Pennsylvania: Robert Furrer who ran a local education program called Bob's Critters has been found GUILTY on 34 counts of animal cruelty

PENNSYLVANIA -- A Fairview Township man known for starting a local animal education program called Bob’s Critters has been found guilty on 34 counts of animal cruelty, according to court documents.

Robert Furrer (Bob Furrer), 66, – who brought animals to birthday parties, schools, camps and day care centers across south central Pennsylvania – was found in possession of a “very large quantity” of neglected animals at his home last year, said Melissa Smith, executive director of the York County SPCA, in an interview.

Furrer was cited for 35 counts of animal cruelty on Oct. 20 and found guilty on 34 counts by District Judge Scott Gross on Dec. 21, documents state.

He was fined $3,400 – $100 per citation – and ordered to pay $3,638 in restitution for the cost of care at the SPCA and at the office of the attending veterinarian, according to the district judge's office. He is no longer affiliated with the animal education program, which now goes by the name Mike’s Critters, managing director Mike Buleza said.

In an interview Monday, Furrer said he believes he is innocent of all or most of the citations, and that a humane society officer misinterpreted what she saw.

Humane Society Police Officer Nicole Lawrence was called to Furrer’s home on the 400 block of Nauvoo Road during an eviction at his property on Feb. 2, 2016, according to Smith. There, Lawrence found a large number of dead animals in varying stages of decay and others living in poor condition.

"Some were so decayed that they were skeletal remains," Smith said. "Even for the live animals, there were not any of them that we thought were in good physical condition (or) a good living environment. The entire situation was a citable offense."

Animals found in the home included an alligator, bearded dragon, snapping turtle, snakes, tarantulas, spiny-tailed lizards, scorpions, African bullfrogs, an Indian ringneck parakeet, a burrowing parrot, a leopard gecko and a blue-tongued skink, according to court documents.

Most of them were taken to an animal hospital in Dallastown, Smith said.

Upon examination, many were found to be suffering from dehydration, malnutrition or other medical conditions caused by improper care and poor living conditions, documents state. 

Two African bullfrogs were infested with parasites, several snakes had dermatitis, a blue-tongued skink had mouth rot and pneumonia, and a spiny-tailed lizard died of kidney failure. A Kenyan sand boa developed chronic stomatitis, a fungus so severe it migrated to its brain and resulted in death.

The surviving animals have been placed for adoption, Smith said.

FURRER IN DENIAL DESPITE BEING FOUND GUILTY

Furrer said he wasn't neglecting his animals.

Reptiles are different than mammals, he said. Some of his animals ate less in the winter months, so their cages didn't have to be cleaned as often. And some didn't drink every day, so they didn't always have access to water.

A few days before the SPCA was called to his home, his furnace stopped working, causing about five corn snakes to die from the cold, he added. The other dead animals found in the home – such as a burrowing parrot that he kept in its carrier for two to three years after its death – had been dead for quite some time because he didn't want to throw them away.

"She's my No. 2 bird," Furrer said of his parrot, Penny. "(The SPCA) doesn't have a right to tell me what I have to do with Penny when she dies."

Furrer is prohibited from owning animals for 30 days per citation, totaling 1,020 days, according to court documents.

"Do you know what that is to me?" Furrer said. "I have had a pet since I was 4 years old, and now, they're telling me I can't have a pet. I don't ever remember being without a pet."

Smith said the SPCA was very happy with the outcome.

"These animals were being used for educational purposes as part of a business," she said. "And certainly no one could have imagined how they were living, especially given the nature of the business."

Furrer left his role as animal presenter with Bob’s Critters in February 2016 after the SPCA was called to his home, according to Buleza, the managing director of the business. It now features animals Buleza owns and ones owned by other presenters.

“We have great respect for our animals,” Buleza said. “They’re healthy and well cared for.”

On Sunday, Buleza changed the name of the program to Mike’s Critters and removed photos of Furrer from the website. The site says that Furrer has retired as a presenter.

