Showing posts with label ohio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ohio. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
30 Animals Seized, Dozens Of Carcasses Found On Property
A 57-year-old woman could face charges after authorities found animal carcasses in her home, along with animals living in cages lined with feces and urine...." More & video
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Adams County dog hoarding case grows
By WENDY MITCHELL
There are not enough words to describe the filth and unsanitary conditions more than 64 dogs have been living in under the care of a West Union family, Adams County officials said on Tuesday.
Beginning Monday, officials seized more than four dozen dogs belonging to the Nixon family; Tuesday it got worse, officials said.
About 3 p.m., Tuesday, members of County Animal Removal Team made a heartbreaking discovery at the property of Joyce and Evelyn Nixon in Lynx, Ohio.
"We found a dog house, it is almost covered to the roof with whatever excrement and filth there is in the dog pen; there are puppies inside," said Paul Hughes, Adams County dog warden.
In boxes stored at mobile homes on the site, Hughes said he found the remains of deceased dogs and puppies since the removal operations began on Monday; Tuesday there was life.
"We heard them crying; they are alive," Hughes said, eager to get the dog house dug out so rescuers could get to the puppies.
The dog house was nearly four feet deep in waste, he said.
At last count there were 65 to 70 dogs which had been removed from the property; many have been taken to a safe location for evaluation and care, Hughes said.
"I have never seen anything this bad. It is awful. We were just getting ready to move more of the dogs when we heard them," Hughes said.
On Monday, Joyce Nixon told reporters she had been ill and lost her job, which allowed the situation at the property there and at 519 East Main Street in West Union to get out of control.
Her intention was to develop a safe shelter for homeless dogs, but her program had not received a nonprofit status and she was unable to get funding for the project, Nixon said..." More
photo: Terry Prather/Staff
(photo of Joyce Nixon)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Kathy Witzman, Humane Sanctuary Inc., - Gustavus, Ohio
Mar 15, 2010: Animal Welfare League Gets Help with Seized Animals
The Animal Welfare League has received a $2,000 grant to help pay for the care of more than 180 animals seized in the Gustavus animal hoarding case.
The American Humane Association announced the award Monday.
In total, 162 dogs, 18 cats, two horses and several ducks and chickens were seized during a Feb. 12 raid at the Gustavus home of Kathy Witzman.
During the raid, humane officials said they found pets chained or stacked in crates in a barn along with 50-gallon drums filled with animal corpses. In the owner's home, the floors were caked in feces and smelled of ammonia, they said.
Witzman pleaded no contest to a charge of animal cruelty, was fined and may not own or possess animals for five years..." More
The American Humane Association announced the award Monday.
In total, 162 dogs, 18 cats, two horses and several ducks and chickens were seized during a Feb. 12 raid at the Gustavus home of Kathy Witzman.
During the raid, humane officials said they found pets chained or stacked in crates in a barn along with 50-gallon drums filled with animal corpses. In the owner's home, the floors were caked in feces and smelled of ammonia, they said.
Witzman pleaded no contest to a charge of animal cruelty, was fined and may not own or possess animals for five years..." More
Feb 16, 2010: Animal rescue saves 200+ animals from an Ohio animal sanctuary
By Stephanie Dearing
It was described as good intentions having gotten out of control. On Friday and Saturday, officials removed 162 dogs, 2 horses, 18 cats and an uncounted number of ducks, geese and chickens from an animal sanctuary in Ohio.
Trumball County, Ohio - 58 year old Kathy Witzman was arrested by police, and now faces up to 200 counts of cruelty to animals and one felony charge. The rescued animals are currently being checked by veterinarians to determine their condition, but authorities said one dog has died since the seizure, and another dog had to be put down. While officials knew they were going into a bad situation, they said they didn't know how bad it was. Police said they found a 55 gallon drum on Witzman's property filled with animal bodies, which resulted in the felony charge for Witzman. Some dogs were kept in small cages while others were tethered on short chains.The animals are being kept in a warehouse until placements can be found for them. All the dogs will be evaluated for temperment before being adopted out. The Animal Welfare League worked with the Sheriff's Department to rescue the animals. The League has asked for help from groomers, animal handlers, and the public is asked to donate money, blankets and towels to help care for the animals.
