Florida: Police arrest breeder Janet Manfredo; accused of hoarding 56 dogs in squalor

FLORIDA -- A woman accused of hoarding dozens of dogs in a filthy northeast Ocala home was arrested on a warrant on Tuesday.

Ocala Police Officer Tevyn Barry arrested Janet H. Manfredo, 59, at 5:45 p.m. and charged her with animal cruelty; she was booked into the Marion County Jail. She was released at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday on a $1,000 bond, according to jail records.

 

 

Reached at her home at 931 NE 12th Ave. — where the 56 poodles and cockapoos were found early this month — Manfredo declined comment on Wednesday.

In a previous interview, Manfredo said she owns the dogs and wants them back.

 

 

County animal control officials removed the dogs from the residence on Oct. 5 after neighbors called police to report a foul stench coming from the brick home.

Inside, Barry found the dogs in a room. The odor, he reported, was overwhelming.

Manfredo’s 3-year-old grandson and 84-year-old father, who has dementia, were also in the home. The boy was removed from the home by the Department of Children and Families and was placed with a family member.

Manfredo and her father remained at the residence.

 

In his report, Barry said some of the dogs had puppies and some were pregnant. They had been in the Ocala home since early September. As Hurricane Irma was closing in on the state’s west coast, the dogs were transferred there from Brooksville, according to police.

An investigator with Marion County Animal Services went to a dog kennel in Hernando County that was reportedly operated by Manfredo. There, the investigator found a makeshift metal shed that housed 14 dogs — also in poor condition, according to Barry’s report.

 

The 56 dogs taken from the Ocala home are being treated by veterinarians. So far, one of the dogs has died. An autopsy indicated the dog died from possible cardiac failure due to severe anemia and overall poor health.

On Wednesday, county officials said the remaining 55 dogs have all “been groomed and bathed” and continue to show improvement. The dogs, they say, “are beginning to play and allow staff to spend time with them,” and they’re happy “with the day-to-day progress.”

 

 

 

The dogs are not ready to be adopted yet, and county officials have petitioned the court for custody of the dogs and a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9.

This house was listed for rent not too long ago. If Manfredo rented the property rather than purchasing it, I feel sorry for the property owner as this house has probably been condemned. Interesting to note that it says "No pets" in the listing...

Photos: Bruce Ackerman, Ocala Star-Banner
(Ocala.com - Oct 26, 2017)

New York: Robin Mills, 66, Found Guilty Of 22 Counts Of Animal Cruelty

NEW YORK -- A Bay Shore woman charged with neglecting 21 dogs and 1 exotic bird in her care was found guilty of animal cruelty on Tuesday, according to Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross.

Robin Mills, 66, was convicted by a jury trial of 22 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, Gross said.

 

She was charged on May 11 with failing to provide proper sustenance for the animals and confining them in unhealthy and unsanitary conditions, the SPCA said.

She was arrested after numerous complaints and a vigorous in-depth investigation by Suffolk County SPCA Detectives and Humane Investigators, the SPCA said.

  

  

She is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2018.

The Suffolk County SPCA urges you to report acts of animal cruelty by contacting us at 631 382-7722. All calls will be kept confidential.

 

 

 

SOME FACEBOOK COMMENTS:

(Bay Shore Patch - Oct 31, 2017)

Earlier:

• New York: Robin Mills, 66, charged with 22 counts of cruelty after 22 animals found stuffed inside her home in Bay Shore

(June 2017) Florida: Joseph Shepherd and his girlfriend Diana Harrelson charged after leaving emaciated, blind, deaf, matted dog covered in maggots tethered to trailer

FLORIDA -- Sarasota County Animal Services has dealt with many animal abuse cases but there’s a recent case deputies say rates among one of the worst they’ve seen.

“If you look at the photos, it’s horrific,” says Lt. Daniel Tutko, Sarasota Sheriff’s Office.

 

So horrific, half of the photos we can’t show you. Sputnik, a 14-year-old terrier mix, had to be euthanized.

Tutko says, “When the person picked him up, found it lethargic, matted, filled with maggots infection in its eye, one eye was missing, foul smell from the dog…it was suffering.”

Tutko says a Good Samaritan found the dog tied with a cord around its collar to this trailer on Walnut Avenue.  “I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. To let a dog get in that state you can’t imagine why someone would let that happen.”