“We still believe it’s so important to expose children to reptiles and animals they don’t see very often close up and to help children understand and value these important animals,” Buleza said. “We feel badly for the situation, but we’re moving ahead in a positive way and continuing the tradition that Bob started. He taught a lot of children and adults … in his 12 years of service to the community. We’re going to continue that service.”

Is Mike Buleza trying to convince us that, despite having been the managing director of the business, he didn't know anything? That he never went to Bob's house and saw all the dead animals lying in their cages and aquariums??? 

(York Daily Record - March 29, 2017)

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)

Arizona: Hawk traps itself into birdcage after getting inside and killing family's parakeet

ARIZONA -- A hawk killed a Peoria boy’s parakeet and then got stuck in the pet’s cage.

Becky Griefer says she usually keeps her son’s parakeets named PD and Snowy inside but decided to leave their cage on a backyard patio table Monday morning because the weather was nice.

She ran outside to loud banging and realized a hawk had flown into the cage through a small, dime-sized opening.

“I’m telling you, how can a bird like that squeeze in there without popping the door open is just utterly amazing. The bird was flapping around upside down with its foot stuck probably wondering what he got himself into,” said Griefer.

He likely lifted the tiny door, got inside and the door closed behind him.

After finding PD’s body at the bottom of the cage, she quickly grabbed Snowy to safety.

“She got a little beat up,” said Griefer.

The mother then set the hawk free only for the predator to come back nearly 15 minutes later.

“Obviously looking for his easy meal,” she said.

The family who call Snowy “the mean bird that bites” believe she somehow managed to fight off the hawk and survive.

“She’s been through three mates now so she’s a survivor. She’s top dog in the bird world. She’s a pretty strong personality,” she said.

PD’s death has hit 9-year-old CJ Griefer, Becky's son, especially hard.

“I’m very sad. I just wish he could live a lot longer and now he’s in heaven,” said CJ.

The family plans to keep Snowy inside just in case the hawk comes back.

“This is why you keep them inside,” said CJ.

“You’re right, you’re right,” said Griefer.

The family is thinking about getting another parakeet but will first have a small memorial for PD Monday

(AZ Family - November 21, 2016)

New Jersey: Officials find nearly 200 birds in 'hoarding' situation

NEW JERSEY -- Nearly five years ago, Luis Sejas, a Market Street business owner, was bludgeoned by a man bearing a hammer or a machete – knocked out cold while his cash register was looted of $1,500.

To help him cope with the trauma of a serious injury and the robbery, a doctor told the now 65-year-old Sejas to take up a hobby, he said. So he harkened back to his childhood days in Bolivia, where he loved bird-watching, and he decided to adopt a two exotic birds of his own, caring for them in the back of his bicycle repair shop.

What started with just a few pet birds spiraled out of control in the five years since, culminating in an emergency rescue operation on Monday where volunteers removed nearly 200 birds, many of them exotic breeds, from deplorable conditions.

The rescuers found mice scurrying about, cockroach-infested nesting boxes and birds living in cramped, less-than-ideal living quarters of the shop’s back room. Cockatiels were stuffed 16 to a cage made for two, while two Amazon yellow-naped parrots were living in a small crate.

The business owner, who has not been charged with a crime, said he meant well for the birds. And for him and his partner of 20 years, the rescue operation was a heart-wrenching ordeal.

“This is torture for me,” he said in Spanish, inhaling a deep breath while tears welled in his eyes. “To see the empty room is really difficult for me. It used to always make me happy to go in there.”

More than 100 cockatiels, about 40 mourning doves, and dozens of other birds — including a cockatoo, four Amazon parrots and eight sun conure parakeets — were discovered in the back room of the business after a series of city inspections last week, authorities said.

Some 30 wire cages were stacked one atop the other, some reaching the ceiling of the back kitchen.

Luis Vazquez, an officer with the Passaic County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said charges against the business owner “may be pending.” He described the situation as a “hoarding case turned into a rescue.” Vazquez said though the couple was breeding birds in the shop’s backroom, there is no evidence they were selling them.

