Justice for Bennett

On October 9, 2023 one of the most troubling of all rescues we have ever encountered landed in our proverbial lap. Two dogs living in an apartment in Nashville (with four adult humans ) had been deliberately starved. One of the two dogs was literally hours away from death. Bennett and Barrett lived crated in feces and were quite simply tortured prisoners. Had a pesticide contractor not entered the apartment and submitted pictures, they most assuredly would have died. The most troubling fact about this is their living conditions had been reported multiple times, but at the times of previous investigations, things weren’t “bad enough “by our flimsy laws to confiscate them. Because of the lack of clear-cut laws and little action, they languished in misery for months.

Bennett, the worse off of the two, was so emaciated that his organs had begun to shut down. His muscles had atrophied, and he (per the vet) almost lost his life. He was so weak he had to be carried from the apartment at the time of the actual rescue.

Currently, seven weeks have passed, and Bennett’s recovery still isn’t complete. As of today, their vet bills have exceeded 10,000.00 and the suffering they endured is absolutely inexcusable as it was totally avoidable.

We do NOT want their senseless suffering to be in vain. It is time Tennessee law makers and city councils passed appropriate laws which would enable animal control or police to immediately remove animals from neglectful situations before they escalate to this level of torture. It is also time for mandatory spay and neuter laws. Only when we each take it upon ourselves to speak for the voiceless will this change come about. Please, in honor of these two victims, make your voice heard. Put your representative’s number on speed dial. Reach out to city council members. Call regularly. BE THEIR VOICE!

Change begins with you. Rather than relying on others to act, reach out to your local legislator directly and express your desire for change.

Here is a link to the Tennessee House of Representatives directory. If you’re not sure who your representative is, click on “Find my legislator” at the top right. Enter your address to find your representative.

Find Your Legislator

Please feel free to use your own words, but to keep things easy, you can copy and paste the template below to email your legislator.

"Dear Legislator,

As a constituent of yours, and I am writing to bring to your attention the urgent need for laws to be put in place “this” session to protect animals from neglect and abuse. This should be simple to address; it is in no way a partisan issue. We as Tennesseans are tired of seeing endless suffering of dogs and cats. Our shelters are over run, rescues exhausted, and it is time for change. We will be watching for you to take action."

Show your support with our, "Justice for Bennett" merch.

Shop Our Bennett Merch