Instead, deputies found 22 adult cats, five kittens and 18 dogs in "deplorable" condition. The animals were malnourished, infested with fleas and covered in feces. Several of them were near death.
One dog's flea infestation was so bad, deputies reported, that it was impossible to tell what color the dog's skin was without removing fleas, which had literally eaten holes in the dog's skin.
Michelle Ann Brown, 59, who lives in the home, has been charged with 45 counts of animal cruelty and is in the Highlands County Jail on $45,000 bond.
People who know her were caught completely by surprise.
"I was flabbergasted," said Humane Society Director Judy Spiegel. "I've known her for a while, animals and rescue are her life."
Veterinarian Elton Gissendanner also knows Brown. Over the years, she has brought many animals to him for care. He said he never suspected she had a problem because of her reputation as an animal advocate.
The same Saturday Brown's animals were rescued, Gissendanner said, she had brought a tiny puppy to him. "(The puppy) weighs a pound and a half and was in bad shape with fleas," the veterinarian said. "(Brown) told me she'd rescued her from an unscrupulous breeder. She's so respected and so nice, and done so much good I had trouble believing (she was a hoarder) when I heard. It's a disease of some kind that makes people do this."
According to Karen L. Cassidy, writing for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America's website, "(Animal hoarders) have every intention to care for their pets, but their difficulties with organization, attention, and focus make it easy for them to keep their living spaces very messy with animal waste and clutter ... They imagine the wonderful way they will heal, love and nurture their pets, while overlooking effects of having too many of them ... they confuse their loving the animals with the reality of their inability to provide a safe, clean, and healthy home for them."
In Brown's case, the filth was so overwhelming deputies and animal control officers had to don protective gear in order to remove the animals from the house.
The entire home -- including the garage -- was full of animal feces, according to a Highlands County Sheriff's Office report, to the point where it was impossible to determine what the surface of the floor was.
Many of the animals had mange, the report said. Three of the dogs were so malnourished they couldn't walk. Other were locked in crates that were too small for them to stand up and turn around.
Some of the animals' food and water bowls contained large amounts of feces, which appeared to be several weeks old, and some of the animals had resorted to consuming the feces to survive, deputies reported.
Darryl Scott, Highlands County Animal Control director, said it will take time to sort everything out. It will be to the State Attorney and the Highlands County Sheriff's Office to decide what the next step will be. In the meantime the dogs and cats are being attended to at the shelter. Scott said a few dogs in very bad shape were sent to a veterinarian.
They've been wormed and treated for fleas and are eating and drinking. "Most of the are real small, little ones. They were in crates so small they're happy to be able to run in our larger kennels," Scott said. "It all worked out. Fortunately our numbers were down."
Scott praised his staff. "I've got a really good crew here. They got the call and fell right into it. Having two new trucks was really a blessing."
(NewsSun - June 12, 2013)
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