Florida: Dennis Rogers, 51, and Deborah Meinhardt, 50, arrested and charged with animal cruelty

FLORIDA -- The Hernando County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Brooksville duo on 10 counts of animal cruelty charges after deputies found malnourished horses, flea-infested dogs, birds and caged squirrels living in squalor under their care.

All the animals were in various stages of neglect, investigators said.

Deputies first got a call on Aug. 25 that there may be endangered animals at 5253 Oney Drive, home to Dennis Rogers, 51, and Deborah Lynn Meinhardt, 51 (aka Debi Meinhardt).

Rogers told the responding deputies that the animals belonged to Meinhardt but said he was their caretaker.

Rogers walked the deputies through the property, where investigators found seven horses who had algae- and tadpole-infested water in their troughs. There was no feed, hay or grass available for them to eat, deputies said. Some of the horses had untreated worms, wounds and overgrown or broken hooves. They had lost much of their muscle.

In one photo provided by the Sheriff's Office, a horse's rib cage stuck out under its taut skin.

 

 

Deputies said all the dogs they saw were dirty and covered in fleas, many with obvious health issues. The macaw, gold and blue, was in a cage on the front porch living in its own feces and without any water. Nearby, two gray squirrels were kept in a small cage.

Debris filled the inside of the home, too, deputies said. There were more dogs and feces throughout it. It smelled like ammonia and burned the deputies' eyes.

Indoors, they also found two cats and three sun conure parakeets in a cage, all neglected.

When the walk through was complete, the deputies called for assistance to have all the animals removed from the property. The animals were taken to Hernando County Animal Services.

On Tuesday, investigators got an official report from a veterinarian that said all seven horses were suffering from severe neglect.

Deputies returned to the property Thursday and arrested the pair. They were both freed from the Hernando County jail Friday after each posted $10,000 bail.

Full name: Deborah Lynn Meinhardt
Address: 5253 Oney Drive, Brooksville FL
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: 06/10/1966
Arrest age: 51

(Tampa Bay Times - Sept 1, 2017)

Oklahoma: Macaw named Max stranded for days on roof because no one would help until firefighters came to the rescue

OKLAHOMA -- It's the latest incident in a string of pet birds getting loose.

In February, an exotic bird was rescued and in March, parakeet took off only to be reunited with its owner days later.

 

But recently, another bird took to the skies. Valerie Kelley says she spent five days camping around town after her macaw escaped.

Her bird, named Max, escaped while she was cleaning his cage and he spent time flying from roof to roof and tree to tree. Eventually, he ended up on someone's roof more than a mile from home.

 

 

Kelley tried to entice the bird to come down by bringing her other pet bird in a cage. She also tried to offer Max French fries. That didn't work either.

Kelley tried calling rescue groups and even asked for help online. Animal welfare told Newschannel Four they couldn't help so we called the fire department.

 

Within 15 minutes, a fire truck arrived.

A crew was able to get on the roof and eventually, a firefighter was able to capture the bird return it to Kelley.

Tyler Durham was the one who managed to get the bird. His biggest fear?

"Getting bitten," he laughed.

Meanwhile, Kelley, was on cloud nine.

"I am just elated. I just can’t believe we got him in there. I can’t wait to get him home," said Kelley. “Thank you so much! It didn’t matter who we called or what we did. We could get no one to respond.”

(KFOR - May 13, 2017)

Florida: JacquelynTraum and Daniel Brantley arrested after at least 50 animals living in 'deplorable' conditions are killed in house fire

FLORIDA -- Two people are in custody after at least 50 animals were killed in a fire in a Florida house earlier this month.

Jacquelyn Traum and Daniel Brantley are facing nearly 80 counts of animal cruelty after investigators found they kept the house in "deplorable" shape.

 

The animals that were killed in the fire included 45 cats, four dogs, two raccoons and one Macaw parrot, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Rescue officials were able to save 14 dogs and one cat from the Merritt Island home.

 

 

 

Seven of the dogs are recovering at the SPCA of Brevard, and homes have already been found for them. The SPCA received more than 120 applications on their behalf.

"Those dogs definitely deserve awesome homes after what happened," Susan Naylor of the SPCA of Brevard told the Daily News on Tuesday.

 

When Brevard County deputies and fire rescue personnel arrived on the scene of the fire on Jan. 11, they found the residents "attempting to frantically remove dogs from the residence."

