IOWA PARK (KFDX/KJTL) — A 60-year-old Iowa Park woman is charged with cruelty to animals after animal control and police officers seize 8 puppies said to be suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and worms, and left out in the rain in a plastic crate filled with feces.

Marian Lunsford is free on a $2,000 bond.

On Jan. 18, 2023, an Iowa Park animal control officer was sent to the 1300 block of North 4th to check on a report of puppies crying inside a crate in the front yard that was partially covered with a sheet wet from rain. She said 8 puppies about 9 weeks old were in the crate and the puppies were shivering and covered with urine and feces, and two metal bowls inside were also filled with waste.

Police said no one responded at the house, and they talked to a neighbor who described a horrendous odor so strong she had to cover her nose when outside. The witness who reported the puppies said she first saw and heard them crying in the crate on January 14 and had never seen anyone outside caring for them.

The puppies were taken to the city reclaim center for assessment, and they were found to have tapeworms, 2 had broken tails and all showed signs of dehydration and malnutrition.

The animal control officer later contacted the resident, Lunsford, and said Lunsford said someone left the puppies in a box by her vehicle at the McDonald’s the week before, and she wasn’t sure how to handle it, though police said they found records showing Lunsford had contacted animal control in the past about animal related issues.