"The dog feces had caked the floor almost like a carpet and the smell of ammonia was so pungent that it was very difficult getting the 97-year-old mother out of the house."...More
Monday, September 21, 2009
Dozens of Dead Cats Found in Woman's Freezer
By: Dave Nethers
MANSFIELD, Ohio -- At the Richland County Animal Shelter workers carefully watch cats placed in isolation.
"Most of them have the upper respiratory infection," Shelter Supervisor Melissa Houghton says.
And Some of them like these up here, have the thinning hair from the fleas," she said attracting our attention to two cats in another cage.
The animals are among the survivors taken from a Mansfield home on Wednesday.
Responding to a complaint, humane society officials say they found 32 living cats inside the two story home in which the woman who had them had moved only eight weeks earlier.
What was most shocking were the bodies of 35 more cats, 30 of them kittens, found in an upright freezer.
"She actually had them in individual ziplock bags like the kittens in freezer bags and the adults in large plastic bags she said she was saving them to bury them."
At the house a woman who answered the door refused to talk about the incident.
Houghton says the woman living there had moved from Michigan and rented the home sight unseen.
She told investigators that she had run an animal rescue and was trying to take care of the cats but things got out of hand.
Though she had lived in the rented home for only eight weeks, Houghton says the condition inside was worse than some she had seen where cats had the run of the house for over a year.
"It was covered in cat feces and urine and you could see where they had sprayed along walls and window wells, the amount of damage they did in eight weeks it was amazing"
Houghton says the woman actually thanked them as they were taking the cats and two dogs out of the home because she realized things had gotten out of hand and she was actually harming not helping the animals.
Neighbors were shocked to see all of the animals come out of the house.
"I knew she had two dogs, but i had no idea she had that many cats, it was, at least like i say...impressive" said James Lawhorn who watched as the cages were being carried out of the house
Another neighbor told fox eight she hopes the woman gets some help.
"We don't know if the cats were born alive or whatever. Its just like so many to be put in the freezer," said Tammy King.
Humane officials say there are mental conditions that might have contributed to the "hoarding" of the dead animals, which Houghton says could very well have died of natural causes because of the conditions and disease that some of the other cats have.
Of the 32 that were taken from the home alive, 26 have already had to be euthanized because of serious health issues, or because they were considered too wild to adopt out.
Houghton says because the woman agreed to get counseling they would not be pressing charges,.." Link
"Most of them have the upper respiratory infection," Shelter Supervisor Melissa Houghton says.
And Some of them like these up here, have the thinning hair from the fleas," she said attracting our attention to two cats in another cage.
The animals are among the survivors taken from a Mansfield home on Wednesday.
Responding to a complaint, humane society officials say they found 32 living cats inside the two story home in which the woman who had them had moved only eight weeks earlier.
What was most shocking were the bodies of 35 more cats, 30 of them kittens, found in an upright freezer.
"She actually had them in individual ziplock bags like the kittens in freezer bags and the adults in large plastic bags she said she was saving them to bury them."
At the house a woman who answered the door refused to talk about the incident.
Houghton says the woman living there had moved from Michigan and rented the home sight unseen.
She told investigators that she had run an animal rescue and was trying to take care of the cats but things got out of hand.
Though she had lived in the rented home for only eight weeks, Houghton says the condition inside was worse than some she had seen where cats had the run of the house for over a year.
"It was covered in cat feces and urine and you could see where they had sprayed along walls and window wells, the amount of damage they did in eight weeks it was amazing"
Houghton says the woman actually thanked them as they were taking the cats and two dogs out of the home because she realized things had gotten out of hand and she was actually harming not helping the animals.
Neighbors were shocked to see all of the animals come out of the house.
"I knew she had two dogs, but i had no idea she had that many cats, it was, at least like i say...impressive" said James Lawhorn who watched as the cages were being carried out of the house
Another neighbor told fox eight she hopes the woman gets some help.
"We don't know if the cats were born alive or whatever. Its just like so many to be put in the freezer," said Tammy King.
Humane officials say there are mental conditions that might have contributed to the "hoarding" of the dead animals, which Houghton says could very well have died of natural causes because of the conditions and disease that some of the other cats have.
Of the 32 that were taken from the home alive, 26 have already had to be euthanized because of serious health issues, or because they were considered too wild to adopt out.
Houghton says because the woman agreed to get counseling they would not be pressing charges,.." Link
Friday, July 31, 2009
Alleged animal hoarder believed back in Findlay
By MARY KATE MALONE
A woman who lived with dozens of cats and rabbits in a Findlay garage last year has been posing as a member of a local dog adoption agency and soliciting donations, according to a police report.
