MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jeren Moore and boyfriend Gary Brock were silent heading into court Monday morning.
They were there based on what a Memphis Animal Shelter worker saw when they visited the shelter back in April.
The witness said they were pulling a flatbed trailer that had a wire crate holding a dog. The trailer was parked in the direct sun for more 30 minutes.
According to the affidavit, photographs taken by an MAS employee inside the building showed the dog panting, and there was no water available for the dog in the crate. The high temperature that day was in the mid 80s. Moore was believed to have traveled 35 miles with the dog on the trailer.
The affidavit called it cruel confinement.
When we tried to talk to Moore and Brock outside court, they ignored our questions.
Back in January, Memphis Animal Services sent a letter suspending its pet placement partnership with Passion for Pits after noticing the high number of pets the rescue group was getting from MAS and inspecting the Covington address were the rescue operated.
MAS said they believed more than 100 dogs were at the rescue, with empty water buckets, fecal buildup in kennels and dogs underweight and shivering.
Last week Gary Brock said that wasn’t the case.
“They said everything was fine. They went and petted every dog that was out here. They said the dogs were fed and looked good,” said Brock.
He told us Jeren Moore was moving her business to Mississippi. Moore sent us photos of the new place, saying she was the victim of bullying and she runs a good rescue operation.
Now she will have to defend her actions in court.
Memphis Animal Services has not resumed its pet partnership with Passion for Pits. MAS is revamping how the program is operated and partners will have to reapply.
Jeren Moore and Gary Brock will be back in court July 5.
