Authorities Seize More Than 100 Dogs From Home

Deputies in Burke County have seized 105 dogs and puppies from a Morganton home where authorities were preparing to post a notice that the animals weren't in compliance with their rabies tags.

The News-Herald of Morganton reported that Sheriff Steve Whisenant said Monday deputies were at the home of 50-year-old Larry Buff when they discovered a warrant out for his arrest on a charge of assault by pointing a gun. Deputies saw the conditions the dogs were living in and returned with warrants to seize them.

Authorities said 25 of the dogs were puppies younger than six weeks old. Deputies called the conditions at the home "ihhumane."..." More

Bernard Fairclothband Donna Faircloth - Venice, Florida

More than 250 dogs seized in raid at Venice home

By Lee Williams

Hundreds of dogs kept in chicken coops behind a South Venice home were rescued this week after anonymous tips led investigators to the property.

nimal control workers began the rescue operation Wednesday and by Friday had removed 263 dogs. At least 100 were taken to the county's Animal Services center on Bee Ridge Road, with many others being cared for by animal rescue facilities.

The dogs were well fed, but many had matted fur and open sores and some had hookworm and heartworm. All were infested with fleas.

"It was a horrible situation for them to be living in," said Lt. Scott Ortner, animal services director.

The property is owned by Bernard Faircloth, 61, and Donna Faircloth, 59.

Ortner said Donna Faircloth was a former breeder suffering from the economic downturn who did not want to euthanize the dogs, so over time it became a hoarding situation.

On Friday, Bernard Faircloth said his wife is clinically depressed and had started hoarding the animals at their home.

"I had no idea she had as many as she had," he said.

He said his wife faces three misdemeanor charges.

"My wife developed hoarding as a symptom of her depression," he said. "It started slow and then it continued and pretty soon you find yourself not looking at things."

He said it cost them about $1,200 a month for food and medicine. She also had about 100 birds at their home in the 200 block of High Point Drive, off Border Road.

They live in an expansive neighborhood with large lots and no deed restrictions.

Faircloth said his neighbors never complained to them about the animals.

He was grateful the Animal Services staff treated him and his family well...."  More & photo gallery

Hoarding: Animal services removes over 350 animals

"...Seventy dogs have already been transferred to area rescues and others will be moved today. Criminal charges against the owner are pending.

Adoptions will begin Monday at the earliest, and interested citizens can download an application fromwww.SarasotaSheriff.org and under Public Interest click Animal Services.

Animal Services urges interested citizens to not call until that time to ensure all staff members are available to care for the dogs, in addition to the other 122 dogs and cats that were already in the shelter..."  More & photo gallery

Is your veterinary client a hoarder?

Hoarding is not about the number of animals a person owns; it’s about the care of those animals, says Dr. Julie Levy, PhD, director of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program. If a client has five animals and neglects them, that could be considered hoarding.

So what are some signs a client could be an animal hoarder? Levy says one of the most significant is lack of recognition that the pet is receiving inadequate care, along with a compulsion to keep acquiring animals even when the owner can’t care for them properly. According to the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC), a veterinary client could be a hoarder if he or she:

• Has more than the typical number of companion animals.
• Fails to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in illness and death from starvation, spread of infectious disease, and untreated injuries or medical conditions.
• Denies his or her inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household and human occupants of the dwelling.
• Persists, despite this failure, in accumulating animals.

“It’s important for veterinarians to get involved and deal with these cases formally because the courts can require mental health care, counseling and supervision and put a restriction 

on the amount of animals they can own—if any,” Levy says.

She says if veterinarians don’t go through the court they won’t have the authority to monitor the client long-term. “Veterinarians need to maintain an awareness that animal hoarding happens in every community,” Levy says. “You can have compassion for the hoarder but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t intervene. The cruelty is real for these animals and they deserve to have a good quality of life.”..."  More

Child Advocates Upset About 5-year-old Living With 43 Animals

More controversy surrounding the apartment where 42 cats and a dog were found.


Mobile police and animal control officers responded to Country Club Woods Apartment complex yesterday after several complaints.


Two women and a 5-year old girl were living there among all the animals in that apartment.


