For Dallas County Animal Control Officer Teresa Martin it seems to be one horrible discovery after another.

Martin recently investigated a case of animal cruelty on Plant Street that involved goats, horses, cows and dogs that had been left to starve. Now she’s found 19 pigs in much the same state.

Martin said she recently received a number of phone calls alerting her that there were animals, including pigs, on a property on Dallas County Rd. 714 that had been left without proper food or water over the past several years.

According to Martin, there are approximately 100 pigs on the property, with six owners claiming ownership of the animals. However, the 19 pigs, left without food or water, said Martin, are pigs which may belong to Robert Simpson, a Selma man, who was recently charged with animal cruelty for the case on Plant Street.

Simpson, 68, was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, serve 30 days in jail and pay $1,500 in restitution to the Central Alabama Animal Shelter for the first incident.

The latest case has left Martin upset and angry.

“Whoever owns these animals should be put in a jail cell for a month and be left without food and water themselves, and they should see what it feels like,” she said. “These pigs have been left without proper food or water for the past four or five years. This is absolutely cruel.”

Martin said that the Humane Society in Selma is presently not able to move the animals to a better location. The reason, she said, is lack of money.

“We just don’t have the money to do it right now,” she said. “And unfortunately, we don’t have a facility in Dallas County specifically made to house neglected and abused animals. It’s just a very difficult situation, especially for these animals.”

Martin asked that anyone who can donate fresh, clean produce to feed the pigs to call the Central Alabama Animal Shelter in Selma.

Martin urged all residents, however, not to give scraps, especially from restaurants, for the feeding of the animals. “The scraps may be contaminated and cause disease,” she said.

Martin also asked those who can offer shelter for the animals to contact the shelter at 872-LOVE. “Unfortunately, they will have to pay the costs of transporting the animals because we don’t have the funding right now,” she said.