BARLING, Ark. — *Some of the details in this story could be disturbing to readers.
Where the Arkansas River divides Crawford and Sebastian counties at Lock and Dam 13, the quiet area is a popular fishing hole. Lately, it has become an unlikely place to dispose of pets.
Laurie Lehman is an independent animal rescuer who frequents the area nearly once a week, if not more, dating back to 2019.
"Three years of hell. Three years of sheer hell," Lehman said.
She says this year alone, she has found nearly a dozen dead dogs that have been dumped in the area in trash bags or alongside the road.
"They're helpless, they have no voice," Lehman said. "They are 100% dependent on people and it gets really hard. It's hard to see this over and over again, but I keep coming. I keep doing what I have to do to save what I can and do what I can."
Lehman has tried to catch those responsible for dumping animals but says her efforts haven't paid off. She says trail cameras she has personally placed have either been destroyed or stolen.
"It's a never-ending battle that for whatever reason, we can't stop," she said.
Many of the dogs she has found have severe trauma, which she believes led to their deaths.
Currently, a few bodies of dogs remain near the dam, decomposing in the heat and left for scavenger animals. But the markers of where the dogs were left remain as reminders of what's happened and to track whether or not it's repeated.
"All that's left now are the blankets that they used to dump it," explained Lehman while pointing out a location.
She says it isn't just dogs that are turning up dead at Lock and Dam 13.
"A couple weeks ago, there's some kittens that were dumped," Lehman said.
She returned a few days later with food only to find a horrific scene.
"I found an arrow and we are missing about five cats. I followed the blood trail to the water, so they had thrown them into the water," she said.
Over the years, Lehman has helped rescue over 200 animals from the area, but the toll on those she couldn't save is emotional for her.
"They're not garbage. They are living, breathing animals that loved someone at one time and don't understand why people are doing this to them," Lehman said through tears.
As an independent animal rescuer, Lehman works with many area shelters. One of the shelters she works closely with is The Artemis Project.
Lehman works to catch any cats and dogs she finds that are alive that can be taken to groups like The Artemis Project so the animals can get the medical attention they need and be evaluated to be placed in homes.
The Artemis Project says it feels a lot of the abandoned and deceased animals can be reduced with more efforts to spay or neuter. They also ask that anyone looking to give up an animal should contact the local shelter.
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