When “no-kill” animal shelters and rescue groups are filled to capacity, which is almost always, they are left with two options: turn away more animals than they take in or warehouse animals, often in substandard, filthy, and severely crowded conditions, for weeks, months, or even years on end. Most, if not all, of the animals who are turned away from such facilities still face untimely deaths—just not at these facilities.
Instead they are cruelly killed by people who don’t want them, are dumped on roadsides and left to die from starvation or being hit by a car, or spend their short lives homeless, unwanted, and producing more litters of animals for whom no homes exist.
The lucky ones are taken to well-run open-admission animal shelters, where they either find a well-screened, permanent home or are painlessly euthanized in the arms of professionally trained, compassionate people. Here are some of the “no-kill” animal shelter failures that made headlines in recent years for making animals suffer a fate far worse than a kind death.
Reports Showing How ‘No-Kill’ Policies Harmed Animals in April 2023
Cedar Creek Township, Michigan
CadillacNews.com reported that a couple was “being investigated for allegedly running an illegal animal shelter, resulting in the removal of more than 40 animals from the residence.” Authorities reportedly “said the investigation was initiated after a complaint was logged from a person who indicated they purchased a dog from the couple. The complaint claimed the purchased animal was emaciated and filthy.” According to the report, the couple could face felony charges of cruelty to animals or animal abandonment. No additional information was available.
Weld County, Colorado
9News.com reported that authorities had removed 95 dogs from a hoarder’s home. The Colorado Department of Agriculture reportedly “issued a cease and desist order for the owner of the house for operating an animal shelter or sanctuary at the house without a valid license.” An investigation was ongoing. No additional information was available.
Austin, Texas
AustinMonthly.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Austin Animal Center (AAC) had been full and turning away animals for months. According to the report, in January a resident had picked up an abandoned dog and transported the animal to AAC, where she was told that the facility was full. She said that she “was escorted to her car by a security officer after being given an appointment to return a month later. ‘I was treated like a criminal, and I was just trying to help,’ she says. Wiping away tears and feeling helpless, [the resident] reluctantly took the 50-pound dog back to her one-bedroom apartment, joining many concerned residents who have found themselves in similar situations.” She reportedly eventually found a new home for the animal. (See the March 2023, Austin, Texas, entry below for more information about this facility.)
Marion County, South Carolina
WPDE.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Marion County Animal Shelter was full and turning away animals. A social media post by the facility reportedly said, “The shelter is not accepting intakes of any kind because … there is nowhere to put more animals” and that there were puppies at the facility who had been warehoused there “for several weeks.”
Forsyth County, North Carolina
MyFOX8.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Forsyth County Animal Shelter was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “[B]oth the shelter and the humane society are only taking animal surrenders from a waitlist.”
Las Vegas, Nevada
8NewsNow.com reported that during a public meeting, Clark County commissioners said that they had been receiving complaints about the county’s animal shelter, which has “no-kill” policies and does business as The Animal Foundation. One commissioner said that a common complaint was that “good [S]amaritans [were] having trouble turning in animals at the shelter.” According to the report, “8 News Now’s Victoria Saha looked online at The Animal Foundation’s website after the meeting and found that Wednesday would be the earliest day for adoption returns. The next available appointment to drop off a stray animal was next month.” A spokesperson for a local animal adoption group said, “You leave these animals out on the street and they are dead, they die terrible deaths.” The county was reportedly “in contract with The Animal Foundation until 2025. The county has requested an audit of the shelter.” (See the December 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada, entry below for more details about this facility.)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
CBSNews.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as ACCT Philly was “in crisis mode” because of an outbreak of the contagious canine influenza virus. The facility’s website at the time of the report stated that it was full and that “ACCT Philly is NOT scheduling any owner surrender appointments for dogs. Any walk-in owner surrender appointments will NOT be accepted.”
Columbus, Ohio
ABC6OnYourSide.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center was full and turning away animals. According to the report, residents who find dogs roaming and in need of rescue were being asked “to keep them or find them a home” themselves, rather than using the services of the public dog shelter. Residents were also being advised not to approach stray dogs “unless [they are] friendly” and told not to turn their backs to roaming dogs. (See the July 2021/Columbus, Ohio, entry below for more information about this facility.)
Cincinnati, Ohio
FOX19.com reported that 25 dogs at a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Cincinnati Animal CARE Shelter and Resources Center had to be euthanized after exhibiting “advanced symptoms of Canine Distemper Virus.” According to a spokesperson for the facility, new dogs taken in were being housed in a “makeshift facility,” where they were “living in wire crates the vast majority of the day.” Residents were being asked to keep stray dogs “as long as possible,” instead of taking them to the public facility meant to house them. WCPO.com reported that the facility had also “restricted all dog intakes” for an unspecified period of time. According to the report, “Stray dogs found in the county will have to go through the Hamilton County Dog Warden office and will be housed at an off-site facility.” According to the report, the Hamilton County facility would not accept animals from people who were unable or unwilling to care for them. (See the June 2022/Cincinnati, Ohio, entry below for more details about this facility.)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
KFOR.com reported that nearly 300 dogs at a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Oklahoma City Animal Welfare had exhibited symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, 130 had tested positive for disease, and five had died at the facility. According to the report, “Samples of the infection were sent to a lab for testing and came back positive for both canine flu and strep zoo.” The facility was expected to be closed “for about a month” to address the outbreak. It was later reported that the following four public facilities, evidently also with “no-kill” policies, had also stopped accepting dogs because of disease outbreaks: Midwest City Animal Welfare, Yukon Animal Control Facility, El Reno Animal Shelter, and Moore Animal Shelter. (See the March 2023, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and June 2022/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, entries below for more information about Oklahoma City Animal Welfare.)
Golden Valley, Minnesota
KARE11.com reported that nearly 200 dogs at facilities with “no-kill” policies operated by Animal Humane Society were “receiving medication and supportive care” after testing confirmed that they’d contracted the highly contagious canine flu virus (also called canine influenza). StarTribune.com reported that the group had “closed all three of its Twin Cities shelters” because of the “outbreak of canine influenza—a highly contagious virus that’s rarely been reported before in Minnesota.” According to the report, it was the largest outbreak of the disease in the state’s history. The report went on to reveal that “[a] dog transported from Oklahoma had been exposed to the virus [on] March 23. Since then, all of the approximately 200 dogs at the Humane Society’s shelters in Golden Valley, Woodbury and Coon Rapids have contracted respiratory infections.” Five dogs had to be euthanized because of the illness. The facilities would reportedly not be accepting any dogs during a 42-day quarantine period suggested by state authorities.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
TheAdvocate.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Companion Animal Alliance was “overcrowded” and had “60 dogs living in metal pop-up crates.” According to the report, 259 dogs were confined to 177 kennels at the facility.
Midland, Texas
YourBasin.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Midland Animal Services had announced that it would “be closed to the public until further notice” because of an outbreak of a “highly contagious disease” in dogs at the facility. No additional information was available.
Muskogee, Oklahoma
FOX23.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Muskogee Animal Shelter was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the facility said that dogs were doubled up in kennels and that the facility receives calls every day from residents, “asking [that we] take their animals and we just can’t take them. We don’t have room.”
Bay City, Michigan
WNEM.com reported that “at least a dozen cats” and a dog had died in a fire at a residence being used as a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Furfest Rockin’ the Rescues. The cause of the fire was reportedly under investigation.
La Pine, Oregon
BendBulletin.com reported that authorities had seized 17 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Pibblesnchis Inc. and charged its owner, Lisa Sorensen, with “17 felony counts of second-degree animal neglect in connection with the operation at her home.” According to the report, “Some of the dogs were so malnourished and injured that they required care from a veterinarian, and the conditions they lived in were ‘not acceptable,’ said Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Wall.” Seven dogs were left in Sorensen’s custody. CentralOregonDaily.com reported that a spokesperson for a facility that was caring for the seized animals said that “most of the dogs evaluated were underweight [and] [o]ne dog needed immediate care for a large wound.” KTVZ.com reported that Sgt. Wall said, “There were animal feces on the floors inside the kennels …. The dogs had animal feces caked within their fur. They all smelled of urine and fecal matter.”
Richland Center, Wisconsin
WOWT.com reported that a cat had been warehoused for eight years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Ocooch Mountain Humane Society. A spokesperson for the facility described him as “shy” and said that he had been housed there “with other fearful cats.”
Sugar Land, Texas
Click2Houston.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Sugar Land Animal Services had announced that it would “be closed for the next four to six weeks” after a dog tested positive for distemper. According to a post on the facility’s website, it had stopped accepting dogs the previous January because it was full.
La Mesa, California
WTOC.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for nearly 800 days at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as The Animal Pad. According to the group, he wasn’t comfortable walking on a leash and would “do best in a home as the only [animal].”
North East, Maryland
Yahoo.com reported that a cat had been warehoused for more than 2,800 days at a self-professed “no kill feline rescue” doing business as Chesapeake Feline Association.
Anniston, Alabama
WVTM13.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as League for Animal Welfare had been “accused of animal abuse and misusing funds” by the director of a self-professed animal rescue group. According to the report, “He says he has pictures that show animals in cages filled with feces and food bowls filled with mold.” In an interview, he said that the facility had “taken a lot of animals off of the streets in Anniston. But, they’re not getting vetted. … They’re just … living their lives in cages. The dogs are living in cages. They’re living in feces. A lot of them are heartworm positive. One just had to be euthanized.” He said that he’d removed 20 cats and five dogs from the facility and that “several of the cats” were “sick with contagious illnesses.” According to the report, the “district attorney says he has received a complaint of animal abuse and financial issues and he’s looking into them to see if any charges should be filed.” No additional information was available.
Paintsville, Kentucky
PaintsvilleHerald.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Johnson County Animal Shelter that was operated by Whiskers or Wags Inc. (WOW) had been accused of warehousing animals in poor conditions. According to the report, representatives of a self-professed animal “rescue” in Pennsylvania said that they’d arrived at the Kentucky facility “to pick up all of the dogs currently sheltered there” and had found “that some of the dogs had been at the shelter for multiple years and weren’t being properly cared for.” The group removed 27 dogs from the facility and alleged that there were “also a good many cats living in dog crates for years” there. It was later reported that “[a]mid public outcry about living conditions and vetting” at the facility, WOW had announced that it would terminate its contract to operate the county facility. WKLW.com published a Johnson County Fiscal Court statement confirming that the contract with WOW had been terminated.
Kochville Township, Michigan
MLive.com reported that in March, authorities had seized 28 “severely sick cats in need of urgent veterinary care” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Amazing Grace Animal Rescue. According to the report, “Deputies and Saginaw County Animal Care & Control personnel found 237 cats and 16 dogs at the facility.” MLive.com obtained records of complaints against the “rescue” that included troubling reports about adopted animals who had been diagnosed with serious and fatal diseases as well as sick animals confined at the facility. A veterinarian reportedly filed a complaint describing a family who went to pick up an adopted kitten named Marty and found him “unresponsive” at the facility. The family was allegedly told to return the next day, and when they arrived, “They found Marty face down in his litter box and he died about 10 minutes later in the arms of his new owner, the veterinarian said.” According to complaints from other veterinarians and adopters, adopted cats and kittens had been found to have upper respiratory infections, roundworms, severe flea infestations, eye infections, feline herpes, feline infectious peritonitis, and other issues. A veterinarian who had filed numerous complaints with the state reportedly wrote that they were frustrated with its lack of action and called the facility a “slow kill shelter.” According to the report, “Of the 28 cats seized by authorities on March 6 and 7, all were diagnosed with upper respiratory infections, some had ringworm, one had FIV, and one had FeLV, analogous to leukemia. One of the cats died of bacterial pneumonia suspected to have been from an untreated respiratory infection.” Investigators’ findings had reportedly been sent to the prosecutor’s office, but it wasn’t clear if charges would be pursued.
Inhumane, Dangerous Results of ‘No-Kill’ Policies That Made Headlines in March 2023
Rochester, New York
WXXINews.org reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Rochester Animal Services had suspended a canine foster program “after an unspecified incident between a foster dog and another dog.” No additional information was available. (See the July 2022/Rochester, New York, entry below for more information about this facility.)
North East, Maryland
Yahoo.com reported that a homeless cat had been adopted and returned “numerous times” to a self-professed “no kill feline rescue” doing business as Chesapeake Feline Association. Most recently, she had reportedly been warehoused by the group for 446 days. The group reported that she had “litter box issues.”
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
KFOR.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Oklahoma City Animal Welfare had stopped accepting animals “for at least a week” because of the spread of a contagious respiratory disease that had infected 150 dogs, “leaving at least four dead.” A spokesperson for the facility said that it had nearly 400 dogs in a space designed to hold 300 and that 500 dogs had been crammed into it the previous week.
Hudson, Illinois
WGLT.org reported that authorities had seized animals from and were investigating a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Top Paw Rescue. According to the report, “Animal Control’s seizure notice … cites allegations of animal hoarding and ‘humane care and treatment violations.’” It was not reported how many animals had been seized. The report revealed that an animal shelter in another county had “said on its Facebook page that three puppies [had been] found abandoned in a crate in Rockford. The shelter said the dogs had been traced back to Top Paw, calling Top Paw’s actions ‘frustrating, infuriating and expensive.’” No additional information was available.
Chester County, Pennsylvania
DailyLocal.com reported that Holly Erin Schiller, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” that had done business as Babushka Animal Rescue, had pleaded guilty to seven counts of cruelty to animals. According to the report, for each count, she had been sentenced to “two years of court-supervised probation that bars her from owning animals or living in a home with pets, or operating any animal shelter, for a total of 14 years.” The charges were filed after authorities found “21 emaciated and dehydrated dogs and puppies” as well as “four dead rabbits, three dead puppies, and two dead snakes” at Schiller’s home. According to the report, an investigator said that he had “found a house that was saturated in animal urine and feces, and filled with small dogs [who] had obviously been malnourished and neglected. Their coats were matted and covered in fecal matter, and they were skinny and crying. Bones were protruding from under their skin, and they showed visual signs of dehydration.” At least one dead puppy reportedly appeared to have been partially eaten by starving littermates at the “rescue.”
Austin, Texas
KXAN.com reported that residents were concerned about an apparent increase in the number of abandoned and homeless animals in the Austin area. One resident said that he “and others who find a lost or stray animal used to be able to bring them to the Austin Animal Center, but the center halted intakes last fall due to capacity problems.” According to the report, calls to the city’s 311 system about roaming dogs had “increased each year, from more than 7,400 in 2020 to more than 8,500 in 2022.” The outlet’s “city government reporter, Grace Reader, found that—even before the shelter closed its doors to intakes—the number of dogs coming into the shelter was lower in 2022 than in years prior. She spoke to advocates who worry this is a red flag.” A member of the Austin Animal Commission reportedly said that many animals were being turned away from the city’s self-professed “no-kill” facility. (See the November 2022/Austin, Texas, entry below for more information about this facility.)
Tupelo, Mississippi
DJournal.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility that was partially funded with public monies doing business as Tupelo-Lee Humane Society was full and turning away animals. According to the report, an animal control officer said that “removing animals from harmful situations has become an increasingly complicated endeavor” because the facility was accepting “fewer dogs and cats, while the number of calls for animal control has been rising.” According to the report, calls reporting possible cruelty to animals had increased, but the city’s police chief said “the bigger issue facing the city regarding its animal population isn’t an increase in cruelty, it’s a decrease in space,” because of severe crowding and turn-away policies at the facility. A spokesperson said that it “was more than 200%” over capacity at the time of the report and that “overcrowding has resulted in a parvo outbreak among the shelter’s puppy population.” He said there were dogs housed “in every office” and that the facility had “no room for strays.”
Atlanta, Georgia
CNN.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as PAWS Atlanta was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “Practically the entirety of the daily call volume consists of requests to rehome pets. The shelter’s ‘surrender queue’ is full.” In addition, 166 animals had been found left at the facility’s front gate during the previous year. A spokesperson said that many of the animals left at the gate were suffering from “serious medical issues” and that these animals were “putting a strain on [its] resources.”
Knoxville, Tennessee
WVLT.tv reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Young-Williams Animal Center (YWAC) had revealed that it had adopted 15 animals to a woman from whom authorities had seized 40 animals. When authorities raided Haylee (also reported as Hailee) Morris’ home earlier in March, they reportedly found many neglected animals, “including several [who] had died and were decomposing in the home.” A spokesperson for YWAC reportedly said that “Morris came highly recommended to the animal center … and was ‘well-regarded’ by the community and other animal organizations.” The outlet reported earlier that during one of several visits to the home by sheriff’s deputies, they had obtained “a list of animals Hailee had fostered from Young-Williams Animal Center. One of those animals, a dog, reportedly died after less than 24 hours in Hailee’s care. … On top of the dog [who] died, Hailee told the officers she had adopted eight rabbits, two dogs, two hamsters, two birds and a cat, all of [whom] had died.” She along with three family members were “charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals as a class E felony, two counts of cruelty to animals as a class [A] misdemeanor and two counts of violation of rabies laws as a class C misdemeanor.” According to the report, “In total, at least 29 animals were found living at the house with six found dead. Many of the [sheriff’s department incident] reports stated that ‘several’ animals were found in various rooms.” In addition, “another 25 animals were reported dead either during or shortly after being in the custody of Morris.” (See the January 2023/Knoxville, Tennessee, entry below for more information about this facility.)
Detroit, Michigan
Freep.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Detroit Community Cat Rescue was shutting down after a protest, resignations, and “allegations of negligence against former board members.” A former shelter manager reportedly posted publicly that “some kittens allegedly were never tested for worms or FIV and died after being adopted. She also accused the shelter of giving kittens to the highest bidders rather than [placing them] in the most appropriate homes.” No additional information was available.
Burlington, North Carolina
ElonNewsNetwork.com reported that a publicly funded self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Burlington Animal Services was full and turning away animals. A volunteer at the facility reportedly said that “because there are so many animals, the shelter has had to double up on kennels for some dogs. ‘Seeing multiple dogs kind of crammed in a kennel … is hard,’” she said. Dogs and puppies were being given away for free.
Grafton, West Virginia
UpperMichigansSource.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 cats and 20 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as The Spirit of Animals Rescue Corporation. According to the report, “A number of cats were hiding within the walls, preventing animal control officers from removing them.” The operators of the “rescue,” Kelly Rhoads and Nicole McLaughlin, were reportedly “charged with 128 counts of animal neglect and one count of neglect of an incapacitated adult.” Two homes where the animals had been hoarded were condemned by authorities. According to the report, in one of them, authorities “found one dog, six puppies and over 100 cats, with urine and feces covering the floor in each room and ‘stacked up in corners and closets.’ None of the cats had food, water or clean litter, and many of them were being kept in cages, the complaint alleges. It also says a majority of the cats had matted eyes.” In a second home, authorities reportedly found “four adults, 16 dogs and five cats.” A woman, one of whose legs had previously been amputated, was found at the home and reportedly “taken to the hospital for health screenings.”
February 2023 Reports Showing How ‘No-Kill’ Policies Endanger Animals
Pontiac, Michigan
MacombDaily.com reported that Karmen Schooly, founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as TriCounty Dog Rescue, said that authorities had repeatedly visited her home. According to the report, records revealed that “animal control officers have visited Schooly’s home seven times between 2020 and 2022. Earlier visits related to two puppies with parvo. Another involved a dispute over one of two foster dogs returned by a volunteer. A third happened after a dog escaped a foster home and gave birth in the wild. And another happened after a dog bit a visitor to the dog’s foster home. Pontiac code enforcement officials visited Schooly’s home three times last year, related to complaints of her having too many animals onsite.”
