United Kingdom: Disgusting couple walk out of court with NO jail time after subjecting animals to horrific conditions

UNITED KINGDOM -- A couple have been banned from keeping animals for a decade after a number of pets were found in ‘squalid’ conditions – surrounded by urine and human feces.

Robert Roy Rickman, 45, and Ceri Ann Rickman, 32, both of Parc Newydd, Briton Ferry, had both previously admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 15 domestic cats, and failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the needs of two dogs were met.

 

Those are bottles of urine

An RSPCA officer attended the property in June 2017, and found cats in a ‘horrendous’ condition roaming the filthy property. Two dogs – one brindle lurcher and a collie mix – were also living at the home.

The cats were “all riddled with fleas”, and many malnourished and with degrees of hair loss.

Mr Tarrant said when the RSPCA inspector left the house to take a breather from the “foul odour” inside, he found his trousers were “crawling with fleas”.

 

Human and animal feces was found across the property, urine was thrown into rooms in plastic bottles, mess was sprawled across the building and an overpowering smell was evident throughout.

ROBERT RICKMAN PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY
The court heard Robert, who had previously gone by the name Robert Ford, has a previous conviction from 1998 for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under the old Protection of Animals Act 1911.

NO JAIL TIME FOR EITHER ANIMAL ABUSER
During sentencing at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, both were given a ten-year ban on keeping all animals and a community order. They were each told to pay costs of £300, in addition to a victim surcharge of £85.

Thankfully, after all animals were signed into the RSPCA’s care, they were rehabilitated and sent to animal centers across England and Wales for adoption.

 

 

 

RSPCA inspector Neill Manley said: "This was a thoroughly grim and hugely challenging case, in some of the worst conditions I have witnessed in my entire life.

"I arrived at the property on one of the hottest days of the year, and was shell-shocked at the squalid conditions in which animals were living.

"Cats roamed the house in a truly horrendous condition, while two dogs were clearly being kept in a wholly inappropriate environment. The property was totally infested with fleas, and a number of the cats had developed an allergic reaction which was not treated. It’s a timely reminder as to the importance of seeking veterinary attention in such situations as soon as possible.

 

 

"Across the house, there were plastic bottles or urine, plus cardboard boxes filled with feces and spread across the floors.

"The condition of the animals was absolutely heartbreaking, and it beggars all belief that anyone deemed it acceptable to keep animals in such filthy, squalid surroundings.

"Fortunately, the RSPCA’s intervention ensured all animals were signed into our care – and could go on for rehoming, and a second chance of happiness.

"That happy outcome is a reminder as to the exact reason why the RSPCA exists."

 

 

 

(Metro UK - February 1, 2018)

New York: Nina Fish and Zach Porter charged with animal cruelty after dead animals found

NEW YORK --  A couple from Stony Creek was arrested on animal cruelty charges this week after police found dead animals and neglected dogs on their property, police said.

Nina G. Fish, 22, and Zachary M. Porter, 27, of Harrisburg Road, were charged after an investigation by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Warren County SPCA that began with complaints about animals in the road and the condition of pets on the property, police said.

The agencies found dead cats and a dead rabbit on the property near the road, and confiscated six dogs that were being kept outside in unsanitary conditions without proper water or shelter, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The dogs were seized by the SPCA, and it appeared they would survive, Warren County Sheriff Bud York said. The dead animals were to be analyzed by a vet for possible additional charges.

“It was really bad,” York said.

Police believe the couple has been selling animals from the property.

Police found the couple slept in a barn on the property because of insect infestation of the house.

SPCA President Jim Fitzgerald said the dogs, three puppies and three adult mixed breed terriers, will go into foster care.

“They are really nice dogs,” he said. “They were healthy but they were just living in filth.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation was also called because of refuse in a stream next to the house.

Fish and Porter were each charged with 6 counts of failure to provide proper shelter, a non-criminal violation, and were released pending prosecution in Stony Creek Town Court. Fitzgerald and sheriff’s Patrol Officer T.J. Morse handled the case.

