USA. Puckett, Mississippi. September 3, 2005. A starving dog forages for food after being let off of its chain by journalists. Thousands of animals were abandoned by their owners. In this case, residents of rural Mississippi near Puckett abandoned two dozen animals, many on chains and in cages, without food or water, for more than a week because the electricity went off in their home. Mississippi's laws against cruelty to animals are the most draconian in the U.S.