“Starving” dogs attack owner, three people charged

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two family members were put in jail Tuesday, and another was sent to the hospital for dog bites. The Memphis Police said the three people live in a home on Farmville Road in the Nutbush area. Now, Edward Wilson, Sr., Sandra Wilson, and Edward Wilson, Jr. are facing aggravated cruelty to animals charges. “They should be treated the way they treated them [the dogs],” said neighbor Raven Chisholm. Officers responded to the home this week after dogs bit Edward Wilson, Sr. Memphis Animal Services also responded to the home. Investigators found six emaciated dogs. The dogs were so thin, officers said they could clearly see the dogs’ ribcages. Dog feces and urine covered the floor in the home. “The dog really turned, because they were starving,” said neighbor Conrad Flynn. Wilson, Jr. told police he did not know the last time the dogs were given food or water. WREG knocked on the Wilson family’s door Tuesday, but no one answered. WREG heard a dog barking inside even after officials rescued six dogs from the home. A neighbor down the street did not want to go on camera but claimed to be a close family friend of the Wilsons. She said they have lived here more than 20 years, and she has never known them to get in trouble.