Written by Jeff Mackey
With so many out-of-control hoarders claiming to be animal rescuers, "rescue" has become a buzzword to beware of—especially when combined with irresponsible "no-kill" promises. The strength of their compulsion also makes it vital that, when convicted, hoarders be stopped from possessing any animals in the future in order to break the cycle of abuse.
The latest reminder comes from Alabama, where Sharlotte Marie Adams, the operator of Animal Aid and Rescue Resources Inc., and her husband were arrested after a complaint was filed alleging misuse of funds and other donations to the "organization." When police searched the Adamses' home, site of the purported rescue, they reportedly discovered atrocious conditions. Andalusia Animal Shelter Director Christin Ball, whose staff is rehabilitating and housing some of the seized animals, said this about their condition:
They were all sick. There's one that we're not sure if he's going to make it or not. They've had no care whatsoever. It's sad. She claimed she'd taken them to the vet, but no one had.
Law-enforcement officials suspect that Adams exploited people's "generosity by using cash donations – solicited under the guise of treating sick animals – to pay for personal items such as electric bills and groceries for the family."
The couple was reportedly booked on charges of theft, endangering the welfare of a child, and cruelty to animals. But while police may have been shocked by what they found inside the house, PETA's investigations often reveal nightmarish conditions at many so-called "rescue" facilities, such as Caboodle Ranch and Sacred Vision. And, as in those cases, it will be critical to seek a prohibition on animal ownership as part of the penalty if the Adamses are convicted.
What You Can Do
If you learn of any hoarding case—whether posing as a rescue or not—please contact the prosecuting agency and/or attorney's office to ensure that any sentence or plea bargain include a clause forbidding the hoarder from owning or possessing animals.
Written by PETA
In a huge victory for animals, Judge Greg Parker of Florida's 3rd Judicial Circuit has ordered that Caboodle Ranch not get back any of the animals who were seized following a PETA undercover investigation. Just as importantly, Judge Parker ruled that Caboodle cannot possess or have custody of any live animals!
The ruling comes after three days of evidence presented by both the Madison County attorney and Caboodle's attorney. Judge Parker noted that Caboodle never adequately explained why it informed county officials that it had 400 animals when more than 600 were seized—fewer than 200 of whom had veterinary records. The judge observed that numerous lethargic animals, laboring to breathe, were found in desperate need of veterinary care in a deteriorated building among blood- and mucus-smeared windows; that there was a "noxious" odor; and that similarly sick animals were found across the property. In other words, the court described a reality at Caboodle starkly similar to that documented by PETA's investigator.
Judge Parker ruled that the evidence indicated "clearly and convincingly" that the animals were not receiving proper care and concluded that Caboodle "is not able and fit to have custody of the animals."
The animals—who have been cared for in a temporary shelter and finally given the veterinary care that they so desperately needed and the compassion that they always deserved, have been turned over to the custody of the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO).
We want to thank the Madison County Animal Control Department, the MCSO, and the 3rd Judicial District of Florida State Attorney's Office for pursuing this case with the seriousness that it deserves. We're also grateful to the many humane agencies and responders who have labored tirelessly for months to care for these animals and give them a clean, safe place to stay. Let's hope that once they recover, they will find happiness with responsible families who will give them all the love and attention that they need and deserve.
Cruelty-to-animals charges based on PETA's evidence—including a felony count for the neglect of one cat, Lilly—are still pending against Caboodle founder and operator Craig Grant. Grant and Caboodle continue to ask the public for donations, including money to defend Grant against a felony charge of scheming to defraud those who already gave him money!
Please urge the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to end this by canceling Caboodle's registration to solicit contributions.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
To look at 5-month-old siblings Bronson and Felix now, it's hard to picture them as the sickly newborn kittens a PETA investigator discovered at Caboodle Ranch, Inc., a no-kill hellhole that was raided this week after masquerading as a "cat rescue sanctuary."
