Townships in Jackson County lack ordinances regarding number of pets in households

by Heidi Fenton

Machell Dunlap was overcome by a sinking feeling as she opened the door earlier this month to a house on Levant Street near Sparks Foundation County Park.

Dunlap, a Jackson County Animal Control officer, arrived days after neighbors complained of an emaciated animal and foul stench coming from the property.

As she walked inside the dark entryway, she saw why.

All the home's windows were closed and covered by blinds. Fecal and urine matter covered almost every inch of the floor from the living room — cluttered with stacks of furniture — to a bedroom, where the homeowner slept. Running water was cut off because the homeowner's well was in disrepair.

And then there were the cats — more than a dozen of them, Dunlap estimated..." More