Sejas called the animals his “therapy birds,” Vazquez said. He and his partner cooperated by surrendering the birds to rescue groups.

For as bad as the conditions were, rescuers said the birds mostly appeared to be in good health. Paula Ashfield, who runs a bird sanctuary in Sussex County, removed the white umbrella cockatoo from a cat carrier and danced in a circle while it perched on her arm, bobbing its head as she sang a tune. Afterward, it belted out a few excited screeches.

The business owner’s partner said she would most miss the cockatoo, which she named Bumble, and a red-lored parrot she called Charlie. When Charlie was brought out of the room, she cried out the bird’s name, whistled and took pictures of it with her cell phone as tears streamed down her face.

Sejas said having the birds helped him deal with the impact of the robbery and assault in April 2011, which was documented in a police report. He was left severely hurt with broken ribs and head injuries which led him to get 22 stitches and five stitches near his eyebrow, and bruises throughout his body. He said it took him more than two months to recover from his injuries, and one of his doctors told him that he should focus on things he likes to help him get better.

“It was like therapy, the birds distracted me,” he said. “Every time I would see that one was born it would make me happy.”

He said as a child growing up in the countryside of Bolivia, he often would go out to look at birds and would often bring some home with him. He said he loved to raise animals as a hobby, remembering that at one time he raised rabbits and guinea pigs in Bolivia.

When he started homing birds in the backroom of his store, he said he thought it was the best place because it was near the backyard.

“It started off with one type of bird and I wanted others,” Sejas said, fidgeting with a cord in his hands. “It was like a collection for me.”

He said that he bought some of the birds at local pet shops and flea markets, but most were born in his own shop. Witnessing the births was a recurring moment of joy, he and his partner said.

“The animals were so beautiful when they were born, and as they grow they get to know you,” said the woman, who did not give her name.

Sejas said last week a fire inspector went to his shop and found the birds, and told him he had too many.

“I was so scared, I didn’t know it was against the law,” he said.

The Passaic fire inspector, Michael Shatrin, issued a notice of violation to the business last week, listing four offenses – having an illegal bedroom, excessive storage, a malfunctioning fire extinguisher and a back door that was inaccessible.

The business owner said he planned on moving some of the birds to larger cages but didn’t get around to it. He also said he tried to control the mouse and roach problem, sometimes spending hours cleaning the store.

The couple is being allowed to keep one of the birds – a blue-fronted parrot called Lolita – as long as they take it to a veterinarian and keep it at home.

No birds were found dead, but some newborns that were removed last week did not survive, said Ashfield, founder of Under My Wing Avian Refuge in Wantage. She spent hours scrubbing the back room on Thursday and took with her some finches and canaries.

Most of the other birds were distributed among four different rescue groups and sanctuaries on Monday – two in New Jersey, one in New York and one in Maryland.

On Monday, Ashfield wore rubber gloves and plastic covers on her boots while she removed the birds, and left the room grimacing.

“We got cockroaches flying off the walls, into breeding cages, everywhere,” she said.

After the birds are tested for diseases, most will go up for adoption by the various groups, Ashfield said.

To donate to the rescue effort, visit the Under My Wing Avian Refuge website at Facebook.com/UMWAR or email donate@undermywing.org.

According to the bird rescue Facebook page, the SPCA decided it was "a case of hoarding and not intentional neglect" and would not be filing charges. I disagree with this decision unless these owners have willingly agreed to get mental health counseling. Without mental health intervention, the recidivism rate for hoarding is 100%.

(North Jersey - Jan 20, 2016)

Yesica Tzoc, 26, accused of stuffing parakeet down dog's throat, killing both

TEXAS -- Yesica Tzoc, 26, appeared before a judge Friday and the crimes she's accused of committing, unthinkable.

According to court documents, Tzoc killed the family's dog by stuffing a parakeet down its throat and using a metal curtain rod to force it down.

