Owners Would Pay For Seized Pet Care Under Nebraska Bill

The owners of pets and horses seized by law enforcement would be required to pay for the animals' care under a measure introduced in the Nebraska Legislature.

The owners of pets and horses seized by law enforcement would be required to pay for the animals' care under a measure introduced in the Nebraska Legislature.

The bill (LB1084) by state Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber calls for a hearing to be held within 10 days of an animal's seizure. At the hearing, the court will decide whether to return the animal to its owner or harborer. If the animal is not returned, the court will order the owner to pay all expenses related to the care of the animal, including shelter, food and veterinary care.

The bill allows the court to consider the person's ability to pay the expenses.

Should the person be found not guilty of any offenses related to the animal, all money paid for the animal's care would be returned to the person.

More Than 85 Cats Found in Motel Room

By LITA BECK

Dallas Animal Services found more than 85 cats inside a motel room Friday.

Crews had to wear hazmat-looking suits and masks to remove the felines from the room at the Palomino Motel Trailer Park in the 1300 block of Fort Worth Avenue.

The motel manager called Animal Services to take what he believed were only a few cats into custody. The man who was renting the room has been in the hospital for two weeks and hasn't been able to care for them, the motel said.

But Animal Services discovered approximately 85 to 90 cats in the room upon arrival and obtained a seizure warrant for the felines from a judge.

A hearing about the placement of the cats is scheduled for Wednesday..." Link & video

Woman charged with animal neglect after 31 horses seized

By: Denise Ruttan

Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller couldn't keep the emotion from his voice when he described the scale of a major animal neglect case that resulted in the seizure of 31 horses at a Mill City ranch Thursda

"This is the worst one Linn County has ever seen," Mueller said. "It was bad. The sheer numbers were just overwhelming."

Tania Lynne Herring, 30, who lives at the property at 1252 SE Fourth Ave., Mill City, was charged with 30 counts of second-degree animal neglect and cited to appear in Linn County Circuit Court on Feb. 24. Herring had no previous criminal record.

The case is still under investigation and more charges may be filed, Mueller said.

The 31 horses were in immediate need of medical care to survive, he said.

All 31 animals were placed in foster care with members of Linn County Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization that works with law enforcement.

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Weigh the costs and benefits of hoarding

By: Julia Scott

To hoard or not to hoard: What saves money?

A reader named Ellen e-mailed me about how she saves money by keeping items for later use.

"I call it re-boxing versus re-gifting," she said. "Following every holiday season, I stow away any perfectly good boxes instead of sending them off to recycling. (I usually hide them from my hubby because he’ll want to throw them out — stat.) My box stash comes in handy for next year’s gift load, not to mention other gift-giving occasions that arise. I also save any festive bags that I may receive, knowing next year that I will reuse them, as well. Why spend money to buy boxes and bags when you can save the green by being green?"

Ellen’s e-mail got me thinking. Are there things around the house that I throw out or recycle that could save me money if I kept them? Could my empty wine bottles be turned into vases? Old comics used for wrapping presents? Food containers saved for leftovers?

Yes, yes and yes. But just because something can be reused doesn’t mean you’re saving money by keeping it. What it really comes down to is how much it costs to hold onto something. I broke down the cost of saving something into five areas:

Mental cost — Do you have room in your brain to remember everything you’ve tucked away? I know I feel better about myself when I’m able to weed out unneeded possessions...." More

Calgary assists seniors who hoard

A new program in Calgary is aimed at helping seniors who suffer from hoarding, a mental disorder that causes them to obsessively keep what other people consider junk.

While once considered an eccentricity or a nuisance, hoarding is now more correctly considered a mental disorder, says Jane Reid, a social worker who is heading up the new program through Calgary Family Services.

Hoarders, who are often seniors, tend to define themselves by what they have. Reid's job is to try to get sufferers to find another way to give themselves an identity.

The program, called "Making Room," is not simply a clean-up, Reid said. She never tells anyone to throw things out. Instead, she tries to understand why the person wants to keep a particular item.

"It may involve me saying — 'Well, tell me about that paper. What does that mean to you?' — then talking and trying to help them kind of rethink what's important to them and what's not."..." More

Shelter head: Seized dogs in poor health

by Becky Campbell


While animal control authorities were shuttling eight rescue dogs seized from a local doggy day care to a vet, a woman who worked there was being arraigned Friday for filing a false police report saying she was attacked at the business when someone broke in and stole 14 other rescue dogs.

Ashli N. Thomas, 24, is charged with filing a false report and eight counts of animal cruelty in an alleged stabbing and dog-napping incident at Cool School for Dogs on West Market Street that has twisted and turned with each new piece of information.

Thomas’ aunt and uncle, Brad and Tammara Josselyn, who own Cool School for Dogs, are also charged with eight counts of animal cruelty due to the condition of some of the animals at the day care...." More & video

Too much clutter could signal danger

BY WEVONNEDA MINIS

When clutter in a home creates chaos, and the thought of eliminating some objects is overwhelming, there is a problem, experts say. A home should not contain so many acquisitions that they pose a serious risk of injury, illness or fire.

Those who live in residences where objects blanket floors, furniture and other areas have a problem, according to medical experts. Those people may say they hold onto items because they will be needed someday, but there is more to it than that.

"When they cannot bring themselves to part with emotional items such as pictures or clothing, it is not just a matter of them having too much clutter," says Dr. Olga Brawman-Mintzer, MUSC professor of psychiatry. When someone gets to the point where their acquiring and inability to dispose of things precludes them from normal daily activities, it is considered compulsive hoarding.

"It's a condition that many researchers have found has a genetic component," she says. "Environmental stressors may also play a role."

It's difficult to estimate the number of hoarders because they tend to live alone and do not entertain, say researchers in an article on WebMD. The Web site gives 2 million Americans as a ballpark figure.

The researchers are Randy Frost, Israel professor of psychology at Smith College in Massachusetts, and Dr. Sanjaya Saxena, associate professor of psychiatry, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla.

Hoarding, a medical illness, is spotlighted by the popular A&E television show "Hoarders," which demonstrates that it's nearly impossible for them to part with belongings.

Within the spectrum of hoarders, there are a number of behaviors and symptoms, Brawman-Mintzer says. They have problems resisting the urge to acquire possessions and may frequent thrift stores or garage sales. They acquire multiples of the items and have difficulty parting with them..." More