Arrest warrant issued Published: 12/20/03 in Sauk Valley Newspapers BY CLARK KELLY SVN NEWS REPORTER DIXON - link to story HERE.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of T. Anne McCoy, 1329 Sleepy Hollow Road, Amboy, on 12 counts of cruelty to animals.

The complaint was filed Friday by Gwen C. Stewart of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Eight of the counts are class A misdemeanors while five are class B misdemeanors. Class A is punishable by a fine of $2,500 and up to one year in the county jail.

The eight class A counts charge that McCoy "cruelly treated and starved animals B through F by failing to treat the dog for an infestation of parasites and failed to provide an adequate amount of appropriate food so as to prevent the dog from death by starvation."

Each count describes the type of dog identifying it by color and sex.

The five class B counts allege that McCoy failed to provide a sufficient quantity of good quality, wholesome food and water; that she failed to provide adequate shelter and protection from the weather; that she failed to provide adequate veterinary care and she failed to provide humane treatment for approximately 191 companion animals she owned or was a companion animal boarder for.

The 191 dogs were found in life threatening conditions Monday at 1329 Sleepy Hollow Road, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture spokesman Jeff Squibb.

Squibb said the dogs were kept outside without adequate food, water or shelter.

Nine dogs were reportedly dead and autopsies discovered the dogs were emaciated, had worms and there was no evidence of food in the stomach contests - only sand and dirt.

The live animals have been impounded and most have been taken to shelters in Lee and Whiteside counties and Chicago.

As shocking as the above story is nothing was as shocking as our first sight of these dogs in the shelter. Animal Welfare League had called us to take as many as we could of the first shepherds to arrive at the shelter. We saw row after row, two to a cage, of 6 to 8 month old shepherd and malinois puppies, a few Great Dane puppies and only one adult shepherd, 51 dogs in all.

The stench was unbearable.....all the dogs were coated in filth, all were emaciated with sunken eyes and visible ribs and hipbones. The strangest thing was the silence......not one barked.....they were too weak to care. Over the next two nights we took 13 of the 15 or 16 shepherds and put them into our foster homes.The 2 or 3 other shepherd puppies were in foster with AWL volunteers so we believed that the situation was being brought under control.......when the next round of 160 dogs began to arrive. We have never witnessed anything so heartbreaking......nor have we witnessed anything like the efforts of the AWL staff that night. Oxygen tents, incubators, IV lines and most important, fluids were administered to the incoming dogs. Everyone there fought the tears back and went to work saving these survivors of a living hell. And they have done a wonderful job......unfortunately, the dogs' abuser would not sign over these 160 dogs and they remain under impoundment at AWL. We won't know their fate until a judge decides it. We can't imagine any judge so cruel that s/he would return these dogs to their abuser and we're praying for a quick end to their impoundment. We are committed to doing whatever AWL needs us to do to care for these remaining shepherds once the order is lifted.

In the meantime, here are some photos of the survivors.. ..... amazingly, they are wonderful shepherds!!!