owner told them he returned every few days to feed the animals.

Charges are expected to be sent to the Wayne County prosecutors for review.

The surviving dog is being cared for at the Flat Rock animal shelter.

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