Animal Collectors & Hoarders

[Anonymous]

63 neglected cats discovered during traffic stop


ROSWELL, New Mexico (AP) -- A routine traffic stop Wednesday led to the discovery of more than 60 sick and hungry cats in the back of a moving van driven by a 71-year-old woman.

Mary Jane Lyle pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of animal cruelty at a court appearance. She was being held in a Chaves County detention center.

If prosecuted, the charges carry possible prison time.

An officer pulled over the van because one of its taillights was out. While the officer was talking to Lyle, he heard noises coming from the back.

"Our officer heard a cat that appeared to be injured in some way," said police spokesman Robert Giles.

Lyle said she had a cat. But when the officer opened the back of the truck, he discovered 63.

Two of the cats were dead and the others were "in various stages of health," Giles said.

The cats were turned over to local animal control officers.

Police said Lyle was traveling from Minden, Michigan, to Tucson, Arizona.

Source:
here

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Tigers??

I know they are a tiger "rescuer" but neglect on this scale speaks of people not being able to cope when their obessesions got out of hand (as does the presence of other animals in a similar state)).

Animal cruelty trial begins

By JANET M. HARP, Staff Writer

RIVERSIDE - The smell of feces, rotting flesh and decomposing animal bodies was described in the prosecution's opening statement on Monday in the animal cruelty trial for a Riverside County tiger rescuer.

Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Weissman displayed a host of photographs depicting frozen tiger cubs, malnourished animals and decaying carcasses spread across the property of former exotic animal sanctuary owner John Weinhart, 62.

Weinhart and his partner, Marla Smith, face 17 felony and 46 misdemeanor charges, including child endangerment. They were arrested in April 2003 when state Department of Fish and Game investigators found 90 dead tigers and at least a dozen unhealthy live ones, among other animals, on their property.

"What (investigators) actually found was more graphic and disturbing than any of them had ever imagined,' Weissman told the jury of eight women and four men.

She then displayed pictures of a dead house cat, two other cats with "severe' cases of mange, two donkeys and a goat with injuries and overgrown hooves and two alligators in a bathtub at the Glen Avon property. There also were photos of one tiger chained to a stake, another in a small cage and 11 live cubs in the attic.

Charges include having no permit for the animals or breeding, various types of animal cruelty and failure to maintain logs of the animals' health care.

"All 63 charges are baseless,' deputy public defender Addison Steele said in his opening statement.

Steele said Weinhart has worked with animals his entire life. His home and his Colton animal sanctuary, Tiger Rescue, were known as animal refuges, so people often abandoned their distressed, ill or dying animals on his property.

Weinhart took the animals, no matter their condition, and attempted to nurse them back to health. Most of the unhealthy animals on his property at the time of the raid were abandoned and being cared for or en route to Tiger Rescue, Steele said. In addition, he did have permits, but there was a lapse between when the previous one expired and receiving the renewal at the time of the raid.

Steele responded to the child endangerment charge saying the couple's son was never in danger because he lived in a second house on the property, located in the front and away from the animals. He also said there are no charges concerning the frozen cubs or carcasses, because neither are illegal.

"What you're going to have is three to four weeks of some sensationalism,' Steele told the jury.

The first witness, Riverside County Animal Control Officer Tammie Belmonte, was one of the officers who arrived at Weinhart's home early the morning of April 22, 2003.

Weissman showed her most of the same photos, and Belmonte verified they were all a "clear and accurate depiction' of what she saw that day.

She described the smell as worse than those she encountered recovering dead human bodies with cadaver dogs and said the property was "filthy' with feces everywhere.

The trial continues today.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

More news on that last case:

Last updated: January 25. 2005 2:32PM

Woman Pleads in Calif. Tiger Abuse Case

The Associated Press

A woman accused of keeping dozens of tigers in horrific conditions at her home and allowing her then 8-year-old son near alligators and big cats pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and child endangerment.

Marla Jean Smith, 49, and her partner, John Weinhart, 62, were each charged with 17 felony counts and 46 misdemeanor counts, including animal cruelty and illegal breeding.

Officials raided Weinhart's Tiger Rescue in April 2003 and said they found 58 dead tiger cubs stuffed into freezers, 30 dead adult tigers, several malnourished tiger and leopard cubs and two alligators in a bathtub.

They were also charged with child endangerment because they allegedly allowed their child near the alligators and tigers kept in their back yard in Glen Avon, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

Smith entered a plea Monday before her trial was to begin because she did not want her son to testify against her as a prosecution witness, said her attorney, Regina Filippone.

At the start of Weinhart's trial Monday, Deputy Public Defender Addison Steele said the child knew how to handle the animals and use tranquilizer darts.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced March 10 to three years probation and up to 120 days in jail. She could have received up to 16 years in prison if convicted. She is also likely to be barred from owning or caring for any animal during her probation.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Sheriff's office seizes 87 horses, citing starvation, neglect

Chereen Langrill
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 01-27-2005


At least 87 horses, many described as starving and severely neglected, were impounded from a Gem County ranch Wednesday.

Idaho Humane Society and sheriff's officials describe the animals' condition as shocking and "pitiful," but the rancher says most of the horses are healthy and he vows to get them back.

The humane society impounded the horses from a ranch in Sweet Wednesday morning, and authorities spent most of the day at the scene, gathering information.

Paul and Karen Shay are each charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of animal neglect according to Gem County Sheriff Clint Short.

Paul Shay said his wife is "crushed" that the horses were taken away. She had raised some of the horses from birth and has had them more than a dozen years, he said.

It wasn't necessary to take all the animals away because most were healthy, Shay said.

"When you've got 90 head of horses you're going to have a few thin horses," he said, adding that the couple's horses were well fed.

Shay said he believes the horses were seized not because of their condition but because of plans — part of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's recently announced proposals for Idaho highways — to extend Idaho 16 through Gem County to Valley County.

"The truth is they're putting a four-lane highway through Sweet," Shay said. "The highway is going to go right through my place."

The Shays have lived on the more than 76 acres that border part of Butte Road since 1990.

Shay said he believes the county has been planning to seize the horses in order to pressure the couple into selling their property for the highway.

He said he plans to hire an attorney and will fight to get the horses back.

"Absolutely. That's my wife's life," Shay said. "That's what she lives for."

Short said the sheriff's office received a call Monday from someone who said they were concerned the Shays' horses weren't being fed.

A deputy went to the property to look at the horses, and authorities returned Tuesday with the state veterinarian, who determined the animals were in poor health, Short said.

"It's just pitiful," Short said. "I have animals myself, and I just can't believe it."

Idaho Humane Society spokeswoman Dee Fugit said the horses had no access to vegetation and were standing in mud up to their knees, eating their own feces to survive.

"They had nothing," Fugit said. "Nothing."

Shay denied the horses had no access to food and said a 24-hour caretaker was on the property to ensure the animals were fed and cared for when the couple was away from the ranch.

Fugit said one of the foals was trying to nurse off a horse that wasn't his mother because his mother wasn't producing milk. Another foal had trouble eating today because it didn't know how to eat, she said.

Many of the horses suffered from eye problems, had manes and tails covered with burrs and had severely overgrown hooves, she said.

One of the horses is pregnant and has problems with her back legs.

The horses that need medical treatment will stay on the new Idaho Humane Society Rescue Ranch in south Boise.

