Dead puppy was discovered frozen solid, now owner facing more severe charges

The charges against a South Carolina woman arrested for allowing a puppy to freeze to death have been changed, according to the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

Robyn Bacon, 39, has now been charged with ill treatment of animals, according to public information officer Lt. Karl Odenthal, who said the charge allows the Court additional sentencing options.

On Jan. 2, police found a dead puppy – frozen solid – in a cage, according to an incident report.

It was 15 degrees at the time, officers reported, and a white pit bull chained in the yard was “shivering,” aikenstandard.com reported. They walked up to the dog and noticed a cage nearby, which had a puppy inside that was dead and “frozen solid,” the report states.

Officers reported both animals were very skinny, and they could count the ribs from a distance, according to wspa.com.

There were two dog food bowls nearby, which were reported as being “dirty and dry,” according to the report. The plastic food container in the puppy’s cage was turned over and crushed, aikenstandard.com reported.

The dog that was still alive had a “thin plastic dog house” with a very “small and tiny” sheet in the bottom of it, according to the police.

That dog is now being cared for by the SPCA, according to multiple reports.

After initially being ticketed, Bacon was taken to the Aiken County Detention center after the charge against her was changed Monday. She was released on a $5,000 bond.

This isn’t the first time Bacon has been in trouble with the law, wspa.com reported. In September, she was arrested for allegedly vandalizing a car. In 2016 she was arrested on two domestic violence charges.

This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 5:06 PM.