By MICHAEL ABRAMOWITZ, Daily Dispatch Writer

Two emaciated pit bulls were taken from a Gillburg home by Vance County Animal Control officers Friday after the dogs were spotted by a visiting sheriff's deputy.

The dogs' owner was charged with two counts of animal cruelty based on starvation, according to Alex Hargrove, chief of Vance County Animal Control.

Chanel Holder, 25, of 138 Whitetail Court, was released on bond and ordered to appear Feb. 26 in Vance County District Court.

Deputy D.G. Faulkner had gone to the premises to serve legal papers in an unrelated matter when he saw the two dogs tied up outside.

After he was called to the scene, Hargrove said, he observed six dogs tied up in the yard with no food or water present.

Holder said she feeds the dogs twice a day and gives them water at the same time.

According to Hargrove, “The law requires that water be accessible to animals 24 hours a day.”

Asked where the dogs came from, Holder said they were given to her by various people she knows.

Then she added, “I know that by law, them being in my possession, they're my responsibility.”

“They were in pretty good condition when I got them,” she added. The brown-and-white patched pit bull standing hunched and shivering next to Hargrove fell into such poor condition only recently, Holder said.

She blamed the physical condition of the two dogs on worms. After making the diagnosis herself, Holder said, she gave the animals medication purchased at Wal-Mart.

Animal Control officer Dani Bowen was skeptical of Holder's explanation.

“It's impossible for worms to do that in three weeks,” Bowen said, referring to the dogs' starved appearance.

“People kill me,” Holder said. “They just look at a dog and presume they know, but he's (Hargrove) not a vet.”

The other four dogs discovered on the property remain in Holder's possession, at least until she returns to court for her hearing on the charges.

When asked if she intended to change the dogs' living conditions Holder said she believes they are adequate.

“The conditions are gonna change because I'm gonna move and get away from Vance County,” she said.

The two pit bulls were expected to be taken to a veterinarian later Friday for diagnosis and treatment of any injuries. If Holder is found guilty of animal cruelty, the dogs become county property, according to Hargrove.

“If a rescue group doesn't adopt them, they'll be euthanized,” he said. “They become attached to us, we love them, and then we have to execute them.”