Hawaii: More than 30 dogs rescued in animal cruelty investigation in Kahaluu

HAWAII -- He once pleaded guilty to 55 counts of animal cruelty about 10 years ago — 64 dogs in filthy conditions seized and one puppy dead.

On Saturday, police arrested James Montgomery once again for the same charge.

Police were called to a house on Mahakea Road in Kahaluu after a complaint that dogs were being disposed of with the trash. At least one of them was found dead inside a City and County trash bin.

Several vehicles from the Hawaiian Humane Society were also at the scene, waiting for the police to get a search warrant before entering the house and taking out more dogs.

A little after 7:20 p.m., police and Hawaiian Humane Society animal investigators finally entered the home where pictures were taken to document the scene and evidence was collected.

Around 9 p.m., crews rescued 33 small dogs. They were wrapped in blankets and were cradled in the animal investigators’ arms as they were taken from the home.

Christina Kam, a spokesperson for the Hawaiian Humane Society, said the smell was unbearable when she entered the two separate areas the dogs were held in the home, one which she described as a “bunker.”

“You will never forget the smell. It burns your eyes. It’s awful. It goes through your mask and everything,” she said.

“Really, really sad horrible conditions these dogs were living in. They were living in their own filth, with no water, no food. The smell, it burns your eyes. It was very, very horrendous.”

Earlier in the day, police Lt. Thomas Santos said there were at least 20 dogs in the house, possibly more. “There is some bad smell, similar to sewage smell,” he said.

 

Investigators did take over the care of a small dog after a renter brought it off-property. The renter said it was a sad scene in the house.

Montgomery, 68, is a part-time dog breeder and has been convicted of animal cruelty before. In 2005, his children and animals were removed from the home after inspectors found unhealthy conditions inside.

Of the two dogs found in the trash bin Saturday, the one dog found dead was shot, and the Hawaiian Humane Society said the other dog was emaciated and anemic and is being treated by a local veterinarian.

Neighbors told KHON2 they heard a woman screaming this morning and it’s not unusual to hear lots of dogs barking at night. But they said last night was particularly noisy.

“This is painful for me to see any type of animal cruelty,” said neighbor Sheila Wendler. “It’s despicable.”

(KHON2 - May 21, 2016)