INDIAN MOUND, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – On Christmas Eve, animal rescue volunteers from Clarksville went out to help with a dog rescue in Indian Mound after the owner suddenly passed away. When they arrived, they were shocked to discover dozens of dogs in “deplorable” condition: malnourished, emaciated, injured and infected with parasites.
Of the 37 dogs found at Sagley’s Biker Bully Farm, 22 are in urgent need of rescue transfer, fostering or adoption. Many are not vaccinated, not fixed, and have worms, and two have bullets lodged in their bodies, according to Dr. Colleen Ritter, veterinarian with Critters Animal Services. “These dogs have been lacking proper care and nutrition for a while,” she said.
Owner’s death, conditions discovered
On Dec. 18, Lisa Sagley passed away suddenly at age 60, leaving behind family, friends and her rescue, Sagley’s Biker Bully Farm (SBBF), in Indian Mound, 25 miles west of Clarksville, just over the Stewart County line.
“When we heard of the founder passing, we knew that we needed to step in and help take care of these dogs,” said Mikaela Lambert, owner of Mikaela’s Mutt Motel. “We offered to microchip all of the dogs for free and went out there on Christmas Eve.”
Initially, Lambert said, they weren’t allowed back into the kennel area, and when SBBF workers brought some of the dogs out, many were emaciated and malnourished. Lambert said the skinniest one was 2 years old and born in the SBBF rescue.
“Several of them had tumors,” Lambert said. “All of them were covered in fleas, so at that point we were like, ‘How can we help? How can we get these dogs out of this situation?'”
Lambert called in Critters Animal Services, a mobile vet clinic, to assess a particularly sick and injured dog that possibly needed to be euthanized.
“I went out to where 90% of the dogs are being held in fenced-in areas,” Dr. Ritter told Clarksville Now. Those fenced-in outdoor areas “were all concrete, dirt and full of feces. All of the dogs that I saw were quite thin, and all of the water bowls were completely molded over.”
Ritter explained that the dog she was called out to assess was extremely skinny, flea-infested and had an infected puncture wound in the side of her chest. Despite the dog’s condition, Ritter determined that with proper nutrition and medicine, euthanasia would not be not necessary.
She examined another dog named Scooby that was severely emaciated and flea-infested. According to Ritter, Scooby had a doghouse in his kennel that was too small for him to fit, and he was lying on concrete. “I was worried that he wasn’t going to survive the night if it got cold enough.”
According to Ritter, from Sagley’s passing on Dec. 18 to Christmas Eve, six days was not enough time for the living conditions and health of the dogs to reach such a point. “These dogs have been lacking proper nutrition for a while,” Ritter said. “I have Scooby now, and he should weigh about 80 pounds at a healthy weight, and he’s 57 (pounds).”
Despite the apparent lack of feeding, Lambert documented a large pile of unopened dog food nearby.
Clarksville Now has reached out to SBBF employees.
Donated building used for boarding, grooming
When Paula Hall, 73, moved to Tennessee from California, she saw that the mission at SBBF could use some help. Hall, with over 40 years of experience rescuing and fostering animals, decided to invest in the nonprofit in Indian Mound to see them flourish.
In 2019, SBBF began construction on a $100,000 facility, which Hall donated to help their rescue efforts. According to Hall, she also donated a $45,000 adoption trailer and paid $25,000 to run heating and air through the new indoor facility for the rescue.
NEWS TIPS: Do you have a local news tip? Email news@clarksvillenow.com or call us at 931-648-7720.
On Dec. 24, Hall got a call from Lambert, who informed her of the situation at SBBF and asked if Hall would foster some of the dogs.
“I was devastated,” Hall told Clarksville Now. “She (Lisa) told me she was going to do boarding out in her garage. That (donated) building was for the adoption dogs that were thrown out. It was never built for boarding or to make money on.”
Hall said she also found out there was a groomer working at the indoor building as well. Social media posts from August 2022 show that a grooming and boarding business partnered with SBBF, offering discounted grooming for dogs adopted at the nonprofit, along with additional boarding services. The owner of that business says they haven’t been affiliated with SBBF for the last two years.
Law enforcement steps in
On Dec. 24, Dr. Ritter contacted the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office to report the conditions at the SBBF to hopefully get help from regional rescues. After meeting some initial resistance from an officer who was surprised by the situation, she reached out to Stewart County Sheriff Frankie Gray.
Gray told Clarksville Now he has since visited the property, and he confirmed the situation.
“Right now, there are no charges against anyone,” Gray said. “I’ve reached out to the state Humane Society and have been communicating with them, so we may have all the dogs placed.”
Gray said he doesn’t know what caused the lapse in care for the animals, as he has visited SBBF multiple times before and has never seen it in this condition. He said Sagley’s health may have declined over the last few months and prevented her from effectively overseeing the rescue, but he is not yet sure.
A meeting is planned between Gray, the Stewart County mayor and other stakeholders to discuss the issue at SBBF.
To help
Those willing to rescue, foster or adopt should visit Mikaela’s Mutt Motel website for more information.
Clarification: The owner of the business that briefly operated at SBBF says they haven’t been affiliated with SBBF for the last two years. The business name has been removed.
LATEST NEWS: Check out the most recent news articles
