Four legged friends (and enemies)

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Wisconsin: Delores Marti, 78, who has been caught hoarding cats for years - and who had 42 DEAD CATS IN HER FREEZER, pleads "no contest" to animal cruelty charges; gets three years probation

WISCONSIN -- The Monroe woman accused of keeping dozens of cats--dead and alive--in her home was sentenced to three years of probation Thursday.

Delores Marti, 78, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of intentionally or negligently mistreating animals and impersonating an animal shelter in Green County court Thursday.

Judge James Beer also ordered Marti to pay the city of Monroe $10,000 in restitution.

Marti is not allowed to own a cat for five years. Marti is also not allowed to have cat accessories, including carriers or pet-food bowls.

"The availability of probation allows probation officers to check and ensure that there are no pets," Green County district attorney Craig Nolen said. "We've built in added protections prohibiting her from owning or possessing any sort of cat carriers, animal-trapping devices, cat food, things to that extent."

When her home was first searched by police, reports claimed Marti had over 90 cats including 42 that were dead. This has since been revised to over 50 with five dead.

HOARDING AND ABUSING CATS FOR YEARS

Marti was fined $175 in July 2012 and $175 in December 2013 for having too many cats. In 2013, she was found to have 30 cats in one home. She was also cited back in 2010 with orders on all three occasions to either demolish or repair the ammonia, feces and urine-filled homes.

It appears that until now - no one charged her with animal cruelty and did anything about the animals which were suffering.

“She acknowledges she had a problem... She's lost everything, all because of a love of cats that went way beyond the realm of reason," her attorney Chuck Wellington said.

"What people may think of me as a person ... does not represent me as a person and that is very troubling for me to deal with," Marti said.

In court Thursday, Chuck Wellington, Marti's attorney, said the situation at Marti's home stemmed from her love of cats.

"Ms. Marti's infractions really stem from a love of cats that has gone way beyond the realm of reasonableness," Wellington said.

"Perhaps your love for cats, it gets out of hand and it takes over what our good common sense normally would do," Beer said.

While Wellington noted that Marti had already undergone mental health counseling with Green County Human Services, Beer said during sentencing that she may be ordered to undergo further treatment.

The recidivism rate for hoarders is 100% unless there is mandatory psychological counseling THAT FOCUSES ON THE ANIMAL HOARDING because she literally cannot stop herself. It is not healthy for her or animals to be living in squalor and she will continue to hoard cats unless she is forced to seek treatment to address that aspect of her illness.

In August, authorities removed 42 dead cats from a freezer in the home in the 1100 block of 19th Street. Officials also found a dead cat in the garage. A total of 50 other cats were found alive and taken to the Green County Humane Society.

Christopher Moore of Freeport, Illinois told News 3 on Thursday he recently bought Marti's home for roughly $48,000. He said he's been cleaning up the squalid conditions inside in order to make the home livable.

"I've got to take a lot of doors out, a lot of windows, especially the closet doors, because they were trying to scratch their way through anything they could find," Moore said.

Moore said the cleanup process will involve removing the urine and feces littered throughout the home, where multiple cat carriers and cages still remain.

Monroe city attorney said Moore has until October to make the house habitable. Moore said officials want him to remove the stench still permeating throughout it.

Moore said when he discovered just how bad conditions were inside the house, he was shocked and saddened.

"It just shattered me," he said.

Moore said he believes Marti should have received a stronger punishment.

"I thought she should have gone to prison," Moore said.

Moore said he isn't sure what he'll do with the house once it is cleaned up. He said he'd like to get rid of it, but he isn't sure if anyone would want it.

"I think I really want to get rid of it, because I just don't want to have it," Moore said. "On the other hand, I could donate to Habitat for Humanity, but they may not want it."

(Channel3000 - Dec 23, 2016)

Earlier:

California: Suzanne Sollenne pleads no contest to animal abuse charges, will be on probation for five years

CALIFORNIA -- An Atascadero woman who claimed to be “rescuing and rehoming death row dogs” when she was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty in August will avoid jail time after accepting a plea deal Wednesday.

Suzanne Sollenne, 58, was arrested Aug. 18 at her 1,700-square-foot, two-story home on the 7400 block of Bella Vista Road in Atascadero, where the Atascadero Police Department and San Luis Obispo County Animal Services said dozens of dogs — many in need of medical care — were living in unhealthy and inhumane conditions.