"That's never good to hear and to know that happened over here, that's been the first time I've heard of that, anything like that happening over here," neighbor Sharlet Odems said.

Police showed up to the family's home on Oct. 15 for a disturbance call and said they found Tzoc's 6-year-old daughter with bruises on her face and legs.

Her next-door neighbor said he heard about what happened afterwards.

My son, he saw the little kid and that there were bruises everywhere," neighbor Efrain Basto said.

Investigators said the child was hit by her mother several times with a wooden stick and that she used a jacket to cover her child's mouth while hitting her.

While being interviewed later by police, Tzoc said it was because her daughter was getting in trouble at school.

"Try to do whatever you can to help your kids out and improve, that's not the way to handle it," Odems said.

The family's dog was found dead in a cardboard box and wrapped up in curtains at a nearby dumpster.

Tzoc told investigators she wanted to feed the bird to the her dogs, "as they've been wanting to eat them for a while."

The family's dog was found dead in a cardboard box and
wrapped up in curtains at a nearby dumpster.

"I used to talk to her and her husband and when they told me she was doing that I couldn't believe it," Basto said.

Tzoc is being held in the Harris County Jail in lieu on felony charges of animal cruelty and injury to a child.

"I think that's the best thing they can do," Basto said. "Especially when they do something with kids. I'm a dad and I wouldn't do that to my kids. It's unbelievable."

(Click2Houston - Dec 18, 2015)

Tennessee: Deputies Report Finding Dogs, Bird Abandoned In Home, Malnourished; Tyrone Crum, 40, charged with animal cruelty

TENNESSEE -- A man charged with animal cruelty has a first scheduled General Sessions Court appearance today.

Tyrone F. Crum, 40, of 52 Stone Creek Park, was served summonses Monday in connection with the charges.

Sheriff's deputies were called Monday morning to investigate an abandoned animal at 703 Susong Memorial Road.

The person who called the sheriff's department "pointed out a small dog on the roof over the back patio" of the house, Deputy Jake Little said in a report.

"The dog appeared malnourished but friendly," the report said.

Neighbors had placed a plastic bowl of water where the dog could reach it. They then advised me that there were two other animals known to be in the house, both larger dogs," the report said.

Neighbors said that the house had recently been purchased but no one had been there in about a week. Deputies found the front door unlocked and after announcing their presence, went inside.

Nothing was initially heard, but then a bird-like noise later found to be a parakeet was heard, the report said.

HOUSE A MESS
"I observed the house was filled with leftover, discarded belongings, trash and animal waste," the report said.

As deputies entered a hallway, they heard "what sounded like a large animal stir in the back room," the report said.

They backed off, not knowing the size or temperament of the dog.

"Throughout the house, animal waste was observed. The waste from the larger dog was very worm-infested and runny," the report said.

Deputies took photographs of the interior and then went to a nearby business where a previous resident of the house lived. They were directed to a unit in the Stone Creek Trailer Park, but no one answered, the report said.

A truck fitting the description of the former employee was parked at Lee's Food Market on Asheville Highway, where contact was made with Crum.

The woman who previously lived at the house said she just found out the animals were still there and that it was Crum's responsibility to take care of them.

Crum told deputies he had intended to take the animals to county animal control.

MALNOURISHED DOG
Earlier, deputies saw the large-breed dog in the hallway "whose ribs and hip bones were protruding," the report said.

The dog was waiting at the door when it was removed by animal control, "occasionally moving the curtains to see outside," the report said.

"He proved friendly but I noticed in addition to his emaciated state he was covered with what appeared to be sores, some open, and flea bites," the report said.

Neighbors told deputies that no one had been to the house in about a week.

"(Crum) said it had probably been two or three days since he had been there," the report said.

Crum was told the dog and bird had already been taken by animal control "and he stated he had forgotten about the bird," the report said.

The dog winced when it first saw the deputy and "made no verbal noises" at any time, the report noted. It and the smaller dog readily left the house, the report added.

"It also proved friendly and malnourished but not to the extent of the larger dog," the report said.
The third dog reported by neighbors was never found.

