A man in Charleston was arrested and charged on animal cruelty after a FedEx driver took photographs of his 11 dogs. The documented images were seen by Jak’s Second Chance Rescue Ranch, leading to a deputy to investigate the property and a swift rescue of the animals. The condition of the dogs were so poor that authorities believe it rose to the level of felony animal cruelty.
Man arrested and charged on animal cruelty
The video embedded above shows images of some of the dogs, but viewer discretion is advised.
On September 7 at around 12:30 a.m., 56-year-old Charles Richard Ostendorf of Charleston was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department (FCSD), according to a report by local outlet KATV.
The arrest comes after the Jenny Bridges, the director of Jak’s Second Chance Rescue Ranch, came across disturbing images of the dogs that were taken by a FedEx driver who was on the property.
“I looked in the comments,” Bridges said, “and saw some pictures of the dogs that were just emaciated, covered in mange.”
She is grateful that the pictures were taken since the rescue group wouldn’t have been able to contact law enforcement without that evidence in hand.
An FCSO deputy was then dispatched to the property after reviewing the photos and determined that the situation called for the owner’s arrest on felony animal cruelty.
After the arrest was made, Bridges says that multiple organizations, including The Artemis Project, Charleston Animal Shelter, and BubbaDog Rescue, swiftly arrived to rescue the animals. At 1:30 a.m. on Monday, they went to property and saved 11 dogs, along with one kitten and one goat.
However, Bridges noted that some of the dogs were “in very, very bad shape.” And unfortunately, one of the dogs passed away shortly after arriving at the rescue ranch. The other dogs continue to receive medical care, as veterinarians document their condition as part of the animal cruelty investigation.
“They definitely would not have survived another day out in that heat,” she said.
Bridges encourages people to do what the FedEx driver did and document suspected animal cruelty to authorities and animal rescue organizations.
The rescue ranch is asking for donations on Linktree to cover the costs of the dogs’ medical care.