Valerie Serafin, 68, has been calling herself a member of Teddy's Rescue, an agency that finds homes for unwanted dogs, according to the report.
Teddy's Rescue members, concerned they are being misrepresented, said they might seek a restraining order against her.
Meanwhile, Serafin's return to Findlay has caught law enforcement's attention.
Last September, authorities found Serafin living in a garage on South Blanchard Street with hoards of cats and rabbits and no running water.
But she disappeared, animals in tow, before the Humane Society could seize her malnourished cats and police could charge her with animal cruelty.
She was not seen in Findlay for several months.
On June 12, Serafin allegedly went to Jack's Aquarium and Pets on Trenton Avenue and asked for donations as a member of Teddy's Rescue, records show.
Serafin visited at least two other times before that seeking donations, said Jim Augustine, the store manager. She usually gathered a few bags of dog food, Augustine said.
But Serafin is harming Teddy's Rescue's reputation, said Susan Hollington, the group's vice president, and she is not giving the donations to Teddy's.
"We don't agree with her philosophy; we can't have her representing us," Hollington said. "She thinks one person can have 300 animals and take care of them."
Dana Berger, an agent with the Humane Society, suspects Serafin might be hoarding animals again.
Berger said he has received phone calls from people who have spotted Serafin "collecting cats" in parking lots on Tiffin Avenue, Berger said.
"I believe she is an animal hoarder," Berger said. "She takes in strays and she thinks she's helping them and that's where the problem lies. She thinks she's helping and she's not."
After fleeing Findlay with her animals last September, Serafin went to Hardin County.
A few weeks later the Wyandot County Humane Society, which serves Hardin County, seized Serafin's animals -- 20 cats, five rabbits and one chicken.
The majority of them had to be euthanized because they were so ill, said Linda Balz, director of the Wyandot County Humane Society.
Serafin disappeared after her animals were taken and charges against her were dismissed soon after, records show.
But the charges could be refiled should Hardin County law enforcement encounter Serafin again, said Hardin County assistant law director Jason Miller.
"I don't want Ms. Serafin to get off scot-free on this, that's for sure," Miller said.
He said he would advise the sheriff's office to track down Serafin, but acknowledged deputies have other priorities.
Berger cannot charge Serafin with animal cruelty unless he can find out where she is living and prove she is hoarding animals and not caring for them properly, he said.
Her transient lifestyle makes that difficult, Berger said.
"You really got to give her credit for her sharpness," he said.
Findlay police think Serafin might be living out of a white Oldsmobile, according to the police report..." Link
A woman who lived with dozens of cats and rabbits in a Findlay garage last year has been posing as a member of a local dog adoption agency and soliciting donations, according to a police report.
Valerie Serafin, 68, has been calling herself a member of Teddy's Rescue, an agency that finds homes for unwanted dogs, according to the report.
Teddy's Rescue members, concerned they are being misrepresented, said they might seek a restraining order against her.
Meanwhile, Serafin's return to Findlay has caught law enforcement's attention.
Last September, authorities found Serafin living in a garage on South Blanchard Street with hoards of cats and rabbits and no running water.
But she disappeared, animals in tow, before the Humane Society could seize her malnourished cats and police could charge her with animal cruelty.
She was not seen in Findlay for several months.
On June 12, Serafin allegedly went to Jack's Aquarium and Pets on Trenton Avenue and asked for donations as a member of Teddy's Rescue, records show.
Serafin visited at least two other times before that seeking donations, said Jim Augustine, the store manager. She usually gathered a few bags of dog food, Augustine said.
But Serafin is harming Teddy's Rescue's reputation, said Susan Hollington, the group's vice president, and she is not giving the donations to Teddy's.
"We don't agree with her philosophy; we can't have her representing us," Hollington said. "She thinks one person can have 300 animals and take care of them."
Dana Berger, an agent with the Humane Society, suspects Serafin might be hoarding animals again.
Berger said he has received phone calls from people who have spotted Serafin "collecting cats" in parking lots on Tiffin Avenue, Berger said.
"I believe she is an animal hoarder," Berger said. "She takes in strays and she thinks she's helping them and that's where the problem lies. She thinks she's helping and she's not."
After fleeing Findlay with her animals last September, Serafin went to Hardin County.
