FLORIDA -- It wasn't the first time animal control has removed dogs from her home.
Or the second.
Complaints from neighbors about barking led Boynton Beach police back to Marta Pejouhy's home where they removed 22 dogs and a cat Tuesday.
The dogs looked healthy and well-fed but were being confined inside the house in unsanitary conditions, said Liz Roehrich, animal control supervisor for the Boynton Beach Police Department.
"She has fans, but the air quality is poor. There is a stench of urine and feces," she said.
Pejouhy said she is being unfairly targeted. She knew the number of dogs was out of hand, but she could not turn them away when people brought them to her, she said. She takes the dogs in when others cannot care for them.
"I love the dogs," said Pejouhy, 70, who plans to fight to get them back. "I don't want them to get hurt."
She has not been charged yet, Roehrich said.
"She has an extensive history of this," Roehrich said. "Despite the consequences, she continues with the hoarding behavior."
Boynton Beach residents can have no more than 10 dogs and cats on a residential property, Roehrich said. Court documents show that Pejouhy has been convicted twice of unlawful confinement of animals, a first-degree misdemeanor.
In 2000, 37 dogs were seized from her home, in the 100 block of Southeast 28th Avenue. Pejouhy pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement of animals and was placed on probation, according to court records.
A year later, 11 dogs were removed from her home. She again pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement of animals.
Pejouhy's neighbors agree that she means well, but her actions are a little misguided, said Page Trieste, 24, who lives across the street.
"I hear them barking but it doesn't bother me," she said. "I'm sure they take good care of the dogs but it's just too many for the home."
"This is a nightmare that's been going on for years. I can't use my backyard," said Gary Giles, 53, whose back door is about 60 feet from Pejouhy's back door. "It would be nice to end this madness."
Giles does not expect that to happen.
"She'll have dogs back in that house within a week," he said. "Her intent is good. The dogs are healthy-looking and fed, but they don't get any exercise."
The dogs taken from Pejouhy's home were being held by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control until a judge decides who will get custody, Roehrich said.
(Sun Sentinel - November 21, 2007)
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