The other horses will stay at a ranch in Gem County, where they will begin a monitored feeding regimen to regain their health, Fugit said.

The Shays will be formally charged in a Gem County courtroom on Tuesday, Short said. It will be up to a judge to determine whether to return the horses to the couple, Fugit said.

"There's no reason to take all those animals," Shay said.

"They came and wiped us out. More than 14 years work and they took it all."

Additional Information

How to help

The Idaho Humane Society is a non-profit organization and doesn't have a budget set aside for animal rescues. Money will be used for rehabilitation efforts, nutritional supplements, halters and other equine supplies. To make arrangements to donate equine supplies, contact Kim Neill at 331-8553. Monetary donations can be made by contacting Chris Moore at 387-2760 or directly to the Idaho Humane Society donation account at any U.S. Bank branch in the Boise area.
Donations of alfalfa or grass hay are needed by the Gem County Sheriff's Office. The agency will take some of the rescued horses and care for them in a property in Gem County.
To help, Sheriff Clint Short suggests calling the Gem County Dispatchers at 365-3521, or drop off the hay at the Emmett fairgrounds on South Johns near the base of Freezeout Hill.


Previous case

In April 2004, the Idaho Humane Society rescued 56 malnourished horses from a Meridian pasture.
Most of the animals rescued Wednesday from Gem County didn't appear to be as thin as the Meridian horses, Fugit said, but living conditions were worse than those in the Meridian case.
The Gem County horses had no visible source of food. The Meridian horses had been eating a neighbor's rose bushes.
The owner of the Meridian horses signed them over to the humane society and was not prosecuted, and the horses were adopted.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Posted on Wed, Feb. 02, 2005

136 cats, many sick, rescued from P.G. home

Property condemned by city

By JULIA REYNOLDS and GEORGE B. SANCHEZ

Herald Staff Writer

More than 100 cats, many sick with respiratory illnesses and fleas, were rescued from a Pacific Grove residence Tuesday afternoon.

Acting on a tip received last week, Pacific Grove police entered the home of an elderly widow in the 1300 block of Miles Street, where they found 136 cats. No arrests were made, but a criminal case for animal neglect charges was opened and sent to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

After police and animal control officers entered the home, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Monterey County staff retrieved the cats.

"The SPCA was called in to assist when we realized the enormity of the problem," Pacific Grove Police Chief Carl Miller said.

The conditions "were deplorable," said Gary Tiscornia, SPCA executive director.

Tiscornia said when staff entered the residence, the smell of cat urine was strong and litter boxes were overflowing with feces.

By 8 p.m., at least 60 cats had been scanned for microchip identity implants. At least three had owners, Tiscornia said.

"We believe a number of the cats probably had owners," he said.

City health and planning department officials condemned the residence, which will require cleanup and inspection before being occupied again.

"The lady cared about cats and thought she was helping them," Miller said. "There are people called 'animal collectors.' It's a condition that affects a surprisingly large number of people. Usually friends or family intervene, because it often gets worse."

The elderly woman who owned the home allowed a younger woman to live with her rent-free, Tiscornia said. The younger woman collected cats in the street and brought them back, creating a "cat colony," he said.

"I can't tell you what was in her head," Tiscornia said of the younger cat collector. "But hoarding is something she was doing."

Two other women were hired to take care of the cats, he said. Both objected to the conditions and were helpful during the rescue efforts, he said.

Police declined to release any names.

According to Miller, city ordinances say there can be no more than three cats or dogs in a single-family home.

"We make exceptions for kittens and puppies," Miller said. "They can stay in the home for six months."

Miller said there have been a half-dozen similar cases in 28 years in Pacific Grove.

A fact sheet published by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says the condition is a common one: "Collectors often find themselves isolated and psychologically dependent on their animals, and they need and cling to them to the animals' detriment.... The collector may become known as the neighborhood 'cat person' or 'dog person,' collecting strays and taking in 'drop-offs.'"

The SPCA of Monterey County is encouraging people with missing cats in the area to contact the agency.

"In cases like this, we like to see the person get help," Miller said of the elderly widow. "It wasn't a healthy condition for the animals, the residents or the neighbors."

Source

 

[MrRING]

Dozens of Dead Cats Found in Home
Jennifer Leslie Reports

A woman may be charged with animal cruelty following the discovery of dozens of dead cats at her home in north Fulton County.

Investigators say they found 134 dead cats in various states of decomposition at the home belonging to Lauri Lockwood last week. The home is located on Alstone Field Drive in Alpharetta. Twenty-six cats that were found still alive were taken to the Cat Clinic of Roswell for treatment. Some required extensive medication and hospitalization.

“I’ve been doing this awhile but I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said David Smith, the executive director of Fulton County Animal Services. “We kept finding more and more and more as we dug through garage bags, inside of cat carriers, inside of cat cages."

The county health department has condemned the home for the inhumane conditions inside. “The word on the street was she had some dead cats but we didn’t know the magnitude of it,” said Prasanna Chikte, a neighbor.

Chikte said the homeowner has not returned to the home since police went inside last week. The police report indicates the homeowner was out of town at the time. The woman’s ex-boyfriend contacted her veterinarian because he was worried about the cats and the veterinarian called police.

The Fulton County district attorney is waiting for test results on how the cats died before reaching a decision on any charges. Smith said initial indications are that the cats died of starvation and dehydration. Lockwood had volunteered for two different cat rescue organizations over the past several years and she is well known in animal rights circles.

Many said they were surprised by the discovery of the dead cats. Fulton County Animal Services asked for donations to help the cats found alive. Those cats will also eventually have to be adopted.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=58610

 

[lopaka]

More Than 200 Animals Seized From Oconee County Home
Shelter Closed Tuesday To Deal With Animals

POSTED: 6:04 pm EST February 7, 2005
UPDATED: 11:03 pm EST February 7, 2005

WESTMINSTER, S.C. -- Just months after dealing with an influx of more than 150 animals, the Oconee County Animal Shelter is busy again after another animal seizure Monday afternoon.

Animal control officers took more than 90 dogs, 30 cats and 80 birds from a home near Westminster.

"They were in their own feces, little water to any of them. A lot of them were in small dog carriers, no feed and water," Dan Gerrard, of Oconee County Animal Control, told WYFF News 4's Erin Hartness.

Gerrard said officials found waste on the floors of the home and dead animals in cages and sacks behind the home.

"Never been in a place as bad as this," he said.

Officials believe the owner of the animals runs a pet store in Georgia, but may be in the hospital now. They believe she was raising the animals to sell at the store.

The animals were brought to the Oconee County Animal Shelter, which will be closed Tuesday to concentrate on dealing with the animals.

"We're constantly facing that problem with overcrowding here at the shelter, and we get a case like this, it makes it worse. We just try to accomodate the animals the best we can," Bridgette Winkler said.

Winkler said the shelter hopes to find foster homes for the animals, but that they won't be available until they've been checked by a veterinarian this week.

Officials said they expect to file charges against the owner later this week. The owner's name has not been released.

Winkler said there are no plans to put any of the animals to sleep at this point.