The house quickly filled with fire, according to the sheriff's office.

Officers are seen with suspect Daniel Brantley

The 67-year-old Traum and 55-year-old Brantley were hit with four felony counts of animal cruelty, and 74 misdemeanor counts. They are being held on $45,000 bond.

"The inhumane conditions these animals were being kept and the amount of suffering they endured is unimaginable," Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. "The scene was very difficult for our fire rescue partners and our deputies who tried to save as many animals as possible that were trapped inside the home."

   

  

    

  

  

 

(NY Daily News - Jan 24, 2017)

David Alton Boyken found guilty in Great Falls bird abuse case

MONTANA -- The man accused of nearly beating a talking bird to death last Thanksgiving was found guilty Friday.

David Alton Boyken, of Great Falls, stood trial on one count of felony cruelty to animals. The jury was given the case to deliberate after a one-day trial.

Deputy Cascade County Attorney Ashley Wilkinson summed up her case to the jury during closing arguments, describing the injuries suffered by the bird, named Luby.

“Luby could have died that night,” she said, describing how Boyken pulled out Luby’s flight feathers and broke her leg so severely it had to be amputated.

Wilkinson cited testimony from a veterinary expert who said the injuries were the worst he’d seen to a surviving bird. She also pointed out that Boyken reportedly changed his story multiple times.

“There were only two people in the house that night and only one of them had feathers on them,” she added, referring to the defendant.

Boyken claimed that the bird had been injured by his daughter's two dogs earlier in the day.
A veterinarian testified that such a scenario was unlikely.

The prosecutor asked the veterinarian: "So could the injuries that Loobie sustained be the result of a dog attack?"

The veterinarian replied, "Not in my opinion, no."

Prosecutor: "And why or why not?"

Veterinarian: "Just because of the lack of puncture wounds, and Loobie probably wouldn't have made it out of there alive."
Boyken’s attorney, Carl Jensen, took issue with the trustworthiness of the other person in the residence during the incident, a woman named Sun Walker who was referred to as Boyken’s girlfriend and Luby’s owner. Jensen reminded the jury that Walker did not testify, saying she “didn’t care enough.”

Jensen stood by some of the defense’s theories of how Luby was injured, combining some of them including that the bird bit Boyken and the defendant might have accidentally stepped on Luby. He argued blood found at the scene could have come from Boyken, who had a visible injury on his face.

  

According to the police report, Boyken was “highly intoxicated” upon officers’ arrival. The defense stipulated that Boyken was drunk that day.

The police report states the investigating officer found blood and feathers at the scene and observed the injured bird in its cage. According to court testimony, the vet saw Luby two to four hours after she was injured.

Boyken was convicted in 2011 for slitting a dog's throat. Under Montana law, a first offense is a misdemeanor and subsequent offenses are felonies.

(Great Falls Tribune - Aug 21, 2015)

Earlier:

• Man beats and chokes parrot, breaking its leg. No surprise to find out that this guy's already been convicted of cruelty after slitting a dog's throat

Portraits of Exotic Birds Recovering at Sanctuaries

WASHINGTON -- Whether it be from neglectful owners who are no longer or not willing to take care of their birds or even worse yet, the illegal smuggling of exotic birds, it’s a problem that is only getting worse and will only be solved by folks like Oliver Regueiro who have taken it upon himself to shine that much needed light on what is underserved issue.

 

 

Oliver, doing what he does best, has created a series of portraits of a number of birds that he met this year at both Zazu’s House Parrot Sanctuary and Mollywood Avian Sanctuary. No matter their condition, he has succeeded in bringing out each and every one of their own unique personalities and begin the process of telling their story of recovery.

To learn more about these birds (and some others) and to read their stories, visit Oliver’s website.
You can also purchase prints of any of the birds in the Earthbound series here.

Bella Rose

BELLA ROSE
Female. Goffin cockatoo   
                                                 
(Cacatua goffiniana)

Age: 16

Purchased as a baby by a lady who ended up not being able to keep her. The sanctuary boarded her for 6 months prior to moving to a new location and the owner thought she'd be happiest at the sanctuary. She was adopted but for some reason she began to pluck and over pluck in the new home.

The new home ran hundreds and hundreds of medical tests and could never find a reason for this. She was regretfully returned to the sanctuary.