Now, the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center is speaking out about the case.


He says he can't remember a situation where this many animals were living in such a tight space, with a small child.


Pat Guyton is the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center in Mobile.


When he heard 42 cats and a dog were living in a one bedroom apartment with a 5-year-old child, he was disgusted.


"It's upsetting. It's a very unhealthy environment. Cats carry certain diseases that a child can pick up such as Cat-scratch disease, Salmonella, Roundworm," said Guyton.


Mobile Police say cockroaches and cat feces filled the Country Club Woods apartment..."  More & video

23 Charges filed against Yakima dog hoarder

YAKIMA, Wash. -- It's been three weeks since a home on 19th Avenue was raided, and 47 dogs were removed. Just this week, the owner, Evelyn Dauenhauer was served with 23 citations.

The charges include:
- 10 counts of those charges are for animal cruelty
- 9 for possession of a pit bull,
- 1 for not having a pet license
- 1 for keeping animals in a nauseous environment
- 1 for operating a kennel without a license.

If convicted and given the maximum penalty for each charge, Dauenhauer could be fined more than $56,000 and serve up to 11.5 years in jail.

We tried to talk to Dauenhauer, but she didn't want to talk on camera. Off camera, she told us she loves dogs, fed them every day and didn't want to hurt them. The city and humane society tell a very different story.

"We had a number of dogs that had to be put down because of the malnutrition and just the horrid condition they were in," says Interim City Manager, Michael Morales.

The case is now in the hands of city prosecutors who say they are prepared to move forward with this case. Dauenhauer's arraignment is set for May 10, 2012.

"This is inexcusable," says Morales. "Just absolutely, in my opinion, there isn't any excuse for something like this and she can tell it to the judge!"..."  More & video

26 neglected horses seized from Skagit County farm

KAGIT COUNTY, Washington — 

Officials in Skagit County seized more than 20 horses that they said were near death Wednesday afternoon.

KIRO 7’s Lee Stoll got to the scene just as the last few horses were rounded up by animal control officers. All three had heavily matted manes, and one had an open sore on its back leg.

“It’s a sad situation,” said Sgt. Jennifer Sheahan-Lee with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheahan-Lee said it took two days for an army of officers and volunteers to load up 26 horses. The animals are now being checked out by a veterinarian in Snohomish County.

“(They had) lice, they had mud rot, rain rot,” she said. “There’s likely some other things that, once a vet treats them, just because of their body conditioning score, they’ll discover some other issues going on.”

The horses were owned by a couple in Snohomish County, but they were kept at a farm in Skagit County where they were seized..."  More

Over 20 dogs rescued from “squalid conditions” in Co Laois

OVER 20 DOGS were rescued from “squalid conditions” where they were being kept by someone hoarding animals in Co Laois, the ISPCA said today.

The dogs (pictured) were being kept in unsuitable environments where their accommodation was described as “deplorable”.

The ISPCA said that animal hoarding “is a complex and intricate public health and community issue whereby a person(s) accumulates more animals than they can properly care for”.

A key characteristic of hoarders is their failure to recognise the obvious problems that result in terms of animal welfare, the effect on the living environment, and the negative impact on the life of the individual themselves.

Unfortunately, the ISPCA encounters people hoarding animals to varying degrees on quite a regular basis.

Chief Inspector Conor Dowling came upon such a situation in Co Laois this week when he responded to a call from a concerned member of the public. In doing so, he found in excess of 20 dogs living in completely unsuitable conditions.

Chief Inspector Dowling commented:

These dogs had been accumulated over a period of time and it was clear from the presence of young animals that the numbers were continuing to rise. As more were brought in, any available space was used to house dogs.

He was assisted by the county dog warden when he went to the premises. There, they found dogs living in squalid cages and others “spending the vast majority of their lives in small transport containers”.

Dowling said:

While the dogs were being fed and they were generally quite healthy, some of the accommodation was truly deplorable.

The majority of the dogs were surrendered to the care of the ISPCA and further visits will be made to ensure that the welfare of the remaining dogs is maintained at an acceptable level.

“These types of situations are not rectified in one visit,” cautioned Dowling.."  More