File Photo Shannon Posada, director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter

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By Brittnee Bryant
Star Correspondent

Shannon Posada, director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, is speaking out following recent animal cruelty arrests that made headlines.

On Sunday, July 6, deputies with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office arrested Sara Oaks, Ryan Oaks and Nathaniel Oaks, charging each with 19 counts of animal cruelty. The arrests followed an investigation that began on June 5 when the animal shelter’s animal control officer requested a deputy. Animals at the residence were found to be dehydrated and underweight, with some in visible distress.

“We just acted upon the calls that came into the shelter requesting welfare checks, and that’s where our part began,” said Posada. “When someone calls in and there’s an issue, animal control responds and does a welfare check. When it’s something to this degree, our officer will call in a deputy because a deputy is the one that files the charges. And so they will agree that it is a bad situation, or they will agree to give the owners an opportunity to fix the problem if it’s not to this extent. But when you have animals in distress and you have animals in need of medical care, that’s when we act immediately.”

The following animals were removed from the residence: one dog, two pigs, two lemurs, one rooster, eight ducks, eight snakes, two lizards, eight rabbits and two ferrets.

The Department of Agriculture took custody of the animals under their jurisdiction, while the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter took custody of the remaining animals. As of Monday, the ferrets, rabbits and snakes had been placed in foster homes, while the lemurs and dog remained at the shelter. Posada said all of the animals are improving and gaining weight.

Although the animal shelter remains over capacity, Posada said they will always accept animals in emergency cases.

“We always take in emergency cases,” she said. “We will never ever refuse an emergency case.”

If you suspect a case of animal cruelty, you can take action by calling the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter at 423-547-6359.

“We’re happy to go out and make sure everything is okay or seek the attention that we need,” she said.