Thursday, March 3, 2011

76 dead dogs found at Lower Valley Pike shelter

By Valerie Lough

Clark County officials on Tuesday found 76 dead dogs at a local shelter that was declared a public nuisance by the Clark County Combined Health District last week.

The dogs, along with 367 that are alive, had been housed in hog barns at One More Chance Rescue and Adoption, 8393 Lower Valley Pike. Fifteen cats were also found.

The Health District declared the shelter a public nuisance after an investigation revealed deteriorating conditions for the animals, including a rat infestation, large amounts of garbage, feces and urine and poor air quality.

The Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday that the dogs that were taken from One More Chance have been moved to a hog barn at the Richwood Fairgrounds in northern Union County in central Ohio.

The cause or causes of the animals’ death is unknown, and charges could be filed against shelter operator Jeff Burgess pending further investigation, officials said.

“The investigation is still open. We will follow through with it,” said Clark County Humane Society Executive Director James Straley.

Recently, Piqua authorities confiscated 100 dogs at a shelter Burgess, 56, operated in that city.

Eleven criminal charges — including nine related to cruelty to animals — were filed by the Piqua Health Department against him..." More


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