Previous Stories:

* August 17, 2004: Benefit To Help Seized Oconee County Dogs Scheduled
* July 27, 2004: People Line Up To Be Foster Owners To Seized Dogs
* July 23, 2004: Nearly 200 Dogs Seized From Two Upstate Homes

Copyright 2005 by TheCarolinaChannel. All rights reserved.

http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/news/ ... etail.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Actress Testifies About Squalor At Animal Compound

POSTED: 11:21 am PST February 16, 2005
UPDATED: 11:24 am PST February 16, 2005

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Actress Tippi Hedren, operator of the Shambala Animal Preserve in Acton, testified in the tiger abuse trial of John Weinhart that she complained to federal authorities after seeing the squalid conditions at his Glen Avon compound.

"The Birds" star, testifying for the prosecution, said Tuesday that her 1998 visit was like "walking through a trash dump."

"I don't understand how anyone could have such little regard for these animals," she said, adding U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said there weren't enough inspectors to respond to her complaint.

Zoning problems forced Weinhart to move his compound from Glen Avon to Colton in 1999.

Weinhart, 62, is on trial for 16 felony animal cruelty counts, one count of felony child endangerment and 44 misdemeanors stemming from an April 2003 raid on his property. He allegedly mistreated 11 tiger and leopard cubs found in his attic, two alligators in a bathtub, two young tigers on a patio and several other animals.

Hedren said her visit in 1998 left such an indelible impression that she made room for a lion at her sanctuary to keep the animal from being sent to Weinhart's Tiger Rescue facility.

"I took the lion rather than allow him to go to Tiger Rescue," Hedren said.

California Department of Fish and Game agents and Riverside County animal control officers testified earlier that Weinhart's then-8-year-old son was found inside his trash-strewn home where the two alligators were in a bathtub, a juvenile tiger was chained on a patio and powerful animal tranquilizers, including PCP, were stored in an unlocked refrigerator.

Weinhart denied the allegations during four days of testimony, saying that he had never mistreated an animal during his more than 40 years working with exotic animals.

Hedren, the mother of actress Melanie Griffith, has operated the Shambala preserve for about 30 years. She said the facility houses about 70 big cats, including tigers, lions and leopards. Her visit to Weinhart's compound was in connection with her work with the American Sanctuary Association, which has developed a set of standards for animal sanctuaries and preserves.

"It was disturbing," Hedren said, adding she was shocked by the emaciated appearance of the cats, mounds of trash, feces, dead chickens and feathers.

Last month, Weinhart's partner pleaded guilty to child endangerment and animal cruelty charges. Marla Jean Smith, 49, entered the plea Jan. 24 out of concern for her 10-year-old son, a key prosecution witness, Smith's attorney Regina Filippone said.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Taylor said that as part of the plea agreement, Smith was expected to be sentenced March 10 to three years probation and up to 120 days in jail.

The judge said he also planned to bar Smith, who could have faced up to 16 years in prison if convicted, from owning or caring for any animal during her probation.

--------------------
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Horses Allowed To Starve, Owner Faces Animal Cruelty Charges

Feb 15, 2005, 03:08 PM

By Jeff Tang

(LOUISVILLE, February 15th, 2005) -- It was a shocking discovery in Bullitt County when four horses were found starved to death on their owner's farm. Five others were near death and more dead horses are said to be buried on the property. Now the owners may face charges. WAVE 3's Jeff Tang investigates.

Delbert Martin has been busy these past few days caring for his five new horses. "I feed these every morning before I go to work," Martin says.

That's more than their previous owners can say. All of the horses on Daniel and Eugene Edgeson's farm have been neglected for months, and five horses were on the verge of dying from starvation after weeks without food.

"I haven't seen any hay given to no animals all winter," said next door neighbor Harold Ashby.

At least four horses didn't survive the neglect, and one of the dead horses lay just feet away from Ashby's home. "I was fertilizing my fields and I saw it was lying in the corner of the barn," Ashby said.

Police saw the rest when they showed up. Even seasoned veterans were shocked by what they found. "In my many years of law enforcement, this is the worst I've ever seen," said Chief Deputy Jim McAuliffe of the Bullitt County Sheriff's Department. "We have animals who literally died and fell in their stall. We have animals outside. We have animals in the fields that are perished."

Police say as many as seven other horses are buried on the property.

The Edgesons were arrested and charged with nine counts of cruelty to animals. McAuliffe has horses himself. "Animals have a heartbeat. Feelings and thoughts like anyone else," he said.

Martin volunteered to nurse the five living horses back to health. Not surprisingly, they've taken a liking to him. "They're eating good, they always holler when I come in the barn."

Martin hopes they'll also take a liking to some eager fans: his grandchildren. If all goes well, the horses will be ready to run in just a few months.

Second degree cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

Police say it is possible that further charges could be filed against the couple.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Nearly 170 Animals Seized From Tyler County Home

Reported by Kara Stevens
February 22, 2005 - 8:19PM

Investigators have seized nearly 170 animals, including dogs, rabbits, birds, chickens, and even a guinea pig from a home in the Tyler County town of Chester, west of Woodville.

Officers say the animals are undernourished, and one officer said he has never seen anything like it.

Kara Stevens traveled to Chester to investigate.

Captain Clint Sturrock/Tyler Co. Sheriff's Department:
"Imagine the worst and it's a little worse than that."

A sign outside this Tyler County home warns people to beware of a guard dog.

But that's not the type of animals law enforcement officers say they found here Tuesday morning.

John Fuller/Constable, Tyler Co. Pct. 2:
"There were dead rabbits, dead chickens, dead dogs all around, feces, we just had to walk through it. It was all over."

Officers say they discovered nearly 170 animals caged in the yard and inside the home, including a guinea pig, 12 chickens, 23 rabbits, 26 birds, and 107 dogs.

John Fuller/Constable, Tyler Co. Pct. 2:
"There's everything from bloodhounds to german shepherds to chihuahuas and daushhounds. Some could be fine dogs, but not here."
According to officers, the animals were not getting the care they needed. Many were found living among their own waste, without food and water.

Captain Clint Sturrock/Tyler Co. Sheriff's Department:
"These people are claiming they are breeding these animals, but here's no way you can keep enough feed for these animals to maintain a body weight to even reproduce."

The animals aren't the only ones who might have been suffering. People who live nearby have complained to officers about the smell.

John Fuller/Constable, Tyler Co. Pct. 2:
"We're probably 40 yards from the home and it's terrible. To be in that house you have to have a mask on."

Captain Clint Sturrock/Tyler Co. Sheriff's Department:
"To sleep one night in that house is unbearable. I don't know how anyone can do that, especially allow their child to do that."

That's the issue that most concerns officers.

They say a young girl has been living in this home with her parents and the animals.

Officers say they are doing everything they can to make sure she doesn't have to live in these conditions any longer.

Many of the animals have been taken to the Houston A.S.P.C.A. for medical treament.

The owners of the home have not been charged with any crimes.
Child Protective Services is also investigating the case.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

last updated: 2/23/2005

Man convicted of animal cruelty after dozens of dead tigers found

By The Associated Press

(02/23/05 - RIVERSIDE, CA) — A self-proclaimed animal rescuer was convicted of animal cruelty after investigators raided his compound and found dead tiger cubs stored in a freezer and dozens of tiger carcasses strewn about the property.

John Weinhart, 62, was found guilty Tuesday on 56 of 61 charges, including animal cruelty and child endangerment. He could face more than 14 years in prison when he is sentenced March 22.