A few weeks later the Wyandot County Humane Society, which serves Hardin County, seized Serafin's animals -- 20 cats, five rabbits and one chicken.
The majority of them had to be euthanized because they were so ill, said Linda Balz, director of the Wyandot County Humane Society.
Serafin disappeared after her animals were taken and charges against her were dismissed soon after, records show.
But the charges could be refiled should Hardin County law enforcement encounter Serafin again, said Hardin County assistant law director Jason Miller.
"I don't want Ms. Serafin to get off scot-free on this, that's for sure," Miller said.
He said he would advise the sheriff's office to track down Serafin, but acknowledged deputies have other priorities.
Berger cannot charge Serafin with animal cruelty unless he can find out where she is living and prove she is hoarding animals and not caring for them properly, he said.
Her transient lifestyle makes that difficult, Berger said.
"You really got to give her credit for her sharpness," he said.
Findlay police think Serafin might be living out of a white Oldsmobile, according to the police report..." Link
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
FIRST LOOK: Photo Tells the Tail After 100 Animals Were Seized From Rescue Organization
Heaven Can Wait animal shelter founder Heather Nagel (left) in Akron Municipal Court with her attorney Warner Mendenhall on Thursday, April 1, 2010, in Akron, Ohio. Nagel was sentenced Thursday morning to 60 days of house arrest and prohibited from any further volunteer work with rescue animals. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)Apr 1, 2010: Animal shelter operator sentenced to house arrest and one cat or dog
By: Ed Meyer
Heather Nagel, one of the founders of Akron's Heaven Can Wait animal rescue shelter, was sentenced Thursday morning to 60 days of house arrest and prohibited from any further volunteer work with rescue animals at the shelter as penalties for her guilty pleas to animal cruelty charges.
The sentence was handed down in Akron Municipal Court by visiting Judge Michael Weigand, who also placed Nagel on three years of probation, ordered her to keep only one cat or dog as a personal pet and imposed random inspections of her residence once per month by probation officials and a Summit County Humane Society worker.
Nagel, who pleaded guilty in February to four counts of animal cruelty charges just before closing arguments were to begin in her municipal court trial, will have 30 days to comply with the sanctions, Weigand said.
More than 100 dogs and cats were kept inside the organization's North Hill house, which was raided by authorities in July.
City prosecutors had alleged that several dogs and cats were either sick or flea-infested and that most lived in cages and crates littered with urine and feces.
After the sentencing hearing, Nagel noted that because she had no previous arrest record, she expected that she would receive a sentence involving community service.
''I didn't expect this,'' Nagel said outside of court. ''I feel that I made restitution to the organization. I paid for all repairs to the Heaven Can Wait house, and any assistance they may have n
eeded, I physically provided or paid for. And I had planned that that would suffice.
''I was not expecting any possibility of a jail sentence or having to give away pets,'' she added.
Weigand, a retired municipal court judge from Barberton, gave Nagel 90 days in jail for each of the four counts to which she pleaded guilty in her Feb. 25 trial. But he suspended 300 of the 360-day sentence and imposed the term of house arrest in lieu of any jail time.
Under the 60 days of house arrest, Nagel will be allowed only a half-hour to get to work each day and another half hour to return to her home, Weigand said...." More
Jan 13, 2010: Shelter trial delayed
The trial for two Akron animal shelter leaders charged with animal cruelty will be rescheduled.
Proceedings for Heaven Can Wait founders Heather Nagel and her mother, Patricia Mihaly, were to begin Tuesday morning in Akron Municipal Court.
A new trial date was not immediately set.
Mihaly and Nagel are charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty. In July, authorities removed more than 100 dogs and cats from a home the group uses on Vesper Street in Akron.
The women have pleaded not guilty..." Link
July 17, 2009: Photo Tells the Tail After 100 Animals Were Seized From Rescue Organization
We are getting our first look at the living conditions at a privately run Akron animal organization.
More than 100 dogs and cats were seized from "Heaven Can Wait" on Vesper Street Tuesday afternoon.
The Sanitation Supervisor condemned the building and then the police conducted a search warrant and removed the animals.
70 cats and 38 dogs were taken to the Humane Society of Greater Akron in Peninsula. Officials say the animals appear to be in pretty good shape.
"Heaven Can Wait" rescues animals from local pounds that euthanize animals..." More & video
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