Massachusetts: Michael Russo Faces Animal Cruelty Charges. Officials found man, dogs, birds living in filth

MASSACHUSETTS -- A 72-year-old Tewksbury man is facing animal-cruelty charges after Tewksbury officials found two dogs and a number of birds living in squalor in his Shoreline Drive mobile home.

In Lowell District Court on Thursday, Michael D. Russo, of 206 Shoreline Drive, Tewksbury was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to four counts of animal cruelty.

While prosecutors sought to have Russo voluntarily surrender his two dogs - a 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier named "Emmie"" and "Duke" a 2-year-old German Shephard - to foster care, Russo refused. The dogs will remain in the town's kennel.

Tewksbury police allege that within a two-week period last December, Russo's dogs were found wandering the streets in the bitter cold. The fur on both dogs was caked with feces and urine, according to court documents.

Tewksbury police were familiar with the dogs from an incident the previous summer where officials found that Russo's rented trailer was littered with animal and human feces.

The trailer was deemed inhabitable and Russo was forced to temporarily move out until the home could be cleaned. The dogs were cared for by the town.

By September, the trailer was cleaned up and Russo moved back home with his animals.

But police say that by December, the trailer was again uninhabitable. Officials allege the trailer was filled with feces and garbage.

The Tewksbury Board of Health and Elder Services were called in.

To enter the property, investigators has to wear hazardous material suits, police say.

There was a "putrid smell" that made it difficult to breathe, police say.

The dogs were allegedly covered in filth and there were two bird cages that held six parakeets and a number of finches.

The cages were filled with bird droppings and there was no clean water.

Russo has been in and out of the hospital, and is unable to care for his animals, police allege.

The care, feeding and veterinary bills for his animals is currently at $7,000, according to prodecutor Noah Ertel. Russo wouldn't have to pay if he relinquished ownership of his animals.

But standing before Judge Thomas Brennan, Russo, who is currently living in a rehab, refused to relinquish ownership of his animals. The animals remain in the town's care.

Russo is scheduled for a pretrial conference on March 10.

(Tewskbury Patch - Feb 16, 2017)

Montreal pet store owner, Giovanni Iacovella, charged with animal cruelty after more than 540 birds seized

CANADA -- The owner of a Montreal pet store and breeding facility has been charged with animal cruelty and neglect under the criminal code following the seizure of more than 540 birds by the Montreal SPCA in July.

If found guilty, Giovanni Iacovella, owner of Centre d’animaux Ani-Mart Inc. in Villeray, could face up to $10,000 in fines and 18 months in jail for causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to his animals, according to the SPCA.

Iacovella also faces fines of up to $5,000 and six months imprisonment for failing to provide the birds with adequate care.

Alanna Devine, director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA, said this was one of the worst cases of neglect the SPCA had come across involving birds.

“We have had other exotic bird cases, but this is certainly the largest that we have seen in one area,” Devine said.

“There were so many sick and injured birds,” she added. “Certainly, this case is of grave concern due to the sheer numbers.

“We are certainly pleased charges were laid,” said Devine. “Unfortunately, these animals are not protected under the provincial animal welfare legislation and we can only act, not preventatively, but after harm occurred.”

Since their seizure in July, the exotic birds — including parrots and finches —  have been under the care of the Montreal SPCA. About a third of the birds were placed in foster homes, but the Montreal SPCA is covering the cost for their care.

The Montreal SPCA has already spent more than $50,000 to care for the birds and Devine said it could possibly be on the hook for those expenses for another year or two.

“Unfortunately, however, unlike the provincial law, the Criminal Code does not provide any means to ensure that the costs of caring for seized animals is borne by their owner, nor does it provide any means to determine what will happen to the birds pre-trial,” said Devine

Devine said it makes a compelling case for having all animals kept in captivity, including exotic animals, covered by provincial animal welfare legislation in Quebec.

“The number 1 recommendation from animal welfare protection organizations is to include all animals, just like every other province. So there’s no reason why exotic animals or wildlife in captivity should have any less protection.

“Because exotic animals currently fall outside the ambit of Quebec’s provincial animal welfare legislation, in cases such as this one, involving exotic birds, we are forced to proceed under the Criminal Code,” she said.

(Montreal Gazette - Nov 17, 2015)

Humane officers confiscate 600+ small pets from Akron home

OHIO -- The Humane Society of Greater Akron confiscated more than 600 birds, rabbits and guinea pigs last week from a house in Akron.

Humane officers raided the Archwood Avenue home Tuesday, Aug. 26, and some of the animals are available for adoption. The birds -- quail, canaries, parakeets, finches, love birds and others -- went to several other animal rescue groups.

 

"We're challenged to care for them because we primarily rescue dogs and cats," director Karen Hackenberry said. "We simply lack the necessary food and supplies."

People can help by donating bedding, watering bottles, timothy hay, food and cages for guinea pigs and rabbits from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 7996 Darrow Road, Twinsburg Township, Hackenberry said.

The owner of the animals, Sebastian Smith III, has been charged in Akron Municipal Court with possessing too many animals and three counts of animal cruelty. Smith, 62, will be arraigned Monday. The house has been condemned.

Humane officers went to the home after neighbors complained about a foul odor.

Paws and Prayers and One of a Kind Pet Rescue, both based in Summit County, helped transport the animals to various facilities.

