John Jefferson
Top: Seth Vaile. Bottom: Samuel Allen (Jasper County Sheriff’s Office). Right: The plastic tote the dogs were left in. (Jasper County Humane Society).
Two Missouri men face charges in connection with leaving eight puppies to die of heat exhaustion in a sealed plastic tote outside a local humane society that was closed for the day.
Seth Vaile, 30, faces eight counts of animal abuse. Samuel Allen, 36, also faces charges in the ongoing investigation, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The heartbreaking discovery was made on Sunday when workers from the Jasper County Humane Society opened the tote and found the dogs dead outside the facility at 140 E. Emperor Lane.
Deputies launched an investigation after being called out to the humane society on Monday at 11:40 a.m. for an animal abuse case, according to a probable cause statement outlining the allegations. Once there, the deputy said the caller reported finding the tote on the property between two bushes. A veterinarian determined the dogs died due to heat exhaustion, the statement said.
Facility surveillance footage showed a man leaving the tote on the ground between bushes and then walking away on Sunday at 10:27 a.m., police said.
“The tote was placed partial between some bushes, halfway on the sidewalk, and in the sun,” the document said. “The tote was closed, which caused it to be completely sealed.”
Authorities quickly identified the man in the video — wearing a shirt with the number 54 on the back — as Vaile.
He was arrested on a warrant and transported to the Jasper County Detention Center, the document said.
“The suspect was still wearing the shirt with the number 54 on the back at the time of his arrest for the warrant,” the document said.
The probable cause statement said Vaile admitted to dropping the puppies off and knew the business was not open.
Connie Andrews, the Humane Society’s director, said on Facebook: “I don’t often comment on pets being left outside the shelter as I’m glad they at least chose to leave them where they will be found and cared for. But to the person that left these 8 puppies in a closed tote outside the shelter in a place that is not easily seen, we found them but all 8 have died. Why did you not leave them by the door where they could be found?”
“I do not understand leaving them where we could not see them,” she added. “We may be full but would never turn these babies away and if it’s the drop off fees that forced someone to do this, we have never turned puppies away even if their owner could not pay. We have actually been fixing the moms for free when taking the puppies. I am asking for your help to spread the word that this is NOT OKAY!”
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