DOZENS OF ANIMALS SEIZED FROM HOUSE WITH DEPLORIBLE LIVING CONDITIONS

By: Matt Lerario

A couple in Cumberland County faces several charges after dozens of animals were rescued from their home Thursday.

Authorities say 55 animals in total were seized from the home of Daniel and Karen MacBurnett. They included 6 dogs, 19 cats, 23 rabbits, and various other animals.

This is not the first time authorities have been called to this residence. Officials say they've been there several times, including one instance a few years ago when 173 animals were rescued.

Among the charges the MacBurnett's now face include animal cruelty and failure to provide adequate care..." Link

Louanne Koval - New Jersey

Mar 10, 2010: 88 Dogs Rescued from "Hoarder's" NJ Farm

By VINCE LATTANZIO

SPCA calls farm owner a "breeder turned hoarder"

The New Jersey SPCA swooped in to rescue almost 100 dogs from a Salem County farm this weekend.

Animal control officials took 88 dogs from a farm along the 400 block of Monroeville Road in Upper Pittsgrove Township, N.J. Saturday, NJSPCA officials said.

Many of the canines, which range in age from a few months to 11 years old, are infested with parasites and have skin and dental issues, officials said.

"They were very obviously living in very poor sanitary conditions," said Bev Greco of the Cumberland County SPCA. Her organization and the Gloucester County SPCA helped with the raid.

They were living in confined quarters with mass population," Greco said. She also says many of the dogs had urine burns, fecal matter embedded in their fur and some may have never seen sunlight.

The farm's owner, Louanne Koval, 73, has faced animal cruelty charges before, officials said. She was also a puppy breeder.

"This is a hoarder who does it for profit," Greco said.

The Humane Society of the U.S. had been investigating Koval's farm for about a month and have been trying to get Koval to clean up the living quarters, officials say.

They chose to confiscate the animals after the persuasions failed. Farm animals including an emu, buffalo and chickens are still in the woman's care. Attempts to contact Koval for comment were unsuccessful..." More & video

Chester County: Wanda Oughton

Dec 18, 2009: Chester Township sues cat hoarder for failure to pay removal costs

By Jim Lockwood/Photo: Frank H. Conlon

CHESTER TOWNSHIP -- A Chester cat hoarder who harbored dozens of cats in her filthy, feces-strewn million-dollar home is being sued by the township for failing to pay monthly payments toward the $22,000 restitution owed for the removal and care of the felines.

Wanda Oughton is named as the defendant in a lawsuit by Chester Township that was filed Wednesday and made public today in Superior Court in Morristown..." More

Aug 24, 2009: Chester Twp. tables cat-hoarding ordinance

BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE

CHESTER TWP. — A local ordinance that would have restricted the number of cats per single-family home to six has been tabled and the council will wait to see what happens with animal hoarding legislation that is before the state legislature.

"We did not want to create something to punish people," said Mayor William Cogger. "We want to create a method for intervention and are exploring other options.'

The township council had considered a preliminary ordinance, "Keeping of the Cats," that would have required residents obtain a waiver if they wished to own more than six cats over the age of six months. Pet owners in violation of the ordinance would have faced a $100 fine per animal, per offense.
The proposed ordinance came on the heels of a case in which 180 cats were found living in crowded, feces-covered conditions in a Farm Road home in March. The homeowner, Wanda Oughton, 62, has pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty charges for failing to provide adequate shelter to the cats recovered from her million-dollar mansion..." More

Jun 14, 2009: Hoarder in Million-Dollar Home Charged with Cruelty : 150 cats abused

By: Stephen Wells, Animal Legal Defense Fund

Illustrating that the roots of animal hoarding are pathological and not financial, approximately 150 cats were discovered in March 2009 at Wendy Oughton's million-dollar home in Chester Township, New Jersey. Ms. Oughton is now facing over 90 criminal charges of animal cruelty related to animal hoarding.

Jun 5, 2009: Morris County adoption events scheduled for 150 cats rescued from Chester home

'Cat lady' hearing delayed as North Jersey township seeks $42K in restitution for 150 cats removed from home

Municipal Court Judge Philip Maenza postponed Wanda Oughton’s court date to June 18 after her attorney, Lawrence Fox, received for the first time the expenses incurred for veterinary care, litter, food and other supplies related to getting a shelter up and running since the 150 cats were seized from her Farm Road home. The expenses total $42,650..." More

May 11, 2009: Morris County adoption events scheduled for 150 cats rescued from Chester House

CHESTER TOWNSHIP: When authorities began removing cats from Wanda Oughton's Chester Township home two months ago, the felines hid in the corners of pet carriers, their paws covered in their own feces.