"A check of the house showed no food or water bowls for the dogs," the report said.

The dogs apparently drank out of the toilet, the report said. The smaller dog got outside through an open bedroom window, it added.

Crum was written three criminal summonses for animal cruelty.

(Greenville Sun - Sept 9, 2015)

Richard Waite, 26, accused of drowning lizards

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A 26-year-old Nashua man is accused of drowning his ex-girlfriend’s two pet lizards.

 

The Telegraph of Nashua reported Richard Waite was arrested Sunday after officers were called for a domestic disturbance. He’s currently on probation from an assault case.

Police said Waite drowned two lizards known as bearded dragons and released a parakeet from his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.

 

Authorities said Waite is charged with animal cruelty, resisting arrest and related offenses.

 

Police allege that he smashed a TV screen, shattered a 40-pound fish tank and ripped a bathroom door off its hinges.

 

Waite told a judge during his arraignment Monday that he suffers from a severe medical condition.

He did not have a lawyer.

(Concord Monitor - Sept 1, 2015)

Alabama: "The teen said he hit the dog in the head with a board, stabbed the small dog with a screwdriver, and shot the large dog and chicken with a pellet gun"

ALABAMA -- A 14-year old Okaloosa County teenager faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges following an investigation that started with allegations that he battered his mother during an argument over him “hurting animals."

Okaloosa County deputies went to a home on Fisherman's Lane May 1 in response to a battery call.

The teen's mother says the middle school student punched her with his fist and kicked her in the chin as she fell to the ground. The responding deputy found bruises on the mother and a small dog in a bedroom that was dead from a blow to the head.

In the back yard, the officer found a chicken dead from an apparent pellet wound and in front of the house, a small stabbed poodle and a large dog with an apparent pellet wound.

The teen said he hit the dog in the head with a board, stabbed the small dog with a screwdriver, and shot the large dog and chicken with a pellet gun.

During the investigation, deputies also learned the teen was also responsible for two burglaries in the area. In connection with an April 19 burglary, the teen is charged with entering the home by breaking a window in a door.

He admitted taking two blue parakeets from their cage and then killing them. The juvenile says he threw their bodies into a small lake behind his house.

During the second burglary May 3, the teen admitted to breaking into the home and stealing a Crossman BB gun. He says he also poured sugar and rocks in the gas tank of the homeowner's SUV, “because I was mad.”

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has charged the juvenile with four counts of felony animal abuse causing cruel death or suffering, two counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals, one count of battery, two counts of burglary, criminal mischief, and two counts of theft.

He was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

(WALA - May 11, 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)

Authorities confiscate hundreds of animals near Lawtell

LOUISIANA --From the outside, the trailer that serves as Donald James LaFluer’s home in a rural area about three miles south of Lawtell offers an attractive appearance.

Surrounded by flowering trees, it is almost invisible from the road. Closer to the house, there are scores of pots filled with flowers and tropical plants, interspersed with concrete statues.

 

 

But with every step closer, the smell overwhelms the outward appearance of beauty.

On Friday, St. Landry Parish deputies charged LaFleur, 61, of 2572 Louisiana 752, Lawtell, with animal cruelty after officials located hundreds of animals, primarily birds, living in terrible conditions.

(Photo: Freddie Herpin/Gannett Louisiana)

“The conditions are deplorable,” said Brooks Davis, with St. Landry Parish Animal Control, as she and dozens of officers with the parish shelter, the sheriff’s office, Fire District III and other agencies hauled out cage after cage.

Each was filled to the brim with chickens, ducks and geese, as well as exotic birds such as peacocks, parrots, grouse, parakeets and even pheasants.

Most of the workers wore surgical masks because of the overwhelming stench.

“It was gross. It was not good for the animals, but I don’t know how he could stand it himself,” Davis said. She compared the situation in the house to that of a hoarder, with narrow walkways allowing passage through piles of trash and waste.

