An animal rescue that pulled roughly 250 dogs from metro Atlanta shelters over just eight months is now at the center of a multi-state cruelty case after investigators and rescue workers said animals were found dead, injured and living in filthy conditions at properties in Georgia and Tennessee.
Atlanta News First investigative reporter Anastassia Olmos reported that Cane-9 Rescue & Sanctuary, a nonprofit that presented itself as a safe haven for vulnerable animals, pulled dogs from several Georgia shelters before authorities raided properties tied to the organization and arrested two of its operators.
Jennifer Caneup and her relative Joshua Caneup were charged in Douglas County with animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty, while questions have since widened beyond the conditions at the properties to include rescue oversight, unpaid boarding bills and more than $56,000 in pledges and donations linked to dogs the organization removed from Clayton County Animal Control.
Investigators Say Dogs Were Living In Feces And Urine
Olmos reported that authorities found 18 dogs at a home in Winston, Georgia, living among feces and urine with little ventilation.
According to arrest warrants, one puppy had starved to death, while another dog, a French bulldog, lost an eye after allegedly not receiving needed medical care.
Days later, Animal Rescue Corps, also known as ARC, responded to another Cane-9 property outside Nashville and removed 37 dogs, seven chickens, two turkeys and a pig.
ARC said the animals were living among feces, bones, debris and animal remains.
The organization also said veterinary exams found signs of significant neglect, including underweight and dehydrated animals, eye and ear infections, parasites, ringworm and coccidia.
Those conditions are especially troubling because the dogs had been removed from shelters under the assumption that they were being transferred somewhere safer.
Olmos said most of the dogs found at the Georgia property appeared to match the names, ages and breeds of animals Cane-9 had pulled from Clayton County Animal Control between March and June.
Cane-9 Pulled About 250 Dogs In Eight Months
Atlanta News First Investigates traced Cane-9’s shelter transfers and found that the organization had taken at least 243 dogs from metro Atlanta shelters over an eight-month period.
That included 202 dogs from Clayton County Animal Control, 28 from DeKalb County, at least eight from Bartow County and five from Cobb County.
Olmos reported that Cane-9 began pulling dogs from DeKalb County in November 2025 and later received a Georgia Department of Agriculture license as an out-of-state rescue in February 2026.
County shelters said they worked with Cane-9 because the organization was considered to be in good standing with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
When Atlanta News First asked the department what exactly qualifies a rescue as being in good standing, however, the agency did not provide an answer and denied a records request related to the case because of an open investigation.
That gap is important because the central question is not simply how one rescue allegedly failed, but how it was able to take so many animals from public shelters in such a short period.
If the licensing system is supposed to serve as a basic safeguard, then a case involving hundreds of transferred animals naturally raises questions about how much vetting and follow-up actually happened.
Boarding Operator Says Rescue Left Dogs Behind
Not every dog Cane-9 removed from shelters went directly to one of its residential properties.
John Hambright, who runs Rescue Me K-9 Boarding in Bartow County, told Olmos that Jennifer Caneup asked him to temporarily house five dogs Cane-9 had pulled from a euthanasia list.
He said that temporary arrangement stretched into months.
Hambright told Atlanta News First that Caneup repeatedly fell behind on payments and eventually transferred two of the dogs elsewhere while leaving three with him.
“I would talk to her about needing to pay and abandonment charges, so she would pay a little bit and then we’re back to square one,” Hambright said. “So it was a nightmare dealing with her.”
He sent a demand letter seeking nearly $3,000 in April, but his records later showed Caneup still owed more than $4,600.
In a May message, Hambright also itemized more than $5,400 that advocates had raised for the three dogs before Cane-9 pulled them.
Caneup responded that not everyone had honored their pledges and wrote that the bills were being paid and the dogs would be picked up.
Hambright said that never happened.
More Than $56,000 Was Linked To Fundraiser Dogs
Olmos also examined fundraising tied to dogs Cane-9 removed from Clayton County.
Atlanta News First matched shelter transfer records with online fundraisers created through Partners for Pets and linked Cane-9 to 143 dogs for whom more than $56,000 had been pledged or donated.
The station could not independently confirm exactly how much of that money Cane-9 ultimately received.
Partners for Pets later posted that it was “devastated” to learn that funds raised to help dogs leave Clayton County Animal Control appeared to have been used by a particular rescue for personal gain.
The organization also stressed that it did not control which rescue was allowed to pull a dog, saying that decision belonged to the shelter.
The money issue remains one of the more sensitive parts of the case because supporters donate with a specific expectation: that the funds will go toward transport, food, boarding, veterinary care and other needs for the animal they are trying to save.
When dogs later turn up neglected or remain in unpaid boarding, it becomes reasonable to ask where those pledged funds actually went.
Warning Signs Had Already Appeared
Olmos reported that one Georgia rescue partner had already stopped working with Cane-9 months before the arrests.
Etowah Valley Humane Society, which helps facilitate transfers from Bartow County Animal Control, said it ended its relationship with Cane-9 in April after learning that the rescue was pulling large numbers of dogs elsewhere while not meeting some of its financial obligations.
A rescue coordinator said none of those actions were necessarily illegal on their own, but they were enough to raise concerns.
“For the safety of the dogs, EVHS decided to end our relationship with Cane-9 Rescue & Sanctuary,” the coordinator said.
That decision suggests there were warning signs before the worst allegations surfaced.
The broader concern is whether those concerns were shared widely enough across shelters and regulators, or whether each organization was operating with only a partial view of how many animals Cane-9 was taking in.
Licensing And Financial Questions Grow
Olmos also reported that Cane-9’s website listed only 17 dogs for adoption, with fees ranging from $125 to $350, despite the far larger number of dogs the organization had pulled.
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office said Cane-9 was not registered there to solicit donations, even though the rescue was based in that state.
Public records also showed that Jennifer Caneup had prior financial troubles.
She pleaded guilty in Tennessee in 2020 to charges related to bad checks and served four years in prison, according to court records cited by Atlanta News First.
She and her husband later filed for bankruptcy twice between 2025 and 2026, with both cases dismissed.
Olmos reported that the filings contained major changes in reported income and debt, including monthly household income increasing from $10,250 to $28,000.
The rescue itself was not listed as income or an asset in those filings.
None of those financial records by themselves prove wrongdoing in the current rescue case, but they add to the questions investigators and donors may have about how the organization was being managed.
Rescue Operators Face Animal Cruelty Charges
Jennifer and Joshua Caneup each face 16 counts of animal cruelty and two counts of aggravated animal cruelty in Douglas County, according to the records cited by Atlanta News First.
The station said it could not reach either person for comment.
Jennifer Caneup did not have an attorney listed in court records at the time of the report, while Joshua Caneup’s public defender did not respond to a request for comment.
Olmos emphasized that the two had not been charged with anything outside the animal cruelty allegations in this case.
Meanwhile, animals removed from the properties were placed in the care of ARC and Douglas County Animal Services, while advocates continued trying to account for other dogs they believe Cane-9 had taken.
Hambright was still caring for three dogs connected to Cane-9 and said one, Benji, needed veterinary attention for a skin problem.
“Nobody gets involved in rescue thinking that they’re going to make money,” Hambright said. “It’s a labor of love. We do it for the dogs.”
The case now leaves two sets of questions hanging over the rescue system: what happened to the animals after they left public shelters, and whether the agencies and organizations responsible for approving transfers had enough oversight to recognize that something was going wrong before dozens of animals were found living in hazardous conditions.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
