Dorian Lee Harper and his wife, Wanda Sue Larson, were arrested on Friday after deputies found their 11-year-old foster child handcuffed to the porch with a dead chicken hanging from his neck.

Police arrived at the home of Harper and Larson, who works for the Department of Social Services — which regulates the state’s foster care program — in Union County, North Carolina, after an animal control deputy found the boy on porch while searching for a loose pig.

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The boy had been handcuffed by the foot to the porch, and was shivering, possibly suffering from exposure. When the deputy attempted to question the couple about the child’s condition, another foster child opened the door and loosed a pack of large dogs who chased the deputy back to his car.

While the deputy waited for backup officers to respond, he witnessed Harper remove the dead chicken from the child’s neck and unshackle his leg. When police arrived, they removed four foster children from the house.

A neighbor told WCNC that he was surprised that DSS didn’t check on the foster children, even if their foster mother was a DSS supervisor.

“Anyone who takes children should be supervised,” he said. “I don’t care who it is.”

Watch the complete WCNC report below.