Putnam County, Florida
News4JAX.com reported that a State Attorney’s Office memo explained that a man whose five dogs had mauled a mail carrier to death would not face charges because he’d tried twice to surrender the animals—including once 10 days before the fatal attack—to the county’s publicly funded and self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter, doing business as Putnam County Animal Control, but had been turned away. The first time he called the facility, he reportedly “left a message saying he needed to surrender some dogs because he could no longer care for them. Animal Control staff told investigators no one ever returned his call or followed up with him.” The memo reportedly explained that he had “tried to surrender the dogs to Animal Control for a second time, but the request was declined, ‘based on Putnam County Animal Control’s assessment of the situation.’” After the fatal attack on a mail carrier, authorities evidently impounded and euthanized the dogs.
Shelby, North Carolina
ShelbyStar.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Cleveland County Animal Services was full and turning away dogs. The facility’s director reportedly said that animals were being turned away because “[n]one of us want to do any euthanasia.” A spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” group said that it had recently taken two pregnant dogs from the facility and “transported them to a rescue partner up north.” She also said that the group had met a resident in the public facility’s “parking lot and took two dogs that he wanted to surrender” but that “with the shelter closed for intake, we got a call from the shelter and we went and grabbed them.”
Yakima, Washington
NBCRightNow.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Yakima Humane Society was full and had stopped accepting animals from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them.
West Valley City, Utah
KSL.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as West Valley City Animal Services was full and had stopped accepting animals from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that it was “doubling up dogs in kennels … even though the kennels are meant for just one dog.” She said that residents who needed to surrender animals should “use social media” instead of the public animal shelter.
St. Stephen, South Carolina
Live5News.com reported that authorities had seized 49 live and 23 dead cats found hoarded at a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Suzie’s Zoo Sanctuary for Special Needs Kitties. According to the report, the owner, Suzanne Marie Melton, “was cited with 20 counts of inhumane treatment of animals, according to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.” Surviving cats were reportedly in “poor health,” and 10 were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized. CountOn2.com reported that the home at the property had been condemned by authorities. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department reportedly said, “The 23 [who] were dead, there were 17 cats [who] were dead inside of carriers. Where apparently, they weren’t able to escape and fend for themselves. Just deplorable conditions. I’ve never seen anything like it.” (See the February 2020/Berkeley, South Carolina, entry below for more information about this “sanctuary.”)
Napa, California
NapaValleyRegister.com reported that a van belonging to a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Whiskers, Tails & Ferals had been stolen from in front of the home of the group’s president. According to the report, 10 cats were being stored in traps inside the van overnight, when temperatures were reportedly in the low 40s. A relative allegedly noticed that the van was missing “just before midnight.” Surveillance footage showed an unknown man break into the van and drive off with the cats inside. It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating, but no suspects were identified. MSN.com later reported that the van had been found. According to the report, “The cats survived almost a week without food and water. One cat’s eye is almost swollen shut.” No arrests had been made.
Dorton, Kentucky
WYMT.com reported that an unspecified number of animals had died in a July 2022 flood at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as 3-Mile Creek Farms. Owner Rob Elkins reportedly said that the “rescue” was still taking in animals and had “taken in nearly 40 … in the past month alone.” No additional information was available.
Milton, Georgia
FOX5Atlanta.com reported that authorities had seized “56 dogs, two horses, two cats and five chickens” from the home of the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Georgia Poodle Rescue after the animals were found hoarded in poor conditions. According to the report, officials said that all the animals had “serious medical issues resulting from the neglect.” The group’s founder, Deborah Blatchley, was reportedly arrested and charged with cruelty to animals as well as “fleeing and eluding.”
Motley, Minnesota
CBSNews.com reported that authorities had seized 56 dogs, cats, and other animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” after they were found “crammed inside a filthy home.” According to the report, “Some of the animals suffered from severe respiratory illness, skin conditions and dehydration.” A search warrant related to the case reportedly “says an investigator ‘noted a strong smell of feces and urine coming from inside the home,’ and heard a ‘large number of dogs barking.’ It goes on to say they observed ‘multiple kennels stacked upon other kennels,’ and some of the ‘cages were stacked to the ceiling.’” No additional information was available.
Jackson County, North Carolina
WLOS.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for seven years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society.
Norton Shores, Michigan
FOX17Online.com reported that authorities had seized 78 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cober’s Canine Rescue LLC, after they were found hoarded in a single-family home. The group’s owner, Lisa Marie Cober, had reportedly been charged with felony cruelty to animals. A spokesperson for a group that was caring for some of the seized animals said, “Some of the animals were in crates so small, they could barely turn around … just sitting in their own feces and urine.” According to the report, she “described the dogs as showing behaviors indicating they had little to no human interaction. The dogs are suffering from scarring, bite wounds, skin conditions, kennel cough, and urine scalding on their paws.” Authorities deemed the home unfit for occupancy.
McDowell County, North Carolina
WLOS.com reported that a dog and 11 puppies had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rusty’s Legacy. According to the report, “The rescue said according to an electrician, it appears a wire shorted out and caught a tarp on fire, which then engulfed the entire kennel in flames.”
Fargo, North Dakota
InForum.com reported that a spokesperson for the Fargo Police Department said that a “man had intended to surrender [two] cats to the [city’s] pound but became ‘agitated’ when he was told there was a fee he had to pay to give up the animals.” According to the spokesperson, he left the office and went to his car: “The suspect took them (the cats) out of a carrier and threw them into the parking lot separately …. They were thrown out the driver’s side door.” According to the report, a public post by the department said that he then “ran over one of the cats before driving away …. The cat [who] was run over did not survive.” The second cat was reportedly uninjured and had evidently been taken to an animal adoption group. Authorities were seeking information about the man’s identity.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
SantaFeNewMexican.com reported that a publicly funded self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society had “been operating at well above 200% capacity for the last two and a half years.” According to the report, the facility would no longer accept animals from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them without an appointment and “[i]n cases where someone may have found a lost pet or a stray in need of help, shelter workers still try to do everything they can to keep them out of the facility.”
Sevierville, Tennessee
WATE.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Sevier Animal Care Center was full and housing some dogs in wire crates in hallways. According to the report, the facility posted publicly that it “cannot help anymore [animals] in need,” because there was no room at the facility.
Mission, Kansas
FOX4KC.com reported that state authorities had “initiated administrative proceedings to revoke” the license of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Unleashed Pet Rescue, according to a spokesperson at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The outlet reported that it had recently aired an investigative report “prompted by numerous complaints from former employees, volunteers and foster families concerned about Unleashed Pet Rescue. Many of them provided photos and videos showing dog bowls full of cockroaches, injured or sick animals and a behind-the-scenes look at the employee-only sections of the building, one of those areas being where they house the dogs.” A former manager at the facility reportedly said that during her employment, there had been “too many dogs” and that “some of them only got out [of cages or kennels] 15 minutes total of the day.”
January 2023/Boone County, Missouri: ABC17News.com reported that 30 dogs had died in a fire at a home being used as a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Little Rays of Sunshine Animal Rescue. A spokesperson for the county fire department said, “Unfortunately, by the time we got here, the fire had been burning for quite some time and all the dogs perished in the fire. The homeowner (Jordan Alexander, according to the report) estimated about 30.” The cause of the fire was under investigation.
January 2023/Kansas City, Kansas: FOX4KC.com reported that the following facilities with “no-kill” policies were full and had stopped accepting “voluntary admissions of large dogs.” The facilities, which were reportedly doing business as “Great Plains SPCA, KCK Animal Services (a publicly funded facility), Melissa’s Second Chances and Humane Society of Greater Kansas City,” reportedly revealed that they had received “430 requests from the public to surrender large dogs over the past two weeks.” It wasn’t reported whether those animals had received needed care.
January 2023/Las Cruces, New Mexico: KFOXTV.com reported that four kittens had died in a vehicle in which they were being transported from a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley to an unnamed self-professed animal “rescue” in Colorado. The executive director of the facility, Clinton Thacker, reportedly said that animals were transported “every week across the state of New Mexico and other states. ‘We’re sending them so animals can leave our center alive,’” he said. According to the report, the heater had been on during the trip and “[i]t was not until they reached their destination that [the driver] saw four kittens were dead. Upon return Thacker said they noticed all vents were closed except for two back kennels that the four kittens were in. Meaning, all that hot air flow was directed at them.”
January 2023/Richland Center, Wisconsin: Channel3000.com reported that more than 20 animals had died in a fire at the home of the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Richland Area Rescue. No additional information was available.
January 2023/Michigan City, Indiana: FOX59.com reported that authorities were investigating allegations of “neglect and abuse” at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Fur Ever Family Animal Rescue. According to the report, “The Michigan City police said numerous evidentiary items have been collected as part of their investigation and stated ‘no rescue dogs remain at the business.’” Authorities reported that the group was owned by John Naughton. A publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS) reportedly began working with the group “in September and has sent 17 dogs to be cared for by Fur Ever, an IACS spokesperson confirmed. The last dog sent by IACS to Fur Ever was on Dec. 18. ‘We know that Mr. Naughton was fostering dogs for other rescue groups before opening his own rescue, so there is a chance he had other IACS dogs that were pulled by a different rescue,’ a spokesperson for IACS said.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said it would no longer work with Naughton’s group. WRTV.com later reported that Naughton had been charged with 11 counts of cruelty to animals. The report revealed that court documents alleged that four dogs—named Gunner, Mommies, Napoleon, and Steve—seized in the case had come from IACS and that “nearly all” of them “were malnourished with noticeable signs of weight loss, signs of injury and/or had been crated for so long their fur was discolored from laying in urine.” According to the report, “Naughton is due in court on March 6.”
January 2023/Knoxville, Tennessee: WBIR.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Young-Williams Animal Center (YWAC) had been requiring appointments to turn in animals, which were often scheduled months in advance. According to the report, after a resident had been attacked by one or more of nine dogs in his possession in December, he told authorities that he’d tried “for months” to surrender the animals to YWAC but was told that the facility wouldn’t take them until February 28, 2023. Another family told the outlet that a dog they had adopted from YWAC attacked their mother twice, and they, too, were reportedly told that YWAC wouldn’t accept the dog—whom the family was understandably afraid of—for months. According to another WBIR.com report, authorities had expressed concerns about YWAC adopting out dangerous animals. According to the report, animal control officers had written in e-mails “about a dog named Baxter, who was surrendered to Young-Williams after ‘4 bites to children’ in June 2021. Later that month, another family adopted Baxter, but returned him in July 2021, the emails showed.” Baxter had again been adopted out, “and in September animal control was called to the new owner’s home for a ‘vicious dog attack,’ animal control officers said in the email. They said the owner needed 40 stitches from the attack. Animal control asked for a court order to euthanize the dog, and he was euthanized.”
January 2023/Billings, Montana: KTVQ.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Help for Homeless Pets was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We’ve had a waiting list for quite a while for people that want to surrender, need to surrender. … It’s harder in the wintertime. We have less housing here because we can’t keep the dogs outside.’” She said that animals are often left at the facility’s door, “leaving them no option but to bring them inside.” She added, “Drop offs include tying them to the front door before we open, shoving kittens through the door before hours, [and] leaving them out in boxes.”
January 2023/Johnson City, Tennessee: JohnsonCityPress.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Washington County Johnson City Animal Shelter was full and turning away dogs. According to the report, residents who were unable or unwilling to care for dogs and cats in their custody were required to make an appointment to relinquish their animals.
January 2023/Sunbright, Tennessee: WATE.com reported that a “man admitted to police that he threw six puppies off a bridge onto a frozen lake in Sunbright last week, claiming he did so because animal shelters wouldn’t take them. Five of the puppies were ‘smashed and killed on impact,’ according to the arrest affidavit. One survived.” The man was charged with six counts of cruelty to animals. According to the arrest warrant, he “told investigators, ‘he had attempted to take the dogs to several local animal shelters all of which told him that they could not take the puppies.’” An animal adoption group agreed to admit the surviving puppy.
January 2023/Wichita, Kansas: KWCH.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for more than 10 years by a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” group doing business as Lifeline Animal Placement and Protection Inc. at a boarding kennel owned by the group’s owner.
January 2023/Waxhaw, North Carolina: WBTV.com reported that four dogs, a goat, and an unspecified number of chickens had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rover’s Rescue and Retreat. According to the report, the group’s owners said they had been told by authorities that heat lamps might have caught straw in a barn where the animals had been confined on fire.
January 2023/Charlottesville, Virginia: DailyProgress.com reported that “[n]early 60 current and former employees and volunteers” at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Charlottesville-Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had “signed a letter to the board detailing allegations that CEO Angie Gunter’s treatment of animals was ‘deeply concerning.’” According to the report, “The group said that Gunter’s desire to maintain a high adoption and live release rate means that animals with behavioral or health issues get adopted out to inexperienced adopters or suffer in the shelter.” The facility’s former director of operations reportedly said in the letter, “Dogs are being warehoused with no resources and no behavior modification plans, while they continue to bite each other and humans.” In the letter, a former adoption coordinator reportedly “cited a dog named Jenny who could barely walk as an example. Jenny ‘would lay in her own urine for hours each day because she was unable to properly urinate. Veterinary staff recommended euthanasia but Angie dismissed their recommendations. We had to watch Jenny suffer for months before Angie finally conceded.’” The group of former workers was asking for changes. It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating.
January 2023/Marked Tree, Arkansas: FOX16.com reported that five cats and two dogs had died in a fire at the home of a volunteer for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Marked Tree Animal Rescue. Sixteen cats were reportedly “unaccounted for.” KAIT8.com reported that approximately 20 dogs and cats from the home had been taken to a veterinary hospital, where a spokesperson said that they had been “wrapped and [given] antibiotics and pain meds.” Three cats were so badly injured that they required “being dry wrapped on their face and feet for burns” and had to be placed in “oxygen boxes.” One cat evidently died at the hospital despite treatment. It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating.
January 2023/Wise, Virginia: JohnsonCityPress.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter, apparently with “no-kill” policies, doing business as Wise County Animal Shelter was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “A sign on the county animal shelter’s door said the building was full and not accepting any more animals for now. Inside, the kennels were filled with dogs and the cat area also was at capacity.”
January 2023/Hamilton, Montana: BitterrootStar.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Bitter Root Humane Association had announced that it had stopped accepting cats. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We’re going to change the way we’re handling animals … and we’re going to start with cats.” According to the report, if the facility starts accepting cats again, people will be required to make an appointment. Because of “no-kill” policies, the spokesperson said that the facility was “already full” two years after it had been expanded and that animals were often warehoused there “for years.”
January 2023/Silverton, Oregon: KPTV.com reported that 30 cats had died in a fire at a single-family home being used as a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Silverton Cat Rescue. According to the business’s owner, seven cats had reportedly been retrieved alive and “others may be scattered around the neighborhood. She said two of those seven [surviving] cats are at the vet.” According to the report, the fire “took more than 30 responding firefighters to handle. An investigation ultimately led to evidence pointing at the cause being electrical.”
January 2023/Prestonsburg, Kentucky: WYMT.com reported that 10 dogs had died in a fire at the home of a self-professed animal “rescuer.” According to the report, the homeowner had fostered animals for an unnamed animal “rescue” group in Canada. It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.
January 2023/Deerfield Beach, Florida: NBCMiami.com reported that authorities had seized 33 cats and two dogs from self-professed animal “rescuer” Laura Marcela Child after they were found hoarded at her home. A police report reportedly revealed that “multiple animal cages, some stacked two high,” had been found and that “[s]ome cages were packed with as many as four cats, including some with injuries including small abrasions and missing patches of hair …. Another five dogs were found roaming freely in a gated off room that was ‘filled with animal feces and trash,’ the report said. Some of the dogs had matted fur that was caked with filth. ‘Most of the residence’s interior was coated with animal fecal matter, urine, refuse, and other filth which created an environment unfit for human and-or animal habitation,’ the report said. ‘The residence stunk of ammonia due to the buildup of cat urine and there were cockroaches and flies seen in and around the various piles of excrement.’” Child was reportedly facing cruelty-to-animals charges and “42 counts of unlawful confinement or abandonment of animals.” WSVN.com reported that after posting bond, Child said, “I have a bunch of rescuers who are gonna testify for me.”
January 2023/Manistee, Michigan: ManisteeNews.com reported that a staff member at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Homeward Bound Animal Shelter had been “seriously injured” when she was attacked by a pit bull mix who had evidently been up for adoption. According to the report, an animal control officer and “several” sheriff’s deputies responded to the facility, where a tourniquet had to be applied “to the victim which was able to stop the uncontrolled blood loss that she was experiencing.” After the attack, the dog was euthanized.
January 2023/Miami-Dade County, Florida: WSVN.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) was full and refusing to accept lost and homeless animals. According to the report, residents in one area were alarmed at “seeing a surge in stray dogs, and some of those dogs have gone on the attack.” A couple said that two stray dogs had mauled a pony to death on their property. Later, they reportedly saw a homeless dog outside their gate, who was described as “emaciated and hungry.” Another resident said, “It’s come to crisis levels. Dogs are killing people’s cats. They’re getting hit in the streets. Samaritans are being required to take on dogs that they’re not comfortable with.” A spokesperson for MDAS reportedly said that the facility was full and that it had “temporarily suspended the collection of stray dogs.” (See the February 2022/Miami, Florida, entry below for more information about this facility.)
January 2023/Ottumwa, Iowa: KTVO.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Heartland Humane Society was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that people who contact the facility and explain that they need to bring in stray and homeless animals are being asked to house the animals themselves.
January 2023/Troutdale, Oregon: OregonLive.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Multnomah County Animal Services was full and turning away animals. Residents who found stray animals were reportedly being told to keep them at their own homes and to try to find the animals’ owners themselves.
January 2023/Ukiah, California: MendoVoice.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Mendocino County Animal Care Services was full and turning away animals. According to the report, a news release issued by the facility advised residents who “find themselves with a stray dog … that we might not be able to assist you and request that you hold the stray dog for a bit.”
January 2023/Calhoun, Georgia: FOX5Atlanta.com reported that authorities had seized 21 dogs and three cats after they were found in horrific conditions in the home of a man who acted as a foster home for self-professed animal “rescue” groups. According to authorities, most of the animals had been found “in individual cages stacked on top of each other. ‘We actually had one dog [who] was soaking wet,’ said police chief Tony Pyle. ‘And we realized that the only way that could have happened was if another animal had urinated and it just dropped down on top of him.” Conditions in the home were so bad that a hazmat team was required to assist with the seizure. According to the report, one dog had to be euthanized, five animals were taken to a public animal shelter, and the remaining animals were “returned to the rescue groups that originally vouched for” foster “caregiver” David Edwards. He was charged with 24 counts of cruelty to animals. According to the report, the arrest “raises questions about whether some are more focused on the rescue and less on where those dogs wind up.” Authorities reportedly said that “three of the seized dogs belonged to Ginny Millner Rescue in Atlanta” and that the home where the animals had been hoarded was “owned by Susan Bostick Fassnacht, another active animal rescuer.” In 2017, Edwards had reportedly been indicted on cruelty-to-animals charges in another county after authorities found 16 dogs in similarly deplorable conditions.
