Three accused of hoarding animals

By DAN O'BRIEN

Forty cats and a dog have been seized from a Deering home by the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, marking the organization's 13th animal hoarding case this year.

ARL Investigator Maureen Prendergast said the Bedford-based non-profit organization is projected to take in 2,175 abused animals this year, compared to 1,905 last year. The ARL is already 58 percent over budget for medical costs to aid abused animals, she said.

"We completely, 100 percent, rely on donations," Prendergast said.

The latest hoarding case comes from 2352 Second N.H. Turnpike in Deering, where police arrested Randy M. Emery, 58, his wife Phyllis A. Emery, 56 and their son, Randy C. Emery, 36, and charged each one Monday with one count of animal cruelty.

Calling the conditions of their home, "deplorable," Prendergast said that earlier this month she and other investigators observed feces and urine on the floors and furniture, which also had a plethora of flies and sneezing cats "" a signal of feline respiratory problems.

"It's not really suitable for even people to be living like that,"

Prendergast said. "You feel bad for the owners as well."

According to court papers, police investigated the Emerys for animal complaints in 2007 and again in January of this year. Police and ARL monitored the conditions of the home, which "significantly deteriorated" this spring.

With the help of police, the ARL took 18 cats from the home June 14 after the family agreed to give them up. Authorities were going to take the remaining cats as well, but the Emerys allegedly refused.

Pictured: Randy M. Emery; Phyllis A. Emery; Randy C. Emery

Animal hoarding called a gathering crisis

By GREG KWASNIK

The Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire assisted in 11 animal hoarding cases in the first four months of 2010, nearly triple the number of cases during the same period last year.

The seizure of 44 dogs from a 78-year-old Mont Vernon woman last month may have been the league's most high-profile case this year, but it has not been the largest -- far from it, in fact.
"A week or so before that, we had a case where we brought in 70 cats," said ARLNH's president, Caroline Boyd. "We've just had animals coming in huge numbers."

Boyd said she has seen a steady increase in animal-hoarding cases in just the last few years, rising from an average of four a year to 11 cases in 2009.

►New Hampshire Federation of Humane Organizations

Boyd said she thinks that popular television shows on A&E and TLC may have raised the public's awareness about hoarding, leading to more complaints about animal mistreatment. The economy is also a likely culprit, Boyd said, since it has made caring for dozens of pets a heavy burden.

"With the economy tanking, people who were perhaps holding on are coming to the surface more because of evictions and having to move," Boyd said.

At the ARLNH, Maureen Prendergast is responsible for responding to hoarding cases and other complaints of animal cruelty. The shelter's animal-cruelty investigator since 2005, Prendergast said the ongoing recession has forced even the hoarders themselves to come forward for help.
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"The money is not going as far as it was in years past, and some of these instances are folks who have asked for help, where maybe they wouldn't have because they thought that they were handling it OK," Prendergast said.

Most of the hoarding cases Prendergast sees involve cats, which require less attention and are more suited to the colony life of hoarding situations. Summer is typically the busiest time of year for Prendergast, with warmer weather allowing cats to roam -- and mate -- freely.
Being inundated by kittens -- Boyd calls summer the "kitten season" -- exacts a toll on the ARLNH and animal shelters everywhere. In 2009, the ARLNH spent more than $288,000 on its animal-cruelty program, a cost that included investigation, outreach, spaying, neutering and boarding costs.

The cost to process the animals involved in cruelty cases is also nearly double what the shelter spends on other animals. In 2009, the ARLNH spent an average of $718 for each of the 401 animals it took in from cruelty cases. By comparison, the shelter spent an average of $409 on non-cruelty cases.

Much of that cost comes from medical treatment and longer shelter stays because of time spent in quarantine. Some animals involved in hoarding cases may also have behavioral problems, which means they are more likely to remain in the shelter longer before being adopted.

At the ARLNH and other shelters, animal-cruelty investigators are working not only to respond to animal hoarding, but also to make sure that extreme cases don't happen in the first place.
Stephanie Frommer, animal-cruelty investigator at the Monadnock Humane Society in Swanzey, said the key to her work is finding the hoarders and persuading them to get help.

"Hoarders by nature tend to be more isolated, so they don't have company over and they don't have parties," Frommer said. "People typically don't go into their houses, or wherever it is they're hoarding (the animals)."

