Three Recognized in Benton County for Compassion to Abandoned Animals

(KNSI) – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has recognized three people for rescuing seven kittens and a sick dog.

Carrie Pantzke and her daughter Lucy were heading home when they noticed a baby cat on the road. They pulled over to help it and could hear more animals making noise from just beyond the tree line in the woods. They found six more kittens and a kennel with a sick yellow lab inside. The two lugged the kennel back to their vehicle and brought all the animals to their Minden Township home.

The lab was so weak it couldn’t stand on its own. The Pantzkes called Grey Face Rescue to care for it. Anne Desalvo fostered the yellow labrador retriever for ten days before it sadly died.

An investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the dog’s owner was too poor to euthanize the animal after it had been hit by a car. The lab survived for ten days before it passed away peacefully.

The Pantzkes and Desalvo got a certificate for their compassion. The kittens appear to be completely unrelated to the yellow lab. It is unknown who abandoned the cats. The Benton County Attorney is reviewing animal cruelty charges for the dog’s former owner.

The cats have been placed for adoption with the Tri-County Humane Society.

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