Those cats -- about 150 of them -- had been living amid toxic piles of excrement in Oughton's $1 million house, and many of them never knew how it felt to be clean or even touched by a human, much less cuddled and coddled, said Ann DeSombre, animal control officer for Morristown..." More

April 23: Number of rescued Chester cats grows to 151

April 16: Outlook is bright for cats rescued from filthy Chester home

April 15: 71 more cats taken from Chester home of woman charged with animal cruelty

March 27: Chester Twp. woman accused of hoarding 93 cats faces animal cruelty complaints

Conference: Tenth annual OCD conference Oct. 25, New Jersey

The New Jersey Affiliate of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation (NJ OCF) will host its 10th annual conference Oct. 25 at the Doubletree Hotel in Somerset.

Dr. Fugen Neziroglu, co-founder of Bio- Behavioral Institute in Great Neck, Long Island, will present "Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Hypochondriasis, Hoarding, and other Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Spectrum Disorders; Comparing and Contrasting Treatments with OCD." In addition, there will be a "Living With OCD" panel discussion.

The conference begins at 10 a.m. with registration and brunch. The National Association of Social Workers New Jersey Chapter has approved four CEU credits for social workers and CEH credits are also available for educators.

The NJ OCF has quarterly meetings in central New Jersey that feature OCD experts as the guest speakers. All meetings are free and open to the public.

For a conference brochure and more information about NJ OCF, visit www.njocf.org

Livingston couple accused of keeping more than 100 cats in Ocean County home

Additional video & pictures: here

By Brian T. Murray

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP -- State animal welfare authorities and police have descended on an Ocean County home this afternoon, where they claim an ex-convict and his wife have been collecting more than 113 cats, allowing them to live in deplorable and unhealthy conditions with urine and feces soaking into the floor.

The New Jersey State Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it has leveled a minimum of 600 cruelty charges each against Richard and Gloria Maragni, both 63, of Spring Road in Livingston, who allegedly have been putting cats inside a relative’s home on Spinnaker Court in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township.

Richard Maragni is the former finance officer at Seton Hall University who was imprisoned for 30 months back in 1995 after admitting to federal charges that he illegally diverted nearly $1 million in tuition funds, spending the money on a shore home and other luxuries.

"We’ve already filed the charges. We’re now waiting outside the home for permission from the owner to enter and for a Superior Court Judge in Ocean County to issue a search warrant to allow us entry," said Matt Stanton, an SPCA spokesman.

Berkeley Township police and animal control officers are standing by with SPCA agents, who contend they learned of the situation on Sept. 13, talked to Richard Maragni and tried to work out a deal by which the cats would be removed.

"We began working with them in a deal to remove 10 cats a week so as not to overload local animal shelters where we would have to take the cats. But a couple of weeks ago they rejected the deal, so here we are," Stanton explained.,

He said the number of cats was initially estimated weeks ago when the SPCA and Maragnis began talking about their removal and looked inside the home. Stanton said it was unclear whether anyone lived with the cats, but that agents were told a few dozen additional cats may be at the Maragnis' home in Livingston..." More

Hillside woman hoarding cats previously had 122 felines removed from house

by Erin Eileen O'Neill

HILLSIDE -- After animal welfare agencies found nearly 40 cats living in the disheveled home of a Hillside woman, they say it wasn't the first time they've had to intervene.

On Wednesday, the Associated Humane Societies in Newark took 26 cats from Caroline Szalay's one-story, feces-covered Broadway home.

Hope for Animals, a nonprofit organization involved in the rescue efforts, said they rescued another 10 cats from the house. The organization is working to free another five cats they think remain in the home.

It was the second time the Hillside woman was found hoarding cats.

In 2005, animal control officials removed 122 felines from Szalay's home, according to Denton Infield, Associated Humane Societies manager.

"I went into that house four years ago, from my knees to my feet I couldn't even see my white suit, because there were so many fleas on my body," said Infield.

Every one of those 122 cats tested positive for ringworm, said Infield, and were euthanized. The 26 cats transferred to the Newark shelter this week were also euthanized..." More

Three plead guilty in Highlands cat-hoarding case

By Matt Pais, APP.com

"...Henry Deininger, 59, Joan Deininger, 54, and Jessica Deininger, 30, each must pay $1,000 in fines, said Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

County animal control officials seized the cats in April and charged each family member with animal cruelty after it was discovered the animals were provided neither adequate sustenance or veterinary care..." More

April 30, 2009: Forty cats seized from four-room Highlands apartment

Public domain photo

Passaic County animal rescuer gives up 32 dogs, cats that officials removed from home

New Jersey.com

"...When officials went to Puccio's home in February, they said they found many animals kept in wire cages surrounded by urine and feces. Puccio said she had rescued many dogs in the Paterson area and initially kept them in backyard kennels, but moved them indoors after neighbors complained...."  More

Photo by Jerry McCrea/The Star-Ledger

Feb 12, 2009:  Passaic officials take 36 dogs, cats from West Milford home of animal rescuer