(The Post Star - Oct 26, 2017)

Michigan: Steve Kwasiborski arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty after more than 60 cats - dead and alive - were found cruelly stuffed inside his Madison Heights home

MICHIGAN - A Madison Heights man was arraigned over the weekend on animal cruelty charges after more than 60 cats were found inside his home.

Police say officers and animal control escorted 58-year-old Steven Kwasiborski and his adult son out of the home while executing a search warrant on Oct. 19 at their home at 280 Hecht Drive.

The house has been condemned.

Steven John Kwasiborski (09/06/1959), 58, was charged with one count of felony animal cruelty to 10 or more animals.

Hopefully they are planning on charging him with additional counts of cruelty. This man clearly has mental health issues and he will need to be monitored for several years. 

Also, it's not fair to just charge one count per incident. Probably 100 cats and kittens suffered 24 hours a day - many dying - inside this filthy house. Kwasiborski and his son could leave anytime they wished; the cats only got to get out of this ammonia and flea-infested home when they finally died and Kwasiborski would unceremoniously dump their bodies into pails outside his house to rot.

Authorities said the cats were in extremely poor condition, heavily flea infested and using the entire house as a litter box. Several deceased cats and kittens were found in the home.

In the video clip, police say that when cats and kittens would die in Kwasiborski's house of horrors, he would dump them into plastic bins outside his house. Even so, many dead cats and kittens were found inside the house where they likely died of anemia from fleas.

No word on whether Kwasiborski's son will also be charged. Kwasiborski may have more than one son and although the article doesn't mention the name of Kwasiborski's son - who was inside the house with his father when police showed up with the search warrant, Steven John Kwasiborski Jr. (who was born in 1990 making him nearly 30 years old) has photos taken within the last year of him at his dad's house. His address is listed as being the same as his dad's. 

Even if Steven Jr. wasn't living at the residence any longer, he KNEW what was going on - the untold suffering - and was therefore complicit in the cruelty inflicted on these animals.

 

 

The Madison Heights Police Department coordinated with the Oakland County Animal Shelter to remove the animals and have each cat checked by a licensed veterinarian. Rescue facilities are still needed that will accept some of these cats. Please contact the Madison Heights Animal Shelter at 248-837-2784.

Kwasiborski was given a $20,000 cash/surety bond and has since bonded out. His next scheduled court date is 8 a.m. Nov. 1.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(ClickOnDetroit - Oct 23, 2017)

Georgia: Amanda Propst, 25, charged with animal cruelty after 3 dead cats found covered in maggots, fleas

GEORGIA -- A Columbus cat owner was charged after authorities found three of her eight malnourished pets dead and covered in maggots and fleas, according to testimony Friday in Recorder’s Court.

Amanda Propst, 25, faces three counts of animal cruelty. She was awarded own recognizance bonds totaling $15,000.

Judge Julius Hunter waived the case to State Court.

Officer Cody Wayne with Columbus Animal Control was called to the 6500 block of Milgen Road around 8:55 p.m. Aug. 21 to investigate what he described as one of the craziest animal cruelty cases he’s seen. The neighbor reported it.

Wayne said officials located eight malnourished domestic short-hair cats covered in maggots and fleas inside of an apartment that was also covered in fleas.

Animal Control said three of those pets starved to death. One appeared to have been dead for more than two weeks while the others appeared to have been dead for about two days, authorities said.

Wayne said one of the dead cats was tangled in the blinds, another was behind the washing machine and the third was on the fire mantle. Cat feces was all over the residence, authorities added.

Wayne said the homeowner lived with her boyfriend and daughter at another location, and she left the cats alone in the Milgen Road apartment. She was accused of neglecting them for at least two months, but CLAIMED to authorities that she would return to the residence once a week to feed them.

“I collected four, two kittens and two calico adult cats,” Wayne said. “One Siamese I couldn’t catch, so that one was still left in the house.”

