NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) - Taz was just a few weeks old when he was brought in back in August, suffering from broken ribs and bruised lungs .

He’s one example of many animal cruelty cases that Craven County has been seeing a growing number of this year.

“We’re seeing a lot of skinny dogs right now and a lot of abandonment. A lot of that is going on,” said Amanda Schmitz, Director of Craven County Animal Protective Services.

Schmitz says they had around five cases of animal cruelty in 2024. This year, that number has jumped to about 20, with seven cases resulting in felony charges.

Even pet boarding and grooming businesses have noticed the rise in animal cruelty.

“We’ve had dogs that were beaten in doorways and can’t go through them, so we kind of see that frequently with adopted animal

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