Tutko says the reason the owner gave for tethering the dog outside is upsetting. “She wanted to let it die a natural death and that natural death was full of pain and suffering should not have occurred,” says Tutko.

Animal services officers in Sarasota were first made aware of the dog's condition on June 5, when a person rescued the animal.

The dog was reportedly in extreme distress, with matted fur and extreme dental decay. The 14-year-old terrier mix, named Spunik, who is both deaf and blind, was covered in maggots and attached to a cable tether without shelter.

Officers transported the dog to a veterinarian who performed humane euthanasia to end Spunik's suffering.

Deputies charged the homeowner, 55-year-old Joseph Shepherd, with abandoning an animal and animal cruelty.

Shepherd says, “All we ever gave our dogs is love, it’s an unfortunate situation.”

Shepherd says they placed Sputnik outside for a few days after Shepherd returned from the hospital and couldn’t care for him.

“He was defecating on the floor, urination more than I can take of it at the time. The dog was fed, given water, the skin condition I had no knowledge of,” explains Shepherd.

“This shouldn’t happen. There are resources available, we’ll come over, we’ll take the dog,” says Lt. Tutko. He adds, “It’s an excruciatingly painful death he shouldn’t have had to endure.”

 

Through a continued investigation, deputies learned that Shepherd's girlfriend, 62-year-old Diana L. Harrelson was aware of the dog's condition but moved to Mississippi in the months prior.

On June 7, Harrelson contacted Animal Services in order to retrieve another dog the couple owned named Bella, who was impounded due to excessive parasites and fleas.

Tutko says Bella is a 10-year-old terrier mix and is fairly good shape suffering from some fleas and parasites. The Sarasota County Animal Services wants the couple to sign over ownership so it can put the dog up for adoption but Shepherd says they won’t give up their dog.

During interviews with deputies, Harrelson admitted the last time she took Spunik to a veterinarian was in August 2016. 

Harrelson claimed she didn't have enough money to pay for euthanasia and claimed she wanted Spunik to "die a natural death" [eaten alive by maggots].

Harrelson was given a notice to appear Monday and faced the same charges as Shepherd. She was released on a $2,120 bond.

Bella remains in the custody of the Sarasota County Animal Services Section and will more than likely be transferred to a rescue facility at a later date.

Name: JOSEPH NILES SHEPHERD
Born: March 02, 1962
Age: 55
Residential Address: 4118 WALNUT AVE, SARASOTA FL 34234

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(WXYZ - June 30, 2017)

South Dakota: Janell Gibson pleaded guilty to 20 counts of animal cruelty; her 76 animals are now learning to adjust in their new world

SOUTH DAK0TA -- Dani Banks brought home two dogs last week that didn’t know what tile was. When she turned on the vacuum cleaner, the dogs cowered in fear. Midnight, a black poodle, froze when the TV turned on.

Thus began Banks' work to help them learn how to live outside of a crate.

Banks’ dogs, Squirt and Midnight, were among 76 animals rescued from Doodles to Love, an animal breeding facility near Creighton, in late December.

Dressler’s report and another one from Deputy Jacob Tweeten tell of the horrors they witnesses:

• a dead puppy found in Gibson’s home
• two dead puppies found in a shed, where one of the carcasses was in a plastic bag
• kennels and cages littered with “piled up” feces and urine
• water receptacles that were frozen or empty or littered with feces and food
• some animals without food or water
• a dog so thin that its rib cage was visible and some of its hair was falling off

The owner, Janell Gibson, who ran a Goldendoodle and Labradoodle breeding business called "Doodles to Love" in Creighton (near Wall, South Dakota), recently pleaded guilty to 20 counts of animal neglect.

Note: Goldendoodles are a mix of Golden Retriever and Poodle while Labradoodles are a mix of Labrador Retriever and Poodle. She would have had in her possession Labs, Goldens, Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, as well as Poodles for breeding.

The animals  — 48 dogs, 15 rabbits, 12 cats and one hen pheasant — went to the Humane Society of the Black Hills in Rapid City. Banks, who is a dog behavior consultant and certified trainer, helped interview adoption applicants for dogs seized from the facility.