A total of 46 dogs of varying size, age and health were confiscated from the home, and the decomposed remains of at least two others were found in a yard next to it, authorities said at the time.

Sollenne pleaded not guilty in September to three felony charges of cruelty to animals and 11 misdemeanor charges of failing to care for, or provide an exercise area for, an animal.

On Wednesday, however, Sollenne pleaded no contest to one of the felonies and one of the misdemeanor charges, and the remaining charges were dismissed, according to court records.

Under the terms of her plea, she must complete five years of felony probation, perform 100 hours of community service work and complete unspecified counseling. Over that time, she is not allowed to own or maintain dogs or pets other than the goats and chickens she has on her property.

Should Sollenne successfully complete probation, she can apply to have her felony conviction expunged.

Photos of dogs are after their rescue.

The plea was entered just hours before Sollenne was scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing in which prosecutors would have presented evidence against her and a judge would have decided whether probable cause existed to take the case to trial.

Sollenne did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday, but she said in a previous series of emails to The Tribune that she’s rescued and rehomed about 500 “death row dogs” — those with health or mental problems or other barriers to adoption — in the 22 years she has lived in San Luis Obispo County.

Animal Services Director Eric Anderson previously said the majority of dogs were found housed on the second floor, most in metal crates without access to food or water. Some suffered from minor ailments but others were seriously debilitated and malnourished or injured, Anderson said.

Sollenne disputed those claims, writing that during the early morning search of her home, most dogs were sleeping downstairs where a pet door allowed them outdoor access. The loose dogs on the second floor also had access to the first floor and the yard, Sollenne said, and a 20-gallon water bucket sat just outside the pet door.

Since the dogs were confiscated, at least two were euthanized, Anderson said in September, but the majority of the animals were rehabilitated and put up for adoption at Animal Services, Woods Humane Society and regional animal shelters in neighboring counties.

Sollenne is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 23.

(KSBY San Luis Obispo News - Dec 15, 2016)

Earlier:

California: Atascadero woman Suzanne Sollenne arrested, 46 dogs seized after being found in ‘unsanitary conditions'. She says she's a 501c3 - I can't find proof of this

Washington: Deborah Kingcade and James Kingcade, who were running a rescue called "Emerald City Thoroughbred Project", keep coming up with excuses as to why they're not showing up in court to answer for animal cruelty charges

WASHINGTON -- A Cle Elum couple facing animal cruelty charges failed to show up to a second hearing in Kittitas County Superior Court on Friday.

Superior Court Judge Scott Sparks did not issue a warrant for Deborah and James Kingcade, but said if the couple failed to appear in court on Jan. 20 he would.

James Kingcade’s defense attorney Etoy Alford said James Kingcade was feeling ill that morning due an ongoing battle with throat cancer. He has had regular contact with his client.

Deputy Prosecutor Erika George expressed concern and said, “It feels like their appearance is becoming less regular.”

Sparks issued a warrant after the couple failed to show up on Dec. 2. It was quashed when they appeared in court on Dec. 5.

The Kingcades face two counts of first-degree animal cruelty and 12 counts of second-degree animal cruelty after the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office seized 14 horses from their residence in May. The horses were malnourished and in poor health.

The Kingcades pleaded not guilty in June. The couple said several of the horses were underfed by previous owners before they rescued them, according to a legal petition filed in the court.

The seized horses were initially taken to a barn at the Kittitas Valley Event Center at the fairgrounds where volunteers helped care for them. They all made a full recovery.

(Daily Record-News - Dec 31, 2016)

Earlier:

Florida: Divided opinions regarding cats that were contained in homemade pet crates and left at local shelter

FLORIDA -- Early Wednesday morning, someone dropped off - abandoned, really - 25 cats in about a dozen laundry baskets (taped to look like cages - check the photo) at Nassau County Animal Services.

Whoever dropped the cats off did not tell animal services they were coming or that they'd be giving up the cats. From the social posts by both the Nassau Humane Society and the animal services page - neither shelter's staffs are very pleased.

"To whomever dumped these 25 cats out front at 3:10 am. Next time would you maybe call us and ask for help? Ps. Thanks for the laundry baskets," animal services wrote on their Facebook.

