LUNDALE — Christy Miller and her family, came to the aid of several dogs during last week's excessive heat.

According to Miller, the putrid smell of decaying dogs penetrated the neighborhood along with the whimpering of surviving dogs.

Miller contacted The Logan Banner offices on Thursday afternoon reporting the dead and starvation of several dogs in her neighborhood. The dogs, approximately seven in number, had not been fed or watered in a number of days. The excessive heat proved too much for many of the dogs causing their death and speeding the decay of their bodies.

"I've been calling everywhere to try to get some help," Miller told the Logan Banner. "I've called the health department, the county commission and local law enforcement ... everybody said to call the dog pound but the dog catcher is out. The smell is horrible here and this morning you could hear several dogs and pups whimpering, now you can only hear a few."

Banner correspondent Jerry Fekete was sent to check out the situation. While there, he encountered the Miller family taking it upon themselves to take food and water to the surviving dogs.

"The smell was almost too much when I went to take the pictures," Fekete said. "Flies were all over the carcasses."

Miller said the dog catcher did arrive late Thursday afternoon and removed two dog carcasses and two of the surviving dogs, leaving a mother and her pup.

According to Miller, the dog catcher returned Friday to do more inspection and to try to locate the owner of the property.

A call to the Logan County Sheriff's Department said arrests for animal cruelty or animal neglect could not occur until an investigation was completed. According to the informant, the dog catcher would investigate the charges and submit the evidence to the sheriff’s department. It would then be determined if there was enough evidence to charge and convict the alleged animal abuser in a court of law.