December 2022/Springtown, Texas: Springtown-Epigraph.net reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Springtown Animal Control was full and turning away animals. An animal control officer allegedly “recalled an incident in which someone reported a stray dog, and [the officer] couldn’t take the dog to the shelter until space cleared up.”
December 2022/Goshen, New York: LongIsland.News12.com reported that days before leaving nine dogs outdoors in freezing temperatures and leaving town, a man had reportedly “tried to surrender the dogs … but couldn’t.” Responding authorities seized the animals after finding them neglected. According to the report, three of the dogs had been found “outside in below freezing temperatures for days while six more were left behind to almost freeze in his garage.” A humane law-enforcement officer reportedly said, “Every one of them had hypothermia already. They would’ve never made it through the night.” According to the officer, the dogs “were shivering. They were ice cold. Body temperature was ice cold. They were curled up in balls.” The suspect was facing nine counts of cruelty to animals.
December 2022/Longview, Texas: People.com reported that a van transporting 40 puppies from Louisiana to a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Helen Woodward Animal Center in California had hit a median and flipped onto its side in Texas, killing two of the puppies and injuring others. According to the report, surviving puppies would continue to be transported to the California group, where a spokesperson reportedly said, “We know that one of the puppies has a broken leg and one has some mild head trauma.” No additional information was available.
December 2022/Charlotte, North Carolina: WBTV.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control had announced that it would no longer accept dogs from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “We simply do not have room for them.” According to the report, “Those who have already booked an appointment to surrender their dog will be called to cancel the appointment.” (See the April 2021/Union County, North Carolina, entry below for more information about this facility.)
December 2022/Moncks Corner, South Carolina: ABCNews4.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Berkeley Animal Center was full and had announced that it would stop accepting animals. According to the report, “That means most stray, abandoned or surrendered dogs brought to the shelter [won’t] be taken in from the outdoors. That’s a dangerous situation for the animals with an impending change in the weather this weekend.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “It’s freezing at night. We do not like having to stop animals coming in.”
December 2022/Kauai, Hawaii: TheGardenIsland.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Kaua’i Humane Society was full and asking people who found lost or homeless animals not to take them to the facility but instead house them themselves and walk around neighborhoods looking for owners. According to the report, the facility also asked people who needed to surrender animals they were unable or unwilling to care for to call the facility “to see if” it would accept them. Most kennels at the facility reportedly housed two or three dogs.
December 2022/Los Angeles, California: LATimes.com reported that a publicly funded self-professed “no-kill” animal sheltering system doing business as Los Angeles Animal Services had been turning away animals, according to residents. A commissioner on the Board of Animal Services reportedly said, “We continue to get emails from the public telling us about animals [who] are being rejected.” A volunteer at the West Valley shelter reportedly said that “someone called the shelter after finding a kitten and wanting to surrender [the animal] to the shelter but was told that unless [the kitten] was injured to release [him or her] into the street.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group in the area alleged that her group had been contacted by “someone [who] called the city’s West Valley shelter about dropping off a pregnant cat they found four weeks ago but could no longer care for, and was told by a shelter employee to abandon the cat.” According to the report, “One Animal Services worker last week told The Times that in the years that he’s been in the city, he has never seen conditions so crowded at the shelters. In some cases, three dogs are housed in one kennel, said the worker.” (See the July 2022/Los Angeles, California, entry below for more information about this facility.)
December 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada: 8NewsNow.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as The Animal Foundation said that it had implemented a “managed intake policy,” and residents were reporting that “appointments get booked up quickly … and [it] can sometimes take days or weeks to bring in animals. The Animal Foundation’s website said the next available time slot for animal intake would be on Jan. 19.” According to the report, “People are no longer allowed to drop off dogs they rescued off the streets.” A spokesperson for an area animal adoption group reportedly said, “Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increase in dogs being dumped in dog parks and tied to poles.” According to the report, “Earlier this week, her team found a dog but was told by the Animal Foundation to come back in five weeks, so she called Animal Control. ‘No one is able to hold dogs that long,’ [she] said. ‘It took two days for Animal Control to pick up the dog.’” (See the October 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada, entry below for more information about this facility.)
December 2022/El Campo, Texas: KRISTV.com reported that a van transporting 24 cats and 23 dogs driven by volunteers with a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rural Texas Animal No Kill Rescue had crashed with a tractor trailer. Animals reportedly “spilled out of the transport van,” and a dog and a cat died. Other animals were seriously injured, including a dog who “was found to have been vomiting blood.” Another dog sustained “a suspected broken pelvis.” A dog who was allegedly “stolen” after the crash had been found and retrieved by responding authorities but had reportedly sustained “a broken back.” According to the report, “There are eight cats still missing. One dog is also missing and was seen with a severed leg.” The volunteers were taken to a hospital and released.
December 2022/Newkirk, Oklahoma: KayNewsCow.com reported that when authorities contacted a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Northern Oklahoma Humane Society for help housing animals seized in a cruelty-to-animals investigation, the group had refused “to take the animals because of space limitations and the fact [that] the animals were sick.” A police officer reported that 13 cats and three dogs had been seized. According to the officer, “[A] black dog with two puppies … were in distress and had matted eyes. Also, three kennels containing multiple sick cats were found.” She went on to reveal that “the home was filled with inches of compact feces and clutter. She reports there was a dog inside [whom] she could not reach because of the clutter.” The owners of the property were charged with felony cruelty to animals. One of the residents said the other one “got in over her head with rescuing” animals. The animals had reportedly been signed over to authorities and taken to a veterinarian, “who reportedly confirmed that all of the animals were emaciated and in declined health. One of the cats reportedly had maggots in an ear. The other ear was missing and the feline had a hole in [his or her] head.” Because no facility could be found that would house the cats, they were reportedly taken home by the investigating officer, who “placed them in her shop with food and water.” No additional information was available.
December 2022/Idaho Falls, Idaho: PostRegister.com reported that 12 cats had been left after hours outside a turn-away facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Snake River Animal Shelter. One of the animals “lost the tips of her ears,” evidently from frostbite. According to the report, “Owners who want to surrender their pets call asking if there is space only to be told it may be weeks or even months before there will be an opening.” A spokesperson for the facility said, “People get really upset with us on the phone when we tell them we have a waitlist.” More than 100 animals were reportedly on the waitlist, and “[s]ome owners have taken to abandoning their animals outside the shelter instead of waiting. Two days before shelter staff found a dozen cats abandoned, they also found a 6-month-old heeler-mix dog.” According to the report, the shelter was severely crowded and the cats who had been left outside “had to spend their first days at the shelter living in the crate they were found in.”
December 2022/Roselle, Illinois: FOX32Chicago.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for nine years at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Pets and Vets USA. According to the report, the group had imported the dog in 2014 from an animal shelter in San Bernardino, California. He was thought to be 11 years old, and workers with the group reportedly “believe he is best suited for a home without children.”
December 2022/Pensacola, Florida: PNJ.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Escambia County Animal Welfare had “not been able to provide … reliable animal control service,” in part because of the policies. A spokesperson for the agency reportedly said that “animal control officials do not encourage county residents to pick up strays and bring them to the already overcrowded shelter.”
December 2022/Meadows of Dan, Virginia: SWVAToday.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 70 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Feral Feline Recycling Project. The owner of the group, Susan Bridges, said the house, where more than 60 felines were confined, “hasn’t had heat or running water for three years.” Five cats were left with Bridges at the residence. A spokesperson for an animal adoption group that took 24 of the cats said they were suffering from “severe eye and respiratory infections,” because of the poor conditions at the residence, including “air … filled with ammonia.” It wasn’t reported whether charges were being considered.
December 2022/Graham, Washington: KOMONews.com reported that authorities had seized 27 horses from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Celtic Ranch. According to the report, “The sheriff’s office said they can’t release specifics on what [led] to the investigation but that an animal cruelty investigation can [be] started for anything including neglect, abuse, lack of care or failure to get medical attention.” The investigation was ongoing.
December 2022/Brick Township, New Jersey: DailyVoice.com reported that authorities had seized 135 dogs and 45 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Crazy Rescue Ladies Inc. after they were found “living in horrible and inhumane conditions.” At least two dogs were dead when they were found. According to the report, when investigators entered the home, “their worst fears were confirmed: Stacks of animal crates on top of each other with dogs and cats inside.” Conditions were so bad that a hazmat team was required to assist with the rescue. According to the report, Aimee Lonczak and Michele Nycz, both of whom evidently ran the business, “were living inside the home with Lonczak’s 16-year old child.” In addition, “both [were] arrested for animal cruelty and child endangerment. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed. The residence was subsequently condemned.” APP.com later reported that during a court hearing about the case, prosecuting attorney Alexander Becker said the animals found “were crowded in cages and ‘crusted in feces, not covered, crusted in feces.’ The encrustation was so bad that officers not only couldn’t tell the breed or sex of the animals, they couldn’t decipher their color, Becker said. There were ‘three inches of feces throughout the entire floor of the home, not just the cages, but throughout the whole household,’ Becker said.” Both women were released from custody with monitoring and conditions, and another court date was set.
December 2022/Kenosha, Wisconsin: KenoshaNews.com published a letter to the editor from a resident who said that just hours after taking a homeless cat to a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Safe Harbor Humane Society, the cat had been transported back to her residence and was again on her porch by the time she arrived home. The writer said, “We can’t open our door without the cat trying to get in our house. My husband is allergic to cats and my 14-year-old dog does not like cats.”
December 2022/Chicago, Illinois: WGNTV.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Anti-Cruelty Society had announced that it was full and turning away animals. According to the report, the facility was “spac[ing] out in-take requests because there are no cages available.” The facility was also reportedly giving large dogs away for free
December 2022/Greenbrier, Tennessee: WKRN.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Greenbrier Animal Control was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the facility told the outlet that “since the shelter is full—mainly with animals owners have surrendered—she often has to turn the loose animals away.” She said, “I’m having to turn away so many people who are trying to surrender their dogs,” and she admitted that it “may be contributing to the stray problem in Greenbrier.” She said that individuals she was “trying to outsource to, [who] are trying to help me move dogs, they’re all overwhelmed.”
November 2022/Oakland Park, Florida: Sun-Sentinel.com reported that the wife of a woman who had been mauled to death by a dog while volunteering at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida Inc. had filed a lawsuit against the group. According to the report, “The lawsuit details the long list of injuries: Puncture wounds to her face, right ear, neck, right shoulder, right breast, left arm, left wrist, left thumb, right thigh, right and left knees; and fractures to her right clavicle, right scapula, right humerus, right and left ribs and sternum.” It alleged that workers failed to call 911 immediately after the attack, among other problems. The lawsuit reportedly “seeks damages that cover the medical and funeral expenses, loss of past and future earnings, mental pain and suffering and the loss of companionship and protection.” (See the February 2022/Oakland, Florida, entry below for more information.)
November 2022/Troy, Alabama: TroyMessenger.com reported that two dogs had been badly injured after they’d been left outside in pens during a severe storm at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Troy Animal Rescue Project. Dogs at the group’s property are evidently housed in pens outdoors in all weather. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that the dogs had been injured during a windstorm, which resulted in “cages [being] blown over and knocked off their concrete slabs.” One dog, named Clover, was reportedly found in shock and suffering from broken bones and blood loss. She was in such bad shape that she had to be euthanized. Another dog, named Mia, was found with a broken leg. No additional information was available.
November 2022/San Marcos, Texas: Statesman.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter was severely crowded, with nearly 250 animals. It was reportedly housing animals “in whatever space can be made available in the facility’s 93 dog kennels and 83 cat kennels, meaning … cages are spilling into the lobby, hallways, offices and bathroom.” A feasibility study for a new animal shelter reportedly “estimated a cost of more than $23 million” for construction.
November 2022/Indianapolis, Indiana: FOX59.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS) had said in a social media post, “Please, we are begging you, do not bring animals to us.” According to the report, “Animal crates are being stored in the hallways, IACS said, dogs are being kept in offices and crates are taking up any extra inch found across the shelter. Not to mention all their holding kennels are nearly crammed full and they still have more scheduled appointments that will bring in more animals that need to be stored in more places.” According to the report, the facility’s post “went on to beg people who find a lost animal, don’t bring it [sic] to the shelter.” WRTV.com reported that after the facility had refused to accept animals from residents, workers there said that “members of the public are verbally assaulting them on a daily basis, and sometimes, things get physical.” According to the report, “[W]hen someone shows up at the city shelter on South Harding Street to surrender an animal, workers tell them they have to make an appointment—and sometimes members of the public have to wait weeks or months to get in.” One of the workers said, “They call us names. They get violent with us.” She went on to explain, “They don’t care what we have to say …. They want this dog out of their life right now.” (See the September 2022/Indianapolis, Indiana, entry below for more information about this facility.)
November 2022/Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada: CoastReporter.net reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Furbaby Rescues Society had been ordered by a civil resolution tribunal to pay $3,540 for veterinary bills incurred by a dog adopter. According to the report, the dog, a Chihuahua named Kyra by the adopter, had been imported by the group after she’d been acquired from another self-professed animal “rescue” in California. Just days later, the adopter paid a $1,200 adoption fee. Noting that the dog was unwell, the adopter took Kyra to a veterinary hospital, where it was determined that she “was lethargic and weak, had worn incisors and a missing tooth, pneumonia, and a corneal ulcer. [The adopter] says that Kyra could not stand, eat, or drink, and barely opened her eyes,” according to veterinary notes. According to the report, $500 for mental distress was included in the judgment. (See the July 2020/Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, entry below for more information about this group.)
November 2022/Charleston, West Virginia: WVGazetteMail.com reported that a self-professed “life-saving shelter” with “no-kill” policies doing business as Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association was full and would “slow taking in animals.” According to the report, the facility “had 143 adult dogs on site … and only 108 kennels to put them in, according to a news release from the organization. ‘We have adult dogs everywhere—the puppy room, the cat room, office spaces, employee restrooms, and surgery holding areas are being utilized for the huge influx of stray dogs,’” a spokesperson said.
November 2022/Austin, Texas: FOX7Austin.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Austin Animal Center was full and turning away animals, including lost and homeless animals rescued by residents. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “We’re housing medium to large dogs in crates in our conference room. There’s dogs … housed in our hallways [who] are in crates as well, and then we’re actually starting to get into negative space with our small dogs and even cats at this point.” (See the September 2022/Austin, Texas, below for more details about this facility.)
November 2022/Muncie, Indiana: TheStarPress.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Muncie Animal Care and Services was full and had “stopped taking in animals during late October.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said in late November, “We’re still pretty over our limit.” She also noted that it was “well over budget for food.”
November 2022/Casper, Wyoming: KUNC.org reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Casper Humane Society used waiting lists for at-risk animals in need of refuge. According to the report, “The waitlist for dogs is about three pages long, while the waitlist for cats is about 15 pages long.”
November 2022/Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada: ArrowLakesNews.com reported that more than 100 dogs and cats had been left at a hotel by volunteers with a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Running Wild Rescue after they ran into a snowstorm while transporting the animals across the country. According to the report, an individual who was there to adopt a dog, volunteers, and hotel staff were left caring for the animals. A volunteer said that some travel carriers were housing up to five cats each and that the animals were apparently so covered with filth that they had to be bathed in bathrooms at the hotel. Most of the dogs were reportedly taken “to a local kennel” to be fed. They also reportedly needed to be bathed. According to the report, “Running Wild Rescue ships adopted [companion animals] by volunteer transport to various areas in Canada.”
November 2022/Salt Lake City, Utah: Yahoo.com reported that a cat had been warehoused for nearly his entire life at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Best Friends Animal Society. According to the report, the cat had been transferred to the group from a public animal shelter in 2017. According to the report, the cat was “nervous around people he doesn’t know” and “prefer[red] to be the only cat in the household.”
November 2022/Waukesha, Wisconsin: TheHill.com reported that an aircraft carrying 53 dogs who were being transported from New Orleans by a self-professed “no-kill” group in Wisconsin doing business as Humane Animal Welfare Society had crashed in the snow on a golf course. According to the report, “[T]he plane suffered significant damage after striking a grove of trees that stripped the wings from the body. About 300 gallons of fuel were spilled in the crash.” Some dogs sustained physical injuries. The crash was reportedly “under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.” No additional information was available.
November 2022/Tuscaloosa, Alabama: WBRC.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies, including turning away animals, doing business as Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter had announced that it was “getting slammed with an overwhelming number of injured animals being brought in. The animals are strays, often hit by cars and picked up by strangers who bring them for vet care. Just in the last two weeks, people have brought in ten injured dogs, according to the shelter. The injuries range from broken legs to pelvic issues. One such case is a 50-pound lab-pit bull mix [who] has two broken hind legs and needs surgery.” (See the August 2022/Tuscaloosa, Alabama, entry below for more information about this facility.)
November 2022/Columbia, South Carolina: TheState.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Columbia Animal Services had been sued by a man who said he was attacked by a dog while trying to adopt from the facility. The plaintiff reportedly walked the dog and was then “led into a room with the dog without supervision and told to re-kennel the animal, then the dog ‘viciously attacked’ him, according to the complaint. [The plaintiff] was bit[ten] on the arm and hand, which was ‘mangled’ and the
thumb nearly removed, the complaint adds.” According to the report, “The complaint was filed Nov. 9. The city has 30 days to respond.”
November 2022/Gadsden, Alabama: ABC3340.com reported that after a facility with “no-kill” policies, which is partially funded with public monies and does business as Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center, had been refusing to accept animals, there had been a rise in animal attacks in the community. A local resident reportedly said, “Animals have been attacked by other animals. People walking their dogs have been attacked. We had a recent incident where a child was attacked.” According to the report, “After days of assessment, it was found that the humane society in the city was completely full” and had been turning away animals who were “now roaming the streets.” The mayor of Gadsden reportedly said, “We had a major issue because the humane society at the time would not accept any animals. They had closed because they were full.” The city formed a task force to address the issue.
November 2022/West Olive, Michigan: MLive.com reported that 14 cats and two dogs had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Phaedra & Phriends. According to the report, animals were most likely suffering from various disabilities when a fire broke out at the private residence where they were confined. It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating.
November 2022/Sacramento, California: FOX40.com reported that protesters had demonstrated at a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Front Street Animal Shelter. According to the report, they were “protesting what they described as a downward spiral of care” at the facility and were upset that animals were being turned away. One of the protesters said, “These animals have nowhere else to go.” She also said that the facility would not accept any cats who weren’t visibly ill or injured.
November 2022/Daytona Beach, Florida: WESH.com reported that a spokesperson for an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Halifax Humane Society said that the organization was “seeing a rise in dog bites and dogs coming in for various aggression reasons.” The group announced that it would no longer accept “dogs with a history of biting or aggressive behavior.” Its facility was also severely crowded with animals. According to the report, “The sounds of barking at Halifax Humane Society are overwhelming. Every single kennel is taken so the shelter is using crates” to house animals. At least one dog was reportedly confined to a crate in an office.
November 2022/Omaha, Nebraska: Omaha.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Nebraska Humane Society had been turning away animals. The group reportedly “has a budget of $14 million per year, with about 40% coming from donations.” According to the report, a spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” group in the area doing business as Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue “said she receives calls every day from people who have tried to take a pet to the Humane Society and have been turned away.” She said her group keeps a waiting list to accept animals, which had increased recently and had “around 240” animals on it.