Some readers left comments saying it was animal cruelty to have abandoned these cats in the middle of the night. One person said it was irresponsible to get 25 cats and that the person should never be allowed to have animals again.

Other people posted and said whenever you all the shelter, they always say they're full and are not accepting any animals - and that the person who dropped them off went to the trouble of going to the Dollar Store and purchasing brand new laundry baskets and zip ties to make homemade crates for the cats - rather than simply dumping them out onto the side of the road to run off and maybe get hit by a car, starve or be attacked by animals.

I tend to agree with those who say it's better than being dumped and left to fend for themselves. No, it's not ideal - but at least they didn't squish 25 cats into one kennel and leave them in a park, which was done with some small dogs back in 2012 "Police identify suspects in 30-dog dumping case"

California: Man and two women, driving a
Mercedes, dump two pet crates full of dogs
at park and drive away

Ohio: Breeder Trixxe McCowin abandoned
three sick Persian cats inside a crate at a
restaurant parking lot and drove away

Maybe they should set up something at the shelter so that you can anonymously leave an animal or at least have a way to anonymously notify them that they're leaving an animal there?

Consider that they have "newborn drop off" locations where someone can leave a baby at certain locations - no questions asked. These places were created due to women abandoning (or killing) babies that they didn't want anyone to know that they'd had.

Canada: Charges possible in Thunder Bay cat
and kitten abandonment case

Some may say the person shouldn't "get away" with leaving a starving or mange-covered dog there, but would you rather the dog stay hidden away at someone's house and left to suffer and die because the owner knows they'll be arrested if they take it to the shelter?

I don't know that that's always the answer - or if that's even an answer, but there's got to be some kind of solution that will protect the animals and get them out of cruelty situations.

Michigan: Jogger in park finds box full of
19 abandoned pit bull mix puppies in
urine-soaked cardboard box

SOME COMMENTS LEFT ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE

Melissa Titone - So, I don't think it's OK to do this, BUT - to say "maybe call us and ask for help".... has anybody ever had a cat problem or had to give one up and called a shelter? You know what they do? Nothing. No one takes cats! So had this person called, what would you have said to them? I'll tell you. "Sorry we're full" "sorry we're not currently taking cats"

Elena Louvros - You said it. I've done exactly that, several times in the past and was told that---sorry we're full. Try to do the right thing and get shot down.

Alicia Anne - IF THEY WOULD OF CALLED U THEY WOULD BE TURNED AWAY !! like every other shelter does, says they are "full" .. its a shelter right ?!! they did right by leaving them there instead of in garbage bags by a dumpster like what some people do.

Samantha Coleman - Wow and This is why we have people who rather dump animals on the side of the road, all to avoid being Internet shamed such as this. They clearly took the time to make sure the cats were secure and at a safe place. I don't feel like a horrible person would have taken the time to put such concern into it ...

Ariana Carvalho - It's very sad that people have so many cats and can't take proper care of them. It's very sad that they were dumped like that.
I hope that you take care of them and find good homes. I believe that who did this should be punished to not have animals anymore.

Anne Shore - Prob someone passed and had all these, sad, glad they will have a chance and not left to die

Betty-ann Brown - Really that's gotta be the cruelest thing imaginable...how are they doing

Cindy Fleming Kelleher - Well, at least they didn't dump them somewhere where they might die.

- - - - - - - -

Each of the animals will be checked by a veterinarian and given any medical care they need.

Animal services is giving 10 cats to the humane society and both organizations will work to find homes for the animals. Both shelters are 'no kill' shelters, meaning they will not euthanize the animals if they aren't adopted in a certain amount of time.

To see the animals currently up for adoption, you can head to either location - the humane society is at 639 Airport Rd, Fernandina Beach, FL and animal services is at 86078 License Rd, Fernandina Beach, FL.

(First Coast news - Dec 28, 2016)

Michigan: Jogger in park finds box full of 19 abandoned puppies in urine-soaked cardboard box

MICHIGAN -- A woman in Michigan discovered a box full of 19 puppies while out for a jog in a park.

Julie Newman was jogging on Northville Road in Hines Park about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when she heard "little yelps" and noticed movement inside a cardboard box.

