Dogs eat remains of their dead owner

The owner of nearly 50 dogs died in August -- so to survive, her dogs ate her remains.

Though the woman died of hepatitis C months ago, authorities reported her dead last week. According to KARK, officials had to remove the woman’s remains from the house, but the owner's dogs made it difficult to get close to what was left of the body.

"When the deputies arrived on the scene to get in to her, the dogs were vicious," Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley told KARK. "You couldn't even get into the trailer to check on her to see what needed to be done." 

Authorities said that they had to shoot and kill nine of the dogs.

“It was a situation where you had to do what you have to do,” said Reta Tharp, director of Van Buren County Animal Control.

The veterinarian tried to save as many of the remaining dogs as possible for weeks. They became a threat to the community when they started running around neighbors' houses.

“We didn't know if those diseases or that disease would be spread by the dogs in the community,” said Bradley.

When a dog bit the vet while being treated, Tharp decided to shoot 27 of the dogs.

“It was the only resource we had." she said. "We had tried everything else, and it just failed. I did what I felt like had to be done.” 

According to KARK, a veterinarian at the Arkansas State Health Department veterinarian said animals cannot spread hepatitis C.  

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