On Monday, based on evidence that PETA gathered during a five-month undercover investigation, officials in Madison County, Florida, began seizing hundreds of cats from Caboodle's moldy trailers and ammonia-ridden sheds and arrested founder and operator Craig Grant on cruelty-to-animals and other charges, including two felonies. The seized cats are finally receiving the veterinary care that they had been denied at Caboodle, but the filthy conditions and rampant disease there had already cost many cats their lives, including Bronson's and Felix's littermate.
Cali nurses her three kittens in addition to the sick white kitten PETA's investigator tried to help.
PETA's investigator had discovered a tiny white kitten all alone, with eyes so encrusted with dried discharge that they wouldn't open. The investigator took the kitten to Grant and pointed out the animal's obvious illness. Instead of providing the kitten with veterinary care, Grant rubbed a Clorox wipe across the kitten's eyes and rubbed and picked at them roughly with his hands. He told the investigator to put the kitten with a cat named Cali, who had given birth at Caboodle to kittens our investigator named Bronson, Felix, and Luna. Within a month, the little white kitten had died at Caboodle, apparently of an untreated upper respiratory infection.
Desperate to save the other three kittens, the investigator asked Grant for them, and he gave them to her. Our investigator took them straight to a veterinary hospital. There, the kittens were started on medication for upper respiratory infections and began their recovery from dehydration. But just two days later, little Luna was struggling to breathe, and the investigator rushed her to an emergency animal hospital. As a result of the neglect Luna had suffered at Caboodle, she was now battling anemia, hypoglycemia, and hypothermia. Despite shots of dextrose to raise her blood sugar and heating pads to stave off the hypothermia, little Luna could not overcome the hand that Caboodle and Grant had dealt her and, at a veterinarian's recommendation, was euthanized.
It was a rough road for Bronson and Felix and for the investigator who fostered them on their long path to recovery. But after months of intensive veterinary care, both miracle cats are now happy and healthy and are ready for adoption by a family who has the time and energy to give them the love and care that they need and deserve. Are you on the East Coast and ready to give Bronson and Felix a home? Apply to Adopt@peta.org.
Bronson and Felix finally get to experience the kind of life that every cat deserves.
These cats' sad stories are doomed to be repeated time and time again if a bill in the Florida legislature becomes law. Under the misleadingly named "Animal Rescue Act," reputable open-admission animal shelters would be forced to hand animals over to self-proclaimed "rescues" like Caboodle. Don't let this dangerous bill pass.
It is finally the beginning of the end for the horrific cat hell known as "Caboodle Ranch, Inc." (Caboodle)—a disgusting, crowded, disease-ridden no-kill "rescue sanctuary" in Madison County, Fla.—that has long been the subject of complaints to PETA's office.
Today, thanks to evidence gathered by a five-month-long PETA undercover investigation, the cats are being seized and taken to safety.
Video footage and photos taken by PETA's investigator show cats suffering from upper-respiratory infections so severe that they gasped for air and struggled to breathe, drooled, and had bloody mucus clogging their noses. Cats also had ruptured corneas, went blind, and, in some cases, died. One such cat, Lilly, died after fighting for months, losing her battle with what initially seemed to be a simple cold.
Caboodle's founder and operator, Craig Grant, faces criminal charges of cruelty to animals, based on the information gathered by PETA. We are grateful to Madison County Animal Control, the Madison County Sheriff's Office, and the Third Judicial District of Florida State Attorney's Office for taking this case seriously and pursuing it with the seriousness that it deserves.
This investigation comes at a critical time for homeless and unwanted animals in Florida. A dangerous bill is currently making its way through Florida's legislature. Animal shelters would be forced to hand over animals to self-proclaimed, unregulated animal "rescues" like Caboodle if the misleading "Animal Rescue Act" (S.B. 818 and H.B. 597) becomes law. PETA is calling on the bill's sponsors to withdraw the legislation without delay. Won't you please help us?
Written by Dan Paden
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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