Little Rock animal lovers demand answers after discovering dog they say starved to death

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock animal lovers are demanding answers from the city after discovering a dead dog in town, and they say animal control had been called days prior.

According to Charity Tarr and Lindsay Idom, the situation started with Facebook. They discovered the post on the NextDoor app by a man who had seen a starving dog chained up in someone’s backyard in Little Rock. The dog was skin and bones.

Idom said the man called animal control October 12 to report a starving dog chained up in a backyard, without being able to make contact with the owner.

“I kind of had a sick feeling watching the initial video of the dog,” Tarr said.

Four days later, Idom discovered the dog dead in the same spot. She said animal control showed up after the dog was already dead.

A spokesperson for Little Rock Animal Village said they do not have any records of a call coming in on October 12, though Idom and Tarr maintain a call was made.

The spokesperson also did not give the dog’s cause of death and said it will depend on the necropsy, though Tarr and Idom are certain the dog starved.

“This was such a traumatic death…knowing this dog was left cold probably in the rain,” Tarr said.

Both Tarr and Idom rescue dogs for local non-profits. They both said this was among the worst situations they have ever seen.

“I did not guess in my wildest dreams that I would be walking up on a dog that passed away from starvation,” Idom said. “The idea that they had requested help and that it came too late was heartbreaking.”

Tarr said she filed a police report after learning the dog had died in a man’s backyard. According to the report, the man claimed he did not know the dog was there and was not arrested.

Meantime, a city spokesperson said Animal Services Division is investigating the matter while waiting on necropsy results to come back.

The women who helped this dog are asking everyone to report any negligence they see when it comes to animals to not only animal control, but police and local rescue non-profits. Tarr and Idom, who work mainly for Southern Hearts Animal Rescue, said they are happy to rescue any uncared-for or unwanted dogs in the area.