Davis said about 20 dogs shared the trailer with LaFleur. She said it appeared that nobody had cleaned the animal waste in a long time.

“The floor was like a thick mat of papier-maché,” she said, adding it appeared that LaFleur had spread paper on the floor to catch the animal waste.

But it seemed to her that as each layer had become soaked and saturated, LaFleur would simply add another layer of paper to the top of the pile.

The animal control officer’s main concern was with the birds of all varieties and sizes.

“Those chickens were eating each other. That’s how crowded they were,” said Davis.

She estimated that crews had removed at least 1,000 birds from the property “if you count all the little ones. A lot of chickens have just hatched.”

Parish President Bill Fontenot, who was assisting with the roundup, said he wasn’t sure about that.

“But hundreds for sure,” he said.

Fontenot said selling birds is LaFleur’s business. But the man’s relatives told Fontenot not many were selling, so their numbers just kept increasing.

As soon as officers arrived Friday morning to serve a warrant, Fontenot said LaFleur barricaded himself in the house, but deputies eventually convinced him to come out.

“He has been charged with animal cruelty, but he doesn’t see it as that,” said Fontenot.

Donald LaFleur

 He said LaFleur didn’t understand what all the commotion was about.

[It doesn't matter if he agrees with the law or if he 'doesn't understand' why there are laws to protect animals. It's not a matter of him not comprehending the law. It's a matter of him not agreeing with the laws that protect animals and he refuses to abide by them.]

Although authorities have booked LaFleur into the parish jail, Fontenot said a more appropriate response may be to help him get psychiatric help.

This is not LaFleur’s first animal cruelty charge. He has been arrested multiple times in the past for his alleged treatment of exotic birds and dogs.

In all cases, he was raising the animals for sale.

(Monroe News Star - Aug 17, 2014)

Tennessee: Clarksville couple, Daniel Thompson and Jessica Thompson, charged with child abuse, animal cruelty

TENNESSEE -- A Clarksville couple has been charged after police found their two children and starving dogs living in deplorable conditions.

The Leaf Chronicle reported Daniel and Jessica Thompson, both age 33, were arrested by Clarksville Police Monday night. Both were charged with one count of felony child abuse and neglect, one count of child abuse and neglect and one count of animal cruelty.

 

According to arrest warrants, police arrived at the home of Daniel Kevin Thompson and Jessica Dawn Thompson June 23 on suspicion of animal cruelty. Authorities could smell a foul odor coming from the home at 714 Green Valley Ct., and an emaciated dog was sitting on the porch.

The floors, kitchen counter tops, children’s rooms, and beds were covered in feces and urine.

A 9-year old girl and 5-year old boy were found barefoot and covered with bug bites. They were placed in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services.

 

Photos: Clarksville Now

Animal Control removed several animals from the home, including eight dogs, five cats, two rabbits, two parakeets, two hamsters, a chicken, and a rat. The warrants stated that there was not much food or water in the home for the pets.

The dogs were in the worst shape. A Great Dane who should have weighed 120 pounds weighed in at only 58 pounds and his ribs and hip bones were easily visible, according to animal control. He was covered in flea bites and bleeding from the wounds, said Animal Control Officer Willie Johnston.

Photo: The Leaf-Chronicle/Stephanie Ingersoll

A Miniature Pinscher was also extremely skinny, along with four pit bull mixes. Two pit bulls who had been recently acquired were in better shape but still underweight, Clifton said.

Willie Johnston with Animal Control said all the dogs were loaded with ticks and were given baths to remove them. They are being fed high protein food to help them gain weight.

 

Photo: Clarksvillenow.com

All of the dogs are currently available for adoption, according to Animal Control Director Tim Clifton.

“All of them are good dogs, they’re not aggressive,” Johnston said. “When you put food in front of them, they’re going to fight for the food.”

Their bonds were set at $15,000 each.

(WVLT - June 26, 2014)

Police say Douglas Co. home used to hoard animals

GEORGIA -- Douglas County Animal Control is investigating the owner of a home on Brown Street where they found nearly 50 pets living in deplorable conditions. They believe the home was being used solely as a shelter for the hoarded animals.

