Shocking footage shows an Arizona sheriff's deputy shooting and killing seven starving and abandoned dogs on a rural property in September after giving them water.

While the Apache County Sheriff's Office maintains the deputy did nothing wrong, the incident has infuriated local animal rights groups who say the area needs to address mass animal ownership.

Body camera footage shows officers approaching a pack of hungry dogs behind a chain-link fence. Some of the dogs are asleep, while others are barking and wagging their tails. The officers provide food and water for the dogs, and are then seen on video shooting and killing seven of them. The incident report states the officers then dumped the bodies near the train tracks.

“Oh my goodness. This is the worst,” the deputy sheriff said as the dog came inside.

The officer then shot and killed seven of the dogs, leaving two to run away. The shootings were planned and the officer had notified his superiors. The officer, who works in a county without an animal control agency, said he had to put the dogs down due to their condition and the lack of kennel capacity.

Apache County Deputy Sheriff Roscoe Herrera said the county does not have an animal control service, so deputies can deal with animal issues as needed. The Washington Post.

But animal rights groups say shooting is not the right solution and that the problem of mass animal breeding and abandonment in the area needs to be addressed.

“We're not just talking about animals,” said Theresa Shuman, founder of the nonprofit Northern Arizona Animal Search and Rescue. post“The Apache County Sheriff's Office is doing nothing to solve the problem.”

“Animals are dying all over the county,” she added.

This footage was originally of Mountain Daily Star.

Deputy Sheriff Jarrod Toadechiene wrote in an incident report that the dogs belonged to a divorcing couple who had abandoned their home, adding that he had visited the home multiple times over a three-week period after neighbors complained about the dogs attacking livestock. The dogs were not given food or water.

On his first visit, he counted 10 dogs who appeared to be in “good health.” He was then called to the scene after the dogs were chasing a neighbor's donkey.

Toadechiney contacted Shuman and told him she was having trouble finding a new owner for the dog, and a sheriff's deputy called and said he would handle the situation.

In the report, the deputy sheriff said Shuman told him that if the dog was aggressive it may need to be euthanized.

“I told him that if the dogs were wild, he would have to find someone to work with these dogs,” Shuman said. KPNX 12 News. “I said we needed a lot of things, but I never said we needed to shoot them.”

Toadechiney told his supervisor he was going to shoot the dogs. He bought dog food and trays and got water from the fire department. He then went onto the property, gathered the dogs with food and water and put on headphones before starting to shoot the dogs, the body camera footage shows.

Two of the dogs escaped unharmed by hiding under a shed and were later taken to an animal shelter by Schumann. One died from the virus and the other was adopted.

Officers reportedly tried to contact the owners, but one of them said he would be happy to shoot the dog, and they also asked animal shelters for help in locating the dog's owner, but were unsuccessful.

The deputy sheriff said in the incident report that the couple should be charged with animal cruelty.

Herrera said. post, “This tragic decision was made under extremely difficult circumstances, including limited resources, deliberate neglect and abandonment of the dog by its previous owner, and significant time wasted seeking outside assistance.”

A sheriff's office spokesman said: KPNX 12 News reported earlier this month that “The deputy sheriff in question acted professionally and in the most humane manner given the circumstances. He exhausted all other options available to him at the time and acted with the approval of his immediate superiors.”

“Apache County does not have an Animal Care and Control department,” the spokesperson added. “In unincorporated areas, that responsibility falls to the sheriff, and actions taken vary and are considered on a case-by-case basis. We do not have the infrastructure or budget to support such a department.”

The Animal Protection Association post “There was a total lack of compassion and judgment in this horrific incident, and most clearly, the establishment of Animal Protection and Control Services in Apache County is absolutely necessary to prevent this from happening in the future.”

Independent The sheriff's office has been contacted for comment.