Frommer said she gets worried when she doesn't get complaints about hoarding.
"I've had a somewhat nerve-wrackingly quiet winter for myself because I know that they're out there," Frommer said of hoarders. "It's just a matter of getting tipped off to them; that's the problem."

In Bedford, the ARLNH is also working to reach out to more hoarders, even though the shelter has experienced an unprecedented number of cases this year. For Boyd and Prendergast, persuading people to get help means convincing them that the shelter's top priority is helping the animals.

"I want people to know that they should be comfortable calling us. It's not that we're looking to get someone in trouble. We're not looking to make people's lives more difficult," Boyd said.
"We really just want to go in and help the animals and help people get out of the situation they're in." ..." More

Woman charged with neglect after dogs seized

By NANCY BEAN FOSTER

An elderly woman has been charged with animal neglect after police and officials from the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire removed 44 small dogs from squalid surroundings.

On Tuesday, Virginia Smith, 78, was charged with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and neglect after police and staff from the Animal Rescue League, acting on a warrant, removed 44 shih tzus, Yorkshire terriers, Maltese and poodles from Smith’s small house on Francestown Turnpike.

Smith’s husband, Roland, died at the couple’s home on March 1, and police and emergency responders became aware of the squalid conditions the elderly couple and the dogs had been living in, according to the warrant affidavit filed at Milford District Court last Friday by Police Chief Kyle Aspinwall.

Aspinwall said that he tried to convince Smith to surrender the animals, but had difficulty convincing her to let them go, so he sought a warrant to enter the house and remove the dogs, and enlisted the help of the Animal Rescue League in Bedford.

On Tuesday morning, police executed the warrant and Smith agreed to surrender 22 of the dogs, signing over custody of them to the Animal Rescue League. However, she refused to voluntarily surrender the other 22 dogs, Aspinwall said.

“The condition of these dogs is the worst I have ever seen,” said Maureen Prendergast in a press release from the Rescue League. “All of them are covered in fecal matter and severely matted. When we entered the area where they were kept, I observed many of them exhibiting a compulsive spinning behavior which is often indicative of animals kept in confinement for excessive periods of time.”..." More

Missing Persons singer Dale Bozzio jailed

by Ashley Rigazio

Missing Persons singer Dale Bozzio is sitting in an Ossipee, New Hampshire, jail today after dropping her appeal of a March animal cruelty conviction.

Thirteen animal cruelty charges stemmed from Bozzio's failed attempt to "save" feral and sick cats from the New Hampshire woods. Two cats were found dead and 12 were put down following an undeterminable period of neglect that came to a head while Bozzio toured last fall (our exclusive photos from the scene can be viewed here, but be forewarned - they aren't for the faint of heart or stomach). She was found guilty of one count of cruelty to animals.

In May, Bozzio was sentenced to 90 days in jail with 60 days deferred for two years, plus 250 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay a $2700 euthanization bill. That sentence has now been imposed.

After following the saga for nearly a year, I found Bozzio yesterday in a zen-like calm as she waited in the Carroll County District Court clerk's office with her husband Richard McKenzie and lawyer Dennis O'Connor. Known for her perky personality and happy-go-lucky songs like "Walkin' in L.A." and "Destination Unknown," the singer was friendly and positive that she would be just fine. She hugged me, blessing me and telling me "I respect you" before she voluntarily surrendered to the county jail..." More & slideshow

Horse owner reaches plea deal in animal cruelty case

By GRETYL MACALASTER

CANDIA – A local woman who was facing numerous charges related to the seizure of 12 horses in March has reached an agreement with the state in which most of the charges were dropped.

Heidi Fredrick, 45, of 456 Critchett Road, pleaded guilty to two violation-level charges of inadequate shelter. Nine counts of animal cruelty and six charges of inadequate shelter were not pursued.

Fredrick agreed to pay $11,902.12 in restitution over the next five years. Fredrick must make a payment each month and if she fails to do so, she will be held in contempt of court, according to the agreement.

Fredrick also received a $1,000 fine that is suspended upon one year of good behavior and repayment in full of restitution to Candia.

Fredrick may not petition the court to annul the convictions until restitution is paid.

In a letter to the police chief explaining her rationale for the agreement, prosecutor Jackie Docko said the agreement meets the four goals of sentencing, which are rehabilitation, specific deterrence, general deterrence and punishment..." More