Woman charged in Duluth animal abuse case

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The owner of the dog who was brought to Animal Allies starved has officially been charged.

Rainna Ann Korby, 23, of Duluth was charged with mistreatment and torture of an animal.

According to the criminal complaint, on November 11, a woman brought a pit bull to Animal Allies in Duluth.

The woman said she was a DoorDash driver and found the dog in the ditch near Boomtown Restaurant in Rice Lake.

Animal Allies employees and volunteers then took in the dog, named him Lovebug, and made a Facebook post hoping to learn more information.

The next morning, the non-profit updated the Facebook post to say that Lovebug had died due to the severity of the neglect.

An agent received information that Lovebug belonged to a woman later identified as Korby.

Korby told authorities that the dog from the Animal Allies Facebook post was her dog “Gio.”

She said she adopted Gio when he was approximately six months old, and he lived with her and her young daughter at her apartment.

According to court documents, Korby explained in August or September of this year the woman who brought Gio to Animal Allies began staying with her.

She also started to help take care of the dog and Korby’s daughter.

Korby stated she was struggling and became very overwhelmed with her living situation about a month ago and decided to leave her apartment to go stay with friends.

Korby told authorities she assumed the woman would continue to take care of the dog while she was away.

However, she admitted that she never asked the woman to take care of the dog while she was gone.

Investigators then spoke to the woman who stated she sometimes stayed with Korby.

According to the criminal complaint, she knew Korby was having some mental health issues and had been working a lot.

She also clarified she did not move in with Korby, but just had a bag there and occasionally helped out with her daughter.

She then gave law enforcement text conversations between her and Korby.

One conversation from November 1 shows Korby asking the woman to check on the dog and feed him.

The woman did and told Korby the dog was skinny but was able to go to the kitchen and eat food.

Then, on November 11, Korby talks about not wanting to go home to a dead dog and acknowledges her awareness of how bad the situation had become.

Court documents say she left the dog in a small metal kennel which was locked and did not give food and water to the dog.

The dog was left in the kennel by himself, unable to fully extend his limbs, and had to lay in his feces and urine.

On November 11, before taking the dog to Animal Allies, Korby asks the woman if she would go check on the dog so she does not have to see him in a neglected condition, or dead.

She then asked that if the dog is dead, to bury him or bring him up to the North Shore so he would not be found right away.

The woman then explained to Korby the dog’s condition, and Korby suggested she bring the dog to a shelter.

In the text messages, Korby recommends a variety of cover stories to suggest to the workers at the shelter that the dog was found in this condition and does not belong to her or anyone she knows.

She then responded by emphasizing how she needed the dog out of her house saying to the woman, “like I’m not tryna go drop him somewhere to die but if I have to [I guess] I’ll do it and live [with] it.”

Deputies learned Korby was staying with her mother in Carlton County, with her five-year-old daughter.

Her mother expressed concern about Korby’s mental health.

She also believed that Korby was currently using controlled substances.

Korby is looking at up to two years behind bars for the incident.

Her next court date is set for December 12.

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