Indiana Dogsitter Accused Of Animal Cruelty After Deputies Find Pet Missing Leg, Another Decapitated

Authorities in Indiana arrested a dogsitter after finding several severely neglected dogs in a home, including one that was dead and decapitated.

On the morning of July 9, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office were called to do a welfare check on animals at a home in Evansville.

At the residence, deputies smelled the strong odor of urine and feces and heard dogs barking inside, but nobody answered the door, according to an affidavit obtained by WFIE.

Deputies notified animal control and obtained a search warrant after neighbors said they had not seen the homeowner for around a month.

A preliminary investigation determined Shayna Burko was responsible for watching the animals for the homeowner, and she came to the residence to let deputies inside, the affidavit states.

Authorities allegedly found multiple malnourished dogs in the home, including one suffering open wounds and missing a leg, the document states.

Deputies alleged they also found the head of a dead dog in the living room.

The suspect allegedly admitted she was to care for the animals for the owner and that she had last checked on them in late May, police said.

Burko, who was previously convicted of animal cruelty in Warrick County, now faces charges of animal cruelty – abandon/neglect prior conviction, and animal offense – neglect of an animal.

She was released on bond, WFIE reported.