November 2022/Lehigh Acres, Florida: WINKNews.com reported that “[t]he conditions in a Lehigh Acres home were so bad that a 16-year-old called the authorities for a welfare check on himself. At the home, Lee County deputies found urine-soaked floorboards and a buildup of feces at the home the teen shared with 13 dogs. The teen told authorities he resorted to using a respirator to breathe inside the home.” According to the report, authorities “seized all the dogs from the home,” one of whom the teen said had bitten him. He reportedly “told authorities he and the dogs have lived in those conditions for years.” The woman who owned the dogs, the child’s mother, was reportedly listed as a board member of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cat Tails and More Inc. No additional information was available.
November 2022/Madisonville, Tennessee: WATE.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Monroe County Animal Shelter was full and had “more than 200 animals” on a waiting list. A spokesperson for the facility said that workers had “to figure out where we can put these animals. We have some in the kitchen.” It was also revealed that some dogs at the facility were being housed outdoors.
November 2022/San Angelo, Texas: ConchoValleyHomepage.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” publicly funded animal shelter doing business as City of San Angelo Animal Services Division was full and had stopped accepting animals. The agency was reportedly asking residents to house animals found roaming outdoors in their own homes “for a few days” and search for the animals’ owners themselves.
October 2022/Littlerock, California: LATimes.com reported that authorities had seized “nearly 200 cats and dozens of dogs and found several dead animals during a search” at a self-professed animal “rescue.” The name of the group wasn’t revealed, but it reportedly “operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.” According to authorities, “Findings in the facility included animals in inhumane living conditions and evidence of the practice of medical care without a veterinary license.” Criminal charges were being considered. No additional information was available.
October 2022/Pontiac, Michigan: HometownLife.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center was full and turning away animals. According to the report, recently “a man dropped off eight kittens he said were feral, telling a staff member that if the shelter didn’t take care of the problem, he would. The shelter, which holds 130 cats and 150 dogs, was already full, but the employees took the kittens.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “We are getting a lot of calls, ‘I can’t keep my animal anymore, I need to bring [them] in and surrender.’ We can’t be like, ‘Come on in, we’ll find [the animal] another home.’ We don’t have space right now.” The report states, “Many animals at the shelter have medical ailments, respiratory illnesses and more.”
October 2022/Penrose, Colorado: KOAA.com reported that authorities had seized “26 horses, one dog, one pot belly [sic] pig, and two exotic birds” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Lucille’s Voice Animal Education & Emergency Rescue after reports were received alleging animal neglect and abuse at the property. According to the report, “Of the animals seized the pot belly [sic] pig was euthanized at a local facility after the recommendation of two on-scene veterinarians. Many of the horses the sheriff’s office recovered had serious medical and health issues and are being evaluated for treatment plans. Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said that some of the animals recovered were from as far away as Louisiana based on papers recovered on the property.” The investigation was ongoing.
October 2022/Corpus Christi, Texas: KZTV10.com reported that a resident of a mobile home park said that “there are packs of dogs running around our neighborhood, and they are killing and eating cats. They’ve killed a duck. They’ve attacked an elderly woman out here.” A spokesperson for the city’s animal control department, which operates with “no-kill” policies and does business as Corpus Christi Animal Care Services, reportedly said that the department could pick up roaming animals found without a microchip—“however, whether or not they can bring [the animal] to [the public animal shelter] depends on whether there’s room.” He reportedly said that the department had received 17 calls from the neighborhood in the previous 30 days.
October 2022/Houston, Texas: HoustonChronicle.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Harris County Pets had announced that it was full, would be giving dogs away “indefinitely,” and wouldn’t accept animals from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them through November 4. After that date, the facility would accept only 30 surrendered animals each week.
October 2022/North Palm Springs, California: People.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for six years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Humane Society of the Desert. According to the report, he had been taken to the facility when he was 6 months old. He was described as “shy” and someone who would need a “patient, understanding adopter.”
October 2022/Middleburg, Florida: News4JAX.com reported that a man was facing criminal charges after leaving three dogs for whom he could not care outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Safe Animal Shelter. The dogs had been left “in three separate cages with a handwritten note attached. The note listed the names of each dog and an apology for leaving the dogs there.” The report states, “One of the dogs was identified as a mixed breed in distress, so [he or she] was taken to a local veterinarian’s office for treatment but died on the way to the office. One of the other dogs started having a seizure but recovered. The [arrest] report also states that the third dog was suffering from significant hair loss due to a skin problem. According to the [arrest] report, all three dogs were dirty and covered in fleas. Clay County animal services took the two remaining dogs and determined the dog that had a seizure was suffering from epilepsy and hemorrhaging in one of [his or her] eyes. The other dog with widespread hair loss was diagnosed with mange.” Authorities identified the man by dusting the note he had left for fingerprints. After his arrest, he reportedly “said that he had previously tried to have Clay County Animal Services take the dogs but was denied because the shelter was at full capacity.” The facility has “no-kill” policies in place, including requiring appointments and fees before it will accept animals.
October 2022/Polson, Montana: LeaderAdvertiser.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Mission Valley Animal Shelter was turning away animals and “fed up” that so many needed help. According to the report, “The shelter’s board announced … that beginning Nov. 1, the shelter will no longer accept stray animals” from several communities in the area. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that it had been at double its capacity for the entire summer and that it had “people finding stray dogs and wanting to bring them to the shelter but we’ve had to turn them away.” She added, “Same thing with cats.”
October 2022/Canton Township, Ohio: CantonRep.com reported that authorities had seized 20 dogs and 17 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Pumpkin Pet Rescue. According to the report, the “rescue’s” owner was facing eight charges related to cruelty to animals. The animals were found to be malnourished and without access to food or water. Four of the dogs were in such bad shape that they required emergency veterinary care, and four cats were found dead. FOX8.com reported that Tanesha Lynn Gray was the owner of the self-professed “rescue,” which may also have been doing business as Punkin Pet Rescue.
October 2022/Deerfield Beach, Florida: NBCMiami.com reported that authorities had seized “more than 100 cats from filthy conditions inside” a mobile home at the property of Nicole Dupras, the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as White Angel Cat Rescue Inc. She was reportedly “facing animal deprivation charges.” An acquaintance reportedly called authorities “when she heard cats screeching while she was standing outside the house.” She said, “[Deputies] saw feces caked on the ground, cages on top of cages all the way to the ceiling. Their eyes were burning, they came out crying from the bad air.” Local10.com reported that the investigation had “led to a second suspect being busted for the same thing just a few doors down.” Another acquaintance reportedly said that Dupras “would ask for donations for cats she had rescued. ‘She would raise thousands of dollars, not only for vet bills, she would post up, oh, my car is broken down, I need help with my car, my repairs,’” she said. The acquaintances alleged that another woman, Alba San Lucas, worked with Dupras and was also hoarding animals. The investigation is apparently ongoing.
October 2022/Elkins, West Virginia: TheInterMountain.com published a letter to the editor from a resident who alleged that a facility with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Randolph County Humane Society had refused to accept six kittens whose “eyes [were] barely open” after their homeless mother had been hit by a car and killed. The writer said that he was told by shelter staff “to try Tucker County. I told them I don’t drive. They still refused to take the kittens. I know most shelters are overwhelmed, but to refuse to take kittens they know are going to die is unconscionable.”
October 2022/Versailles, Kentucky: WTVQ.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Woodford Humane Society was “operating at 170% capacity” and was turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “[W]e have dogs living in crates in hallways, lobbies, and storage rooms. We have dogs doubled up in rooms and kennel runs.” According to the report, “[E]ffective immediately, the shelter is operating on a waitlist.” The spokesperson said that not all the dogs who had been scheduled to be surrendered that week had been taken to the facility. What happened to them evidently wasn’t known.
October 2022/Heber City, Utah: KPCW.org reported that a public self-professed “no-kill rescue shelter” doing business as Heber Valley Animal Shelter was full and would no longer accept animals from people who were unable or unwilling to care for them. According to the report, a county council member said that residents expected the taxpayer-funded shelter to accept animals but that the facility was “basically full up. They have no room for more surrendered pets.”
October 2022/Phoenix, Arizona: EastValleyTribune.com reported that two county-run animal shelters with “no-kill” policies doing business as Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) had “been at critical capacity for months,” according to a spokesperson for the agency. According to the report, a former volunteer alleged that MCACC “fails to provide proper medical and behavior care to animals” and cited a recent dog attack at the facility. The report states, “A veterinarian employed at the shelter for nine years was mauled by a dog ‘exhibiting signs of extreme kennel deterioration,’ according to [the former volunteer]. ‘As a result of the attack, both the vet who was attacked and another vet resigned immediately,’ [she] said. … The dog, Kronk, was taken to an office because ‘he was hyper-salivating, chasing his tail, and self-harming in his kennel,’ according to [the former volunteer].” GilbertSunNews.com reported that a homeless dog who had been warehoused at the facility for months suffered psychologically and became so agitated that he had to be euthanized. During his confinement, he was reportedly rarely removed from a kennel, had to be quarantined after he developed a respiratory infection, and started fighting with dogs in neighboring kennels. A March memo reportedly included the following notes: “very stressed, pupils dilated and red eyes, panting” and “[d]og is deteriorating in kennel and stressed out.” He was euthanized in May. The facility director reportedly said that “[s]taff cannot get to every dog in addition to their other duties.”
October 2022/Atlanta, Georgia: WSBTV.com reported that animal shelters with “no-kill” policies in the area were “overrun with [companion animals], some of [whom] have been there for more than a year.” A public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as DeKalb County Animal Shelter was turning away animals, according to its website, and reportedly had “more than 500 dogs. Some of them are living in office space and temporary kennels placed in what was once a conference room.”
October 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada: KTNV.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as The Animal Foundation had been cited by the city for “contract violations due to animal care standards.” According to the report, the violations included dirty cages and a lack of clean water. KTVZ.com later reported that 77 dogs at the facility were “showing signs of Canine Pneumovirus, a highly contagious respiratory illness.” One dog had become so ill with the disease that he had to be euthanized. 8NewsNow.com reported that after the disease outbreak, the facility had stopped accepting any animals and that “animal control doesn’t know what to do with stray dogs as other shelters remain at capacity.” A resident explained that she’d found two dogs in the middle of a busy road. She secured them in her car, called animal control, and “said she was told that ‘there’s really nowhere you can take them’ and to leave the dogs where she found them because the agency did not have anywhere it could take them to.” According to the report, “Her only option, besides leaving them, was to board them at a nearby vet. With no medical records for the two dogs, it cost her over $200 to vaccinate and board them for the night.” (See the September 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada, entry below for more information about this facility.)
October 2022/Washington, D.C.: FOX5DC.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies—which was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA)—had allowed a “red listed” individual to foster a dog and puppies. The foster caregiver and her husband were later “charged with second-degree theft and animal cruelty” after they sold some of the puppies. The accused had reportedly obtained the animals from the facility in August using a fake name and identification. According to court documents, she’d told a facility representative that she planned to do so during a phone call in July, after a rabbit she’d been fostering allegedly died in her care, resulting in her being “red listed.” The report states, “[C]ourt documents claim, that [the accused] told the HRA, ‘you make it too easy to foster. I will come back in under a different name and identification and foster again.’” The dog she was given to foster was reportedly later found “tied to a fence several blocks away from” her home. A veterinarian who examined the dog said that “her body was in bad condition, she had dandruff, and was underweight when she was found.” Some puppies who’d been sold were tracked down and returned to the group, but two remained unaccounted for.
September 2022/Long Island, New York: Connecticut.News12.com reported that two women, Crystal Cahill and Catherine Gropper, were facing cruelty-to-animals charges after they allegedly captured three cats in East Islip and then abandoned them in a park “several towns” away. The cats were abandoned in August and had reportedly not been found. According to the report, “Detectives say the two women were performing animal rescue work for the Trap, Neuter and Return program.” A court date was set in the case.
September 2022/St. Albans, Vermont: VTDigger.org reported that several former employees as well as current and former volunteers of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Franklin County Animal Rescue had alleged that animals in the group’s custody were routinely neglected and denied adequate medical care. Allegations included allowing a kitten to suffer and die in a cage instead of providing euthanasia as recommended by a veterinarian and keeping a sick kitten who appeared to have neurological issues “in a kennel in the dark, at times sitting in his own feces.” In addition, a former volunteer reportedly said that “animals could go without water for at least 12 hours.” In areas of the shelter that were reportedly “inaccessible to the public, at least eight staff and volunteers described seeing what one called ‘disgustingly filthy’ conditions for animals.” According to the report, the group was “also facing allegations of negligence in an ongoing lawsuit filed in May 2021. The case centers around a dog … who was adopted from the shelter in late 2020 and who then mauled a 9-year-old girl the following February, leaving her with an injured arm and paralysis in her face.” The executive director of the state’s veterinary medical association reportedly said that she had advised a former volunteer “to file a professional complaint against [the group’s executive director, Jennifer Dean] personally, because a complaint about the shelter as a whole was likely to go nowhere under Vermont’s current laws.”
September 2022/Blairsville, Pennsylvania: LatrobeBulletinNews.com reported that authorities were investigating “after a trailer filled with filth and sick and deceased cats” was found at a property belonging to Kimberly Rose, the founder and president of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cat Aid Network. WPXI.com reported that approximately 70 cats had been removed from the property. A veterinarian who was treating the animals said that one cat was in such bad shape that he or she had died and that others were sick from living in “typical” hoarding conditions. The investigation was apparently ongoing.
September 2022/Hermitage, Pennsylvania: SharonHerald.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Shenango Valley Animal Shelter was full and turning away cats. According to a spokesperson for the group, staff members recently found a suitcase on the property that contained five cats who had “suffered from fleas, anemia, emaciation, dehydration, and other issues.” She also revealed that many dogs held at the facility were on medication for anxiety or depression.
September 2022/Houlton, Maine: NewsCenterMaine.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Houlton Humane Society was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that it had “nearly 40” animals on a waiting list and that board members were keeping animals at their homes because of severe crowding at the facility. According to the report, another self-professed “no-kill” facility in the area, doing business as Bangor Humane Society, was also full and had a waiting list to accept animals.
September 2022/Kingman, Arizona: KDMiner.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Help Animals Live Today was full and turning away animals. According to the report, days after publicly posting that the facility was no longer accepting animals, a tote bag was left on the property containing 12 puppies. A spokesperson for the group said “it was lucky she found them in time because they were overheating on a hot summer day.” The report went on to explain, “Since it’s a no-kill facility, some animals are there for years or their entire life if they aren’t adopted.”
September 2022/Des Moines, New Mexico: KOB.com reported that in June authorities had seized more than 100 dogs, more than 70 of whom were dead, after they had been found hoarded at the property of a self-professed animal “rescue.” Jessica Duncan and her boyfriend, Hayden Briesh, were reportedly “charged with extreme cruelty to animals” and were both “still on the run.” According to the report, “Deputies found small kennels in the property’s garage stacked three high, some with multiple dogs in them. Many were past the point of saving.” After entering the residence with a search warrant, a first responder reportedly said, “It is bad. It’s like chainsaw massacre but with dogs bad.” A spokesperson for another self-professed animal “rescue” group said that the couple had been “advertising a big dog rescue on social media” and that three dogs she’d removed from a municipal shelter doing business as Portales Animal Control Shelter had “somehow ended up” at the hoarded property. She reportedly said that “there’s a process for some dogs” and that “they’ll go from one rescue group to another before reaching their final destination.” The search for the suspects was ongoing.
September 2022/Conroe, Texas: CommunityImpact.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Montgomery County Animal Shelter routinely turned away and refused to pick up animals. Several residents reportedly spoke at a recent public meeting, “saying they had issues with the shelter’s refusal to take in animals. One speaker, Tara Tennant, told commissioners that the shelter not picking up animals was leading to ‘public safety issues.’ ‘Taxpayers are turned away in person, over the phone or through canceled appointments,’ Tennant said.” The animal services director reportedly told county commissioners in February that crowding at the facility “had led shelter staff to ask callers with stray animals if they could hold on to them for two weeks.” A commissioner “branded those actions as ‘unacceptable’ at the time.” At the September meeting, commissioners voted to task the county judge with overseeing operations at the facility.
September 2022/Austin, Texas: AustinMonitor.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Austin Animal Center had “more than 700 animals, including 67 dogs [who] are staying in pop-up wire crates because all other kennels are full” and had stopped accepting animals. It was reportedly the third time that the facility had halted intake. (See the June 2022/Austin, Texas, entry below for more details.)
September 2022/El Paso, Texas: ElPasoInc.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as El Paso Animal Services was crowded and filthy. According to the report, “In addition, dogs infected with the contagious parvovirus and living in dirty kennels have created unsanitary conditions at the shelter.” A former longtime volunteer at the facility reportedly said, “There was a dog [who] had diarrhea, and the bottom of the kennel was disgusting. The dog was clearly sick, and [he or she] later tested positive for parvo.” She said the contagiously ill puppy had been moved to an enclosure next to evidently healthy puppies because “there was a lack of space.” The facility’s director reportedly said that “maintaining a no-kill shelter has been hard” and that the facility’s “budget this year is more than $9 million.” (See the September 2020/El Paso, Texas, entry below and PETA’s action alert here for more details about this facility.)
September 2022/Natchez, Mississippi: NatchezDemocrat.com reported that the city’s mayor had expressed frustration because the group that held a contract to house animals for the city—a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Natchez Adams County Humane Society—was turning them away. In a meeting, the mayor reportedly said, “During the last three months, they (Natchez-Adams County Humane Society) have declined to take a single animal brought to them by the city. What are we supposed to do when our Humane Society, which we help fund with taxpayer dollars, refuses to take a single animal from animal control?” The city’s animal control officer was reportedly housing some animals at his personal residence.
September 2022/Mentor, Ohio: WLWT.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for seven years—his entire life—at a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Lake Humane Society. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that the dog had been transferred to the facility as a puppy from another group and that he couldn’t be placed in a home with other animals.
September 2022/Columbiana, Alabama: SouthernLiving.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter partially funded with public money and doing business as Shelby Humane Society had announced that it was “so overcrowded” that dogs were being housed outdoors in black metal crates. According to the report, “the shelter wrote alongside a video of the overflow of pups. ‘These dogs are in these kennels day and night.’” The group reportedly had approximately 700 animals in its custody.
September 2022/Summerville, South Carolina: Live5News.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies partially funded with public money and doing business as Dorchester Paws was “placing another stop on accepting new dogs into the shelter. This is the shelter’s fourth moratorium in 2022.” The facility was full, and “hallways at the shelter [were] lined with pop-ups because of the number of animals in their care.”
September 2022/Escambia County, Florida: NorthEscambia.com reported that a cat who was being fostered through a group doing business as Friends of the Escambia County Animal Shelter had been found dead in a vehicle. The foster caregiver had allegedly “suffered a medical emergency” while in the car with the cat. A spokesperson for the group said the cat “came in as a stray in late July.” No additional information was available.
