Tammy Thomas Fobes, 54, and her boyfriend, Edward Stuart Gordon Jr, 72, were arrested March 5 and charged with animal cruelty after 15 sick and malnourished cats and dogs were found inside their North Raleigh townhouse.
Fobes reached out to WNCN to talk about their arrests and the animals' living conditions, but Gordon refused to allow WNCN's reporter and photographer in the couple's home.
"Mr. Gordon said nobody is coming in the house," Fobes said, admitting the conditions inside the house were unhealthy because she has been on crutches since January and Gordon is sick, making it difficult to keep the house clean.
The couple was arrested after a person who had visited the home to buy a dog alerted authorities to the conditions when they smelled feces and urine from outside the home, and saw the animals living in feces.
"They were called by a person who did not know me," Fobes said. "It was all put together on Facebook."
Eight dogs and seven cats were seized from the home, located in the 5900 block of Dixon Drive, and taken to the Wake County Animal Center. A Raleigh police spokesman said none of the animals had to be euthanized.
Fobes said said she began taking in animals after her mother died.
"When I lost her, I had nobody to take care of," she said. "I had nobody left in my life, and they just filled the void."
According to court documents obtained by WNCN, Animal Control had visited the home several times in the past, dating back to the summer of 2014.
Fobes said while she plans to adopt fewer animal, she doesn't intend to stop.
"I'm going to keep it down to a minimum of the adoptable ones, and that's it," Fobes said. "I'm done with rescuing, fostering -- I'm done with all of it."
Fobes and Gordon will appear in court next week, and Wake County Animal Control said its investigation is on going.
(WNCN - March 9, 2015)
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