10/30/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bz8g1oFuw/
JUST IN - Indianapolis Animal Care Services tells me: "We do not have a statement ready at this time time but as soon as one becomes available to me I will update you."
Breaking: 21 dogs promised a second chance. One never made it home.
Indianapolis, Indiana - They thought they were saving his life. But instead, investigators say he was dead within hours of leaving the shelter, while donations meant to help him continued coming in.
Now a northeast Indiana woman is facing criminal charges, and questions are growing about what happened to the other dogs entrusted to her rescue organization.
Kayla Dillenburg, 32, of Butler, Indiana, ran Welcome Home Canine Rescue. According to investigators, the organization received 21 dogs from Indianapolis Animal Care Services between April 19th and April 29th, 2026. Authorities allege Dillenburg targeted shelter dogs attracting substantial financial pledges from people hoping to save them from euthanasia.
One of those dogs was Mötley. Investigators say Dillenburg picked him up on April 28th. Records show he was cremated that same day. Dillenburg reportedly claimed he died from pneumonia, although shelter records indicated he had recovered from an earlier respiratory illness. According to court documents, she later gave a donor updates suggesting Mötley was still alive. On May 4th, that donor sent $500 toward his supposed medical care.
Investigators say an acquaintance provided a recorded conversation in which Dillenburg allegedly admitted, "I'll just be honest, I choked that dog out." She now faces a Level 6 felony charge of torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal and a misdemeanor fraud charge.
**NEW COURT DEVELOPMENT:** Dillenburg appeared in DeKalb Superior Court just a short time ago on October 30th, pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance under pretrial conditions. Her next scheduled court appearance is January 5th, 2027.
But another part of this investigation deserves attention. Before the criminal charges were filed, Dillenburg publicly announced that she was shutting down her rescue's page, citing alleged threats against herself and her family. She assured supporters that the dogs were safe and most had been adopted. Investigators, however, reported that Indianapolis Animal Care Services had not received the promised adoption documentation. Medical paperwork reportedly existed for four dogs transferred to an Ohio rescue.
Welcome Home Canine Rescue received federal nonprofit recognition in March 2026 and maintained an online adoption presence. Its Petfinder profile identified additional dogs as adopted. We have not independently established whether those animals were among the 21 involved in this investigation or verified their current whereabouts.
**The Real Paul Mueller is now investigating the rescue's history and the safeguards involved in transferring shelter animals to private rescue organizations.** We have contacted Indianapolis Animal Care Services and submitted a public-records request seeking the rescue's signed agreement, screening documents, animal-transfer records and information about how the organization was approved. We are also examining the rescue's state registration and historical adoption records.
The unanswered questions are significant. Can all 21 dogs be accounted for? What happened to animals handled by the organization before April? What documentation did the shelter review before approving the transfers? And what safeguards existed to ensure that dogs marked as rescued actually reached safe homes?
The charges involving Mötley's death remain allegations, and there is no verified evidence that all 21 dogs were killed. But every animal placed in a rescue's care deserves an accountable record of what happened next.
**Mötley was marked rescued. Investigators say he died that same day. Now we're asking what happened to the others.**
RESOURCES: See pinned comment below for court records, reporting and additional information.
SOURCE: DeKalb County Superior Court 1, FOX59, 21Alive News, Indianapolis Animal Care Services, IRS nonprofit records and Petfinder.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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