"I could hear little yelps," she said. "And then I saw a box that was moving."

She found 19 abandoned puppies climbing over each other and trying to escape a urine-soaked box. Newman, who has two rescue dogs of her own, called her sister and they took the puppies to the Humane Society.

"I'm just heartbroken," Newman said. "I just don't understand how anyone could do this."

The nine male and 10 female puppies, believed to be pit bull terrier mixed breed, received medical care upon arriving at the humane society and will be available for adoption once their treatment is completed. Some of the puppies were suffering from dehydration.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is seeking information about the person who abandoned the puppies.

"It's hard to say why someone would dump puppies in a park. But there is no good reason for such a careless act. This is exactly why animal shelters exist -- to provide safety and care to animals in need," HSHV CEO Tanya Hilgendorf said. "We don't ever want to see animals, especially babies, abandoned in the cold, left to fend for themselves.

"Thanks to a compassionate community member willing to take action, these innocent puppies will get the help they deserve. When they're ready, they'll be adopted into loving homes -- but first spayed or neutered to help ensure this doesn't happen again."

(UPI - Dec 30, 2016)

Oklahoma: Mary Blevins and Cory Blevins charged with animal cruelty after dying horse seized last month

OKLAHOMA -- Laura Austin Thomas, District Attorney for Payne and Logan Counties, announced on Friday the filing of felony charges of animal cruelty against Mary Ellen Blevins and Cory Blevins, in connection with five horses that were seized from property being leased by them.

The charges filed were the result of an investigation conducted by the Logan County Sheriff’s Department. The charges allege that on or around November 28 the Blevins’ had in their control and captivity five horses that were deprived of necessary food, drink, and care for a sustained period of time.

The affidavit for arrest warrant prepared by Detective Captain Tom Kutay states that the horses were seized on November 28 after the execution of a search warrant on the property leased by the Blevins’.

The condition of the property and the horses was indicative of neglect, and at least one horse had to be euthanized due to his emaciated condition.

Mary Blevins said they were "trying" to find euthanasia services, but that in the state of Oklahoma, it's not easy to find someone who will come out and euthanize your old, suffering horse. Um, yeah, it's called a phone. You pick it up, call and equine vet and make an appointment.

The remaining four horses are now available for adoption and are currently under the care of Exclusively Equine Veterinary Services and are being provided boarding by Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue.

Other services used in connection with the investigation and assistance for the horses were provided by Oakridge Equine Hospital, Helping Hands Equine Assistance and the Oklahoma State University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

Austin Thomas stated, “There is no acceptable excuse to owning animals and not bothering to provide them the necessities to sustain their lives. Those who choose to treat animals, totally dependent on them for care, in an abominable way will be prosecuted to the full extent allowed by law.”

(Guthrie News - Dec 30, 2016)

Earlier:

United Kingdom: Man ‘stabbed his pet Staffordshire pit bull terrier to death to save his own life in attack on Christmas morning’

UNITED KINGDOM -- A man stabbed his pet dog to death and dumped its body in a wheelie bin after it attacked him on Christmas morning.

The owner killed his Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier to “save his own life” after it ambushed him.

They were rushed to hospital following the incident in Grimsby, which police say is not being treated as animal cruelty because the owner was acting in self-defence.

The pooch’s body is believed to have been found in a bin in the Weelsby Street area today.

A Humberside Police spokeswoman told Mirror the man was forced to stab the dog to death “to save his own life”.

She said: “We were called on Christmas morning shortly after 6am to a report that a man had been attacked by his dog and in order to stop the attack the dog had been killed.

“The incident happened on Weelsby Street in Grimsby.

“We attended and spoke with the owner (who was the) victim of the attack to check on his welfare and in order to establish that there were no animal cruelty concerns, of which there were none.

“The owner suffered deep puncture wounds to his arms and was treated for his injuries at Hull Royal Infirmary.

“On 29 December we received a call from a member of the public who stated that they had found a dead dog on Weelsby Street.

“We have conducted initial inquiries and believe that this is the same dog that attacked its owner on Christmas Day. We are satisfied that there are no further circumstances that would concern the police. The RSPCA have been informed.”

An RSPCA spokeswoman confirmed it was aware of the incident but said the charity are not investigating.

(The Sun UK - Dec 29, 2016)