Authorities Offer Reward

Humane Society wants answers in horrific animal cruelty case involving nursing puppies

UPDATE: Tammy Green Douglas from Weatherford was arrested for Cruelty to Non Livestock Animals on May 31. She confessed to killing her own dog on her property, then moving the dog with her puppies in a crate. A tip led to her arrest.

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A wrenching tale of animal cruelty in Parker County, Texas, has drawn national attention and rewards of up to $5,000. The Humane Society of the United States is offering the reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for shooting a mother dog in the head and locking her dead body in a crate with 10 nursing puppies.

According to the Parker County Sheriff's Animal Control Division and Criminal Investigation Division, the cage was found on a road in Springtown by a school bus driver who discovered the dog and puppies while on the morning route. The mother, a 3-year-old red shepherd mix, had a gunshot wound to the head. The puppies were covered in their mother's blood, according to a release from animal control supervisor Karen Kessler.

"The mother was obviously malnourished and should have weighed at least 50 pounds," Kessler said. The dog weighed only 35 pounds.

"Parker County does not have an animal problem," said Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler. "We have a people problem. It's hard to imagine that someone would be so cruel as to execute any animal, but to kill a dog with nursing babies, and leave such a gory picture, is beyond human imagination."

Crime Stoppers offered up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of a suspect. The Humane Society followed up with its bigger stake on May 30.

"A person capable of harming an animal in this way is a threat to the entire community," said Texas state director Katie Jarl. "This $5,000 reward sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Parker County, and the HSUS encourages anyone with information on this case to come forward and aid Sheriff Fowler with his investigation."

The puppies — seven females and three males — were released to the care of Angels & Outlaws 2nd Chance Bully Ranch in Hico.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 817-594-8845 or Parker County Crime Stoppers at 817-599-5555.

Cardboard from the bottom of the crate might provide clues in Parker County animal cruelty case.

Photo courtesy of Parker County sheriff's office

Cardboard from the bottom of the crate might provide clues in Parker County animal cruelty case.

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Animal News

Hunt County man arrested for animal cruelty to puppy from Dallas

SPCA

Jacob Paul Nichols arrested for animal cruelty in Hunt County, Texas.

On Tuesday, June 17, a resident of Greenville, Texas was arrested for animal cruelty after allegedly letting a puppy starve to death.

According to a release, Jacob Paul Nichols was arrested and charged with Texas Penal Code 42.092, Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals (b)(1) after allegedly torturing his puppy over a span of several months, causing unjustifiable pain and suffering which ultimately resulted in her death — a felony of the third degree.

Nichols was located and arrested in Johnson County where he was booked into Johnson County Jail and held on a $200,000 bond.

On June 6, SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit Chief Investigator was contacted by the ever-diligent Hunt County Sheriff’s Office in reference to a deceased puppy that was discovered inside a dumpster at a Greenville apartment complex.

The small tan puppy was found lying on her side in a medium-sized crate. She was emaciated and had sharp, overgrown nails.

An SPCA of Texas Investigator took the puppy to the SPCA's Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center for a forensic necropsy. The exam showed the puppy was 5.5 months old and weighed only 7.6 pounds when she died. She perished due to long-term starvation and dehydration, and had suffered for a prolonged period of time.

The puppy had a microchip, which revealed that she had been adopted by a Dallas resident from a North Texas animal shelter in January 2025. The puppy, named Sandy, was rehomed to Nichols on February 13 through a rehoming website that allows potential adopters to be screened prior to rehoming. (The release does not identify the adopter or explain why the adopter was dumping the puppy after only a month of ownership.)

Nichols signed a contract stating that he agreed to “care for the pet in a humane and responsible manner and to provide him/her with clean and adequate shelter, food, water and veterinary care.”

The SPCA of Texas ACI Unit confirmed with Nichols that the dog had been in his care. Interviews with Nichols and other witnesses revealed evidence that the dog had been neglected over a span of months and left to die in the crate without food or water.

“No animal deserves to suffer in silence the way this puppy did. The evidence indicates that she was trapped, neglected and ultimately starved to death over a span of months,” said SPCA of Texas’ ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. “The level of cruelty in this case is staggering, and the SPCA of Texas and Hunt County Sheriff’s Office are committed to ensuring justice is served.”

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