We were able to capture only this one photograph of her before she jump from the perch and hurt her elbow. She was fine but we didn't want to stress her too much.

BJ

BJ
Female. Blue and gold macaw  (Ara ararauna)

Age: Unkown

Rescued 3 years ago by a sanctuary in Florida. Her owners were selling their house and going to live in an RV and travel. 

The owner said that BJ had previously been owned by a man in a neighboring city and he had three Macaws and two of them beat up on BJ all the time and she plucked herself naked.  They also broke one of her wings and the owner never sought veterinarian care for it. 

The man would beat on her cage with a broom to get the macaws to be quiet.  The sanctuary placed her with a friend and when that friend died recently a sanctuary in Washington was called to take BJ in.

Scruffy Joe

SCRUFFY JOE
Male. Citron cockatoo.

(Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata)

Age: early 20's.

Owned and loved by a man who was a manic depressant.

The owner finally decided the bird needed more than he could manage and gave it to the sanctuary.

Simba

SIMBA
Female. Moluccan cockatoo     
                           
(Cacatua moluccensis)

Age: 36

Simba arrived at the sanctuary in 2001 from another rescue who was unable to successfully place her and her then companion because Simba was a major mutilator. This is different from plucking. She was pretty plucked as well. Mutilation is defined  as physical damage to their own flesh.

In her case, she had a large crater like wound in her chest, right across her keel bone.  Upon examination by the local veterinarian, who also took x-rays, it was discovered that her keel bone had at one time been shattered beyond repair. And judging from the bone shards and calcification, never had any medical care. There was a lot of scar tissue too. And whenever it was particularly annoying or possible painful, Simba would gnaw on herself to try to alleviate the problem.

Over the years, we've had to treat it surgically, topically and lately, with cold laser therapy. But today she is as healthy as she’s probably ever going to be. She’s happy and mostly healed up. She wears a lot of body armor but appears to be rather comfortable in general.

(PetaPixel - May 10, 2015)

Man beats and chokes parrot, breaking its leg. No surprise to find out that this guy's already been convicted of cruelty after slitting a dog's throat

MONTANA -- A man with a history of animal abuse made his initial court appearance Monday for allegedly punching his "talking bird" on Thanksgiving.

David Alton Boyken is charged with felony cruelty to animals for allegedly choking and deliberately breaking a mccaw's leg. According to the police report, Boyken was "highly intoxicated" upon offices' arrival.

Court documents indicate Boyken's wife witnessed part of the incident. The police report states the investigating officer found blood and feathers at the scene and observed the injured bird in its cage.

Charging documents say Boyken told the officer that the bird bit him. Those documents also say Boyken gave the officer two different stories about the bird being attacked by his daughter's small dogs.

According to police, the bird is awaiting leg surgery at a local veterinary office but should recover.

Sgt. Bryan Slavik says the bird will remain in the state's custody after the surgery as evidence in this case.

Slavik says Boyken's previous cruelty to animals conviction was for slitting a dog's throat. Under Montana law, a first offense is a misdemeanor and subsequent offenses are felonies.

Boyken posted the $5,000 bail requested by the Cascade County Attorney's Office.

(Great Falls Tribune - December 1, 2014)

Escaped bird is now back home

ALABAMA -- Pretty Bird was home snoring in his cage today after Athens city employees and others rescued him from traffic on U.S. 31 South.

The captured fugitive doesn’t know it yet, but he’s getting his wings clipped.

“He was so tired and thirsty when he got back home, and he has lost weight,” said bird owner Nicki Parcum, who was elated to have Pretty Bird home. “I want to thank everyone who helped.”

The blue and gold macaw escaped Sunday from his cage at Parcum’s Doggie Stylz dog-grooming salon on 31 South and had been on the lam since. He was sighted Wednesday morning in the treetops near her business, which is located next to Witichen Supply, but no amount of coaxing would bring him down.

 

A bucket truck lowers Nicki Parcus, left, and Adams & Son owner Ricky
Adams Wednesday afternoon among the trees behind Access Automotive
on U.S. 31 South. Parcus was attempting to recover her blue-and-gold
macaw, Pretty Bird, which was last seen flying north among the
treetops along U.S. 31. News Courier/Kim West

 

A local tree trimmer, Ricky Adams of Adams & Son Tree Trimming, had tried to rescue the bird Wednesday with his bucket truck, but Pretty Bird flew away.  He remained in the area and was spotted again this morning walking on 31, south of the Bomar Inn.

