Shelters seek help for animals rescued from trailer

The Trempealeau County Humane Society is among the area animal shelters that could use a little extra assistance from the public following an incident in Buffalo County in which more than 70 animals were removed from a trailer home.

The animals had to be removed last Wednesday after authorities learned they resided with a man had been living on Court Lane in Fountain City with the body of a woman who had been deceased for six weeks.

The man, Arthur McMullin, 69, has been charged with three felonies, including two for mistreatment of animals and one for hiding a corpse. He also faces five misdemeanor charges, four for intentionally failing to provide food for animals, and one for resisting or obstructing an officer.

Authorities located 14 dogs and 58 cats in the residence. Most of the dogs, the criminal complaint said, had untrimmed nails and were soaked with feces and urine.

The complaint continued that a majority of the cats were underweight, soaked and discolored by feces and urine, and had eyes that were either filled with puss or had substance leaking out of them. Some of the cats could not open their eyes fully.

Six of the dogs and 11 cats were taken to the Trempealeau County Humane Society. The rest were split between the Buffalo County Humane Association and Lucky Paws Midwest. Tails of Hope assisted with removing animals from the scene and transporting them.

In a social media post, the Trempealeau County Humane Society said the animals were starving, emaciated, covered in fleas and ear mites and had open sores. Some will need to be seen by a veterinarian and all will need to be spayed or neutered once they’re healthy enough to make it through surgery.

None of the animals are available for adoption yet.

Those wishing to donate to the county humane society can send donations to N27109 U.S. Highway 53, Blair, WI 54616.

The Buffalo County Humane Association took in 47 cats, while eight of the dogs went to Lucky Paws Midwest.

McMullin told authorities that he didn’t want to report the death of the person because he feared the animals would be taken from him. He suspected she had died of a heart attack and told police he “didn’t want to deal with the situation yet.”

Authorities found the woman dead on the bathroom floor. Investigators also found two animal carcasses or skeletal remains inside the home, both are believed to be cats, according to the criminal complaint.

McMullin told authorities that he ran out of food for the animals, so he had been feeding them scraps of handouts. He also noted that he was unable to keep the animals from the woman’s body and that a leg bone had been removed from the bathroom by one of the cats.

The complaint said “The conditions of the house were horrendous and neglected. The house had a putrid odor of animal urine and feces. To enter the house, investigators and animal control had to use some sort of protective wear, especially a mask.”

A cash bond of $10,000 was set for McMullin, who has a preliminary hearing on Friday