37 Deceased Dogs Discovered in Barn – 12 Charges Filed for Cruelty

37 Bags of Dead Dogs Found in Barn

Clarksville TN – Nicole Hulbig, 29, was charged last week with 12 counts of animal cruelty in Montgomery & Sumner counties. When deputies searched her mothers house they found about 40 live dogs living inside of a barn with no food or water.  Inside the barn they also found 37 bags containing animal remains.  The remains were so decomposed they couldn’t tell how many animals there were and they were too degraded to send them to a lab for testing.  The dogs who were living inside the barn were in horrible condition, eight of which were so emaciated it led to charges of animal cruelty.

Hulbig is the founder of RRR Service Dogs which claims to rescue animals from kill shelters and place them into homes with veterans or disabled children.  She claims she trains them to be service dogs herself before pairing them with the disabled.  Many owners are concerned that one of the dead animals found in the barn might be their own.  People would turn their animals over to Hulbig to receive service dog training.

Since there is no way to determine the actual cause of death she cannot be charged for the dead animals.  Hulbig claims the dogs died after a distemper outbreak.  Officers have been able to determine that one of Hulbig’s dogs had been treated by a veterinarian for distemper – a viral disease that can spread quickly to unvaccinated animals.

A few of the live animals have been reunited with their owners.  The Sumner County Shelter is trying to get the remaining 34 home with their owners.  The dogs that aren’t reunited will soon be made available for adoption at the shelter or turned over to other rescue organizations.

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