September 2022/Broward County, Florida: WSVN.com reported that some police departments were reporting that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Broward County Animal Care and Adoption had been “turning away injured dogs.” According to the report, “Hallandale Beach City commissioners got this letter from a police captain. He writes he found it ‘… very disturbing …’ when animal services refused to respond to help a ‘mortally injured dog with wounds infested with flies and maggots.’” It was also alleged that the facility had refused to pick up a stray dog, who ended up being housed by a police department “in a makeshift outdoor pen” until she started to overheat and was moved “into a city jail cell.” The facility also tried to deny entry to a dog who had nearly drowned in a canal before being rescued by Davie Police officers. In Hallandale Beach, after a small dog being walked on a leash was mauled to death by a roaming pit bull, “[p]olice say they called animal services repeatedly, but the dangerous dog wasn’t picked up until four days later.” Speaking about the shelter’s director, a Hallandale Beach commissioner reportedly said, “If the county’s not going to hold her accountable, we’re going to make sure that she’s accountable.” (See the July 2022/Fort Lauderdale, Florida, entry below for more details.)
September 2022/Henderson, Kentucky: TriStateHomepage.com reported that 16 kittens crammed into one plastic carrier had been left outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as New Hope Animal Rescue Center LLC. According to the report, the facility was “way over [its] limit of animals” and had “a waiting list of kittens who were waiting to be surrendered.”
September 2022/Gulfport, Mississippi: WLOX.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Humane Society of South Mississippi was full and had stopped accepting animals. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that intake was “backed up until Dec. 15 to accept dogs, and Nov. 23 for cats.” According to the report, many animals were confined to “[b]lack wire crates [that] line the hallway” at the facility. The spokesperson said that “when all of our kennel spaces and kennel rooms are full, there are no other options.”
September 2022/San Angelo, Texas: SanAngeloLive.com reported that the city had recently announced that it had closed the public animal shelter, doing business as San Angelo Animal Services, to address an infestation of cockroaches. According to the report, “What was not revealed until now was the complete filth inside of the shelter and it involved more than just cockroaches.” The report included graphic photos of animals in filthy conditions and cockroaches covering surfaces. Less than a year earlier, the city announced that it had become “an official no-kill community.” According to the SanAngeloLive.com report, “Over the past few years San Angelo’s shelter has attempted to be a no-kill shelter. Since that time the shelter has been over populated, has had outbreak in various diseases, and now has had an extreme bug infestation.” MyFOXZone.com reported that city leaders were implementing new policies in an attempt to reduce crowding and improve conditions.
September 2022/Sandusky County, Ohio: TheNews-Messenger.com reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Sandusky County Dog Shelter had been turning away dogs “all summer” from residents who were unable or unwilling to care for them. The county’s dog warden reportedly “related a recent incident in which a woman contacted her office to pick up a dog the woman claimed she had found tied to her front porch that morning. When dog wardens read the dog’s embedded microchip, they called the original owner, who told them that she had given the dog for the woman to adopt the night before.” A spokesperson for a private facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Humane Society of Sandusky County Inc. reportedly said that the facility had “been full for well over two years” and had hundreds of animals on a waiting list. (See the August 2022/Sandusky County, Ohio, entry below for more details.)
September 2022/Pasco County, Florida: WFLA.com reported that authorities had seized 35 cats and two dogs from a couple who had been living in a U-Haul that had been “reported stolen out of Newport, New Hampshire.” According to the report, “Deputies found that [Steven Martel], his wife and a 72-year-old woman were living in the van with two dogs and 35 cats who were ‘living on top of each other’. Deputies said they observed ‘up to eight’ cats in some of the cages. The van reportedly reeked of urine and the cats were packed in so tightly that many had yellow-stained fur and open sores ‘from being soaked in urine for an extended amount of time.’ According to the affidavit, Martel and his wife claimed they were running an animal shelter out of the van called ‘Veterans Paws For Hope.’” The affidavit reportedly “said that the 72-year-old woman was found with ‘large open sores’ on her legs” and that emergency room doctors “told deputies she likely had a bone infection from the sores and suffered from other ailments as a result of living in the van.” Martel was reportedly “charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, neglect of an elderly adult and 35 counts of animal cruelty.”
September 2022/Katy, Texas: KatyMagazineOnline.com reported that area animal shelters, evidently with “no-kill” policies, were full and that a spokesperson for an anti-cruelty taskforce said that around 20 animals every week were being found abandoned in residences after evictions and “what they call ‘safe haven’ locations like vet offices.” A spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” group in the area doing business as Special Pals said, “We receive hundreds of requests to turn in a pet every week,” but the group was also full.
September 2022/Salisbury, Maryland: WMDT.com reported that a man had been convicted of cruelty to animals after a kitten he’d adopted from a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Worcester County Humane Society had been found dead in a box on the side of a road. According to the report, “a necropsy revealed that the kitten’s cause of death was blunt force trauma and strangulation.” A microchip identified the adopter, who “was sentenced to 180 days in jail with all but 60 days suspended to be served on house arrest.” He would also “be prohibited from possessing, owning, or residing with animals for five years.”
September 2022/Osteen, Florida: WESH.com reported that authorities had seized 13 live dogs, an unspecified number of ducks, and a horse from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Wet Nose Big Heart Animal Rescue. According to the report, “Officials with Volusia County Animal Services said the animals were living in terrible circumstances. All of them were sick and suffering, and one of the dogs was dead.” A field supervisor for the agency reportedly said that animals found were suffering from “[s]evere malnutrition, lack of appropriate care, lack of cleanliness” and that several had required “surgery due to parasites, skin issues and infections. ‘No fresh or clean water, no evidence of food, nothing that you would expect an animal to need or be appropriate to provide was observed or present at the scene,’” she said. The dead dog was found dead in the yard at the property. The investigation was ongoing.
September 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada: NevadaCurrent.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as The Animal Foundation (TAF) in Las Vegas routinely transfers animals to self-professed “rescue” groups that often warehouse them, sometimes for years, at area boarding kennels. According to the report, “TAF has no protocol for following up on the fate of transferred animals, but the transfers are counted in the shelter’s favor when it tracks so-called ‘positive placements’ or ‘live outcomes.’” The report described one of the dogs: “Beast [is] a 2 year-old pit bull and mastiff mix [who] spends most of his time confined to a small room with a concrete floor. The sand pit he uses to relieve himself is also where he sleeps …. The small window in the door to Beast’s room is smeared with excrement.” It went on to reveal that “volunteers who walk Beast and take him for enrichment training once a week say the animal is distraught from isolation and yearning for contact.” (See the March 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada, entry below for more information about this TAF.)
September 2022/Indianapolis, Indiana: IndyStar.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Indianapolis Animal Care Services was “beyond full” and had “dogs lined up in crates in the hallway right now,” according to a spokesperson. The report said that the facility was “taking in fewer animals than years prior,” because of “no-kill” policies, including requiring appointments to accept animals and telling residents to house stray animals themselves. (See the August 2022/Indianapolis, Indiana, entry below for more information about this facility.)
September 2022/Buffalo, New York: WGRZ.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Queen City Pitties Animal Rescue had at least 30 dogs on a waiting list. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We get about 20 to 30 emails, Instagram messages, Facebook messages weekly just asking for help returning their dog, surrendering their dog.” They were apparently being turned away. Two additional self-professed animal “rescues” in the area were also turning away animals.
September 2022/Florence, South Carolina: ABCNews4.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for his entire life at a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Florence Area Humane Society. According to the report, “Staff said he arrived when he was just a baby,” almost two years earlier. At some point, he had apparently contracted heartworms and been treated.
September 2022/Charleston, West Virginia: WCHSTV.com reported that a self-professed “life-saving shelter” doing business as Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association was full and considering turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that adult dogs were being housed “everywhere—the puppy room, the cat room, even our employee bathrooms.”
September 2022/Wilson, North Carolina: ABC11.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as For the Love of Dogs Inc. had failed repeated state inspections. According to the report, “Four inspections this year repeatedly found the shelter out of compliance for multiple items ranging from buildings maintenance to sanitation.” One of the inspections reportedly “noted, ‘The continuation of unsanitary conditions, due to the inability to adequately perform daily operations in the Gray Building, is grossly evident.’” State authorities reportedly “said the shelter had until last Friday to respond to a letter of intent to not renew their shelter registration.” RestorationNewsMedia.com reported that there were approximately 58 dogs at the property and that one of the group’s owners said some of them couldn’t be transferred “because of the behavior that they have.” The other owner said that he “has dementia and has trouble remembering things” and “would love to get arrested.”
August 2022/Silverdale, Washington: KitsapSun.com published a letter to the editor by a Port Orchard resident who alleged that a facility with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Kitsap Humane Society had refused to accept a homeless cat she’d taken to the facility for care. According to the writer, a “Humane Society representative came out and told me that they only had 8 feral cat kennels, which were full, and that it would be over a week before they could assist me. I told them I could not care for the animal and they said my alternatives were to find a ‘trailer park’ to dump the cat off at or euthanize [him] myself.”
August 2022/York, Pennsylvania: WGAL.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescuer” had alleged that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as York County SPCA had refused to accept 13 cats and three dogs from a property after the owner of the animals had been evicted. The report said, “According to the York County animal warden, cats are not considered personal property and if there’s nowhere for them to go—in this case the SPCA—they are simply released and left to fend for themselves.” The “rescuer” said that on a previous occasion, she “took 7 cats, 3 dogs, a snake, a rabbit and a duck” from the same property. According to the report, “Three dogs were also rescued and returned to the owners—although the animal warden does admit the dogs were in poor condition, she has no authority to remove them. That’s the role of the SPCA, but they weren’t available.”
August 2022/Aurora, Colorado: AuroraGov.org reported that a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Aurora Animal Shelter was full and would “no longer accept” dogs from residents who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them any longer “until further notice.”
August 2022/Big Spring, Texas: KBST.com reported that city leaders had approved the first reading of a resolution that would halt “no-kill” policies at the public animal shelter, which was full. According to the report, “Several community members spoke in favor of ending the no-kill policy at the Big Spring Animal Shelter. Two of the people who commented on the topic had actually been attacked by stray dogs.”
August 2022/Indianapolis, Indiana: FOX59.com reported that “a man and woman from Indianapolis are under arrest after allegedly hanging and stabbing a dog … they had adopted from an Indianapolis shelter.” According to the report, the public animal shelter, which has “no-kill” policies and does business as Indianapolis Animal Care Services, had “confirmed the dog, Deron, was adopted from their care on July 28,” apparently when the facility was giving away dogs for free in what was called “walk-up adoptions.” It was also revealed that “background checks are not required for animal adoption.” WTHR.com reported that authorities had spoken to witnesses who said “they saw a man holding a knife while the dog was hanging from the front porch by a leash. The witness told police the man stabbed the dog and then placed a trash bag over the dog’s head. The witness said three people were outside watching as the man stabbed, suffocated and tortured the dog. Another witness told police they saw a man stabbing a dog [who] was hanging by [his] neck on the front porch. According to court documents, the witness said another man told the witness to mind their own business.” It was later reported that two additional people had been charged in connection to the case and that a second dog who had been adopted at the same time had been found alive by authorities. The surviving dog was taken back to the shelter.
August 2022/Raleigh County, West Virginia: Register-Herald.com reported that “Raleigh County and the city of Beckley are looking into plans for how to address the growing number of stray animals in the county now that many are being turned away from the county’s only animal shelter,” which was operated by a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Humane Society of Raleigh County Inc. According to a spokesperson for the group, “the city and the county stopped their monthly payments” to the group after animal control officers were turned away from the facility. County and city leaders were considering a plan to construct and operate a government-run animal shelter.
August 2022/Terryville, Connecticut: NBCConnecticut.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed “non-destroy” shelter doing business as Animal Rescue Foundation Inc. said that the facility was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “Employees field five to six calls a day of people looking to surrender their dogs.” The spokesperson said that often animals were “just tossed over” the fence at the facility. “Every one of our kennels is full. So, people call us and ask for help, but unfortunately, I don’t have the space. We have a waitlist,” she said. She said that a dog who was recently left outside the facility was “blind, diabetic, and suffering from pancreatitis.” The dog was reportedly receiving veterinary care.
August 2022/Sandusky County, Ohio: WTOL.com reported that all animal shelters in the area were full and turning away animals. The public animal shelter doing business as Sandusky County Dog Shelter had reportedly stopped accepting dogs from residents who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them any longer. According to the report, “Many dog owners who can’t surrender their dogs have been abandoning them.”
August 2022/Jackson, Mississippi: DarkHorsePressNow.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi had revealed that after the facility turned away a woman who could no longer care for a young, very thin dog, “the woman became angry and took the leash off of the puppy and threw him into the road.” According to a spokesperson for the facility, the puppy was nearly hit by a car “several times.” The group ultimately took in the dog. No additional information was available.
August 2022/Heard County, Georgia: FOX5Atlanta.com reported that authorities had seized more than 200 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Dogs Rock Rescue after they were found in conditions described as “deplorable.” According to the report, “Deputies raided the Dogs Rock Rescue after county animal control officers discovered what they said appeared to be deplorable conditions on the property including dead dogs, emaciated dogs, diseased dogs, and dehydrated and hungry dogs. Investigators said they found a fire pit, where deputies said they found 20 canine skulls with evidence of bullet wounds. ‘Some of the skulls had holes in them commensurate to a possible .22 (caliber),’ said Heard County Sheriff’s Lt. Dan Boswell.” The group had reportedly “recently taken about 40 dogs from the Clayton County animal shelter.” Its owner, Wendy Brewer, faced felony cruelty-to-animals charges. It was later reported that Deanalyn Reign, an “associate” of the “rescue,” had been arrested in connection to the case. According to the report, she had “a criminal past for animal abuse in Alabama.” A spokesperson for the Heard County Sheriff’s Office reportedly said that “she was given two years probation … and some classes that she had to take. And that same year in Connecticut, she was stopped on Interstate-95 by Connecticut state troopers. And they recovered 20 dogs—correction, 30 dogs—that were stacked in crates inside a van.”
August 2022/Palatka, Florida: FirstCoastNews.com reported that a public animal shelter that claimed to be a “no-kill” shelter doing business as Putnam County Animal Control was full and not accepting animals.
August 2022/El Paso, Texas: KVIA.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Animal Rescue League of El Paso said that animals were routinely left outside the turn-away facility, apparently after hours. According to the spokesperson, video surveillance had recently captured footage of a woman leaving a cat outside the facility. The animal was later found dead after having been hit by a car on a nearby road. The spokesperson also reportedly said that a box of kittens who’d been left outside the facility had been found after they’d apparently all died. She said that animal adoption groups in the area all had waiting lists to accept animals and that the public animal shelter, which has “no-kill” policies, wouldn’t accept animals from people who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for them any longer.
August 2022/Sumter County, Florida: TheVillagesDailySun.com reported that county leaders had unanimously voted to rescind an earlier resolution to operate the county’s public animal shelter with dangerous and inhumane “no-kill” policies and instead embrace a socially conscious sheltering model. The decision came after commissioners visited the facility, which had reportedly crowded 143 dogs into a space “designed for 54 kennels.” One county commissioner said, “My worst day was the day I went to the animal shelter.” He was reportedly “visibly upset in describing dogs, such as ‘Noah,’ who has endured 530 days in confined captivity. ‘In our efforts to be humane, we’ve not been,’ he said.” A report by the assistant county manager reportedly revealed that the “overcrowding has increased concerns about sanitation and safety, including at least 13 people being bit[ten].”
August 2022/Jackson, Tennessee: WBBJTV.com reported that a public, self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Jackson Animal Care Center had announced that it was full and required people to be put on a waiting list in order to surrender animals they couldn’t or wouldn’t care for. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that animals were being left outside by people who couldn’t wait and that animals had been left tied outside or left “in a box on the sidewalk” by people after they were told that they needed an appointment. “I currently have four dogs in my storage room in crates because I don’t have an open kennel available [and] 17 dogs in our puppy room [who] haven’t finished their quarantine yet,” she said.
August 2022/Opelousas, Louisiana: DailyWorld.com reported that a public, self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as St. Landry Parish Animal Control was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “Since the denial by shelter officials to accept any new pets, [shelter director Terri Courvelle] said many people attempting to deposit unwanted dogs at the shelter have become irate. ‘A lot of them wind up screaming at me,’ Courvelle said. ‘They think because we are trying to run a no-kill shelter that they can just come and drop off their animals.” Animals had reportedly been left outside the facility, and “Courvelle said she has brought 23 dogs home with her, since the kennels at the shelter remain full.”
August 2022/Niles, Ohio: WKBN.com reported that authorities had seized 44 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Niles Cat Crusade after they were found in conditions described as “horrendous.” Humane agents reportedly said that they would have to return to remove more animals. According to the report, cats were found “in feces-filled traps” and kittens were found in filthy cages. Cats had reportedly been confined to box traps “for weeks on end,” according to a spokesperson for a nonprofit group involved in the seizure. “There was severe urine scalding from them being in their own urine. Many of the cats also had severe matting of feces all around them,” she said. Many of the animals were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized. Charges were reportedly pending in the case. According to a later report, the seized cats required treatment for “respiratory illness due to the air quality inside the home. Some are being treated for severe flea infestation while others have open sores and abscesses from being in their own urine and feces for an extended period of time.”
August 2022/Orlando, Florida: ClickOrlando.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Orange County Animal Services had “hundreds of animals stored at the shelter.” The facility was reportedly so full that it was crowding “two to three dogs in a single kennel. [At one point], 209 dogs were [being] housed at Animal Services. Usually, capacity is about 175 dogs.” A spokesperson for the facility said, “Anytime you do that, you have a risk for potential kennel fights or spread for disease.” The facility was reportedly giving away dogs. OrlandoSentinel.com reported that the facility had “stopped taking appointments … for pet owners to give up animals they can’t keep” and “shuttered an online ‘surrender’ portal for pet owners.” According to the report, the facility sent an e-mail saying that large dogs were “tripled up” in kennels.
August 2022/Mohawk, New York: MyLittleFalls.com reported that a spokesperson for a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Herkimer County Humane Society said that it was “at full capacity, with more people calling every day to surrender animals.” A spokesperson for the group said it had “just started page 11 in a full-sized legal pad [list] of people looking to surrender their animals to us.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group reportedly said that cruelty-to-animals and neglect cases were apparently increasing in the area.
August 2022/Greenville, South Carolina: WSPA.com reported that “both the Greenville and Spartanburg Humane Societies are full. [A spokesperson for the group] said the Spartanburg Humane Society has a waitlist to surrender an animal. As of right now, there are 135 names on it.” A puppy was reportedly recovering at the Greenville Humane Society after being found apparently abandoned in a dumpster. Animals have routinely been found left outside the Spartanburg Humane Society. Both facilities have “no-kill” policies.
August 2022/Alpharetta, Georgia: AppenMedia.com reported that a dog who was being fostered for a self-professed animal “rescue” in Atlanta had attacked another dog at a park in Alpharetta. The owner of the dog who was attacked reportedly sustained “a minor hand laceration, but her dog was rushed to an emergency veterinarian with a punctured lung.” According to the report, the foster dog “was taken into custody by the agency for Fulton County Animal Services after the attack.” No additional information was available.
August 2022/Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: WPDE.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Grand Strand Humane Society was full and turning away animals. After two dogs were left outside the facility with a note, a spokesperson reportedly said, “We have had dozens of pets abandoned around our facility over the past couple of weeks and more than once, we almost found them too late.”
