Animal cruelty investigators rescue 7 puppies

Laura Sharp

On April 21, Animal Cruelty Investigators from the Blount County Humane Society responded to a call from a small neighborhood in Walland, TN. Neighbors reported that there were several dogs running loose in the woods and on a nearby property. When investigators arrived along with law enforcement officers, they discovered 15-18 dogs, including three or four pregnant females plus seven puppies. Most of the dogs are black Labrador Retrievers. Some of the dogs are yellow Labs and others are mixed-perhaps from inbreeding.

Investigators believe that this is a case of animal hoarding/breeding. Investigators found that the owners abandoned the property and left the dogs. There are two mobile homes on the property. One home appears to have been used to keep the dogs inside and is filled with animal feces and filth. It has severe damage inside from what appears to be the animals' attempts to escape. The floors in the other home are also covered with animal feces and filth. The dogs had sought shelter underneath the trailers.." More

LEARN MORE ABOUT ANIMAL HOARDING AT CHANDLER CONFERENCE

nimal Advocates of Arizona is pleased to present the 2011 C.A.R.E. CONFERENCE: Inside the World of Animal Hoarding.

Join Animal Advocates at Noah's of Chandler to hear their special panel of speakers discussing this growing crisis and learn how we can all help the defenseless victims of animal hoarding: the animals.

• Gain a deeper knowledge base about this growing and tragic phenomenon.
• Get answers directly from law enforcement and prosecution sectors.
• Delve into the workings of investigations & subsequent rescue of animal victims reported as being severely neglected, malnourished & in desperate need of vet care.
• Receive resources available to the community on what it takes to report an animal hoarding incident.

The conference will be moderated by Roger Baker of Animal Advocacy. Its distinguished panel of speakers includes Kari Nienstedt, the Arizona State Director of The Humane Society of the United States, who played an integral part in the Witch Wells, Arizona, effort where 200+ animals were taken into rescue from one property.

“Animals kept in hoarding situations typically live in deplorable conditions and suffer extreme neglect, including from lack of food and proper veterinary care,” Nienstedt said. “Animal hoarding is recognized as a mental health issue. Continued law enforcement oversight, and psychological intervention when possible, should be part of any plan to address a hoarding situation."..." More

Police finds 49 cats, fatally injured man in Vancouver Island home

The B.C. SPCA is seeking homes for 49 cats rescued in one of the "saddest and most disturbing cases of animal hoarding" officers say they've seen.

The cats were found when police attended an elderly couple's home in Cowichan, B.C., on April 18 after a 911 call from a woman in her 80s.

They found a man, also in his 80s, lying on the floor suffering injuries. It is believed he lay for several days before the woman called. He later died in hospital. Foul play is not suspected, and the woman is being treated for dementia at a care home.

"How this poor couple and all of these cats survived in the extreme filth and stench of that home is incomprehensible," said Sandi Trent with the Cowichan SPCA.

"There were massive piles of cat feces everywhere and the kitchen sink had backed up and flooded the rooms, adding to the unbearable odour."

SPCA Const. Dale Bakken said the 49 cats are in remarkably good condition given their ordeal..." More

Ex-renter sought in cat hoarding at N. Philly rowhouse

By PHILLIP LUCAS

Two upstairs windows in a rowhouse where a man was hoarding sick and dead cats were briefly open last night, venting the smell of cat feces and urine along 12th Street near Jefferson in North Philadelphia.

The man, who had been renting a room in the house, will likely face animal-cruelty charges after 29 cats - 17 of which were dead - were removed from his quarters.

Officials said the man, who was in his 30s and had not been located as of last night, had been renting the room for about six years before the landlord evicted him about a month ago.

The landlord eventually noticed a smell wafting from the room after the renter was put out, and called the Pennsylvania SPCA.

When investigators entered the room yesterday, they found cat feces and urine along with a few of his personal items, and a small refrigerator and freezer where he had stored the 17 carcasses, Wendy Marano, PSPCA spokeswoman, said.