(The Plain Dealer - Sept 4, 2014)

325 live birds found in Aurora hoarder's home

ILLINOIS -- Workers wearing hazmat suits, rubber boots and masks removed more than 300 birds from an Aurora townhome Friday.

The city served bird hoarder Dave Skeberdis, 57, with a court order authorizing the city to remove the hundreds of birds from his townhouse in the 200 block of Shadybrook Lane on the city’s far East Side.

Seven crew members collected 325 live birds from the home in six hours on Friday, according to city spokesman Kevin Stahr. The birds appear to be in good condition.

The birds were turned over to the Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club, where they are being housed in a storefront at 19 W. Park in Villa Park for a 30- to 60-day quarantine period. The birds have been exposed to poor air quality conditions, said Barbara Morris, bird club spokesman.

“It’s not a case of cruelty. It’s a case of too much love,” she said.

Hazmat operation: Stahr also said 120 dead birds were removed from the home Friday. The birds died prior to the city contractor entering the home. They were given to Aurora Animal Control for proper disposal.

The city’s contractor, Restoration Techs, entered the home at 10 a.m. Friday. Crews covered the front entrance of the home with a black tarp and had air scrubbers working in the home.

The contractor found 40 live birds on the home’s second floor, 28 on the first floor and 257 in the basement. Birds found in the home included parakeets, cockatiels, conures, canaries, doves and finches.

The homeowner’s possessions, trash and other debris were moved around in the home but not removed during the bird rescue operation, according to Deputy Fire Chief John Lehman. Debris in the stairwells of the home were three-feet deep and packed tightly, he said.

City officials confirmed that the electricity and heat are functioning in the townhouse.

Counseling offer: City officials said Skeberdis was cooperative Friday, and chose not to be present during the removal process.

Dave Skeberdis brings the first of his birds out.

“I’m sure it’s a very emotional process for him,” Lehman said.

Morris said the bird club has promised Skeberdis they will not adopt out his conures, which he said are like his children. The club will work with Skeberdis to allow him to keep those six to eight birds.

“We hope that through counseling that his problems will be addressed,” Morris said.

Neighbors understanding: Now that the birds have been removed from the home, the barricades have been cleared from Shadybrook Lane, and the city has turned the property back over to the homeowner. The city plans to re-inspect the home Friday, because the homeowner was previously cited for two property code violations, Stahr said.

Neighbor Chuck Stack said it’s the second hoarder case on his block in the past two years. Another neighbor was a hoarder, too, he said.

“I have a lot of compassion for hoarders. It’s not that infrequent,” said Stack’s wife, Virginia Stack, a mental health counselor. “It’s a mental illness. We don’t blame (Skeberdis).”

[Hmm, OK, so you don't blame the hoarder. Who gets the blame for the suffering the animals went through, the ones who were starved to death or died due to a lack of having a clean, humane living environment? It's like saying don't blame the person who was driving drunk and killed a family. 'Oh, they have a sickness (alcoholism). It's a disease. You can't blame them.' Let's remember that these animals suffered horribly. To rehabilitate someone, they need to accept that they caused pain and suffering. And they need to take responsibility for the choices they made. The animals didn't choose to live (and die) this way.]

City crews were called to the bird hoarder home last week after a painting contractor working outside the home noticed several dead birds inside and called police. Aurora Animal Control and city inspectors deemed the property unfit for habitation, contacted the homeowner and received a search warrant for the property.

Skeberdis, employed in the information technology field, said he can now understand that his bird collecting is out of control. He said he is from a family of hoarders.

“I think it’s time for a change in my life,” Skeberdis said earlier this week.

Skeberdis, who is not married, acquired his first bird seven years ago. While working in computer support at United Airlines, he “rescued” a parakeet, and later named the bird “Doc.”

“I saved his life, and he saved mine,” Skeberdis said.

Over time, he bought and adopted more birds.

(Aurora Beacon News - Oct 26, 2012)

Florida: Tampa Teacher Charged With Cruelty in Starving Gerbil Cannibal Case

FLORIDA -- She says it was a misunderstanding. 

Tampa teacher Margaret Barthel claims that when she left for summer vacation, she left instructions with another employee to feed and water the pet gerbils in her classroom. 

But the employ apparently forgot, or Barthel is lying to cover her own forgetfulness. Who knows?

Either way, the gerbils were left for weeks over the summer without food water. They became so starved they went cannibal on each other. 

According to a police report filed by Officer Stephen Hiles, several Freedom High teachers said Barthel had a history of neglecting animals, including several finches that allegedly died in their cages, a ball python that died after being deprived of heat and frogs dissected alive by her students.

The conditions in the gerbil cages were deplorable, according to investigators, who were told of overcrowded cages, inadequate food and unchecked breeding practices.


"The gerbils were breeding so rapidly that they were eating their young and being born deformed," police Officer Stephen Hiles wrote in his report. "We were not able to determine the exact number of animals because they had cannibalized each other."

Now Barthel, head of the science department at Freedom High, has been charged with five counts of animal cruelty.

UPDATE TO STORY:

In Barthel's classroom at Freedom High, several class “pets” were abused and neglected: Nine gerbils died after they were deprived of food and water for more than two weeks, finches died of exposure, and a ball python froze to death.

As a result of the cruelty citations, Barthel has relinquished her (still-living) ball python to Hillsborough County Animal Services, paid a $1,000 fine, donated $500 to animal services, and committed to keeping animals out of her classroom permanently.

(True Crime Report - Sept 23, 2009)