Officials say animal hoarding, neglect are major problems

By Tom Moor

During a recent raid of an Elkhart County home, authorities seized 50 cats, many suffering from various respiratory illnesses.

The cost to medicate the cats was $1,300, and many of them had to be put down anyway because of how sick they were.

Hoarding cases such as this are all too common in this area, officials say.

Elkhart County generally has two hoarding calls a month, said Anne Reel, director of the Humane Society of Elkhart County.

The problem, Reel said, is that hoarders themselves generally are caring people who actually believe they’re doing what’s best for the animals.

“Hoarding itself is a mental issue,” she said. “People who are hoarders are thinking they’re doing something to help the animals. But they get so caught up in collecting them, they disregard the health of them.”

Hoarding was one of the issues highlighted by local Humane Society officials recently while speaking about Animal Cruelty Awareness Month, which is being observed this month..." More

Hoarding takes over South Bend man's life

By Tricia Sloma

Sometimes that last part gets lost in the shuffle, and before you know it, your home is a total mess...." More & video.

Part 2:

On Tuesday, we showed you the home of Jim Curlee, which was chosen for a de-cluttering intervention on the TV show "Hoarders." Now, in Part 2, we show you how Jim is doing now that he's gotten help for his hoarding...." More & video

NY Screening: Nov 13 - Documentary: The Tiger Next Door

"The Tiger Next Door"

Margaret Mead Film Festival

Friday November 13 8pm

American Museum of Natural History

Advance Tickets RECOMMENDED

By phone 212-769-5200

Online tix on sale: here

The Tiger Next Door is a documentary film that tells the story of a man named Dennis Hill who has been breeding, and selling tigers from his backyard in Flat Rock, Indiana for over fifteen years. As Hill’s small town drama unfolds, a litany of news stories of tiger situations gone bad around the country suggest an animal welfare problem of much larger scope.

Tigers are simultaneously an occupation and an obsession for Dennis H. He claims to know exactly what they’re thinking by the look in their eyes. But now, after a surprise government inspection, he’s lost the license that allowed him to keep exotic animals, and the state of Indiana is threatening to shut him down. He has just five days to find alternate homes for all but three of his brood and to bring his facilities up to code – or else lose what he considers to be his life’s work.

As Dennis fights to hold on to his tigers over the days and months that follow, The Tiger Next Door follows him – exploring his motives, his past, and the curious, ethically-murky world he’s created in his backyard. At the same time, the film ranges far beyond Dennis’ animal compound, illuminating the connection between breeders like Dennis H, and the near-epidemic of wild animal keeping in the United States.

Don Lambert, Don

More than 100 seized dogs up for adoption in Kokomo

Making Kokomo clean and safe

By Patrick Munsey

Nearly every Wednesday morning around 10 a.m., Steve Barnett can be found at the Kokomo Board of Works and Public Safety meeting in City Hall. And he's usually talking about cleaning up someone's property.

For those who don't attend the meetings or watch them on KGOV, the city's government access television station, they may be more familiar with Barnett's work in the community. As director of inspection services, it is his responsibility to identify and remediate nuisance and unsafe properties across the city. Last week, that meant pulling tons of trash and debris from the property along South LaFountain Street owner by Roger McConnell.

"The property that Mr. McConnell owns at 2100 and 2110 South LaFountain had been in violation of the nuisance ordinances for a long time," said Barnett. "We address many properties within the city limits every year, and Roger has one of those properties that keeps coming back up.

"Once it's cleaned up, it keeps rolling back into the safe unsafe condition that it was prior to the clean-up. I don't think it's a personal issue or any kind of defiant maneuver. He has told me before he was going to plant it all in corn, but that didn't happen. That would have been a defiant move.

"I just believe that Roger has an issue with collecting things and hoarding things. The things that he thinks have value could be plastic milk jugs and old McDonald's wrappers and sacks. To us, as an administrative body, that's trash and litter."..." More

photo / Peter Adelsen

Nearly 100 Animals Seized In Dogfighting Raid

PAOLI, Ind. -- Authorities have seized nearly 100 dogs during raids at two southern Indiana sites suspected of breeding and training the animals for illegal fighting.

Indiana State Police said dog carcasses and dogfighting paraphernalia were also seized when the Indiana Gaming Commission and other agencies executed search warrants Tuesday in Orange County.

Adam Parascandola, of the Humane Society of the United States, said many of the dogs had scars and marks consistent with fighting.

Dogs were found attached by 6-foot chains to trees, with only barrels for shelter. They were drinking rain out of tires infested with mosquitoes.

"They're scattered through this 15 acres of woods, and you can tell that they don't get food or water routinely," said Larry Rollins, of the Indiana Gaming Commission. "They have these heavy, long chains that are wrapped directly around the dogs' necks, and they're digging in."..." More

NEW INFO: Massive animal rescue

About 60 animals found in home

• Megan Stembol

ASHLEY, Ind. (WANE) - More than 60 animals have been found in a local home.  Ashley, Indiana, police responded to 105 Adams Ct. along with the Steuben County Humane Society Wednesday afternoon.

Police came to the home to find two dogs and 20 to 60 cats had been living on the property. The real problem though, according to officials, is the number of rabbits that were kept in the basement of the home.

NewsChannel 15 was the only local station on the scene as the Steuben County Humane Society picked up 30 to 40 rabbits. The homeowner voluntarily gave the animals up but watched heart broken as officials took them away..."  More & video

Confiscated Dogs On The Way To Shelters

By Andy Alcock/WLKY

NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- More than half of the 240 dogs confiscated from a southern Indiana farm are on their way to shelters and rescue facilities.

The dogs were taken from a farm in Harrison County Tuesday investigators characterize as a puppy mill.

Court records indicate two Harrison County animal control officers made undercover purchases of dogs and were told they must pay cash and couldn't get a receipt.

The investigation led to what's called a "jeopardy assessment" against the farm's owners and the confiscation of the dogs based on a claim the owners failed to pay taxes..." More