"The small room and conditions these cats were living in was unbelievable," said George Bengal, director of Humane Law Enforcement for the Pennsylvania SPCA. "This is definitely one of the more bizarre cases we've seen."..." More

Animal 'Hoarding' Often Tied to Mental Illness

A small army of animal welfare workers spent nearly 10 hours removing hundreds of sick and dying animals from a rural North Carolina property in one of the United States' larger animal-hoarding cases.

More than 400 animals -- 17 species in all, ranging from ducks and rabbits to dogs and cats -- had been living in squalor with a middle-aged couple claiming to be animal rescuers. Yet these would-be saviors provided little, if any, food, water, or medical care.

"Every section of the property inspected was just more deplorable and just more hideous than the last one," recalled Shelley Swaim, an animal welfare inspector for the state, who was on the scene that day three years ago.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cases of animal hoarding are believed to occur each year throughout the nation. While hoarders tend to be women, the compulsion to possess large numbers of animals beyond the ability to properly care for them crosses all age, gender, professional and financial boundaries.

Some of these hoarders suffer from significant mental health issues, and the phenomenon is as much a people problem as a pet problem.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, a California-based animal rights law organization, believes hoarding is the number-one crisis facing companion animals today because of the sheer number of animals affected (an estimated 250,000 annually) and the degree and duration of their suffering..." More

SPCA rescues animals from East Concord home

By: Teresa Nagel

On the morning of April 13, an anonymous phone call reporting animal cruelty led SPCA officers, joined by the local sheriff’s department, to an East Concord residence. Upon arrival, the officers found what they called “deplorable living conditions” for 101 animals living inside the home and attached garage. Among these were 75 chickens, 15 cats, six dogs, two ducks, two geese and one pigeon.

One officer reported that the feces in the home was piled so high that the animals had to tunnel through to get from one place to the next. Although all of the animals were alive, every one of the cats showed visible signs of upper respiratory problems because of their living conditions.

The animals were taken to the local SPCA, where they are currently being held. The owner, an elderly woman, has been given the opportunity to surrender the animals. Should she agree, she may be cleared of all charges..." More

Diane Cowling - Washington

Apr 21, 2011: Diane Cowling, Convicted Animal "House of

Horrors" Hoarder, Found Dead in Jail Cell

By Curtis Cartier

Diane Cowling was only a few weeks away from being sentenced (likely to one year in jail) for hoarding dozens of cats and dogs inside her Granite Falls home, which turned into what police described as a "house of horrors" when 30 of the animals died of starvation. Cowling won't be sentenced anymore. She's dead.

She was found dead in her Snohomish County Jail cell last night.

No reason has yet been given for her death, and an autopsy is being performed.

She was 66 years old and supposedly suffered from mental illness..." More & video from Jan 2011

Jan 24, 2011: 2 arrested in animal cruelty case, 3 more animals found

By Marlee Ginter

GRANITE FALLS, Wash. -- Three animals were found living with the mother and son accused of dozens of cases of animal cruelty.

Police arrested Diane Cowling, 65, and her 36-year-old son, Michael Cowling, on Monday morning and got another surprise -- three more animals were living with the Cowlings at their new apartment. Among them was a puppy no more than 2 months old.

The animals were taken to Pasado's Safe Haven for evaluation. All three appeared to have been well-fed.

But such wasn't the case when investigators searched the Cowlings' foreclosed home over the weekend. Even seasoned investigators were hocked at what they found.

Inside the home strewn with feces and garbage were 31 dead animals -- 28 cats, two dogs and an animal that had been dead so long that investigators could not tell what it was..." More

Jan 22, 2011: 31 pets found dead in Granite Falls horror house

A mother and son are under investigation for animal cruelty after 28 cats and three dogs were found dead Saturday in a foreclosed home strewn with feces and garbage, officials said.

Granite Falls Police Chief Dennis Taylor called the horrific scene "one of the most deplorable situations" he has ever had to deal with in his law enforcement career.

Three emaciated cats were found barely alive inside the squalid home and were taken to a local animal sanctuary.

Police said the 65-year-old previous homeowner had lived in the home with her 36-year-old son, but they had moved out a few weeks or months ago after the home went into foreclosure.

The son told police that they had ran out of money to care for the animals and did not know what to do..." More