Humane officer responds to suspected abuse case

PENNSYLVANIA -- When Cindy Webster, Stray Haven Humane Society's humane officer arrived at a home located at 1488 Shirley Road in Newark Valley on Thursday, what she discovered was a house of horrors for the varied animals that were being kept there.

Based on an anonymous call, Webster was able to obtain a seizure warrant and was accompanied by a Tioga County Sheriff's officer to the residence. It is there, that conditions were much worse than she anticipated.

The owner of the residence, David Clark, and his younger son, also David Clark, were at home when Webster arrived and proceeded to seize three rabbits, four cats and six dogs.

Wendy Post Cindy Webster, Stray Haven Humane Society's humane officer,
stands next to the bag that contained a deceased German Shepherd named
Xena that was discovered at the residence located at 1488 Shirley Road in
Newark Valley, N.Y. on Thursday. Times-Shamrock Photo

One rabbit was found deceased on the premises, as well as a deceased German Shepherd, named Xena.

The other five dogs, Ozzie, Suzie, Lizzie, Angel and Daisy, were seized from the property as well, and their condition was not known at the time of this reporting. The dogs were mostly German Shepherds, and one was a Doberman.

Of the cats, four were seized and loaded in carrying crates, but one ran away. Webster remained concerned about the cat, but had limited access to the property - calling the owner uncooperative.

The son, however, also David Clark, spoke about the animals, stating that his father hasn't been well, and he did not know what was going on with the animals. The deceased rabbit, he explained, was at their home but he was not responsible for its care.

As for the deceased German Shepherd, who the younger David Clark described as being nine years old, her body was in an outdoor building; but Stray Haven was not permitted to enter the building to see the conditions in which the deceased dog was being kept.

The younger David Clark merely stated that the dog was dead for a long time and that they couldn't bury him because the ground had been frozen. He also did not offer an explanation as to what caused the dog's death, stating that the dog had a bloated stomach one day and then died within a half an hour.

All animals, except for the one cat that ran away, were seized by Stray Haven with the assistance of dog control, and initial charges of failure to provide, harboring unlicensed dogs, and inappropriate shelter were just some of the charges filed thus far. According to Webster, one of the dogs was tied up outside, and the other was kept in a pen without appropriate shelter.

If it is determined that the deceased dog suffered depravation, the owners could face felony aggravated animal cruelty charges as well.

An initial court date has been set for Sept. 24 in the Newark Valley court.

(The Daily Review - September 1, 2013)