A northeast Indiana woman who ran a dog rescue operation is facing felony animal cruelty and fraud charges after investigators say she strangled a dog named Motley, had him cremated the same day she picked him up, and then let a donor send money for his medical care days after he was already dead. Kayla Dillenburg, 32, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Thursday.
Dillenburg is charged with torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, a Level 6 felony, along with misdemeanor fraud, according to Fox 59. She ran an operation called Welcome Home Canine Rescue and had claimed to have pulled 21 dogs from Indianapolis Animal Care Services in just three days, a claim the agency later confirmed only in part — it told investigators it had indeed turned over 21 dogs to Dillenburg, but had never received any adoption paperwork for them, as reported by WANE 15.
The case against Dillenburg centers on Motley, a dog she picked up from Indianapolis Animal Care Services on April 28. Records show he was cremated that same day, the same date he was picked up, according to the outlet's reporting. IACS records had indicated Motley fully recovered from a respiratory infection by April 25, just three days before his death.
A Recorded Confession and a Healthy Dog's Photo
An acquaintance told police that Dillenburg strangled Motley and handed investigators a recorded conversation in which Dillenburg can be heard saying, “I'll just be honest, I choked that dog out.” The same acquaintance also gave police a photo showing Motley appearing healthy in Dillenburg's kitchen on April 28, the day records show he was cremated.
The acquaintance separately told police that Dillenburg had said Motley went after her child and that she had him put down, an account investigators say conflicts with Dillenburg's own recorded statement about strangling the dog. That same acquaintance described Dillenburg's conduct as unethical and cruel.
Money Kept Flowing After the Dog Was Already Dead
Investigators said Dillenburg continued to solicit support for Motley well after his death. She told a donor on April 29 that Motley had been approved for an adoption application and would soon go home. On May 4, that donor sent $500 for the dog's medical care — money authorities say Dillenburg accepted knowing Motley was already dead. The donor did not learn Motley had died until May 6.
Authorities said Dillenburg deceived the donor “into paying money for Motley's medical care when Motley was already dead,” per the same WANE 15 account. Court documents also allege Dillenburg proposed a separate scheme: raising pledge money for rescue pets, then euthanizing them cheaply at a vet clinic and splitting the profits with an acquaintance she approached in April.
Investigation Triggered by Worried Donors
The investigation into Dillenburg began in May after several people who had crowdfunded money for the dogs' medical care started asking what had happened to them. A probable cause affidavit states that investigators determined Dillenburg's rescue claim was false after speaking directly with Indianapolis Animal Care Services, which told them it had received medical paperwork for only four of the dogs — those transferred to an Ohio rescue.
Dillenburg has since taken down her rescue page, which she said was because of social media threats. She has told authorities the situation was a misunderstanding, claiming she resolved confusion with Indianapolis Animal Care Services, found new homes for all the dogs, and sent adoption paperwork along with photos of the dogs in their new homes. According to court documents, she did not ultimately produce proof of those adoptions or rescue transfers.
Dillenburg was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Thursday, and online court records did not list a date for an initial hearing.
A Pattern Beyond One Indiana Case
Allegations of rescues misrepresenting dogs for profit have surfaced elsewhere this year. In Los Angeles, the city attorney's office sued Wagmor Pets and its owner, alleging the operation bought and resold “hundreds if not thousands of dogs purchased from breeders” while charging adoption fees of up to $1,500 and falsely presenting the animals as rescues, according to the Los Angeles Times. That lawsuit seeks more than $7 million in fines, though Wagmor's owner has called the case a money grab, saying it recycles claims already litigated and dismissed. Wagmor had gained fame in 2019 after an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' show and later placed pets with celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Dwayne Johnson, per the same report.
