GAUTIER, Miss. (WLOX) – All pets boarded at Sandi’s Pet Grooming Too in Gautier are now back with their owners as an investigation into possible animal cruelty develops.
Gautier PD said officers received a Crime Stoppers tip on Tuesday of alleged animal abuse, neglect, and illegal boarding at the business.
Lead detective Lauren Etheridge says about five people over the last 8 months claimed they never got their fur babies back.
“They were told that their animal ran away, or another big one was that it was attacked by another dog,” Etheridge said.
On Thursday, police, along with Animal Control, and Gautier Code Enforcement investigated Sandi’s and required the business to cease all operations due to multiple code violations.
“There were wires, low-hanging wires, A/C ducts wide open. There was no heating,” Etheridge said. “There was no insulation for the dogs. And just, animal feces everywhere.”
Friday morning, a post was made on Sandi’s Pet Grooming Too’s Facebook page.
The post said in part, “Thank you to each and every one of you for continuing to love Sandi’s Pet Grooming Too as much as I do. I am always striving to learn more about this growing business and putting your pet’s needs to the forefront… As we do take this time to rebuild and reevaluate to make mindful changes to better serve our clients in a timely manner.”
Police also said one person was arrested for an unrelated outstanding warrant.
Representatives with the Jackson County Animal Shelter also assisted with the investigation. All animals were returned to their owners, and none were taken by animal control.
If anyone has information about this incident, please contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 228-497-2486 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898.
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