87 dogs seized in Chester County, woman charged

By Matt Garfield and Kimberly Dick

Chester County authorities seized 87 dogs from a woman's house after finding the animals among mice, cockroaches and an overwhelming stench.

The 76-year-old owner, charged with ill treatment to animals according to an incident report, said she had been sick and in anguish over the loss of her daughter.

Officers on Wednesday found cages and playpens stacked inside the house. In the backyard, dogs were kept in three sheds and six kennels.

Authorities were tipped off by a woman who went to the house to buy a Chihuahua for her granddaughter. Jerry Shepherd said the odor almost knocked her over.

The smell of urine was so strong that officers had to wear masks, reports stated. One of the sheds had to be ventilated for several hours before authorities could go inside.

The dogs -- Chihuahuas, poodles, Yorkies and mixed-breeds -- appeared to have no food and water, and their cages were covered in feces, authorities reported.

When officers told owner Melissa Elizabeth Lyles they would have to seize the dogs, she asked for one more day to clean up the property, according to an incident report....." More & video & slideshow

Sheila Marie Savage / Robert Landreth - Rush Kennell, Landreth No. Carolina

Apr 26, 2010: Judge: Kennel Owner Must Pay for Care of Seized Dogs

The owner and a dog caretaker at a Pleasant Garden kennel was ordered to pay over $50,000 to help pay for the care of 98 dogs seized three weeks ago during an investigation.

Judge Angela Foster ruled that Sheila Marie Savage, who owns Rush Kennels, must pay the $50,400.90 bond to help cover the costs of 30 days of care for the dogs. Savage and Robert Landreth, who worked as a dog caretaker there, were charged with seven felony counts of animal abuse and five misdemeanor counts of animal abuse earlier this month..." More & video


Dec 2009: Sheila Rush & family on ABC "Wife Swap"


Additional information on Rush Kennels and North Carolina Puppy Mills on Facebook



Apr 10, 2010: Kennel owner in Guilford charged with animal cruelty

The owner of a Pleasant Garden kennel and an employee have been charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty following the seizure of 97 dogs from the business earlier this week.

Sheila Marie Savage, 53, the owner of Rush Kennel, and Robert Landreth, 61, a caretaker, were charged Friday with seven counts of felony animal cruelty and five counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, The News & Record of Greensboro reported.

Late Friday, Landreth was released on a $5,000 bond; Savage posted a $10,000 bond and was released.

Authorities have said more charges are possible as an investigation continues.

"She is resolved to see this through. I feel my client will be vindicated," said Kent Lively, Savage's attorney, as the woman was booked into jail Friday afternoon. "I think she has taken good care of her animals as entrusted to the care of Rush Kennel."

The case comes after a four-month investigation at the facility. It started with a letter from a Pennsylvania couple to the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, according to a search warrant..." More

Apr 8, 2010: 98 Dogs Seized from Pleasant Garden Kennel

Sheriff's deputies along with animal officials removed 98 dogs from a Pleasant Garden kennel Wednesday after an investigation revealed numerous health problems with animals purchased from the breeder.

According to Sheriff BJ Barnes, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, animal shelter and animal control had received multiple complaints from people who had purchased dogs from Rush Kennels, located at 6324 Maplewood St.

The complainants said their animals were diagnosed with multiple health problems that, in many cases, resulted in death.

The sheriff's office conducted an undercover investigation into the kennel, purchasing a dog that was then found to have a life-threatening disease and a birth defect, the sheriff's office said. The dog later died of what are believed to be the same diseases and infections others had complained of. Sheriff Barnes says many of the dogs had hook worms, mange and other health problems from neglect and mistreatment.

"There were some that had been over utilized as breeders and actually had parts of their internal organs that were hanging out." Barnes said...

...The owner of Rush Kennels, Sheila Rush, and a dog caretaker, Robert Landreth, have not yet been charged because the sheriff's office is still gathering evidence, but they say animal cruelty and fraud charges are likely..." More & video

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• Feb, 22, 2008: Dog Owner Pays for Purebred Lab, Claims She Got a Mutt

More than a 100 animals seized in Zebulon

Wake County Animal Control has seized over 100 dogs and cats that were living in unspeakable conditions after getting an anonymous tip.

The animals were taken from a mobile home on Rosinburg Road. Investigators say it was a case of animal hoarding.

"Worst conditions I've seen dogs and cats living in," said Michael Williams with Wake County Animal Control.

Williams said the animals were kept with trash and junk cars on the property.

"Most everything was outside. There was not a habitable building on the property," said Williams. "The area was pretty widespread. We had some animals in different sections. We had some that were loose and some that were in cages."

