Probation for Athens woman who abandoned her dogs to die

By Joe Johnson

A 30-year-old Athens woman has been sentenced to probation for abandoning her dogs to starve in squalid conditions last year that caused the death of one of the pets,

In a negotiated agreement with prosecutors Kanethia Shantheria Blackwell pleaded guilty to all four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

If she had gone to trial and was found guilty she would have faced a maximum possible prison sentence of 10 years for each count.

As a condition of probation Blackwell must have her mental health evaluated and undergo any recommended treatment. She’s also forbidden from having any pets.

Blackwell was arrested in September 2024 after she abandoned four dogs at The Flats apartments on Sycamore Drive.

Management had filed an eviction notice seven months earlier and the police were asked to check her apartment because of a foul odor that was feared might be from a decomposing human body.

Upon entering officers found three starving pit bulls and another one was deceased.

No food or water had been left out for the dogs.