Diane Derbish charged with cruelty after 30 animals found in ammonia-filled home

PENNSYLVANIA -- While Animal Friends humane officers and Pittsburgh police could tell a judge what the cat urine smelled like or describe the piles of feces in a home, they now can also point to the amount of ammonia in the air when they rescue cats from hoarding situations.

In the last six months, Animal Friends in Ohio Township began using tests to determine the amount of ammonia present, humane officer Robert Fredley said.

They’ve tested fewer than a dozen homes and used the test during an investigation in Pittsburgh for the first time last month, when they searched the Excelsior Street home of Diane L. Derbish, 60, on July 7.

A sick Yorkshire terrier and 29 cats were removed that day, and seven more cats were later trapped, court records show.

Ms. Derbish was charged via summons Tuesday with 37 counts of animal cruelty, dog license required, rabies vaccination required, harboring a nuisance and exceeding the number of pets permitted per household, which is five in Pittsburgh.

“The entire house was filled with animal waste and clutter. The levels of ammonia were extremely high. The house was horrendous,” one of the non-traffic citations against Ms. Derbish reads. Another notes that she is a repeat offender and a hoarder.

Pittsburgh police officer Christine Luffey said she was shocked by the results of the ammonia test in Ms. Derbish’s home.

Within 15 seconds, orange Hydrion ammonia test paper, daubed with water, changes color if ammonia, which is in cat urine and cleaning products, is present. Colors denote from zero parts per million, orange, to 100 or more, dark blue, Mr. Fredley said.

Humans react to ammonia at 7 ppm with watery eyes and a sore throat, and anything over 300 ppm is considered very dangerous for humans.

Ammonia levels in Ms. Derbish’s home in the 700 block of Excesior Street reached 50 to 100 ppm on the second and third floors, he said.

“The condition inside of Diane Derbish’s home was dangerous to the animals and her,” Officer Luffey said. “Not only did we rescue the animals, we rescued Diane Derbish.”

Ms. Derbish was later involuntarily committed to Western Psychiatric Institute. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Officer Luffey said the filth and high levels of ammonia made it “one of the most dangerous rescues we have ever encountered.”

The cats removed from Ms. Derbish’s home, which has since been condemned, were treated at the shelter for upper respiratory infections, Mr. Fredley said. None died or needed to be euthanized, and no dead animals were found in the home.

(Post Gazette - Aug 20, 2015)