After hours of searching, Williams said they found 108 animals still alive. He called it the largest case of animal cruelty in Wake County history.

"Such poor conditions for the animals that were there - as well as the living conditions for the people as well," he said.

64 cats and 44 dogs were living in filth.

"We found several dead animals as well in containers," said Williams.

The animals belonged to Mary and Johnny Morton, a Zebulon couple, who Williams said were likely hoarders.

"The owners surrendered all the animals too us," he said. "The animals were either absolutely terrified and had never been socialized with a person. Some had some pretty serious medical conditions."

Only a few were able to be saved...." More & video

Kaye Jones, The Battleground Pet Inn - Greensboro, North Carolina

Mar 7, 2010: Dog Groomer Charged with Cruelty; 38 Pets Seized

By Roxanna Haynes

Thirty-eight animals belonging to the owner of a pet boarding facility were seized last week after the state Department of Agriculture revoked the facility's license and alerted animal control to "unsanitary conditions" there.

Thirty-five dogs -- mostly small breeds like Malteses and Toy Poodles -- and three cats belonging to Kaye Jones were taken from the Battleground Pet Inn, where Jones grooms and boards animals, to the Guilford County Animal Shelter. Jones herself was charged with animal cruelty.

"There was some unclean fecal matter in some of the cages. There was dust and hair on floors, surfaces, countertops ... that sort of thing," explained Leigh Anne Garrard, the Guilford County Animal Control field supervisor.

"One has seizures. One has an esophagus problem. We have some ingrown toenails on one of the cats," said Marsha Williams, the direction of the animal shelter. "The main thing is the grooming has been neglected. Mats all over their eyes ... one of their eyes was matted shut."

Jones said she doesn't dispute there are some issues with the pets and the cleanliness of the kennels, but said she's doing her best and believes the animals are happy..." More & video


Mar 6, 2010: Dozens of Animals Seized from Pet Boarding Facility

The state Department of Agriculture and the Guilford County Sheriff's Office removed 39 animals from a pet boarding facility Friday.

Thirty-six dogs and three cats were taken from the Battleground Pet Inn, near downtown Greensboro, and moved to the Guilford County Animal Shelter. It was not immediately known who the dogs belong to or what will happen to them.

The Battleground Pet Inn also lost its animal boarding license, and the county health department said the business owners could be charged with cruelty and neglect due to unsanitary conditions at the facility..." More & video

In need of homes: 170 birds and 52 dogs seized in raid evaluated for adoption

By Richard Gould

Bent, faded and rusty birdcages lay strewn across the yard. An empty building that looks like a homemade greenhouse shrouded in gray plastic sits beside the house.

When the greenhouse door is opened, the oppressive odor of years of accumulated excrement and waste rushes out on a warm breeze. Feathers, empty cages and mounds of waste are all that was left behind by the scores of sickly birds that were once housed in the structure.

On Dec. 16 four law enforcement agencies seized every animal from this Newton home — 142 birds and 44 dogs. The majority of the animals are being held in the Catawba County Animal Shelter.

Their owner, Joyce C. Jarrett, 66, was charged with animal cruelty.

Tuesday, District Court Judge Sherri Elliott deferred prosecution and ordered that, "The animals seized pursuant to court order are to be adopted out by Animal Services of Catawba County."

Veterinarians are evaluating the dogs and birds to determine whether they are suitable for adoption by members of the general public or whether they will require special care.

The birds range in size from parakeets to Amazon parrots. The dogs are small breeds — mainly chihuahuas and dachshunds.

Many of the birds may not be adoptable. Some are stressed, injured, or malnourished. Others have infections that may require expensive veterinary care.

"The average citizen does not know how to care for exotic birds," said Catawba County Animal Services Manager Jay Blatche.

"We'll be contacting some of the zoos in this state and other states," he said. "Exotic bird rescue groups and possibly foster rescue groups may take in some of the birds."

The dogs have a better chance of being adopted.

"Some are adoptable – some are not," Blatche said. "Some were sick. Some are pregnant."

Jarrett was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation and has been ordered to get mental health counseling.

She is allowed to have two dogs and two cats. All four must be spayed or neutered, according to the judge's order..." More

Photo by: Robert C. Reed

Animal Rescue

By D'Lyn Ford

Animal Hoarding Increasing

"...“Puppy mill operations have been around for years, but animal hoarding seems to be on the increase in North Carolina,” Ferris says. “My colleagues nationally report that it’s increasing as well.”

Sometimes, investigations involve a breeding operation. That was what Ferris encountered in her first case in 1982 for the American Spaniel Club. When a member died, 80 dogs were found on her property. “All you would see were the beautiful dogs at the show, but here were 60 dogs matted to the skin in a hay barn with no running water.”

