EDWARDSVILLE - State's Attorney Tom Gibbons has filed Cruel Treatment of Animals charges against a Granite City couple for refusing to provide adequate food for their dog.

Monica J. Swafford (d.o.b. 9/23/79) and Harold W. Denninger (d.o.b 8/24/82) are facing misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after it was discovered that they were owners of a malnourished dog that lived with them at their residence on Iowa Street in Granite City.

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A neighbor brought the emaciated dog to an emergency animal clinic in Collinsville on Oct. 24, 2015, after it showed up at her home. The female dog was also diagnosed with fleas and post-partum health issues relating to a recent birth of puppies approximately five weeks earlier. When police went to the owner’s home the next day, Swafford signed the animal and its puppies over to Granite City Animal Control. Charges were filed on Oct. 29, 2015.

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“I want to thank the neighbor whose actions possibly saved the life of this poor dog and her puppies,” said State's Attorney Gibbons. “Pet ownership is a responsibility that my office takes very seriously. People who abdicate that responsibility and treat their pets with such cruel disdain need to know that they will be prosecuted.”

The dog, described as a lab/beagle mix, and her puppies have been transferred to the care of a rescue organization.

Swafford and Denninger do not yet have a court date scheduled at this time. Maximum penalty for a Class A misdemeanor is up to a year in county jail. These charges, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

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