Weinhart was arrested following an April 2003 raid on his property in Riverside County, where state fish and game officials had been told he was keeping two young tigers and two alligators without permits.

Investigators allegedly found 11 newborn tiger and leopard cubs living in an attic space, 58 frozen tiger cub carcasses and the rotting or mummified carcasses of at least 30 exotic cats scattered around the property, some tied to abandoned cars.

Investigators also found Weinhart's 8-year-old son in the trash- and feces-strewn home, where alligators were kept in a bathtub and syringes and powerful animal tranquilizers were stored in an unlocked refrigerator.

Weinhart's partner, 49-year-old Marla Jean Smith, pleaded guilty last month before her trial was scheduled to begin. She is to be sentenced March 10.

Weinhart denied the allegations against him during the trial, saying he had never mistreated an animal during more than 40 years of working with them.

His attorney, Addison Steele, said the conviction was "a great injustice" by "a group of city folks asked to judge what happens on a farm." He also said Weinhart's son was never in danger.

Weinhart founded his Tiger Rescue business at his Glen Avon home in 1972. The compound, which eventually grew to house 90 tigers, was intended to be a retirement facility for animals that appeared in films, commercials and TV shows. For $20, visitors could have their photo taken with a baby tiger.

In 1997, neighbors' complaints about bad smells and other problems led to a lawsuit, and Weinhart opened another site a few miles away, though he continued to keep exotic cats at his home. A few months before the April 2003 raid on his home, a routine inspection had found problems at the new site, as well, authorities said.

-------------------------
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Article Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 8:57:42 PM PST

Dozens of dogs taken from home

Upland woman may face charges

By Melissa Pinion-Whitt
STAFF WRITER

UPLAND - About 40 dogs, many sick and malnourished, were seized Wednesday from a woman living in a home littered with garbage and feces.

Upland Code Enforcement served an inspection warrant in the 1000 block of Sycamore Court and declared the home uninhabitable, said Upland police Sgt. Alan Ansara.

"Basically the entire floor of the home is covered in paper, debris and feces," Ansara said.

Code enforcement officers said the debris was so deep it was considered a fire hazard. No working bathroom could be found, police said.

Police plan to recommend prosecutors file animal cruelty charges against the homeowner, Nancy Holm-Barrett, 61. She was not cited or arrested Wednesday.

Code enforcement came to the home at 9:50 a.m. after receiving a complaint from a neighbor about the odor and barking coming from the home.

Police found dogs inside and outside the home, some suffering from eye infections and hair loss, possibly from mange or fleas, Ansara said. A number of puppies were weak and were believed to be malnourished. Most of the dogs are cockapoos and poodles, but one spaniel was also seized.

Dog after dog was carried out of the home throughout the day, and animal control officers had to make several trips to drop them off at a shelter. Several black-and-white wild cats lurked around the overgrown front yard while the dogs were hauled away.

An animal control officer said the cats didn't belong to the woman, but for some reason they liked to hang around her property.

Animal control officers filled five pet carriers with mother dogs and their puppies. Additional dogs were found hiding in various sections of the 900-square-foot home.

Neighbors said the woman's husband died several years ago and that she has lived alone since then. The only time they saw her was when people came to her house to buy one of her dogs.

Juan Morales and his cousin, Alejandro Ramirez, said they often heard the dogs crying at night.

"They don't get fed, and all night long they bark," Morales said.

Frederick Dee, who has lived on Sycamore for four years, said code enforcement officers have been to the woman's house numerous times in the past year.

"She's been working on cleaning up her house for a long time," Dee said. "We've gone over there to help her clean up her back yard."

The woman told police she could find another place to live until her home is declared habitable again.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Mother and daughter found living among more than 100 rats

Mon Mar 21,12:26 PM ET


ANNOVER, Germany (AFP) - A mother and her 10-year-old daughter lived several months in a filthy two-room apartment in the company of more than 100 rats, said German police.

The police were alerted to the situation after neighbors complained of a strong smell of excrement coming from the apartment.

When the renter opened her door to the police on Saturday, they were greeted by a swarm of flies.

Inside the apartment police officers found cages containing guinea pigs, rabbits and parrots, and the floors were covered in feces.

One of the rooms, which was originally the little girl's, was inhabited by rats.

"My colleagues didn't open the door to the second room because the rats would have come running out," said police spokeswoman Petra Holzhausen, adding that veterinary specialists were currently eradicating the rodents from the apartment.

Holzhausen said the renter had clearly lost control of the situation.

"In the beginning she just kept a few rats, but they bred out of control."

The renter admitted to continuing to feed the rodents over the last six months.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

04/12/05

Fate of 40-cat house unknown

NORTH PORT -- Becky Zanker can't go in her front yard without being attacked by fleas.

"We are going to bomb the house," Zanker said Monday.

The fleas are not coming from inside Zanker's home, but from her next-door neighbor's. On March 28, North Port Animal Control and the Suncoast Humane Society removed more than 40 cats from 8189 San Jacinto Ave. Feces was everywhere. For the dozens of cats, there were only two litter boxes. Rotted food sat in bowls. Urine had begun to seep up the walls.

"The walls are melting from the cat urine," said Zanker, who with several other neighbors, have tried to clean the house. "I called 15 different agencies -- social services, environmental service. Everyone kept passing the buck. I actually had one lady who told me, 'You can't tell her how to live her life.' It wasn't until I called the abuse hot line that anyone did anything."

Animal Control and the Suncoast Humane Society were able to go into the house after a home health nurse contacted them about the deplorable living conditions -- and the 83-year-old homeowner allowed them in. The woman was removed by out-of-state family, according to Win Sell of North Port Animal Control. However, the woman returned to the house sometime before April 8.

On Friday, North Port Fire Rescue responded to the house after another family member called saying the woman had numerous flea bites due to her living conditions. She was taken to Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte. Neighbors say she has since moved to Connecticut to live with her sister.

The report said both the house and yard are still infested with fleas and the house would be a health risk for anyone living inside.

Zanker said the flea problem has since spread to five other houses.

"We call also smell the house when the wind changes," Zanker said.

North Port Fire Rescue forwarded the report to the Department of Children and Families.

Andy Ritter, DCF spokesman, said because of confidentiality laws, he could not comment specifically on the case. However, he said because the woman is an adult, she could not forcibly be removed from the house unless she showed a lack of mental capacity.

"If she was at risk of injury or death, we would send a medical person or law enforcement in to help make the determination if she were competent," Ritter said.

According to Zanker and Kristie Packett, another neighbor, neighbors were aware the woman had cats -- they just had no idea how out of hand the situation was.

"She seemed so normal," Packett said. "She was the nicest lady."

However, there was a clue no one had initially picked up on.

"The neighbor would take her grocery shopping, but wouldn't let her take the groceries in the house," Zanker said.

All 40 cats had to be euthanized after five tested positive for feline leukemia, a fatal and easily spread disease. Sell said there are still traps in the house and neighborhood trying to catch remaining strays.

"Where there is one stray, there is another," he said. "They can be quite elusive."

Zanker and Packett said very few neighbors were willing to help the woman.

"I was helping her get a shower and she was crying, saying, 'Everyone hates me,'" Zanker said. "She said people would come to the door and say she was bringing down the neighborhood."