Wayne said Propst relinquished ownership of four of the five pets that were found alive. She grabbed the fifth cat, and Animal Control allowed her to keep it.

“I gave her the option, because three of her cats were dead,” he said. “She cared about these cats because she was crying and boohooing, wishing her cats weren’t dead. Sucks that it took her that long to notice.”

(Ledger Enquirer - September 1, 2017)

(July 2017) Pennsylvania: 27 Pomeranians, a parrot and a 6-year-old boy rescued from filthy Palmyra home

PENNSYLVANIA -- A local dog rescue organization got more than they bargained for Saturday when they went to retrieve some dogs from a family whose home is being foreclosed on.

The homeowner, a Palmyra woman living on South Harrison Street, called Pawsitively Pom Rescue to come for her dogs since she and her family were being evicted from their home.

“She actually contacted us and left us a voicemail saying that she needed placement for 10 to 15 Pomeranians. Then, when I talked to her she said it was 15 to 20 dogs,” Amanda Reichenbach, vice president of the Lebanon-based rescue, said.

“When we got there, and it was all said and done, there were 27 Pomeranians, one African Grey Parrot and a six-year-old boy.”

 

 

Reichenbach and the rescue’s founder, Diana Bates, set up two appointments to meet with the woman earlier in the week, but both were canceled by the woman, Reichenbach said. She and Bates felt that the woman didn’t want to open her home up to them.

They eventually convinced her to stick to a set appointment time, Reichenbach said.

“When we went there Saturday at the scheduled pick-up time nobody would answer the door,” said Reichenbach. “That is when we spoke with the neighbors who informed us of the stench coming through the walls – you could smell it through the closed, solid wood front door.”

 

  

 

The neighbors, who live in the other side of the duplex, told Reichenbach that there was also a child in the home, so she decided to contact police.

“We went over to the Palmyra Borough Police Department and called dispatch and they sent out Officer McGuire – he is one heck of a good police officer,” Reichenbach said. “He went over with us and tried to make contact with the homeowners. He spoke to the neighbors and they informed him of everything.”

Officer McGuire contacted Child and Youth Services (CYS) to assess the situation, Reichenbach said. A police officer from North Londonderry and an officer from South Londonderry also joined Officer McGuire on the scene.

With police and CYS on scene, the woman decided to open her door.

“She signed the dogs over to us immediately, and that is when the police officers went into the home to collect evidence,” Reichenbach said.

 

 

 

While police investigated the home, Reichenbach, Bates and some volunteers found themselves climbing over stacks of urine-filled soda bottles and a floor covered in feces and garbage to get the dogs out through the back door.

None of the animals had life-threatening problems, but they were not in good condition, Reichenbach said.

Though they look happy and healthy, each dog needs at least $500 in care.

"Their back legs are sort of bowed, some have some eye issues, flea allergies and flea issues from the fleas," said Reichenbach.

“They were just infested with fleas and their toenails were extremely overgrown,” she said. “There were severe mats in their fur and excrement on the pads of their paws – that place is going to give us nightmares.”

 

 

The six-year-old boy was still being evaluated by CYS as Reichenbach was leaving with the dogs, so she wasn’t sure of his condition. A request for a police report on the incident was denied by Palmyra police

The Pomeranians, some purebred and some mixed breed, were transported to Reichenbach’s home in Lebanon where they were cleaned and groomed by a group of about a dozen volunteers. It took them six hours to groom all the dogs.

 

 

“The amount of volunteers that came to help us was amazing,” Reichenbach said. “Eve’s Elegant Mobile Dog Grooming came to my home. She brushed, blow-dried and trimmed all 27 dogs.”

The groomer provided flea baths for the dogs, and the animals were also given medicine for both flea control and deworming.

Reichenbach was thrilled with how quickly the volunteers came together, she said.

