A pair of Creek County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a domestic assault call on Fawn Fairway in Kellyville stumbled upon a situation that led to the two individuals involved being charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.
According to the report, the call happened about 9:00 am on Tuesday morning, and deputies arrived to find the two defendants, Robert Rubenking, 68, and Jennifer Lynne Rubenking, 52. Jennifer Rubenking had a warrant out for her arrest for embezzling $220 from Walmart, so she was taken into custody immediately.
While the deputies were speaking to the reporting party, the arrest report says they noticed three “severely emaciated” dogs in the front yard. According to the statement, “The animals’ rib structure could be seen through their fur, along with their hip bones sticking out. The dogs had severe loss of muscle tone, causing all their joints to look enlarged.”
Veterinarians, law enforcement agencies, and others use a standard called the “Purina Body Condition System” to measure the condition and health of a dog to determine whether a change needs to be made in the animal’s care. It’s frequently used as a way to tell if a dietary change is needed, but can also used by police to determine if a pet is being properly cared for.
According to this system, an “ideal” condition would be a 4 or 5 and include having the ribs with minimal or normal fat covering, with the waist easily noted. Dogs that are ill or not being fed or cared for regularly may have lower scores. Dogs that are overweight and varying levels of obese would have a higher score, all the way up to 9.
According to the arrest report, the first dog deputies spotted was a Border Collie mix that scored a 1-2 on the Purina Body Condition System. The next two dogs were Anatole Shepherds that also scored a 1-2.
While searching for additional dogs, deputies found a deceased German Shepherd that was a 0-1 on the Purina Body Condition System. The fifth dog deputies found was a Husky mix that was found next to the deceased German Shepherd. That dog was a 3-4 on the Purina Body Condition System.
Deputies said the dogs had no access to food or water, and that they were attached to 6-8 foot chains that kept them in place near makeshift shelters.
Both Robert and Jennifer Rubenking were arrested and charged with five counts of cruelty to animals.