Zanker said the woman had called Sarasota County Animal Control about a year ago when the cats started to get out of hand. Zanker said the 83-year-old said no one responded.

Now that the woman is out of the house, the question remains of what will happen to it.

According to a Sarasota County Health Department spokeswoman and Sell, neither can do anything without the homeowner's permission.

"It's still her house," Sell said. "Whatever is going to happen has to come through her or someone who has power of attorney."

Everyone who has been in the house said it is unlivable and will have to be razed.

"I hope the city or county will step in and condemn it," Zanker said. "It's a health hazard."

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Woman With Hundreds of Wild Birds Arrested


Apr 22, 9:11 PM (ET)

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) - A woman was jailed after police and wildlife agents found hundreds of wild birds - many of them dead or neglected - littering her home and yard.

Raymona Balko, 70, was booked into the Benton County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty charges Thursday.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife also is expected to seek charges for possessing protected wildlife and live wild birds, Sgt. John McIntosh said.

About 400 birds - including wild magpies, hawks, owls, pheasants and quail - were found at Balko's home during the raid, Detective Rick Runge said. Some were in cages, others were perched on curtain rods and still others were in trees or bushes outside, he said.

Dead birds in various states of decay were scattered throughout the house and yard, officers said. Bruce Young of Tri-City Animal Control said his staff also seized chickens and roosters, pigeons, a goose and peacocks, as well as a couple of dogs and a cat.

All the animals appeared to be neglected, Young and McIntosh said.

McIntosh alleged Balko was convicted of similar charges in 1992.

In a 2000 interview in the Tri-City Herald newspaper, Balko - known as the "bird lady" - said she would bring just-hatched chicks for children to see and touch at the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo.

She claimed to have a degree in bird management from the University of Nebraska, and that she once had a federal permit to care for wild birds. People continued to bring injured, abused or unwanted birds to her even after the permit expired in 1988, she said.

Balko did not apply for court-appointed counsel and apparently will represent herself in court proceedings next week.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

'Cat Hoarder' Forced to Give Up 70 Felines


Apr 24, 7:12 PM (ET)

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) - An animal shelter has taken in more than 70 cats that were given up by their owner in what officials described as a case of "animal hoarding."

Sharon Turner, director of the Coastal Humane Society, said the man who had the cats is a hoarder and that hoarding "is a bona fide mental illness" related to obsessive compulsive disorder.

An animal hoarder "is a person who amasses more animals than he/she can properly care for. Such individuals generally fail to recognize - or refuse to acknowledge - when the animals in their custody become victims of gross neglect," the Humane Society of the United States said on its Web site.

Turner said the cats' owner had been working with the shelter over a couple of years to build up trust. Finally, she said, he recognized his financial limitations and "did absolutely the right thing" by giving the cats to the shelter.

The shelter's staff scrambled Wednesday to accommodate the frightened felines at the same time they were accepting 12 of 92 English springer spaniels and puppies seized last week from a kennel in Dover-Foxcroft.

Turner said the fuzzy cats were in unusually good condition - given the circumstances. Some have wounds and burned paws from urine exposure, while others have upper respiratory illnesses that can affect the eyes. Other problems, she said, are a result of inbreeding.

In the Washington County town of Waite, animal control officers responding to a tip seized 12 dehydrated dogs Wednesday from a mobile home and found the bodies of 18 more.

The dogs living at the homes were all huskies except for one bichon frise, said Jennifer Howell, an agent with the state Animal Welfare Program.

"Most of them were really thin, and a few were emaciated," she said. "They had no food and no water and inadequate shelter."

The owner, whose name was not released, signed over control of the dogs to animal control officials, who took them to the Central Aroostook County Humane Society in Presque Isle.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Just frightening - surely she doesn't think she is actually doing some good for these animals??

165 animals rescued from urine-soaked, feces-strewn Rialto home

Friday, May 13, 2005

(05-13) 10:29 PDT Rialto, Calif. (AP) --

Responding to neighbor complaints about a home's stench, authorities removed 135 dogs and 30 cats from a urine and feces soaked residence where a rotting Great Dane was found earlier in a malfunctioning freezer.

Charlotte Spadaro, a former mayor of Beverly Hills, had been rescuing animals for three years and kept them at her South Acacia Avenue home. Authorities monitoring the residence since discovering the Great Dane in January finally got a search warrant to remove the animals Thursday.

"I think the city is out to have them massacred," Spadaro said.

But police Lt. Joe Cirilo said the house was a health hazard for its occupants, neighbors and the animals. After a neighbor complained months ago about the smell and noise at the house, officials found the decomposing corpse of a Great Dane in a malfunctioning freezer.

"At some point we have to draw the line," Cirilo said. "That's why we're here to seek proper care for these animals."

A city inspection was scheduled for Feb. 2 because of the Great Dane discovery. A day before the inspection, Spadaro loaded a rental van with 2,000 pounds of animal carcasses and parked it on a street in Riverside, authorities said.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies found the van, which had begun to stink, several days later.

City Attorney Kathy Gandara said the city has tried to work with Spadaro and conducted periodic inspections.

"She is not willing or able to comply," Gandara said. "This is a last resort for the city."

The animals removed from the home Thursday were taken to the Devore Animal Shelter for examination by a veterinarian. Spadaro has 10 days to request a procedural hearing to determine whether the city was justified in removing the animals.

Spadaro said she runs a legitimate kennel for rescued dogs and cats and the city's action Thursday was illegal.

"I think Rialto has been persecuting me, frankly," Spadaro said.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Woman 'kept 271 animals at home'

A woman who was obsessed with collecting animals kept 271 creatures crammed in her cottage in "dismal and depressing" conditions, a court heard.

The pets, mostly dogs, were emaciated and suffering from infections and injuries, Preston magistrates heard.

Nine of the animals had to be put down after RSPCA inspectors took them from the house in Silverdale, Lancashire.

Rosalind Gregson, 55, denies 49 charges of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.

The animals were kept in dark, dusty, dirty conditions in Ms Gregson's home off Lindeth Road, with little water and food and hardly any ventilation, the court heard on Wednesday.

Tim Bergin, prosecuting, said: "It is not the prosecution's case that this defendant maliciously caused cruelty to the animals in her home, simply that she allowed her obsession to collect animals, as it were, to overwhelm her.

"This resulted in her losing complete control and the ability to care for the animals in her charge."

The court heard that when the RSPCA visited Gregson's home in September 2003 they were confronted by more animals than they had ever seen in one house before.

The dogs, cats and birds were mostly caged, often in pairs and sometimes in threes. Some of the dogs were unable to stand up to their full height, the court heard.

Mr Bergin said: "The condition of the animals was on the whole poor. Some were emaciated or thin with matted coats often covered with faeces and urine.

Rats and fleas

"Most of the dogs had eye infections and some had injuries which caused nine of the animals to be euthanased soon after."

"There was little water and food and the house was generally in darkness, with little if no ventilation."

There was also evidence of rat infestation, fleas, dust and dirt, and the house was subject to extreme temperatures, the court heard.

------------------
The case continues.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/u ... 559281.stm

Published: 2005/05/18 13:51:05 GMT

© BBC MMV

Woman kept nearly 300 animals

Last Modified: 18 May 2005
Source: ITN

A court has heard how a woman who was obsessed with collecting animals kept 271 creatures crammed in her cottage in "dismal and depressing" conditions.

