The incident began Dec. 8, 2025, when animal-control officers were dispatched to 1006 Cascade Drive in Pembroke after a report that a dog in labor had been lying on the cold ground for four days and could not stand. The dog was taken to the Animal Care Center in Pearisburg, where she gave birth to four puppies that died shortly after birth, officials said.

Giles County Animal Control announced that it had sentenced a man to 48 months in jail with 12 of those months suspended, after he was convicted on animal cruelty and obstruction charges.