Couple guilty of animal cruelty try to get their surviving dog back

VAN BUREN, Ark. — Over the summer, a Van Buren couple was accused of leaving their two dogs outside for days in extreme heat, resulting in the death of one dog.

James and Ashley Lemley were convicted of two counts of animal cruelty, which are misdemeanors in Arkansas. They were ordered to each spend one day in prison.

The couple recently attempted to retrieve their surviving dog and almost succeeded.

In July, police were called to James and Ashley’s Van Buren home for an animal welfare check. Police said the Lemleys had been out of town for several days.

One of their dogs, a Great Pyrenees named Snowflake, had died.

Police believe Cooper, the chocolate lab, would also have died if he had arrived at the scene later.

Cooper was taken from the small pen he was held in when police were called and placed in the care of the Almost Home shelter and rescue in Van Buren.

Almost Home volunteer Susan Locke said Cooper is thriving.

“He’s healthy, he runs and plays and he loves to play fetch,” Locke said. “He loves everyone. He’s a good boy.”

Cooper is now in foster care and waiting to be adopted.

As part of the court agreement, the Lemleys pleaded guilty.

The couple agreed not to own any animals for a year, but Crawford County Prosecutor Kevin Holmes learned the case was not as closed as it seemed.

“Lemleys attorney contacted and said they wanted Cooper back,” Holmes said.

When 5NEWS learned of the new hearing, we called the courthouse, but never heard back from the judge.

“We thought we understood after the trial what was going to happen with Cooper and that the Lemleys were not going to seek to get Cooper back,” Holmes said.

Within a week of our phone call with a message that was never returned, the hearing was canceled, meaning Cooper will remain in his foster home for the time being.

However, Locke says the work is far from done.

“We’re seeing some of the worst cases that are happening, we’ve had dogs starving, dogs being abandoned, puppies being abandoned,” Locke said. “All the shelters and rescues are so overwhelmed. We simply can’t save them all. »

Locke is asking everyone who cares about animal welfare to call their state representatives and demand stricter penalties for animal cruelty.

“I really think local leaders in Arkansas need to increase penalties for animal abuse,” Locke said. “There are a lot of people in Arkansas who love dogs and don’t want to see this kind of thing happen.”

The shelter thinks Cooper is about four years old, although he has gray fur around his face that makes him appear older.

Contact the Almost Home animal shelter in Van Buren if you are interested in adopting him.

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