Preston Magistrates' Court heard the animals - mostly dogs - were emaciated, often covered in faeces and urine and suffering from infections and injuries.

Nine of the animals had to be put down shortly after RSPCA inspectors removed them from the property.

Rosalind Gregson kept the animals in dark, dusty, dirty conditions in Silverdale, Lancashire, with little water and food and hardly any ventilation, the court heard.

The 55-year-old denies 49 charges of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.

Tim Bergin, prosecuting, told the court: "It is not the prosecution's case that this defendant maliciously caused cruelty to the animals in her home, simply that she allowed her obsession to collect animals, as it were, to overwhelm her."

He continued: "This resulted in her losing complete control and the ability to care for the animals in her charge."

Mr Bergin told the court that when the RSPCA visited Gregson's home in September 2003 they were confronted with more animals than they had ever seen in one house before.

The dogs, cats and birds were mostly caged, often in pairs and sometimes in threes. Some of the dogs were unable to stand up to their full height, the court heard.

Source

Woman admits animal cruelty charges

Last Modified: 20 May 2005
Source: ITN

A woman who was obsessed with collecting animals and keeping 271 pets crammed into her cottage, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.

Rosalind Gregson, 55, admitted nine counts of causing unreasonable suffering to animals at Preston Magistrates' Court.

The animals, mostly dogs, were emaciated and often covered in faeces and urine. Nine of the animals were put down shortly after RSPCA inspectors removed them from her home.

Gregson now faces a maximum six months imprisonment and a £5,000 fine. The RSPCA accepted her plea on condition that her remaining pets - eight dogs and a parrot - are removed from her home.

She was released on bail to return to court on June 10 for sentence. District Judge Peter Ward said: "If we look to the nature of the offences and have regard to the offender, one is bound to look at a custodial sentence as a starting point."

When RSPCA officers raided her home, they discovered 246 dogs, 16 birds, five cats, two kittens, a rabbit and a chinchilla.

RSPCA officer Sarah Harland told the court that she was struck by an overpowering stench of ammonia, urine and excrement when she first entered Gregson's cottage in Lancashire.

Gregson admitted she spent around 16 hours each day looking after the pets. Some of the dogs were grossly underweight and most had matted coats contaminated with faeces.

The nine charges referred to cruelty to nine dogs - two Yorkshire terriers, three Lhaso Apsos, three shit-tzu and one old English sheepdog.

Gregson had initially denied 49 counts of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.

Source

Woman admits nine cruelty charges

A woman who kept 271 animals in appalling conditions at her Lancashire home has admitted nine cruelty charges.

Rosalind Gregson, 55, of Silverdale, had denied a total of 49 charges of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.

The trial was halted after she changed her plea to guilty at Preston Magistrates Court on Friday.

The case was adjourned for three weeks until sentencing. Mrs Gregson has agreed to hand over all the animals.

The 40 remaining charges will remain on file.

The court had previously heard that RSPCA officer Sarah Harland found dogs, birds, cats, a rabbit and a chinchilla at her home.

She said she was struck by an overpowering stench of ammonia, urine and excrement when she first entered the cottage in Lindeth Road on 10 September 2003.

Ann-Marie Gregory, defending, told Friday's hearing: "There is a very tragic background to this case. It's not a deliberate or wanton act.

"It's taken some act of courage for Mrs Gregson to do this today.

"Of course, it's right there are nine animals that suffered and she must be punished."

Gregson kept the animals in dark, dusty, dirty conditions with little water and food and hardly any ventilation, the court was told.

Dogs put down

District Judge Peter Ward adjourned the case to allow probation reports to be compiled but said he was keeping "all options open".

The nine charges referred to cruelty to nine dogs - two Yorkshire terriers, three lhasa apsos, three shih tzu and one old English sheepdog.

Five of the animals had been so mistreated that they had to be put down.

Mr Ward said: "If we look to the nature of the offences and have regard to the offender, one is bound to look at a custodial sentence as a starting point and consider the particular circumstances of the mitigation.

"It seems to me we can quite adequately deal with the justice of this case on the nine (charges) and it's reasonable in the circumstances not to pursue the others."

The RSPCA has applied for costs totalling £139,749.22.

Gregson was released on bail to return to court on 10 June for sentence.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/u ... 566033.stm

Published: 2005/05/20 12:00:55 GMT

© BBC MMV

 

[lopaka]

Just frightening - surely she doesn't think she is actually doing some good for these animals??

165 animals rescued from urine-soaked, feces-strewn Rialto home

Source

But that's why, in some of these cases, I have a much harder time feeling angry towards the collector than just sorry for them. Here's another 'noted animal lover/rescuer in the community gone bad' story. Some of these people, while guilty of various charges, and clearly having some serious mental health issues to be addressed, don't strike me as being especially malevolent, on some level. Note, they have not seized all her animals (yet?).

Official: 200 dead cats found at animal worker's home

Monday, May 23, 2005 Posted: 8:57 AM EDT (1257 GMT)


EAST ORANGE, New Jersey (AP) -- A woman who founded a "no-kill" animal shelter was charged with health code and animal welfare violations after 200 dead cats were discovered rotting in garbage bags in her backyard.

Marlene Kess, who has built a reputation in Manhattan as a caretaker of homeless and dying cats, had 48 cats inside her house, including 38 in one room, authorities said.

Out back, 200 vermin-infested cat corpses were stuffed into garbage bags and apparently were going to be buried in a large hole that had recently been dug, said Sgt. Joseph Bierman of the state's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The cats were discovered after neighbors complained about the stench.

"Oh my God, it was awful," said Michael Fowler of the Associated Humane Societies. "The smell was horrible."

Kess, 56, is the founder and executive director of Kitty-Kind, which runs one of New York City's few no-kill shelters.

She said the cats died of natural causes. State SPCA spokesman Matt Stanton told The Star-Ledger of Newark an investigation into the death of the cats is "ongoing."

A longtime resident of Greenwich Village, Kess moved to East Orange in July.

"I take very good care of them," Kess told reporters Friday. "People who know me know there's no cruelty involved."

Kess was cited for health code violations, including keeping an unlawful number of animals, harboring dead animals and causing an environmental hazard with the corpses. The SPCA, which enforces the state's animal cruelty laws, charged Kess with 38 counts of failing to properly shelter cats.

Authorities are allowing Kess to keep the 48 cats in her home because she promised to separate the sick animals from the healthy ones, Bierman said.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/23/dead.c ... index.html

 

[tastyintestines]

I tend to agree with you, Lops, that these people need serious mental medical help, I still wanna take all the people who abuse animals like this, and cram them in a ten by ten storage shed without food and water, and see how long they last. :x

 

[Melf]

Woman 'kept 271 animals at home'

A woman who was obsessed with collecting animals kept 271 creatures crammed in her cottage in "dismal and depressing" conditions, a court heard.
[snip]...[/snip]"It seems to me we can quite adequately deal with the justice of this case on the nine (charges) and it's reasonable in the circumstances not to pursue the others."

The RSPCA has applied for costs totalling £139,749.22.