August 2022/Pauls Valley, Oklahoma: OKCFOX.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Saving Hope Animal Rescue in Texas said that it had sent at least five animals to an Oklahoma property where authorities had found 11 dead dogs and seized six live dogs, two cats, an unspecified number of chickens, a lizard, and a snake. Meaghan Darling and Ryan Greene, who claimed to be dog trainers, were facing charges of animal neglect in connection to the case. Dogs found dead were in stacked crates in a hot shed without adequate water, according to officials and court records. According to a statement by the “rescue” group, all the animals who had been sent to the property died there.
August 2022/Tuscaloosa, Alabama: WBRC.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter had been turning away animals and that people had been leaving them outside the facility, often in dangerous situations. According to a public post by the group, these animals included a kitten who was left in a box with a note. The kitten escaped from the box and was found by a staff member near a road. A dog was found tied to a pole on the property, and another dog was left tied to the facility’s door “using trash bags.” The latter escaped and was apparently hit by a car on a nearby road. According to the facility, “The shelter takes in owner surrenders by appointment only. We stay so full that these appointments are sometimes months out.”
July 2022/Mayfield, New York: News10.com reported that authorities had seized 52 dogs, including two found dead, and an unspecified number of rabbits, “a horse, and bloated goats” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Kelly’s Haven for Friends and Animal Rescue Inc. According to the report, “A press release from area shelters describes the conditions as filthy and uninhabitable. The property has been condemned.” CBS6Albany.com later reported that “rescue” owner Susan Kelly had been arrested and charged with “55 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse charges.”
July 2022/St. Peters, Missouri: WFTV.com reported that 10 puppies had drowned in a flood at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Stray Paws Rescue. According to the report, fire crews were able to remove 15 adult dogs from the flooded building. No additional information was available.
July 2022/Blue Ridge, Texas: NBCDFW.com reported that “about two dozen dogs” and a human had died in a fire at a residence that was being used as a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Chloe’s Pet Rescue. During the fire, propane tanks on the property reportedly exploded. According to the report, 34 animals survived. No additional information was available.
July 2022/Los Angeles, California: CBSNews.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Los Angeles Animal Services had been warehousing dogs in severely crowded conditions. A volunteer at the facility said that a dog who “had been at the shelter for more than a year and had not been walked in three weeks” had attacked her when she tried to walk him, severing an artery in her hand. According to the report, “Last week, CBSLA reported on heartbreaking images posted to social media by volunteers [at] LA city animal shelters of dogs being left for weeks, even months at a time in their kennels without going for walks. [The volunteer who was attacked] said she saw dogs go cage crazy. ‘Sometimes they just spin in their kennels. They bark. They jump incessantly. Sometimes, they injure themselves by rubbing their noses against the cage.’” The dog who attacked her was later euthanized.
July 2022/Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Sun-Sentinel.com reported that residents and former volunteers were speaking out about “turn-away” policies at a public facility doing business as Broward County Animal Care. Complaints included that the facility wouldn’t accept homeless animals found by residents, including a dog who was rescued after she was found wandering along an interstate highway by a Hallandale Beach city commissioner. The commissioner said she “threatened to call the county administrator’s office the next morning” and explained that the county facility is funded with tax dollars. The dog was eventually admitted. Residents who needed to surrender animals to the facility were reportedly required to wait 30 days, a dangerous policy that often results in the abandonment, neglect, or cruel killing of the animals. A local resident said that workers were “telling people who call about a lost dog to just leave [the animal] on the street,” and a former volunteer explained, “When people get turned away at the Broward shelter, the dogs end up in the woods, in the Everglades, on street corners.” Officials with other cities in the county had also spoken out against the dangerous policies.
July 2022/Rochester, New York: RochesterFirst.com reported, “Many protestors gathered outside Verona Street Animal Shelter Saturday to demand that Rochester Animal Services take in stray and abandoned animals. According to the protestors, the shelter’s director, Chris Fitzgerald, allegedly implemented a secret policy called the HASS model that would allow them to close their doors to these animals. This policy also instructs volunteers and employees to tell callers to leave these animals alone or to call rescue services.” Protesters also reportedly said that city officials, including the mayor, “have ignored or refused to do anything about this situation.”
July 2022/El Dorado Hills, California: MTDemocrat.com reported that authorities had arrested Sandra Sharlene Tidwell, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Sierra Nevada German Shepherd Rescue, on felony cruelty-to-animals charges. According to a news release issued by El Dorado County Animal Services, authorities responded to “multiple complaints regarding a stench of feces from the residence.” When a search warrant was served, officials found “approximately 25 dogs, including puppies, both living and deceased, [who] were removed from the residence …. The living canines were transported to the county animal shelter, where they are currently undergoing care and rehabilitation.” No additional information was available.
July 2022/Saginaw, Michigan: OurMidland.com reported that a spokesperson for a nonprofit group with “no-kill” policies doing business as The Humane Society of Saginaw County Inc. said that area residents had told workers that they had been “letting their animals go, because they don’t want them anymore and all the shelters are full and won’t take them.” According to the spokesperson, animal abandonment was increasing in the community. She also revealed that she had 90 cats at her own residence.
July 2022/Henrietta, Texas: TexomasHomepage.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for 10 years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Clay County Animal Shelter Inc. According to the report, the dog had been “found as a heartworm-positive stray” and had been taken to the facility when she was approximately 12 months old.
July 2022/Georgetown, South Carolina: WPDE.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” polices, partially funded with public monies, and doing business as Saint Frances Animal Center was full and turning away animals. According to the report, “[T]he shelter is also exceeding its annual budget of $1.1 million.”
July 2022/Township of Toms River, New Jersey: Patch.com reported that township officials were investigating after receiving complaints about how animals were being handled at a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Toms River Animal Control and Services. Complaints reportedly included allegations that shelter workers had turned away homeless cats and that residents had been told the animals “should just be left to nature running its course.”
July 2022/Yakima, Washington: NBCRightNow.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Yakima Humane Society was urging people to stop using the shelter’s services. According to the report, the facility posted a public message saying that animals had been abandoned outside the building, “turned loose at the door,” and left in crates outside on the sidewalk. The message also said that people had left animals in the lobby after “cussing out staff.” The message claimed that the facility was full.
July 2022/Norfolk, Virginia: PilotOnline.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Norfolk Animal Care Center had been cited by state authorities for failing to provide animals with “adequate and appropriate veterinary care.” According to the report, “Inspectors found an animal in the shelter [who] had been limping for a week and another [who] had been dragging [his or her] back legs for several days. Neither had received veterinary care, in violation of state rules.” They also reportedly “found cats being co-housed in isolation rooms meant for only one animal,” and other animals had been placed in isolation without having received state-required veterinary care.
July 2022/St. Louis, Missouri: STLToday.com published an op-ed by a resident who described several examples of ways in which “no-kill” policies at the St. Louis city and county animal shelters were harming animals and endangering the public. Examples included recent attacks by packs of dogs (one of which was fatal), animals who were left in abusive homes because there was no room at the shelter to house them, and residents who were told to leave homeless animals on the streets. The writer asserted, “I regard ‘no-kill’ as a misnomer anyway, because no-kill shelters turn away hundreds of dogs and cats [who] end up dying on the street.”
July 2022/Helena, Montana: HelenaIR.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies that is partially funded with public monies and doing business as Lewis and Clark Humane Society was full and turning away animals from residents who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care for them any longer. The group was reportedly telling people to find new homes for animals themselves through social media and to try to locate the owners of lost or abandoned animals.
July 2022/Tucson, Arizona: MarketWatch.com reported that a spokesperson for a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Pima Animal Care Center had “said that every dog kennel in the shelter—both public and non-public—was full. About 10 additional dogs were in pop-up crates in a multi-purpose room, while approximately 40 dogs were being held in office spaces and meet-and-greet rooms.”
July 2022/Corpus Christi, Texas: KIIITV.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Corpus Christi Animal Care Services was turning away animals. Local residents reportedly said that other shelters and adoption groups in the area were doing the same.
July 2022/Port Huron, Michigan: TheTimesHerald.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as St. Clair County Animal Control “had stopped allowing” residents to surrender animals to the facility because it was full. A spokesperson for a local humane society said it receives calls from residents seeking help but that that facility also turns away animals: “We’ll get a call saying, ‘I found a cat and [she] had kittens,’ but other shelters are full and we are full, so there’s no place for these animals to go.” She also said that when turned away, people “curse us out and call us names… Then they threaten to throw the kittens in a field, shoot them or poison them.”
July 2022/Savage, Minnesota: FOX9.com reported that authorities had seized “20 to 40 rabbit carcasses” from a property described as an animal “rescue” and “sanctuary” doing business as Peacebunny Cottage. According to the report, a search warrant “list[ed] dead rabbits, rats, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate food and water found at the facility” and the Minnesota Federated Humane Societies publicly posted that “feces were piled so high that the animals were tunneling through it.” KSTP.com reported that the owner of the property “estimated there were about 200 rabbits in the barn,” where sick, injured, and dead animals were found. According to the report, “Detectives state in the warrant two adult rabbits, 16 baby rabbits and 20-40 rabbit carcasses were seized in the search.” An investigation was apparently ongoing.
June 2022/Newport, Tennessee: WVLT.tv reported that a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Friends Animal Shelter of Cocke County had ended its contract with the county to provide animal-sheltering services. According to the report, the group “had received inquiries from county commissioners asking why they were refusing animals” and the facility was so crowded that employees were taking animals to their personal residences because there was no room to house them professionally. In a letter sent to the county mayor, the group’s board of directors said, “Lately and more frequently, we have had to tell residents that our facility was full to capacity and we were unable to take animals that they wanted to surrender. It’s a daily struggle working with the county’s animal control officer to ensure space will be available.” No additional information was available.
June 2022/Gainesville, Florida: AlachuaCounty.us reported that the county’s public self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Alachua County Animal Resources & Care had stopped accepting homeless animals and animals from owners who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care for them any longer. It wasn’t known how long the facility would be turning them away. Residents who found animals in need of aid were told to care for them themselves or try to track down owners, including by using social media, among other irresponsible and dangerous suggestions.
June 2022/Eugene, Oregon: KATU.com reported that a cat named Phoenix had been adopted out twice over a period of just months by a self-professed “life saving organization” doing business as Greenhill Humane Society. According to the report, he had been returned both times because “his medical needs were too much for the adopters.” When he was first admitted to the group’s facility in October 2021, he was reportedly “underweight, barely had any fur due to an allergic reaction, flea-infested and had a bad ear infection.” He was adopted out a third time.
June 2022/Kankakee, Illinois: CBSNews.com reported that a dog named Cindy Lou had been warehoused for six years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Kankakee County Humane Foundation. According to the report, she had been at the facility for her entire life. A spokesperson for the facility said that it was not safe for her to be around other animals.
June 2022/Alpena, Michigan: TheAlpenaNews.com reported that a spokesperson for a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Alpena County Animal Facility said that animal hoarding cases in the region had increased. “‘There are plenty of known cases that we simply can’t take care of right now because we don’t have the room for those animals,’ she said. ‘We simply can’t take care of them because we simply don’t have the room.’” According to the report, a county commissioner said that animals were being housed unnecessarily “for long periods of time” at the facility, which was apparently a contributing factor.
June 2022/Chester, South Carolina: WBTV.com reported that authorities had seized 54 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cat’s Paw Rescue South Carolina after they were found hoarded in “what’s being called extremely unlivable conditions.” According to the report, “Everyone in the house was arrested,” including Channing, Evelyn, and Christine Collinge. All three were reportedly charged with ill-treatment of animals. One cat in extremely bad shape died while being transported to the public animal shelter. Animal Control Director Kelli Simoneau said that litterboxes were overflowing at the “rescue” and that any water available to the animals was “dirty.” The animals were also teeming with fleas, and some evidently had such severe upper respiratory infections that “[y]ou could hear them breathing.”
June 2022/Cottonwood Heights, Utah: KSLTV.com reported that authorities had charged Kaiden Orie Graham “with four counts of torture of a companion animal, each a third-degree felony” after he had allegedly “adopted and abused animals for over a year.” According to the report, a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Humane Society of Utah had repeatedly adopted dogs to Graham, even though they were later returned in poor shape and with traumatic injuries. Among the dogs who were found by authorities at Graham’s address or returned to the adoption group were animals who suffered from dehydration, broken bones (including one who had a broken jaw), “severe head trauma that had caused blindness,” a spinal injury, extreme weight loss, and “injuries to the liver, including bruising and lesions.”
June 2022/Pendleton, Oregon: EastOregonian.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter was full and turning away animals. “It’s really sad because people might end up taking the animals to [an open-admission] shelter or just dumping them,” a spokesperson for the facility reportedly said. “And we’re seeing a lot of that.”
June 2022/Austin, Texas: FOX7Austin.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Austin Animal Center was so crowded that dogs were “being placed in pop-up crates in places like the shelter’s multipurpose room. A room that is supposed to be used for training and staff meetings is used to shelter dogs. The shelter also had to rent an air-conditioned shipping container to house dogs.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that dogs in the shipping container were being confined to crates “for 23+ hours a day.” Statesman.com later reported that the facility was severely crowded. “We are a no-kill facility, so we don’t euthanize for space,” a spokesperson for the facility reportedly said. “Right now, we are trying to limit intakes.” According to the report, “The shelter’s maximum capacity is 272 medium-to-large dogs. On June 16, there were 325. Despite adding 15 makeshift kennels to combat overcrowding, [the spokesperson] said there is still insufficient space.” SpectrumLocalNews.com reported, “The center has more than 1,000 dogs and cats in its care, with 671 pets at the shelter. Currently, 23 dogs do not have a kennel.” The facility’s spokesperson said, “We are housing dogs in crates in our conference room and we even rented an air-conditioned construction trailer to put crates in. … Unfortunately all of those spaces are now full and our only option is to house dogs in crates outside in front of evaporation coolers.” The facility was also giving away animals free of charge.
June 2022/Chickamauga, Georgia: TimesFreePress.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Walker County Animal Shelter had “limited its intake of new animals, complicating a police investigation in Rossville in which an injured dog seized as evidence had no place to be housed.” According to the report, a resident who operates a nonprofit spay/neuter group in the area ended up driving the dog to a veterinary hospital in Atlanta, where it was determined that his injuries were so severe that he had to be euthanized. She said local authorities often call her group “out of desperation when they’ve been calling for weeks or months or there’s an injured animal and the county refuses to respond.” According to the report, “Ted Harris, the mayor of Rossville, said in a phone interview that it’s ‘irritating and aggravating’ that Rossville taxpayers are paying for a service they aren’t getting.” It wasn’t reported whether police had filed charges in the case involving the injured dog.
June 2022/South Abington Township, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Griffin Pond Animal Shelter had announced “that they no longer have space to accept any more animals from the public or local police departments.”
June 2022/Chamblee, Georgia: WSBTV.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as DeKalb County Animal Services, operated by a nonprofit group doing business as Lifeline Animal Project, had been ordered by state authorities “to stop accepting new animals because of severe overcrowding.” According to the report, the county facility was a “state-of-the-art facility that opened just five years ago.”
June 2022/Calgary, Alberta, Canada: GlobalNews.ca reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as ARTS Senior Animal Rescue said that the group had seen a twofold rise in the number of people who became abusive when turned away from the group’s facility. According to the spokesperson, “We just can’t accommodate everybody, and on a weekly basis we’re figuring out who is most urgent, who do we have room for, who we don’t—and we have to unfortunately make decisions of who we can and can’t help.”
June 2022/Freehold Township, New Jersey: APP.com reported that the executive director of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Garden State Animal Rescue Center had “been charged with aggravated sexual contact on allegations that he inappropriately touched a teenage girl who volunteered for the nonprofit.” Authorities reportedly arrested Brian Becker, the executive director of the group, and also charged him with “three charges of endangering the welfare of a child.” According to the report, “[A]nyone with information that could aid the investigation [was urged] to call Freehold Township Police Department.” No additional information was available.
June 2022/Tunbridge, Vermont: BenningtonBanner.com reported that authorities had seized “13 horses, one mini-mule, one llama and six dogs” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Hoofbeats and Dreams Farm Ltd. According to the report, “Most of the animals were malnourished, and several needed medical care, including one horse with a seriously neglected eye infection.” The group’s owner, Debra Densmore, was charged with cruelty to animals.
June 2022/North Pole, Alaska: NewsMiner.com reported that Donna Buck-Davis, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Loving Companions Animal Rescue Inc., had been charged with two counts of cruelty to animals, including one felony. (See the April 2022/North Pole, Alaska, entry for more details.) According to the report, “The class C felony charge is in regard to a dog named Scar. Due to severe health ailments, the dog’s owners surrendered Scar to Loving Companions for euthanasia. However, according to documents, Buck-Davis instead decided to rehabilitate the dog herself. Buck-Davis would ‘frequently use expired medication’ on animals in her care. After he was given the medication, Scar’s health deteriorated to the extent that he was unable to walk. Buck-Davis, according to a trooper statement, left the dog in a dirty kennel. Unable to move, he began to develop wounds and eventually had to be euthanized. The second charge, a class A misdemeanor, refers to a cat … Alaska State Troopers removed from Loving Companions in April. Upon examination from a veterinarian, the cat appeared to have ear mites, an upper respiratory infection and a broken leg. The leg had to be amputated.” Authorities had also previously seized two puppies found at the property who “displayed symptoms of parvovirus, showing extreme lethargy to the point that one appeared ‘life-less,’ according to the trooper statement. One puppy was euthanized ‘due to … deteriorating health and lack of chance to live.’ The other puppy received treatment but still succumbed to the virus.” A hearing date was set.
June 2022/Town of Trenton, Wisconsin: JournalTimes.com reported that authorities had charged Fostina M. Uelmen, owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Frosty’s Fosters Animal Rescue, with multiple counts of cruelty to animals. According to the report, investigating officers found 19 dogs in filthy crates on the front porch of the property and “Uelmen told the officers that there were 29 dogs in the house …. The dogs had come from Kentucky and Alabama. … One of the dogs, a black and white pit bull mix, in a bluish/gray crate with an orange strap around the crate door was covered in feces, the crate was covered in dried feces …. Many of the crates were also not an adequate size for the dogs [who] were in them.” Uelmen reportedly told officers that “the dogs were kept in the crates for about 18 hours out of a 24-hour day due to the temperament of some of the dogs.” She also reportedly said that she’d been investigated before for allegedly hoarding animals. WKOW.com reported, “According to one official on scene, many of the dogs were in crates for more than 19 hours a day ‘not being able to fully stand or turn around.’ One investigator claimed the smell of urine and feces was ‘overwhelming’ and caused them to feel nauseous.”
June 2022/Beckley, West Virginia: WVNSTV.com reported that a facility that claimed to be “the largest no-kill shelter in the state,” doing business as the Humane Society of Raleigh County, had a contract to provide the city of Beckley with animal-sheltering services. However, the group’s executive director said that “there is no way for the shelter to guarantee a spot for every animal that Animal Control brings” in and that “[t]he shelter has had to turn away animals.” The city’s mayor “said it’s unfair to taxpayers if there is no place for stray or vicious dogs and that the city had expected to have reserved spaces, based on the years of donations.” The city was considering building a public animal shelter in conjunction with the county in order to ensure that residents will have a safe place to take homeless animals.
