Investigators get up-close training in hoarding cases

By Chad Smith


It was hard to replicate the odor.

When officials at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine converted a room into a mock crime scene of animal hoarding on Sunday, they were able to make it as realistic as possible for veterinarians, animal-rescue workers and students.

They used stuffed animals to play the parts of dead and dying cats and dogs. There were crates stacked on top of crates, with newspapers, empty cans of soda and cat food and pizza boxes strewn about.

But they couldn't quite capture the strong odors that typically greet investigators as they confront the growing numbers of hoarding cases..."  More

Dogs removed from home of West Palm Beach suspected animal hoarder

By Cheryl Hanna

Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control removed eight dogs from the residence of Karen May, 67 of Plumosa Street in West Palm Beach yesterday. According to Lt. Daisy Harsch the dogs were tied by leashes, kept in various parts of the home, and living in deplorable conditions.

May's home was filled with debris and has been considered unfit for habitation by both humans and dogs.

According to CBS News, May found the dogs roaming the streets and brought them in to her home. The animals were living in filth surrounded by feces and urine. The home was filled with debris.

Diane Sauve, director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control stated the dogs were surrendered by May..."  More

Animal hoarding the focus of weekend conference in Gainesville

Florida - By Kelsey Diaz – WUFT-FM

A University of Florida veterinary training program is playing host to a conference this weekend on animal hoarding. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT FM’s Kelsey Diaz explains what animal health professionals are doing to handle this issue..."  More (audio)

Judge Reverses National Arts Club Expulsion of Aldon James

By Amy Zimmer

MANHATTAN — O. Aldon James is getting a second chance.

Although the National Arts Club voted in February to expel its embattled former president, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge ordered the 113-year-old institution Thursday to hold a new hearing conducted by a neutral party.

Justice Carol Edmead said the club's board, which approved James' expulsion from the club on Jan. 23, no longer appeared unbiased in light of new facts that emerged since she called for the board to hold a hearing on the matter.

Those included a countersuit the club filed in December seeking roughly $3 million in damages they charged James had caused. The claims in that suit, filed in December — such as allegations that James used club checks without approval and deprived the club of revenue by secretly using club apartments — were similar to the claims made after the hearing held the following month..."  More

17 Rescued Harford County Animals Were Living With Dead Dog And Cat

BEL AIR, Md. —Animal hoarding in Harford County. More than a dozen cats and a dog were rescued from a home there.

Andrea Fujii explains that’s not all Animal Control found inside.

Altogether Animal Control found nearly 30 dogs and cats at the home, including two that were dead.

Nine beagles are still at the Bel Air home on Lochary Road, where Animal Control seized 17 other animals last Friday.

The Harford County Humane Society now has the 16 cats and a beagle, who they say were living in poor conditions.

“There was probably smells and feces if the dogs and cats weren’t getting out. There was probably some disease that was going on in the residence as well,” said Blaine Lang, Harford County Humane Society..."  More & video

'Hoarded' dogs taken from Tampa home

Stef DiPietrantonio


They are two separate, but equally brutal, cases of abused animals seized in Hillsborough County.

On Thursday, the animals that lived through the ordeal were found in a sad state, covered in their own feces and not fed properly in months.

Animal services calls this a case of good intentions gone awry. Four-dozen dogs were stacked in carriers inside a home in Thonotosassa. The owner was at work, but came home when she learned Animal Services was taking the dogs away.

"She does not see any error here, she does not see any issue, she does not see any problem," said Marti Ryan with Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Boxes and pet carriers litter the woman's front yard.

Inside? Animal services said the place was filthy. An anonymous caller tipped authorities off, saying they were worried for the owner, as well as the dogs.

"We've seen many, many hoarding cases in our time," Ryan said. "The difference is this one was working under the heading of an approved 501C-3 non-profit, so people are unknowingly perhaps donating money, funds, and supplies."

And never knowing, Ryan said, the animals would then be sent to live inside a small plastic carrier, living in their waste without vet care in a dimly lit double-wide trailer.

The woman's attorney sent us this statement, saying she's innocent of animal cruelty..."  More & video

More than 100 dogs removed from breeding operation near Quebec City

Animal welfare advocates have removed 125 dogs from a breeding operation south of Quebec City they say wasn't properly caring for the animals.

Provincial officials and Humane Society International's Canadian branch converged on a commercial breeding operation to remove the dogs and puppies.

According to the humane organization, multiple investigations indicated the dogs were not receiving proper care and the security and welfare of the animals was compromised.

The government agency that took part in the operation said the dogs were taken to a shelter where they'll receive veterinary care.

The dogs will remain in the care of a non-governmental organization that enforces animal welfare in Quebec.

A motion will be heard by a judge at a later date to determine whether the dogs will be returned or put up for adoption.

Quebec has long been considered the puppy-mill capital of North America, with an estimated 800 unregulated breeding operations in Montreal alone.

In December, the province sharpened the teeth of its laws against animal cruelty, tabling legislation that would hike fines to amounts that could go as high as $75,000 in serious cases..."  More