Stringent requirements included a $20 application fee, references and a home visit. Their vetting process must have worked because none of the adopted dogs were returned to the humane society because of behavioral issues, etc.

But Humane Society of the Black Hills Executive Director Jacque Harvey said the dogs’ greatest challenge wasn’t becoming physically healthy or finding homes — it comes from simply experiencing the world.

“They have to learn everything about being a dog,” Harvey said.

Many of the dogs had been in wooden crates since birth. Some had never experienced a blanket or a leash. Banks is still trying to teach her dogs how to get out of the car.

All 76 animals were nurtured back to health, including about 60 puppies (some were born after the rescue -- 11 dogs were pregnant at the time of the seizure), according to Harvey. But the humane society didn’t receive legal custody of the animals until March 27, after which the staff prepared the dogs for adoption.

As of last week, only six dogs, one cat and several rabbits remained to be adopted.

“This job far exceeds any job that I have seen done,” Banks said of the humane society’s work. “I just can’t even give them enough credit.”

The story started when the humane society got a tip from a woman who said there were animals in poor shape in Creighton. The unincorporated community about 20 miles north of Wall was out of the humane society’s Animal Services and Enforcement jurisdiction, so they called the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

By the end of December, the humane society was filled to the brim with the newly rescued animals, in addition to the animals it already had. Many of the animals rescued from Creighton had skin infections and lice and were matted with feces.

 

The staff at the humane society gave shots to each animal, some as often as four times a day. One dog required surgery; another had 14 teeth pulled. 

The kennel staff had to stay as late as 10 p.m. some days, pulling 14-hour work days to take care of the animals. All adult dogs were spayed and neutered.

The cost of care for the seized animals to date is about $250,000, Harvey said.

So why isn't JANELL GIBSON being forced to pay this? She ran this puppy mill for more than 10 years. Puppies were selling for what, $500-$1,500 each? SIXTY PUPPIES were born in just three months' time while the adult dogs were in custody. 60 x $1,000 = $60,000. That's how much would have been in JANELL GIBSON's pocket if they had not seized her dogs. Now multiple this by 4x per year that there would be large groups of litters = $240,000. That's nearly A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS in one year! 

Most of that was covered by donations and pro bono care from local pet hospitals.

Harvey said the humane society hadn’t had a seizure of that volume in years, if ever, but felt overwhelmed by the community support.

“It was incredibly rewarding for us here at BHHS to see these animals happy and healthy and to walk out the door to new homes,” Harvey said.

WHO ARE DAVID EISENBRAUN AND MARIA EISENBRAUN?

WHERE ARE ALL THE CATS JANELL GIBSON WAS BREEDING??

In 2014, Janell Gibson, David Eisenbraun and Maria Eisenbraun applied for a conditional use permit for Gibson's puppy mill. David and Maria Eisenbraun are listed as owners along with Janell Gibson. So who are they? What involvement did they have with DOODLES TO LOVE which churned out puppy mill puppies non-stop (one of which had parvo according to an online commenter who had purchased one of their puppies)? Why aren't they being mentioned at all? 

Also, in one of the other articles, it said police went out to the property and counted 100 animals - dogs and cats. The cats the officer saw were NOT listed on Gibson's permit. She had apparently told them she was breeding a different breed of cat. So by the end of 2016, had she gotten out of the cat breeding business? Also, she says on her website that her entire family was involved in the breeding business, including her adult children and her husband. Why weren't they charged? There are so many unanswered questions. 

(Rapid City Journal - June 25, 2017)

Earlier:

• South Dakota: Deputies rescue 75 puppy mill dogs being hoarded inside barn
• South Dakota: Breeder Janell Gibson, 46, facing 37 counts of animal cruelty
• South Dakota: Humane Society director Jacque Harvey releases a statement regarding their involvement regarding Janell Gibson's puppy mill
• South Dakota: Charged with 37 COUNTS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY, puppy mill breeder Janell Gibson is accused of abusing nearly 80 animals - including 3 dead puppies. Judge Marya Tellinghuisen let her walk right out the door with just a $750 bond.

Florida: Angelina Daniel, 20, arrested for animal cruelty. Police say she was supposed to care for her sick mom's pets, instead she abandoned them to die

FLORIDA -- A Marion County woman who was supposed to be caring for her sick mother’s pets severely abandoned the animals causing two dogs to die of starvation, has been found and arrested police say.

