Gai arrested in 2005 on similar charges in Waveland
MISSISSIPPI -- A woman accused of hoarding dogs surrendered to authorities Thursday and was booked on a charge of animal cruelty and 117 counts of animal neglect, all misdemeanors in the state.
Shirley Gai, 51, of Gum Pond Road in Pearl River County, has been sought since Tuesday, when deputies, veterinarians and animal shelter volunteers along with representatives from the Humane Society of the United States went to a home she owns on Terry Cuevas Road and seized 117 mixed-breed dogs living there without food or water. Gai did not live at the home.
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| Shirley Gai |
Deputies also found dead dogs inside and outside the home, some stuffed in old dog food bags or in large black garbage bags.
Deputy Chief Phyllis Olds said Gai signed an order surrendering the dogs to authorities, which means the animals, once rehabilitated, will be eligible for adoption.
Thursday is not the first time Gai has faced arrest for violations involving dogs.
On Aug. 23, 2005, she was arrested, but not convicted, in Waveland for violating a city ordinance dealing with animal cruelty and leash laws.
Court officials there said Hurricane Katrina destroyed many city records, and some cases, including Gai's, went unresolved.
Gai was released Thursday on a $3,000 bond. She's scheduled to go to court at 1 p.m. April 24.
Attorney Myles Sharp said he arranged for Gai to turn herself in, but has not been retained to represent her.
Neighbors said Gai showed up at the home on Terry Cuevas Road every now and then to either drop off more dogs or to dump a 50-pound bag of dog food over the fence into the backyard.
The rescued dogs are now at either the Stone County animal shelter or Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg.
They are quarantined and are receiving medical care, though some may be too sick to save.
The day of the raid, officials had to euthanize two dogs because of severe bites from other dogs.
Olds said the larger dogs often attacked the smaller dogs.
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| Staff member Donna Byrd pets a dog rescued from a Stone County house at Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Hattiesburg on Wednesday. |
"We do have some good news," Olds said Thursday. "One of the dogs who was taken out gave birth to some puppies, so they won't ever experience the horror that their mama did. She's a black Lab. She had the babies the night we got her out. "That's the only miracle in this whole thing."
Misdemeanor animal cruelty and neglect falls under the Mississippi Dog and Cat Pet Protection Law.
The crimes are misdemeanors punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.
(Sun Herald - March 21, 2013)
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