Sperry man arrested, accused of letting 3 puppies freeze to death in backyard

Tulsa County Deputies arrested a Sperry man accused of letting three puppies freeze to death in his backyard this week.

Deputies say a neighbor found the puppies, then took the surviving dogs home with him and called 911.

The sheriff's office says the worst part about this is that the dogs’ owner, Troy Pierce, said he last checked on his dogs the day before and saw the three puppies dead, but still left his other dogs outside.

How were the dogs found?

Tulsa County Deputies say a man called 911 saying he found several dogs outside in his neighbor’s backyard with little shelter, including three puppies that had frozen to death inside a dog house. The temperature was four degrees.

"He immediately did the right thing. He scooped up the dog and the three surviving puppies, took them to his house, got them warm and called us,” said Casey Roebuck with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation

Deputies say when they talked to the dogs' owner, Troy Pierce, he said the dogs belonged to his son. Pierce said he's had the dogs for four to five years and said the puppies were born days ago.

"There was no hay, there was no blankets, no warming elements, there was no water that wasn't frozen. There was dog food, it was frozen solid. All of these conditions are not legal. If you are a pet owner, you have to provide adequate shelter, food, and freshwater,” said Roebuck.

Against the law

Deputies say it's against the law to leave your pets outside without food, fresh water and inadequate shelter. 

Roebuck says when the weather gets this cold, deputies patrol neighborhoods looking for animals left outside with no shelter. She says the neighbor who took action, saved the lives of the other dogs.

"There's just certain people out there that don't take the care or concern for their animals and take that responsibility of being a pet owner seriously, and it ends tragic. That's exactly what happened this morning,” said Roebuck.

Tulsa County Animal Control took the six surviving dogs.

Pierce was arrested for three counts of animal cruelty. He has bonded out of jail.