Belleview Police Department Sgt. Jody Backlund said he had received information as to the whereabouts of Angelina Elizabeth Daniel, 20, and went to the 2200 block of East Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala.

 

He said he saw Daniel wandering around in a parking lot and took her into custody without incident at 1:25 p.m on June 22nd.

On June 1st, Marion County Animal Services was called to Daniel’s mother’s home at 5927 SE Stetson Road in Belleview by area residents concerned for the welfare of some animals.

Backlund said the home was filled with feces and a terrier-mix and a Chihuahua were dead in the laundry room. 

They appeared to have been deceased for some time, Backlund said. 

 

 

Necropsies on the dead dogs showed they died from starvation and dehydration. Their stomachs were empty, according to a report provided to Backlund by county officials.

Animal officials rescued seven cats and three dogs from the home.

Neighbors said they're beyond words to find out that animals inside the house were dying and starving adding that the people who lived there have only been here for few months.

"There is no odor, generally have a smell of some kind," neighbor Norma Payton said.

 

 

 This blind Poodle's fur was matted to its body.

Angie Daniel’s mother has been hospitalized for almost three months. Water and power had been disconnected from the home.

The detective was told co-workers of the woman had paid utility bills and bought food for the animals when she first went to the hospital. The co-workers stopped giving money to Daniel and offered to take care of the animals, but that she refused so they assumed she was caring for them.

 

 

Some animals seem to have fared better than others.

Daniel initially told the detective she was taking care of the dogs and cats and claimed that she had been at the home taking care of the animals the same day Animal Control had shown up. However, after police told her about the filthy living conditions, she changed her story and claimed that "someone else" was taking care of the animals.

She reportedly told the sergeant that the animals are like family to her and claimed she would never do anything to hurt them.

 

Authorities on Wednesday put out word that they were looking for Daniel and that she would be arrested on a warrant for animal cruelty and abandonment.

After Backlund found Daniel on Thursday, she told him she had personal problems and denied that anyone had tried to help her with the animals. She told him she was scared to call animal control for assistance with the animals.

Backlund said Daniel signed paperwork to give BPD custody of the animals. She was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.

Of the 10 surviving animals, a kitten had to be put down due to its condition. An Animal Services official on Thursday said the rest of the animals are doing fine and should be ready for adoption soon.

Daniel denied an interview request from the Star-Banner.

It looks like Angelina's mom's name is Lisa Lorette Gemmette. From an obituary online, Lisa's mom Bernice Gladu Gemmette passed away in 2016 and it appears that with her inheritance she purchased the house on Stetson. Lisa, then fell ill, to the point that she had to be hospitalized - neighbors say since mid-April of this year. 

Neighbors say that at first, Lisa's daughter Angelina was being given cash to pay the bills and buy food for the animals, but then the money flow stopped. Maybe they'd already suspected that Angelina wasn't using the money like she was supposed to; last month the utilities were shut off at her mom's house for non-payment. 

I feel so sorry for Lisa. Here she's had to deal with her mom dying, buys this cute house (with a swimming pool!) for a fresh start, then falls ill but thinks her daughter is taking care of things for her. To have to tell her that not only did her daughter not take care of her home, her bills and her pets but that she starved them to death... prayers for Lisa and the animals that suffered.

Back in April, Angelina Daniel created a GoFundMe page, trying to raise money saying her mother had been hospitalized. There are no photos, no updates and it didn't get any donations. Good thing no one donated; who knows what Angelina would've done with the money.

Unexpected medical emergency.
Created April 10, 2017 by Angelina Elizabeth Daniel
  Medical
  BELLEVIEW, FL

Sadly we have hit a scary major bump in the road, we're praying for our mom to have a quick, strong, healthy recovery. Things are really tight right now, sense we live out of Ocala, and she is and impatient in a local Ocala hospital. They're has been and will be alot more procedures done for her to ensure the best care for her situation. Anything anyone can help with would be a major blessing at this point. Anything given will be used to make sure we make it financially, and we don't have to go without things that are really needed during this time, anything left over will go to her medical bills and making sure everything is covered. Thank you to anyone and everyone will to help. We greatly appreciate it.
Help spread the word!

 

 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Ocala Banner - June 22, 2017)