June 2022/Fresno, California: KMPH.com reported that a dog named Ava, who had been adopted twice from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Valley Animal Center had been found after she’d been abandoned in other states both times. Ava had reportedly originally been found “deserted in a field” and was taken to the group’s facility. After she was adopted, she was found, apparently abandoned, in 2019 in Pima, Arizona. She was returned to the California group, which adopted her out again in 2020. According to the report, “The center received a call [in June 2022] that a dog named Ava had been found as a stray in Las Vegas by a local animal control agency.” ABC7Chicago.com reported that Ava had again been returned to the California group, that her fur was permanently damaged “[b]ecause of an early case of mange and burns from being abandoned in the desert heat,” and that she had “some masses that have gone untreated so she will require at least one surgery before she is ready for adoption again.”
June 2022/Herriman, Utah: ABC4.com reported that a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Clementine Ranch Animal Sanctuary was beyond capacity and could not accept any more animals. A spokesperson for the group said that “she and her partner have told people they can’t take any more animals, only to find them left on their doorstep the next day. The situation has gotten so bad she says she’s had to call the police due to people throwing animals out of their car windows onto their property, including a dog and a bunny.”
June 2022/Cincinnati, Ohio: SpectrumNews1.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Cincinnati Animal CARE had announced that it was at 225% capacity and that it was storing animals in crates throughout the facility, including in a garage that had only “portable air conditioning units and fans.” Animals had also been given away free of charge. Local12.com reported that the facility was no longer accepting animals from people who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care for them but was required through a contract with the county to accept stray animals and those brought in by law-enforcement officers. (See the March 2022/Cincinnati, Ohio, entry below for more details.)
June 2022/Santa Rosa County, Florida: PNJ.com reported that because a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Santa Rosa County Animal Services was “overcapacity,” around 50 dogs who were found roaming at a hoarding property had been left there until room became available at the facility. Many of the dogs were reportedly unsterilized and unsocialized.
June 2022/Sandgate, Vermont: BenningtonBanner.com reported that seven weeks after a dog named Atticus was adopted to a woman by an adoption group with “no-kill” policies doing business as Second Chance Animal Center, he had been chained up and repeatedly shot. According to the report, the adopter testified in court that while her husband was allegedly “heavily inebriated” and couldn’t be awakened, the dog had bitten her ankle. She claimed that she became afraid of the dog and tied him outside. During her testimony, “[s]he then described shooting Atticus in the neck and leaving him outside. ‘I knew he was hurt,’ she said. ‘I was sad and too scared to check.’… I thought I’d killed him,’ she said, ‘but I heard some noise by the door, so I opened the window and shot him again.’ Then she went to sleep.” A waste management worker who was working in the area saw the badly injured animal and called authorities. “After consulting with the representative for Second Chance … [a] Vermont state trooper shot [and killed] the dog later that day.” The adopter was found guilty of “aggravated cruelty and animal torture.” A sentencing hearing had not yet been scheduled.
June 2022/Columbia, South Carolina: WYFF4.com reported that authorities who responded to a call about a “smell of death” coming from a home had “found 30 decomposing animals—28 dogs and two cats—confined in cages and crates.” Responding deputies reportedly said the animals had been found “lying in their own waste and it is believed they died in the cages” and that it appeared they had “died from starvation and dehydration.” The homeowner, Caroline Dawn Pennington, reportedly worked at Kershaw County Humane Society and operated a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Global Rescue Welfare League Inc., also known as GROWL. She was also described as “a well-known figure in the animal rescue community.” According to the report, Pennington was “arrested in one of the worst cases of animal cruelty the sheriff in Richland County said he’s seen.” WLOS.com shared graphic photos from the raid and reported that Pennington had been charged with 30 counts of ill-treatment of animals.
June 2022/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: KFOR.com reported that a public animal shelter doing business as Oklahoma City Animal Welfare, which has “no-kill” policies, was housing more than 450 dogs in a space designed to hold fewer than 300. The facility was reportedly giving away dogs for free “indefinitely.”
June 2022/Stockton, California: ABC10.com reported that a resident had taken a puppy named Babies to a public facility with “no-kill” policies, doing business as Stockton Animal Shelter, three days in a row because he could no longer care for the animal. According to the report, “The bottom line is that the animal shelter is at capacity and dogs like ‘Babies’ could, in the end, be turned away.” A kitten had reportedly recently been abandoned outside the turn-away facility.
May 2022/Flemington, New Jersey: DailyVoice.com reported that authorities had seized “71 animals including horses, cows, goats, pigs, roosters, and sheep” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rooster’s Rescue Foundation Inc. The animals were “found to be neglected and in poor living conditions …. Several dead animals were also found, investigators said.” According to the report, the group’s owner, Michael B. Featherston, “was charged with animal cruelty for failure to provide necessary care, as well as drug possession, unlawful possession of an assault rifle, purchasing firearm parts to manufacture a firearm without a serial number, and other weapons offenses.” The investigation was ongoing, and authorities asked anyone with information relevant to the case to contact them.
May 2022/Albany, New York: News10.com reported that an animal adoption group with “no-kill” policies and doing business as Mohawk Hudson Humane Society had announced that it was limiting dog intake and halting dog adoptions because of a distemper outbreak. According to the report, the group had recently imported dogs from out of state, some of whom “were later found to be carrying the canine distemper virus.”
May 2022/Largo, Florida: FOX13News.com reported that an unspecified number of cats had died in a fire at the home of a self-professed cat “rescuer” and foster home. According to the report, “kennels” at the home “were especially full” at the time of the fire. Approximately 16 cats reportedly survived, and “[t]he most severe cases are still being treated for extensive burns at emergency vet centers. … The surviving foster cats will likely need several weeks to recover.” No additional information was available.
May 2022/Houston, Texas: HoustonChronicle.com reported that animal shelters with “no-kill” policies in the Houston area were turning away animals and that the number of homeless animals roaming without care was increasing. According to the report, “The Fort Bend shelter has become so overrun with dogs that staff recently resorted to housing the animals in hallways. … The Fort Bend shelter can comfortably care for 170 animals, and as of May 20, it had 200 in its care.” It was reportedly “not uncommon” for dogs to be warehoused at the facility “for up to a year.” The report also revealed that “[t]he Montgomery County shelter can now comfortably care for 180 animals, but as of early May the shelter was caring for 275 animals.” Most facilities in the area had reportedly implemented “managed admission” policies, which a local resident said “has also caused a huge influx of animals to be left on the streets and has created a burden for [private] groups.” A spokesperson for one group admitted to finding and leaving suffering, diseased, injured, and pregnant animals “out on the street because you literally have no place for [them] to go.” A self-professed animal “rescuer” said that her “garage is outfitted with kennels and several portable AC and heating units. She currently is caring for seven dogs, but sometimes she has up to double that number. … She added that fosters have also been driven away by long stay times. ‘A lot of the organizations have left fosters with animals for six months or longer,’” she said.
May 2022/Gadsden, Alabama: GadsdenTimes.com reported that that the city of Gadsden had contracted with a group with “no-kill” policies, doing business as the Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center, “to shelter animals that animal control picks up or that Gadsden residents surrender. But with 95 dogs recently at a facility designed for 50, the shelter has been on limited intake.” According to the report, dogs were not being adopted or “shipped … out of state at sufficient numbers for the shelter to take in additional dogs,” and area residents had expressed concerns about dogs who were apparently routinely warehoused at the facility, including one who had recently been there for 500 days.
May 2022/Shreveport, Louisiana: CBS42.com reported that four puppies had been left in “a rubber tub” outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility that turns away animals and was doing business as Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana. When these animals were found, one had already died and the three survivors “were suffering from heat exhaustion. All of the puppies were also suffering from Coccidia infections, hookworms, low glucose levels, and were anemic.” One of the surviving animals reportedly died “not long after” being found, and the remaining two were receiving veterinary treatment. A spokesperson for the facility recommended that people who needed to turn in animals contact their local government-run animal shelters because “animal control is an open-intake facility.”
May 2022/Green Bay, Wisconsin: WSET.com reported that after a woman said that she’d been turned away from at least seven animal shelters with “no-kill” policies, she tied her 6-year-old dog to a fire hydrant in a residential neighborhood and left her with a note and a backpack containing supplies. According to the report, “The owner, who is living on the streets and going through chemotherapy, says she did what she thought best for Baby Girl. ‘I begged the animal shelter to please take her in,’ the former owner said. ‘I’m surrendering her. I don’t have an option. I don’t have a choice and they would not take her.’” The dog was found and taken to an animal shelter that accepted her. That facility states on its website that fees and appointments are required before it will accept animals from owners. FOX11Online.com later reported that after a veterinary examination, it was determined that the dog “had some medical issues, including diabetes mellitus” (which can be fatal if left untreated) and that an adopter would “need to work with their veterinarian on a plan, which is expected to include daily glucose monitoring, a restricted diet, and at-home insulin injections.” She was adopted.
May 2022/Dallas, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a spokesperson for an animal adoption group said that animal abandonment was occurring more frequently and described a recent incident at the group’s facility in which “a car drove up … and they said we have two dogs we need to get rid of and we said okay we need you to fill out paperwork and they pushed the dogs out of the car and took off.” According to the spokesperson, the facility was apparently full and had only “so many kennel runs, so we set up extra cages, everyone is in cages.”
May 2022/Staten Island, New York: NYPost.com reported that a man had filed a lawsuit against Animal Care Centers of NYC after he was attacked by a dog his mother had adopted from the facility a day after the animal was brought home. The man described being attacked by the dog, a 5-year-old boxer–pit bull mix described by the facility as “the friendly giant”: “I jumped back … I fell down the steps and that’s when he went for my neck. … I put my hand up and he got my arm and the top of my head. That’s why I was bleeding all over my face. Then he started ripping into my right arm and playing tug of war with it.” The man had to be hospitalized “and needed surgery on his right arm, which still has a piece of muscle missing. He said he also had puncture wounds on his head and his left arm.” The dog had also reportedly lunged at the plaintiff’s father and “pinned” him in the kitchen the evening before the attack. His lawyer said that the man’s mother had adopted the dog, “hoping to bring some happiness to their home, as she was losing her battle to lung cancer … [but] the dog they adopted from ACC was a ticking time bomb that detonated upon arrival.”
May 2022/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: KTUL.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue,” doing business as Country Roads Animal Rescue, had apparently relented to taking in a mother dog and puppies after the animals’ owners threatened to kill them by throwing them off a bridge if the group refused. According to the report, the group “said they took the dogs into their care, but they don’t have an available facility for them.”
May 2022/Charlotte County, Florida: WINKNews.com reported that authorities had seized 11 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as All Creatures Safe Haven Inc., after they had been found “forced to live in terrible conditions.” One emaciated dog named Buddy reportedly weighed half his normal bodyweight, and “[i]nvestigators believe Buddy arrived a healthy dog and went downhill in the care of All Creatures Safe Haven.” A spokesperson for the animal control department said, “That’s why we had to intervene when we did and in hindsight, it was the right call because the dog was very close to death probably within a couple of days.” NBC-2.com reported that the “rescue” owner was Nicole O’Brien. A spokesperson for the animal control department reportedly said that all the animals found had shown “signs of neglect” and that a criminal investigation was ongoing.
May 2022/Portsmouth, Ohio: Portsmouth-DailyTimes.com reported that after a concerned neighbor contacted authorities because of “a horrible smell and an unnatural number of flies at the exterior windows of [a] residence,” they found the decomposing bodies of 19 dogs and seized 27 live “emaciated and dehydrated” dogs from the home. Some animals were reportedly roaming the home “over piles of trash and rotting waste, while others were in cages.” Samantha Damron reportedly told authorities “that she had attempted to rescue the dogs. Damron told officers she ‘worked for an animal shelter and she was taking dogs in attempting to care for them.’” Damron reportedly had a “history of employment as a veterinary technician.” She was facing 33 counts of cruelty to animals, and additional charges were expected to be filed.
May 2022/Nashville, Tennessee: NewsChannel9.com reported that residents were upset because a publicly funded animal shelter with “no-kill” policies, doing business as Metro Animal Care and Control, was routinely not responding to calls reporting cruelty to animals or animals at large, including dogs who were acting aggressively. A spokesperson for the shelter reportedly “admitted if they don’t have room at the shelter, they aren’t coming for the dog” and said, “[I]f we don’t have the capacity, we can’t take that dog in.” A spokesperson for a local nonprofit who had reportedly “been monitoring the situation for more than a year” said the group had noted “[t]errible complaints about dogs running at large, people being afraid for themselves, their dogs, their children, people being bitten, chased, scary things, things you don’t want to happen when you get out in the neighborhood on a walk with your dog.”
April 2022/San Antonio, Texas: KSAT.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as City of San Antonio Animal Care Services had a three- to four-month waiting list to accept animals from residents who could no longer care for them. A spokesperson for a private animal adoption group in the area said that the group was receiving 25 to 30 written requests every day from residents asking that it take in animals, but it was full and unable to accept more animals.
April 2022/Saginaw, Michigan: MLive.com reported that a dog who had been transferred to an animal adoption group from a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Detroit Animal Care had been found shot to death in a ditch with “duct tape around [his] muzzle and both sets of legs.” The dog had reportedly been trained at a prison before he was adopted by a corrections officer. According to the report, that officer later told authorities that the dog had “nipped at him, prompting [the suspect] to wrap him in duct tape, drive him out to the ditch, shoot him three times, and leave his carcass.” The suspect was reportedly “facing a felony [charge] for allegedly torturing and killing the dog.”
April 2022/Gilmer County, Georgia: CBS46.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Build an Ark Animal Rescue and charged its owner, Susan Littlejohn, with 14 counts of cruelty to animals “related to unsanitary conditions and animals being underweight and not properly fed.” The seized animals included “sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, rabbits, an alpaca, ducks, chickens and pigs.” A group that took in some of the animals reportedly said, “The donkeys probably are the worst because their feet are so bad.” No additional information was available.
April 2022/North Pole, Alaska: NewsMiner.com reported that authorities had seized “multiple animals” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Loving Companions Animal Rescue Inc. after responding to “reports of animal neglect.” According to the report, a board member of the group had contacted authorities after observing “sick animals (including a very sick boxer dog) as well as a wild hare, which is illegal to possess without a license.” The board member said that she and volunteers had asked the group’s owner, Donna Buck-Davis, to provide the dog with needed medical treatment, but it was not provided. The board member said, “I have never seen a dog look so bad in my life …. It was unbelievable.” The dog, a cat, and the wild hare were seized. According to the report, “[C]omplaints against Loving Companions and Buck-Davis have been building for years. Last year, a petition circulated to regulate non-profit shelters in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which was created specifically in response to Loving Companions.” The main complaints against the group were reportedly “that conditions in the shelter were unsanitary and overcrowded; a potentially lethal combination. … ‘I can’t tell you how many dogs have died,’ [the board member] explained.” No criminal charges had been filed at the time of the report. An investigation was ongoing.
April 2022/Charleston County, South Carolina: Live5News.com reported that authorities had seized 57 dogs from “a home that was set up as a dog rescue operation” after the owner had been hospitalized. Authorities reportedly obtained a search and seizure warrant and found dogs who “were being kept outside and inside a home” at the property. An investigation was ongoing.
April 2022/Stanwood, Washington: HeraldNet.com reported that when medical staff responded to an emergency call at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cockatoo Rescue and Sanctuary, they called authorities after seeing “the decomposed remains of some 50 birds” in outdoor enclosures. According to the report, responding authorities found two dogs and two birds inside the home, but “rescue” owner Lori Rutledge “wouldn’t allow them to be removed for care. Animal control obtained a search warrant and retrieved the animals. … Only one of the birds, a cockatoo, survived.” Rutledge, who had been transported to a hospital, died five days later. A spokesperson for the animal control department reportedly said, “There’s not enough remnants to investigate, and there’s no suspect to charge with a crime.” According to the report, “Private rescues harboring domesticated animals, such as cats, dogs and birds are unregulated, for the most part.”
April 2022/Alfred, Maine: NewsCenterMaine.com reported that state and local authorities had seized dogs and cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Saving Lives Animal Shelter. A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry reportedly said that the investigation was apparently ongoing and that the seizure was a result of “failed inspections and failures to comply with the standards established by the department for licensed animal shelters.” The shelter’s owner, Brenda MacKenzie, reportedly said that 47 animals had been seized. WMTW.com reported that MacKenzie said “that authorities had searched the house previously after reports that some of the dogs were sick.” A neighbor reportedly told the outlet that MacKenzie had asked her to “watch seven dogs. She showed up to find around 40 animals, dozens of crates stacked up, and animal feces on the floor. . . . She says that she called local animal control, the town code enforcer, and a nearby animal shelter.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group said that MacKenzie had fostered and then adopted a dog named Dolly from the group. “Months later,” she allegedly returned the dog. The spokesperson said, “Dolly was emaciated …. So much so that I rushed her immediately to Angel Memorial where they said she had been starved.” According to the report, “Animal Welfare would not provide comment, saying this is an ongoing investigation.”
March 2022/Las Vegas, Nevada: 8NewsNow.com reported that a pit bull who had been adopted from a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as The Animal Foundation of Las Vegas had been returned a year later in poor shape and “weighing half of what he originally weighed.” When the adopter returned the dog, a witness said the person “was getting confrontational not wanting to sign any surrender papers and simply claimed [the dog] was aggressive.” According to the report, the dog, who weighed 60 pounds when he was adopted, weighed just 25 pounds when he was returned. An animal adoption group was reportedly paying for his medical treatment and reported that veterinarians had said that “sores on his body are also a clear indicator he was forced to sleep on concrete for months.” The dog’s tail had to be amputated, and he was expected to “be at the hospital for a few more weeks.” According to the report, “The Animal Foundation tells 8 News Now they don’t do reference checks.” No additional information was available.
March 2022/Flagstaff, Arizona: AZDailySun.com published a report by a member of the advisory board of a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as High Country Humane that said that members of the community frequently ask why the facility “is always full and can’t or won’t take in more animals. I’ve heard people say they’ve been turned away by the staff. What’s the point of having a shelter if you can’t take in an animal when needed?” The response was that the facility is a “managed admission” shelter and that restrictive intake policies had evidently been made in a bid to improve the facility’s statistics.
March 2022/Hebron, Connecticut: NBCConnecticut.com reported that authorities had seized “up to 40 dogs, 22 cats, and at least one goat” from the property of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as CT Pregnant Dog and Cat Rescue. Its owner, Joann Connelly, was reportedly “arrested and faces multiple counts of animal cruelty.” LawAndCrime.com reported that state police described Connelly as a “licensed animal importer.” A state police report stated, “On March 23, 2022, a Department of Children & Families investigator requested assistance during a site visit for information received that the owner had moved and a large number of animals had been left behind …. [T]he conditions in the home were found to be deplorable and unsanitary and an overwhelming odor of urine and feces could be smelled from outside of the residence …. Officers observed numerous dogs in cages crammed throughout the house to include the basement.” A responding officer reportedly wrote that she “had difficulty breathing even while [w]earing an n95 respirator.” According to the report, authorities had received complaints about the “rescue,” including that Connelly had refused to allow a veterinarian to euthanize extremely sick puppies who were suffering and kept animals “in an ‘unclean, unhealthy and unsafe environment’ where the animals were ‘confined to crates’ most of the time.”
