Approximately 90 to 100 birds — including chickens, ducks, pigeons, and geese — and 55 to 60 rabbits, 12 goats, 31 dogs, and 12 cats were seized from Nancy L. Wright’s home at 12 Lobdell Road.
Sheriff’s deputies and the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society responded to the complaint and went to the residence for a welfare check.
“When we arrived at the home we could tell right away the conditions were bad,” said Sheriff Craig Apple. “She voluntarily agreed to let us inside the house but we decided to get a warrant just in case.”
A press release from the sheriff’s department described the living conditions as “unbearable due to the awful smell caused by the dogs and pigeons using the home as a toilet.”
Most of the animals did not have access to food or water, and were living in unsanitary conditions that “can cause injury, disease, or death of the animals,” the release said, and some of the caged dogs appeared to be aggressive.
“We did not have to execute the warrant to seize the animals,” said Apple. “She decided to turn them over.”
Members of the Albany County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management County Animal Response Team, known as CART; the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and members from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, with assistance from its facilities in Rochester and Buffalo, will help with capturing and relocating the animals.
Some have already been transported to the animal shelter in Menands and provided with clean kennels, food, water, and veterinary evaluation.
Wright is charged with violation of Agriculture and Markets Law, Article 26, Section 373, Cruelty to Animals.
“We are working on getting her the help she needs,” said Apple. “Honestly, a mental health issue is usually a factor in these cases.”
Gary J. Patronek, a veterinarian with a Ph.D. in epidemiology, who founded the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium in 1997, has written, “Hoarders often profess a great love for animals.”
(Altamont Enterprise - Nov 20, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment