Cook County Authorities Probe Dolton Animal Hospital


A south suburban animal hospital is under investigation after a police officer found four dead dogs at the facility, Cook County authorities said.

NBC-5 Chicago reported Monday night that charges are pending.

A Dolton officer discovered the dogs when he brought a stray to the Dolton Animal Hospital on Sunday, Sheriff's Deputy Chief Michael Anton said. The officer also found nine dogs and one cat in "various stages of emaciation," Anton said. Cages lacked food and water and were covered in waste, he said.

The county animal control removed deceased and living animals from the privately-run facility Sunday. At least two of the animals had owners.

A hospital employee at the scene declined to comment to WMAQ-TV. An employee who arrived at the scene was taken into custody for questioning.

Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers told WGN-TV he sent an inspector to the animal hospital a few days earlier. The inspector cited the owners for an unspecified violation, but only looked at the outside of the facility and didn't go inside, Rogers said.

Customer Patrice Burton told NBC-5 she wasn't surprised by the allegations of neglect. She had taken her dog to the facility Thursday.

"It was clean, but I did notice a smell," Burton told NBC-5. "It's very troubling, because it's not only me, other people have come here as well."

Donna Fox told NBC-5 she was disturbed when she picked up her dog and "he was skin and bones."

"You're trusting your dog, your pet inside of a licensed place, and for them to treat your dog like that is unbelievable," Fox told NBC-5.

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