Gregson was released on bail to return to court on 10 June for sentence.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/u ... 566033.stm

Published: 2005/05/20 12:00:55 GMT

© BBC MMV

the update:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lanc ... 081040.stm

A woman who kept 271 animals in her home in appalling conditions has been jailed for three months.
Rosalind Gregson, 55, of Silverdale, Lancashire, admitted nine charges last month of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.

An earlier hearing before Preston magistrates heard the animals were emaciated and covered in faeces and urine when they were found.

Ms Gregson was disqualified from keeping animals for life.

Preston Magistrates' Court heard many of the animals were suffering from infections and injuries when they were found by RSPCA inspectors at Mrs Gregson's home off Lindeth Road.

There were 246 dogs, 16 birds, five cats, two kittens, a rabbit and a Chinchilla. Nine had to be put down.

At an earlier hearing Ms Gregson had denied 49 counts of failing to provide the animals with necessary care and attention.


But in May she changed her plea and admitted nine counts of causing them unreasonable suffering.

The nine charges referred to two Yorkshire terriers, three Lhaso apsos, three shih tzu and one Old English sheepdog.

Five of these animals had to be put down.

Defending Ms Gregson, Ann-Marie Gregory told the court her obsessive animal collecting began when her son died from a drug overdose 15 years ago.

She said: "She never had any counselling, she never had any way of dealing with the pain or loss.

"That appeared to be the trigger factor in her beginning to collect a large number of animals.

Dirty conditions

"This is wholly about a tragic set of circumstances. It's about sadness, it's about isolation, it's about the loss of a child, it's about despair, it's about obsession. The list just goes on and on."

Ms Gregson had kept her animals in dark, dusty, dirty conditions with little water or food and little ventilation.

The RSPCA officers described in court how their eyes had watered and they had found it difficult to breathe in the house.

Asked why there were so many animals in the house, Ms Gregson told police: "Because it got out of hand, its just an obsession, I couldn't stop."

'Beyond belief'

RSPCA Inspector Sarah Hayland said the scene she found was beyond belief.

"It's a normal looking property from the outside -- and then to be faced with the room full of dogs.

"And we had no idea how many animals were in there, right until the second day when we'd been in all the rooms.

"It's just the enormity of it, the amount of animals involved is something that I've never come across before and hope never to again," she told BBC Radio Five Live.

(c) bbc 05

 

[eyepod]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/4091706.stm

Hundreds of animals found at home

More than 300 animals have been found at "residential premises" in Norfolk, the RSPCA said on Tuesday.

The 131 dogs, 48 cats, 80 rabbits and 86 guinea pigs were found at a property in Cromer on Monday.

A spokeswoman said a person had been cautioned by the RSPCA and vets were examining the animals.

"This is one of the biggest numbers of animals we have ever found at one location in these circumstances in the UK," she said.

"Due to the condition in which they were found, some of the animals are likely to be euthanised," she added.

Officials said an investigation was now under way and inspectors were gathering evidence about the background to the discovery of the 352 animals.

The spokeswoman would not say whether the person cautioned was a man or a woman, but the caution amounted only to a warning that an investigation had begun and a criminal prosecution could follow.

The RSPCA has not given the exact location of where the animals were found, nor whether they were living in a house or a farm.

 

[Min Bannister]

the update:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lanc ... 081040.stm

A woman who kept 271 animals in her home in appalling conditions has been jailed for three months.

Another update. She's appealing. :hmph:

Ed Evening News (may need registration)

A WOMAN jailed for three months after cramming 271 pets into her cottage in Lancashire was today set to launch an appeal against her sentence.

Rosalind Gregson, 55, pleaded guilty to nine specimen counts of causing unreasonable suffering to animals at a court hearing last month.

Can't find the story anywhere else or any more detail at the moment.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Va. Police Remove 246 Cats From Two Homes


Jul 11, 6:20 PM (ET)

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - Animal control officers have removed 187 cats from a house in Mount Vernon and 59 cats and one dog from a home in Falls Church, authorities said Monday.

In the Mount Vernon case, police went to a home on Ludgate Drive, Friday, to find Ruth Knueven, 82, living inside with 187 cats. Officers said the dead bodies of 86 more were left in trash bins outside.

Most of the surviving cats were sent to an animal shelter, but animal control officers said they have to go back and get some cats that are still living in the walls and chimney.

In another case, officers found 59 cats and a dog at a house on Hillsborough Drive in Falls Church on June 27. The bodies of 29 dead cats were also found on the property where authorities said Jane Baldinger, 58, lived. Animal control officials took the surviving cats and dog into their custody.

In both cases, neighbors complained of foul stenches surrounding the buildings.

Both women have been charged with failure to care for animals. Both homes have been condemned and officials were helping the women find temporary housing.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200507 ... F1FG1.html

 

[SoundDust]

Hundreds of Gerbils found in home

RSPCA inspectors found more than 550 live gerbils when they raided a one-bedroom bungalow.

They were being kept in cages, tanks, wine boxes and washing up bowls stacked more than six feet high in the house in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

The males and females had not been separated so they continued to breed.

The animals have been signed over to the RSPCA to be cared for at one of the charity's centres. They are asking for donations of food and bedding.

Poor state

RSPCA Inspector Mick Garrity said: "There were containers and gerbils absolutely everywhere.

"The hallway was full and there were about 35 containers in the bathroom alone."

Many of the gerbils were pregnant and some were in a poor state requiring veterinary attention, he added.

He said prosecution of the owners is likely.

 

[Melf]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4142444.stm


Animal ban for woman 'in squalor'


A woman who kept a dog, cats, birds and hamsters in a house full of rubbish has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years by a judge.
Former carer Hazel Marian Jones, 55, had admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog and cat. The remains of the others were found.

She was also fined £2,000 by district judge Andrew Shaw, sitting at Wrexham Magistrates Court for the sentencing.

He said Jones, from Mold, had been depressed and had fallen into squalor.

The court heard that a Springer Spaniel called Ellie kept by Jones had nails which were so long that one curled in through the pad of the paw, causing great swelling and pain.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, said: "In the front garden were a number of cats and kittens...once inside the property officers found mountains of rubbish from floor to ceiling."

An earlier court hearing, at which Jones pleaded guilty. heard the rubbish made all of the house inaccessible except the hallway, stairs and front bedroom. A strong smell pervaded the building.

Jones kept the dog and a cat locked up in cages, with hardly any space for them to live. The cat, and another one seized outside, had to be put down.

The skeletal remains of hamsters and birds were found in cages, together with the remains of a kitten which had died some time previously.

The conditions of the animals were discovered when police were called to the address in Mold to check on the welfare of Jones, who was living alone.

Neighbours had become concerned that mail was piling up and that they had not seen her. It emerged she was working at a residential home for the elderly in Ellesmere Port.

Police called in the RSPCA when they found the caged dog and cat.

At the earlier court hearing, her solicitor Phillip Lloyd Jones said his client had co-operated fully and wanted the RSPCA to know that there was another cat which went to the house each day to be fed.

He said matters had "got on top of her" since her husband walked out seven years previously and she had "struggled and struggled".


He said she had "felt like a prisoner in her own house" because one of her two sons had previously been attacked but the assailant, who had been jailed, had lived close by.

He told the court his client was planning a new life outside the county.

At the sentencing on Thursday, Mr Jones said: "Mrs Jones has been living under a regime of torment for some time. Not only were the animals living in these conditions but Mrs Jones was there as well."