Ferris has seen a hoarder whose house was overflowing with black cats as well as a hoarder who had animals ranging from pocket pets to livestock.

“The advent of no-kill sheltering gives someone who is hoarding animals a way to try to gain respectability,” Ferris says. “Instead of being ‘the crazy cat lady,’ someone can position themselves as a shelter with a Web page and nonprofit status.”

However, many hoarders with large numbers of animals live in conditions that are unsafe for humans and animals. In the course of investigations, Ferris has endured ammonia fumes from decaying animal waste piled on the floor. She documents the conditions of both animals and their living spaces, using clinical terms and descriptions that she can use in court.

Ferris recalls a conversation with a man accused of animal hoarding who had recently moved to North Carolina. “He suggested that people were unfriendly to him because he was a Yankee,” Ferris recalls. “I said to him, ‘Maybe it’s not that people don’t like you because you’re a Yankee. Maybe it’s that you’re covered in urine and feces.’”

“He said to me, ‘Your reality is different from my reality but that doesn’t make it wrong.’ I said, ‘Well, it makes it illegal.’”

All but the most severe animal cruelty cases are misdemeanors. Jail time is typically suspended unless there’s another offense. Some counties have stricter penalties than the state, but animal advocates are trying to change that..." More

11 cats, 2 dogs seized from NC home

CHOWAN COUNTY, NC -- An Edenton woman is again facing charges of animal neglect and hoarding.

11 cats and two dogs were seized from Elizabeth Cave's home Thursday night.

Mary Bass, the Chowan County Animal Control supervisor, says the conditions inside the Sycamore Creek Road house were deplorable

Court documents show Cave just got off probation for animal cruelty and hoarding from June 2008."You could smell the urine from the road, and inside, the floors were covered with feces. The conditions were so bad the feces was actually soaked in and moving up the wall," Bass described.

Investigators say Cave was living in the same home; however, this time, officers say she had the animals in a different home to get around the court mandate that stated she couldn't have more than five animals.

The animals are at the county shelter..." More & video

Breeder found guilty of animal cruelty

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — A District Court judge on Thursday found a Wayne County woman guilty of a dozen misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.

County animal control officers seized 283 dogs from Thornton's Kennel in February. Many of the animals were emaciated, had untreated cuts and were housed in filthy conditions, authorities said.

Kennel owner Virginia Thornton, of Mount Olive, received two 45-month suspended jail sentences and must serve 36 months on probation, pay a $2,000 fine and perform 48 hours of community service. Under the terms of her probation, she is banned from breeding animals or owning any except for the two dogs she currently has.

Testifying on behalf of the state, Dr. Kelli Ferris, an expert witness from North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said Thursday that she observed chain collars on the dogs at the time of their rescue that had been on the animals for a prolonged period.

"It shows a complete lack of understanding by this breeder," she said, adding that she believes the animals had been deprived of necessary medical care.

Thornton had no comment over the course of the two-day trial..." More

Lethal Ammonia Levels Found In Man's Home With 49 Animal

By Christine Kennedy, WITN

Animal urine and feces created a stench so bad neighbors were forced to call Bertie County Officials. They say what produced the nearly lethal ammonia levels at one man's home is shocking.

Bertie County Officials say they seized 46 dogs and three cats Thursday morning from one man's home in Lewiston.

Many of the animals are suffering from malnutrition, skin disorders, and abnormal social behaviors.

Bertie County Sheriff Greg Atkins says no charges have been filed as of Thursday evening, but misdemeanor animal cruelty charges will most likely be served Friday.

One state veterinarian involved in the case says the ammonia levels produced by the animal waste was the highest she's ever seen."

Workers at the Bertie County Animal Shelter say this man may have picked up nearby pets.

Bertie County Animal Shelter says if you are missing a pet and live in the Lewiston area, your pet may be involved in Thursday's seizure of 46 dogs and 3 cats. The shelter says they have pictures of every animal, and you will have the opportunity to claim your pet

Call the Bertie County Humane Society at 252-325-3647...  More

Bertie County Humane Society

Bertie Co. animal cruelty case

By ARTHUR MONDALE

Law officers pulled dozens of dogs from a Lewiston home and animal cruelty charges may soon follow.  

On Thursday, after repeatedly complaints about foul smells and noise coming from a home on Mitchell Street, Lewiston police found 46 dogs and three cats in the home.

Police chief Winston Panton says ammonia levels were so high, they had to call the fire department to ventilate the site.

Investigators say many of the animals were underweight and sick but they don’t believe 68-year-old Stephen Kypriandes meant to hurt them...  More