"We consider it to be a cruelty case just because of the conditions that the animals were having to live in," said Douglas County Animal Services Director Bill Peacock.

Peacock said investigators got a search warrant to go in the house because the odor was so strong when they knocked on the door. "There was feces and urine all over the floors and all throughout the house," he said. "The ammonia smell was horrendous."

Investigators removed 15 dogs, six cats, 26 birds and a ferret from the home. The dogs were mostly small varieties like terrier and Chihuahua mixes. The birds were parakeets, cockatiels and parrots. All of the animals appeared to be well nourished.

Peacock said there was no power in the home. It had been shut off in February.

The owner of the home is not being identified because the investigation is in the early stages.
Peacock said the owner has been charged with animal cruelty in the past and will likely face charges again.

"What we hope is that we can convince the owners to release ownership of all the animals to the shelter," Peacock said. They could also get a court order to gain control of the animals.

If they get control Peacock said none of the animals would be put down. They would all be put up for adoption once the investigation is completed.

(WRCB-TV - Mar 15, 2014)

Man gets probation for housing 105 animals and a baby inside mobile home with him

PENNSYLVANIA -- An Ephrata man will serve probation for housing his 1-year-old grandson in a filth-laden mobile home containing more than 100 animals.

Robert Herman Sr. pleaded guilty to endangering a child and animal cruelty in exchange for the 2-year probation term.

Herman, 57, told the judge he planned to buy a farm and was temporarily housing the various animals in the mobile home in the 800 block of East Main Street.

According to testimony, the child was living in the mobile home, along with his grandfather, his parents — and 105 animals.

Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson said the animals included parakeets, pigs, dogs, turtles, chickens, a dead rabbit, and a chinchilla.

"The conditions inside the home were deplorable with urine and feces covering the majority of the floors and splattered on the walls," Wilson said after Thursday's sentencing hearing. "The environment posed a threat to the health of all the occupants."

The mobile home was eventually condemned, Wilson said.

The boy is living with his parents in another home, according to court testimony.

The parents, William and Pearl Herman, also are charged. Their cases are pending, with guilty pleas expected in the near-future, officials said.

Lancaster County President Judge Joseph Madenspacher appeared baffled by hearing of the numerous animals living in the mobile home.

"It sounds like you put the cart before the horse," he told Robert Herman Sr. "You bought the animals before you bought the farm."

(Intelligencer Journal - Dec 6, 2013)

Mother-Daughter Duo Maria Crespo And Teresa Horta-Barrial Face 154 Animal Cruelty Charges Each

FLORIDA -- A mother-daughter duo are behind bars, facing 154 animal cruelty charges each, reports Local 10.

According to the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department, an anonymous report of animal cruelty alerted investigators to the deplorable living conditions of more than 80 dogs and other animals, reportedly including ferrets, parakeets, and two sugar gliders.

Rescuers found the dogs inside filthy crates aboard a truck last week at the Southwest Miami-Dade home of Maria Crespo and her mother Teresa Horta-Barrial, who both tried to run when discovered.

They also found that the home had no electricity or water, according to CBS Miami, and that the women were in denial of the neglectful living conditions of the dogs.

“They are not without food, they were not without water, not without love, because all of them had love," Crespo said.

But investigators say the dogs were crammed together in cages that were too small and forced to stand in one to two inches of their own feces.

"Animals in this condition that they were, and the way they were caring for, it's just overwhelming for anybody," Miami-Dade Animal Services representative Luis Salgado told Local 10. "Every cage that we saw that was there had at least three inches of dried fecal matter."

One puppy had been sitting in his own feces and urine for so long that his coat is still stained.

Many of the dogs have already been rescued, but several of them still remain under the care of rescue organizations and are in need of a loving home. Those interested in adopting one of the pups should contact the Humane Society of Greater Miami or the Humane Society of The Palm Beaches.

(Huffington Post - Sept 19, 2013)