Judge Shaw told her: "You've neglected your health and descended into squalor."


(c) bbc 05

 

[Melf]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lanc ... 167348.stm

Farmer jailed over pony cruelty

A farmer was jailed for five months and disqualified from keeping animals for life after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to 11 ponies.
John Askew, 69, who is known as Brian, from Bacup, Lancashire, left his animals in appalling conditions near his home, Burnley Magistrates heard.

He left the animals with no shelter and little food, some ridden with worms.

The RSPCA welcomed the sentence and said it sent out a message that cruelty to animals would not be tolerated.

The court was told that when RSPCA inspector Nina Port visited his hill farm she found the rotting carcassas of six ponies near piles of scrap metal, an old rusting car, a caravan and other rubbish.

In a field nearby they found 18 emaciated ponies - some with their spine and pelvic bones visible.

Some were ridden with lice and worms.

No suitable drinking facilities were available, the ponies had no shelter and their grazing area was sparse and of poor quality.

The court heard Askew had poor health and looking after ponies in winter became too much for him.

All the ponies removed from the farm are now in good health after receiving expert care.

RSPCA chief inspector Brett Witchall, who took part in the investigation, said: "This sentence was fitting punishment for a man who very obviously could not cope with the volume of animals in his care, and rather than asking for help he allowed them to suffer.

"Help was out there, if only he had asked for it."


(c) bbc 05



5 months????? thats just a slap on the wrist

 

[Yithian]

Dead cats discovered in freezers

The bodies of about 100 cats have been found stuffed behind radiators and in two freezers in a flat in Leeds.

RSPCA inspectors were called to the property at Kingsdale Court, Boggart Hill Road, Seacroft, by a company cleaning the block of flats.

Floors throughout the flat were covered in about 2ft of human and cat excrement, the RSPCA said.

Insp Lynsey Harris said: "I was horrified by what I discovered in that property... it's unbelievable."

The animal charity had been called out by the firm A-Z Environmental Services which was cleaning the block.

Inside Insp Harris found 100 dead cats, including animals which had been stuffed behind radiators and crammed into a chest freezer and an upright freezer.

Alongside the bodies in the upright freezer was edible human food.

She said: "The smell was absolutely sickening. It is unbelievable, but it appears that someone may have been living among these corpses. What on earth was going on here?"

Power at the flat had been switched off for some time.

Vets at the charity have said they are unable to carry out a meaningful post-mortem examination on any of the bodies because of their state and inspectors do not know if the animals were killed there or elsewhere.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west ... 289764.stm

:_omg:

 

[mindalai]

Women facing jail over animal house of horrors
Mark Branagan
A MOTHER and daughter were warned yesterday they both faced jail for keeping 120 cats and dogs in conditions of "appalling squalor" at their Yorkshire home.
At least one animal had to be put down when the RSPCA swooped on the house shared by Edwina Ashworth, 55, and Rachel Ashworth, 31, at Low Marishes, near Pickering.
When RSPCA inspector Gill Corder and Ryedale Council dog warden Brian Dunn called last December, they were refused admittance by the mother who said that one of the dogs would bite them. So the RSPCA officer began looking around the adjoining three static caravans, wooden shed, and garage.
"The situation she was presented with was appalling," Philip Brown, prosecuting for the charity, told Whitby magistrates.
After calling other RSPCA inspectors and police, 98 dogs and 22 cats were removed from the premises, including 30 dogs in the living room and 22 cats from a bedroom.
Malton vet Torben Orskov, called in to assist, said: "I did not see a single item of bedding which was not soiled or a floor not grossly contaminated with urine and piles of faeces."
He said he was "utterly appalled" not only by the conditions in general, but also by "the squalor the dogs were forced to live in from the moment of arrival."
He added: "I took comfort on leaving the premises that night in the thought that the dogs would hopefully never have to live in such a dirty, unhealthy environment again."
The place was a breeding ground for fleas, the animals' breathing and eyes might have been irritated by the stale urine, they needed water, and there was only a bit of dried food in the bowls, most of which were empty.
He found the 22 cats living in an ill-ventilated room where part of the ceiling had been removed to allow them to run around the rafters. There were only two beds for them to sit on, one of which was covered in rubbish bags.
Mr Brown added some of the animals were "emaciated" through not being fed properly. One skinny and dehydrated black-and-white collie was found to have been suffering from diabetes and had to be put down.
A shiatsu, which should have been regularly groomed, had to be sedated while its matted coat, which had not been cut for more than six months, was trimmed by vets who found the dog was suffering from a skin disease and tapeworms.
Yesterday Rachel Ashworth admitted 17 of 39 animal cruelty charges. Her mother, who was not present, has also admitted 34 out of 39 similar offences. The RSPCA offered no evidence on the remaining 27 charges which were dismissed.
Miss Ashworth was bailed to appear before Bridlington magistrates on November 4 for sentencing with her mother, who has so far been unable to attend court because of health problems.
Presiding magistrate John Brett said they wanted pre-sentence reports on both mother and daughter. "But the offences are so serious you may go to prison," he added.
After the hearing RSPCA inspector Geoff Edmond said: "This is one of the worst cases the RSPCA has ever had to deal with in the area. The inspector – who was responding to a call – was appalled by the conditions." Fortunately most of the animals had been found new homes, he added.
As she left the court Miss Ashworth said: "I have no comment to make as yet – but there is another side to the story."
[email protected].
08 October 2005

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArt ... ID=1216243

I find it hard to believe these people start off intending to cause suffering, but what is going on in their heads when it gets to this stage?

Are they people who love animals so much they start off "rescuing" them, but then just can't cope? Surely they can't be people who don't like animals, because why would they fill their homes with them?

It's obviously a recurring theme, so there is some kind of pattern of human behaviour here, but I really don't understand how people get into these situations.

 

[ramonmercado]

Neighbors File Suit Over Couple's 200 Pets

Neighbors File Suit Over Couple's 200 Pets
Thu Oct 13, 4:58 PM ET



Neighbors of a Cascade County woman facing animal cruelty and other charges have filed suit, asking a judge to take away 200 animals and forbid her to have any pets.

"We've waited six years for something to be done," said Linda Metzger, one of 17 neighbors who filed suit. "I was encouraged by the county's efforts initially, but now... I just think we citizens have to step in."

Pamela Polejewski and her husband Michael Hanson were charged in August with a string of charges related to the number of animals kept on their property. Deputies responding to complaints from neighbors found 17 cats, two goats, seven pigs, 16 chickens, two turkeys, two guinea pigs, six parakeets, two ducks, 18 horses and 138 dogs.

With their criminal trial pending, county officials said Polejewski and Hanson initially agreed to cooperate with authorities to care for the animals while their fate was decided. But officials said Polejewski and Hanson have since dropped their attorneys and are no longer cooperating.

The neighbors' lawsuit asks a judge to label the couple animal "hoarders" and seeks unspecified damages.

Polejewski and her husband could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Their trial on the criminal charges is tentatively set for Nov. 23.

Polejewski faces 130 counts of failing to vaccinate, 138 counts of not having ID tags for her dogs, and six counts of animal cruelty.

Hanson is charged with five counts of animal cruelty. All the charges are misdemeanors.

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com