Police Chief Floyd Johnson said a passerby saw the bird and telephoned police. The chief said police and several other people stopped to try to catch the fugitive, including Paula Curnutt, Athens Water Department employee Torrey Putman, Julie Ritterbush and Ricky Adams. The chief said Animal Control Officer Paul Tucker responded and tried to catch the macaw, but each time it flew away.

Julie Ritterbush and Ricky Adams feeding
Pretty Bird in an effort to keep her from flying off

Ritterbush and Adams fed the bird bread until the owner arrived to rescue him, Johnson said.

“I was getting ready for work when I got a call from Athens Police saying they had located my bird in front of the Bomar,” Parcum said.

She said her telephone had been ringing all morning after the story of her lost bird appeared in Thursday’s edition of The News Courier and on the courier’s website.

The missing Macaw chewing on Water
Department Torrey Putman's shoestring.

“All of my customers called to ask what they could do,” she said.

A grateful Parcum thanked Athens Police, the Water Department, Animal Control as well as the motorists who stopped to help her bird.

“I am so glad they helped,” she said, noting that Adams had even offered to loan her his all-terrain vehicle to help located the bird in the woods off 31.

(The News Leader - May 31, 2013)

Earlier:

• Woman seeks help in finding missing macaw

Woman seeks help in finding missing macaw

ALABAMA -- A macaw named “Pretty Bird” is on the wing off U.S. 31 in Athens, and the owner of the neotropical parrot is hoping anyone who sees the avian fugitive will give her a caw, er, call.

Pretty Bird flew the coop Sunday as his owner — Nicki Parcus — was feeding him at her dog-grooming shop, Doggie Stylz, on U.S. 31 South.

 

“I had two dogs being picked up Sunday and I was trying to put food in his cage, and he flew out,” Parcus said. “I’m a basket case. He is a tropical bird from South America, and he won’t survive out there.”

After three days of searching, the lovable, talking macaw was spotted Wednesday in a tree a few businesses north of her shop.

Frantic, Parcus called everyone she could think of to prevent her beloved from becoming a victim of fowl play, including Athens Police, Athens Fire & Rescue and animal control. No one was able to help, something Parcus found difficult to swallow. Someone suggested she call a tree trimmer, and in came Tarzan.

Ricky Adams of Adams & Son Tree Trimming — who has displayed a real talent for animal rescue — agreed to set up his bucket truck and try to capture Pretty Bird. (A few years ago, Adams rescued a cat that had been stuck 65 feet up in a tree for days.)

“I don’t know why the city couldn’t help her — it doesn’t seem right,” Adams said.

Police Chief Floyd Johnson said the Police Department tries to search for missing pets.

“We will try and help people locate their lost animals,” Johnson said. “We make officers aware of the missing animal and when they are in the area they might see it. Over the years, we have located several animals and returned them to their homes. In most cases, we don’t have units in an intensive search mode.”

Fire Chief Tony Kirk also offered an explanation.

“We would be out of position for a fire and, also, it would be a liability for the city for us to go on private property to get a bird or a cat,” Kirk said. “Also, if we started toward a bird in a bucket truck it would only startle the bird and it would fly elsewhere.”

He must have been reading Pretty Bird’s mind.

As Adams and Parcus stepped into the dual-bucket arm of the tree-trimming truck Wednesday afternoon and ascended slowly toward the bird, Pretty Bird bolted.

“I was almost within reach of him when he flew away,” said Parcus, who was near tears. “If we would have had a net, I could have caught him.”

As birds go, a blue and gold macaw is not a difficult one to spot. Pretty Bird stands 1 1/2 feet tall and boasts a vivid blue upper body and bright yellow undercarriage.

Why Pretty Bird won’t come home is a mystery. Perhaps it is the roar of U.S. 31 traffic impeding his return to the cage. Perhaps Pretty Bird— who is known to love women — is looking for a chick and hasn’t found her yet. Whatever the reason, Parcus hopes to coax him back home soon and bring this horrwrendous episode to a close.

Kirk offered this advice: Bring in another macaw to call Pretty Bird. He said this approach worked in a similar case in East Limestone.

 If you see Pretty Bird, call Parcus at 256-374-6091.

(The News Courier - May 30, 2013)