“(We didn’t have this set up ahead of time) because we didn’t realize what the conditions would be,” she said. “We thought we could go assess the dogs and then come back to my house to get everything arranged. We were not prepared at all for this.”

The next step for the dogs is medical care.

“We have to do vetting yet, and each dog will cost a minimum of $500,” she said. “That is for all the vaccines and all the puppies need fecal testing, heartworm and Lyme testing. Some of them need to be spayed or neutered, and some need some dental work. A few have deformities in their hips that will need addressed.”

  

 

Every dog is vetted before it is put up for adoption, Reichenbach said, but the cost is overwhelming with this many animals. The organization’s adoption fee is $250 per dog. A purebred Pomeranian can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 or more, according to Pomeranian.org.

Ten of the dogs have already been transported to Central Ohio Pomeranian Rescue to be adopted out through that organization. The remaining 17 will be adopted out through Pawsitively Pom Rescue. The parrot will be available for adoption through Jill’s Bird Haven.

HOUSE CONDEMNED

Lebanon Daily News was not able to confirm the name of the homeowner, and a visit to the home Monday showed a sign on the front door that said "Not fit for human occupancy."

  

  

  

 

HOARDING ISSUES
If this woman is not charged with animal cruelty, it may be because she is exhibiting the signs of the overwhelmed caregiver hoarder. She reached out for help, recognizing the problem, she cooperated when police showed up, and surrendered all the animals.

(Lebanon Daily News - July 17, 2017)

New York: Tim Strobele arrested and charged with animal cruelty after several dogs and puppies with severe flea infestations were rescued

NEW YORK -- A Buffalo man has been charged with animal cruelty after several dogs and puppies with severe flea infestations were rescued from his Sage Avenue residence.

Timothy M. Strobele, 20, of 122 Sage Avenue, has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty by the SPCA Serving Erie County.

 

 

The flea-infested dogs and puppies were removed

from this address at 122 Sage Avenue in Buffalo, NY

Three dogs and five puppies were rescued from the residence and signed over to the organization. The adult dogs are two females and a male. Two puppies are estimated to be ten weeks old and six others are estimated to be five weeks old.

Strobele has been charged due to deprivation of veterinary care. He is scheduled to appear in Buffalo City Court Sept. 14.

  

The animals were rushed to the SPCA’s Harlem Road shelter infirmary where members of the Veterinary Department are removing fleas, examining the dogs, administering fluids, giving baths, and more.

One young puppy, estimated to be five weeks old, is in critical condition. It is being administered oxygen.

None of these animals are available for adoption at this time, but to donate toward their care, click here.

Learn more about how fleas can kill dogs and cats here.

(WIVB - August 2, 2017)

Illinois: Dozens of cats found abandoned in Lake County house

ILLINOIS -- Volunteers are attempting to rescue and put up for adoption dozens of cats that were found in deplorable conditions after being abandoned in a Lake County home.

The group working to help the cats said a landlord in Lake County found more than 30 cats left alone in a house when a tenant moved out.

The house was in uninhabitable condition, and the landlord contacted a home cleanup and restoration service.

The owner of the Lake Barrington ServPro business, Tim Pearson, who described himself as an animal lover and pet owner, began reaching out to local animal shelter contacts to help rescue the cats.

Volunteers found dozens of adult cats, a litter of six to eight month old kittens, and a litter of eight to ten week old kittens. All the cats were heavily flea infested, and in need of medical attention, and since the volunteers did not have a large temporary holding space they were unable to remove the cats.

Thursday afternoon, a team of volunteers went into the house and were able to rescue six kittens who are now in foster care, except for one kitten who was taken to a nearby veterinarian for immediate medical attention.

The group hopes to rescue all of the cats and kittens, and are in need of donations for medical care, supplies, cat food and litter. Donations can be dropped off at Pepper Park Coffee at 22000 North Pepper Road in Lake Barrington.

OK, what about the people who abandoned them? Abandoning a pet is a crime. 

(WLS-TV - July 21, 2017)