March 2022/Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Sun-Sentinel.com reported that a woman who was apparently fostering a dog for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Noah’s Rescue had sustained serious injuries after she was attacked by the animal. According to the report, the pit bull “was resting peacefully with his head in [the foster caregiver’s] lap. A short time later, with little warning, [he] attacked, biting her right hand, right biceps and right calf. … [The dog] probably shouldn’t have been eligible for [the woman] to adopt or foster. The shelter where he was housed had documented [the animal’s] bad behavior and medication. But the dog rescue serving as the middle man in the transaction, Noah’s Rescue, which is based on Fort Lauderdale, was under no legal obligation to share such information with [the foster caregiver].” The report went on to explain, “No one knows how many dog rescues are in Florida. No one knows how many dogs they receive, how many dogs they send out for fostering or adoption, and whether those dogs are fit to live with other animals or people. … And if the rescue meets the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services standard as a nonprofit charitable organization, it can solicit public donations and do almost anything it wants with the money. … Whistleblowers claim the donations are sometimes abused, or used for personal purposes such as jewelry and fancy dinners, as opposed to dog rescue business. They point to tax returns that show six- and seven-figure incomes and facilities and resources that don’t line up with such funding. In some cases, social media videos blur the line between properly using animals to solicit donations and exploiting animals to finance a lavish lifestyle. … [T]he lack of oversight grants dog rescues a loophole big enough to fit a busload of bad intentions.” One group doing business as 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida Inc. had reportedly “been investigated by the state for misuse of donations. That investigation resulted in 100+ reaching a $5,000 settlement in 2017.”
March 2022/Rutherford County, North Carolina: WLOS.com reported that authorities had seized more than 40 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Paws Ranch Equine Rescue Inc. According to the report, the “rescue” “was shut down in February amid an animal cruelty investigation. In total, 23 horses, 17 goats and a sheep were seized from the property. The owner, Delores Hanser is now facing multiple charges.” A representative of a nonprofit group that took in some of the seized animals reportedly said, “This is probably one of the worst cases of abuse and neglect I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing this a long time.” One of the horses later died. No additional information was available.
March 2022/Portland, Oregon: KOIN.com reported that “[o]ne of the founders of a Northeast Portland-based pet rescue and adoption organization is now facing federal fraud conspiracy charges more than a year and a half after Multnomah County animal authorities seized more than 100 animals from the organization. Tori Lynn Head is accused of charging Woofin Palooza customers ‘fake appointment fees,’ failing to reimburse payment for spay and neuter services, mislabeling animal drugs, and improperly charging customers to treat sick animals, according to court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News.” (See the May 2021/Portland, Oregon, entry for more details.) According to the report, “The latest accusations come as part of an ongoing list of legal trouble for Woofin Palooza, which had 117 animals seized from its property by Multnomah County Animal Services in August 2020. Court documents show the organization’s founders were charged with a combined total of 157 counts of second-degree animal neglect, 15 counts of second-degree forgery, and 13 counts of identity theft after Multnomah County Animal Services executed a search warrant of the property and seized 117 animals in 2020.”
March 2022/Madison, Ohio: WKYC.com reported that authorities had seized 145 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Holy Cat Whiskers after they were found apparently neglected. According to the report, “[I]nvestigators say many of the cats they discovered were emaciated and dehydrated. Because of the lack of quarantining, infections and viruses were rampant. One cat, named Braveheart, was in bad enough shape that he had to be euthanized.” Cleveland19.com reported that “investigators saw felines emaciated, dehydrated, with untreated skin conditions, flea infestation, conjunctivitis, ear mites, ear infections, and other conditions. … According to Lake Humane Society, most of the facility’s surfaces, including floors, walls, bedding, and toys were covered in nasal discharge and mucus as a result of the multitude of cats suffering from upper respiratory infections, forcing many to breathe through their mouths because their nasal passages were restricted by congestion and discharge.” The report included photographs of some of the animals who were seized. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered, but the investigation was reportedly ongoing.
March 2022/Springfield, Missouri: KY3.com reported that a selective-admission self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rescue One had announced that it was full and could not accept any additional animals. A spokesperson reportedly said, “Bottom line is, we have no space. None. Not even an open bathroom. As of right now we have 366 animals in our care.”
March 2022/Winchester, Virginia: WinchesterStar.com reported that “[a] woman who had two fingers amputated after being bitten by a pit bull at the SPCA of Winchester, Frederick & Clarke Counties has reached an undisclosed settlement, according to her attorney.” According to the report, the woman “sued the nonprofit organization in Winchester Circuit Court for $1 million last month …. The lawsuit states the pit bull, which was on a long leash, was being shown to another potential adopter as [the plaintiff] sat nearby. [The dog] got loose from [the] handler and [the plaintiff] was bitten on her ring and pinky fingers of her right hand when she raised it to protect herself. Besides the amputations, [the plaintiff] suffered ‘severe and permanent injury’ to the muscles, structures and tissues of the hand, which is her dominant hand. … Jennifer L. Gaylor, SPCA board of directors president, didn’t return emails on Thursday regarding how many people have been bitten since the new adoption center opened in 2015, whether the dog who bit [the plaintiff] was euthanized, and whether safety protocols have changed since [the plaintiff] was attacked. Executive Director Lavenda L. Denny didn’t return a call.”
March 2022/Lubbock, Texas: KXAN.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for seven years at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as The Haven Animal Care Shelter. According to the report, the dog had apparently been seized during a dogfighting raid in 2015 and suffered from a “damaged jaw” at the time. A spokesperson for the group said, “She had her jaw just hanging down and you could tell by looking at it that she’d have to have surgery and some extensive vet care.” The dog was reportedly “shy and cautious around new people,” and according to the group’s profile about her, she should not be around other dogs, cats, or children.
March 2022/Cincinnati, Ohio: WCPO.com reported that former employees of a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Cincinnati Animal CARE had alleged that the facility was unsafe because of dangerous dogs who were either warehoused or shuffled from temporary home to temporary home. In a recent resignation letter, a deputy dog warden reportedly wrote, “I saw far too many employees, volunteers, fosters and potential adopters bitten or attacked.” Another former employee said she quit “after witnessing several extreme safety concerns for the staff and the public as well as neglectful treatment of the animals there.” A worker who was recently attacked by a dog named Kraven was so badly injured that she required hospitalization. She told the outlet that she “learned she was not the first to be bitten by Kraven. In the two months leading up to her attack, internal notes obtained by the I-Team and authenticated by Cincinnati Animal Care, showed the dog was returned to the shelter by five different foster homes. In the last incident Nov. 9, Kraven bit an owner who was trying to break up a fight between Kraven and another dog. … According to the internal notes the I-Team obtained, Kraven was picked up as a stray on Oct. 4, and was labeled a ‘flight risk’ after he ‘took three days to capture.’ On Oct. 11, he was returned from a foster home for ‘just being too hyper.’ On Nov. 1, he was returned for ‘separation anxiety and not getting along with owner’s cat.’ On Nov. 9, Kraven ‘bit the foster’ who tried to pull him out of a dog fight. And on Nov. 26, a staffer noted Kraven ‘can eat through a door and get out of any room.’ Kraven attacked [the worker] three days later.” After the attack on the worker, he was reportedly euthanized. According to the report, records indicate that there were “32 reported dog bites among [the facility’s] foster-care placements last year.”
March 2022/Emporia, Kansas: KVOE.com reported that a public shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Emporia Animal Shelter was full and would not accept any additional animals. The media outlet reported that it had received “a number of complaints from community members, who say they have been advised [by workers at the shelter] to leave stray animals alone and the animals will find their ways home.” A spokesperson for the facility told the outlet that residents who needed to surrender animals would be placed on a waiting list and charged a fee. When the shelter was full, residents who found lost and homeless animals in need of help were reportedly being told to “return the animal to the place [he or she] was found because [the animal] might find [his or her] way back home.” According to the report, “Recently, the shelter had calls about potential surrenders, one involving 14 puppies and another involving 16 puppies, which management declined. One recent conversation with a pet holder resulted in a kitten being thrown at staff.”
March 2022/Clarksville, Tennessee: FOX17.com reported that authorities had seized 94 cats from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Cats Are Us after they were found apparently neglected. According to the report, “A veterinarian checked each animal and found many of the cats were sick, including some with feline aids. At least one cat was too sick to save.” According to the director of Montgomery County Animal Care and Control, “The cat was extremely ill, [he or she] was paralyzed, we had tried to treat [the cat] for a couple of days, our veterinarian did the best she could with [the animal] but ultimately [he or she] wasn’t able to be helped.” The group’s owner was reportedly cited for aggravated cruelty to animals. TheLeafChronicle.com reported that “[d]uring the investigation of the nonprofit, many cats appeared to be sick and malnourished, and their surroundings were severely unkept, the citation states.” The group’s president, Suzanne Harpel, was cited in connection with the case.
March 2022/Maryville, Tennessee: WATE.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for six years by a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Blount County Animal Shelter. Volunteers reportedly said the animal shouldn’t be around other dogs or children.
March 2022/Bay Minette, Alabama: FOX10TV.com reported that a dog in need of urgent medical care had been left tied to a fence at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as North Baldwin Animal Shelter. According to the report, workers at the facility said they received “a message from the owners saying they were moving and couldn’t take him with them.” The facility’s director reportedly said it was at capacity and that “sometimes they have to turn pets away.” The dog was receiving veterinary treatment “for various issues,” according to a public post made by the facility.
March 2022/Saucier, Mississippi: WLBT.com reported that the operator of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Deep South Animal Rescue was “facing more than two dozen charges after more than 30 dead dogs were found on her property.” According to the report, “rescue” operator Jessica Collins was “accused of one felony count of animal cruelty and 30 misdemeanor counts of simple animal cruelty.” A woman who visited the property reported, “Several of the deceased animals had been burned, while others were in trash bags …. When she asked Collins—who also goes by the name Jessica Gallaspy—about it, she was reportedly told that the dogs were attacked by a bobcat …. When [the woman] got to the Saucier property, she said she found a stack of filled garbage bags covered in flies and smelling like death. She also found an emaciated lab in a shed with no ventilation or food and water. Near the dog was a dead buzzard, she said.” According to the report, “[M]ore than a dozen dogs [who] are still alive were turned over to Humane Society of South Mississippi. … According to court documents, Collins also surrendered 14 dogs she was holding on a property in Pass Christian. She bonded out of Harrison County Adult Detention Center the same day she was arrested.” A court date had been set in the case.
February 2022/Raleigh County, West Virginia: Register-Herald.com reported that county officials had announced that “Raleigh County Animal Control will not be taking 911 calls regarding aggressive or stray dogs and cats.” Animal control officers had evidently been taking animals to an area facility that has “no-kill” policies, which had announced that it had no room to accept any more. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “We have no space …. There’s no available cages. There’s not a spot to put an animal,” and county workers reported that they had been told not to take any animals to the facility. Another spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “The public is really generous …. In turn, we are turning away dogs they’re bringing in.”
February 2022/Oakland, Florida: FOX13News.com reported that a volunteer at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida Inc. had been mauled to death by a dog. Another woman, who tried to help stop the attack, was injured. The wife of the woman who died reportedly “said the dog pulled [the volunteer] to the ground by the arm and attacked her.” Authorities removed and euthanized the dog. No additional information was available.
February 2022/Winona, Texas: KETK.com reported that authorities had seized 38 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Dog Days Ranch and Rescue and charged its owners, Tina Loper and Eric Morris, “with eight counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals, with two of those charges being felonies due to the death of the dogs.” According to the report, an “affidavit stated that the majority of dogs on the property had either no water; or no clean drinking water, empty food bowls and were living with large amounts of old and new feces in their enclosures. One of the kennels had the entire roof inside which the affidavit states limited the dog’s movement and was a hazard to the animal.” Eight dogs were found suffering from “serious health conditions,” including open wounds, parasitic infections, bloat, and injuries. KLTV.com reported that one dog had been found “with drool coming out of her mouth, sagging skin and a visible skeletal structure with heavy discharge around her eyes. The dog later had to be euthanized.” KETK.com later reported that one of the owners had allegedly said that the animals “were fed every three days.” A nonprofit group that assisted with the seizure reported that “the dogs were in various stages of medical neglect ranging from severely wounded, starvation, limping, infections, and swelling of feet and limbs.”
February 2022/North Charleston, South Carolina: Live5News.com reported that authorities had seized 44 cats “from an unsafe situation” after they were apparently found hoarded by “a person who was taking in feral cats.” No additional information was available.
February 2022/Austin, Texas: SpectrumLocalNews.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Austin Animal Center (AAC) had announced that it had “run out of kennels for medium and large dogs. Usually, AAC has some kennels held for sick or injured dogs and dogs that may pose a risk to public safety, but those are full as well. … AAC is asking the community to work with their neighbors if they find a loose dog and to bring them home.” It was also planning an adoption event where animals would be given away for free.
February 2022/Lemont, Illinois: Patch.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Ruby Whiskers Animal Rescue had given two puppies to a woman who said she would foster them. The animals were reportedly handed over to the woman at a “transport facility” after they had been imported from Kentucky. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that sometime later it “sent the foster family medicine after being told the pups were sick …. But after the foster parent said that one of her kids accidentally fell on the puppy and injured the pup’s leg,” she then allegedly said “she cannot afford to pay for vet care and cannot afford the adoption fee for the pups, which is $500 per dog.” She also allegedly refused to return the animals. The group’s spokesperson reportedly “said when she contacted the police, she was told nothing could be done because the issue was civil, not criminal.”
February 2022/Maryville, Tennessee: WATE.com reported that authorities had seized more than 60 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Kitty Kamp after they were found languishing in “filthy conditions.” They were taken to a public animal shelter, where a spokesperson reported that “quite a few” of the animals had upper respiratory conditions and “a lot of them are dehydrated. We ended up having to put some of them in the oxygen chamber to try and help them get better.” The DailyTimes.com later reported that “[t]wo of the sickest cats died right away and three others had to be euthanized because they were deemed too far gone to save. One of them had a broken pelvis and couldn’t walk,” according to a spokesperson at the public shelter where the animals were receiving care. According to the report, “A cat who had no teeth was among the group as well as many [who] were dehydrated.” Sixteen of the cats were reportedly being treated for ringworm, and seven were receiving treatment for serious upper respiratory infections. No charges had been filed in the case.
February 2022/Miami, Florida: Local10.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Miami-Dade Animal Services was refusing to accept lost and homeless animals. A resident said that she took in a dog after he was found being attacked by another dog on the street. She said she spent months trying to find the animal’s owner but was unsuccessful and that the dog didn’t like cats. Because she lived with a cat, she said she could no longer keep the dog at her home. When she took the animal to the shelter, she said, “They told me they were not taking any dogs …. And that I had to put stuff online and try to find the owner, and I said I did.” She apparently took the dog back home but returned to the facility at a later date. According to the report, “After waiting for over an hour, she was told she would be put on a waiting list. She explained she was leaving town and had nowhere to take the dog.” She said she was required to “email them my travel plans,” before the facility would make an exception to its turn-away policy. According to the report, shelter officials said that “this policy will remain in effect moving forward.” (See the January 2022/Miami-Dade County, Florida, entry below for more information.)
February 2022/Mexia, Texas: KCENTV.com reported that 11 dogs had died in a fire at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Limestone Animal Rescue Adoption Shelter.
According to the report, animals who died included a dog who had recently given birth and “nine of her puppies.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said “the fire department hasn’t made a final decision on what caused the fire, but their two suspicions are a golf cart that was plugged into a wall socket that may have shorted or a heat lamp that could have fallen over due to wind.”
February 2022/Knoxville, Tennessee: WVLT.tv reported that an elderly dog warehoused by a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Young-Williams Animal Center had been adopted and returned four times in 11 months. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that the dog would likely do best in “a house without any other pets.”
February 2022/Muskegon, Michigan: WZZM13.com reported that an elderly dog had “spent eight years getting shuffled around in the shelter system.” She had been transferred to a Michigan group from Florida in September 2021. A spokesperson for the group said that she had “been in the shelter her entire life.”
February 2022/Broward County, Florida: Sun-Sentinel.com published an op-ed by the mayor of Hillsboro Beach that described dangerous turn-away policies at the county’s publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Broward County Animal Care and Adoption. According to the piece, the county had established a “no-kill goal” in 2012. The mayor asserted, “Shelter accomplishments quoted as percentages are … misleading as they are a function of the number of animals admitted to the shelter. This shelter administration limits intakes in many ways.” She expressed concern that “strays are no longer accepted from well-intentioned citizens and law enforcement. Instead, shelter administration unilaterally decided strays must be housed by those who find them for 72 hours before the shelter will accept them.” She continued, writing the following:
Obviously, the living arrangements of a good Samaritan may not be conducive to keeping a found animal for three days, and local police stations don’t have the facilities or personnel to care for animals [who] need to be contained, fed, watered and exercised. This is the job of our county shelter, which is funded annually with $8 million from taxpayers. Also, the shelter now refuses animals, saying municipalities must have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the county in order to bring in strays, meaning municipalities must pay to use the shelter, even though it’s taxpayer-funded. An officer rescuing a dog from drowning is told to return the dog to the street because there is no MOU on file. Per shelter employees, the new directive to return animals to the street comes straight from shelter management. Even animals removed from hoarding situations are expected to be taken elsewhere without shelter assistance. These are not isolated instances; they are ongoing tactics to keep intake numbers artificially low. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is that thousands of animals are suffering because of shelter mismanagement. Animals inside the shelter are not cared for properly; animals needing a home are left on the street; and response to animal abuse reports is virtually nonexistent.
January 2022/Louisville, Kentucky: SpectrumNews1.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Animal Care Society was full and not accepting animals. According to the report, the facility had nearly 100 animals on a waiting list to be admitted. According to its website, the group charges fees to accept animals and only accepts healthy ones who have been assessed and deemed “adoptable.”
January 2022/Salina, Kansas: KSAL.com reported that a dog who had been adopted from a self-professed “no-kill” public animal shelter doing business as Salina Animal Services had been “severely beaten and starved,” evidently by the new owner. Responding to a report about possible cruelty to animals, an animal control officer reportedly found the dog “clinging to life” after she was apparently “nearly beat[en] to death. She has multiple skull fractures, two detached retinas, and other possible neurological damage. The dog also was in an emaciated state. It is believed she was intentionally starved. The severely injured dog was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.” Authorities were investigating. No additional information was available.
January 2022/Sumter County, Florida: Villages-News.com reported that Sumter County officials planned to “revisit the county’s year-old no-kill shelter policy,” because, as one commissioner asserted, “The (no-kill) policy that the majority of commissioners approved last year has been a disaster …. Of 94 dogs in the shelter, he said, 25 are considered friendly and adoptable.” Another commissioner reportedly “said 107 animals were in the shelter Tuesday morning, including 21 held for three months, 16 for six months and two for a year [and that] the county should replace no-kill with a socially conscious shelter policy.”
January 2022/Miami-Dade County, Florida: MiamiNewTimes.com reported that a resident who had rescued a homeless dog found roaming a neighborhood had taken the dog to a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Miami-Dade Animal Services. There, she said, she witnessed “a line of people with dogs … being turned away.” She was also turned away. “They were the denying everyone that was in the line …. It resulted in one person tying [a dog] up to the fence and trying to leave,” she said. She also alleged that a worker at the facility had told her to put the dog back where she had found her and said “hopefully [she’ll] go back home.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group in the area reportedly said the group had “fielded daily calls and texts from people” who had found lost or homeless animals and been turned away from facilities tasked with sheltering animals that claimed to be full.
January 2022/Mentor, Ohio: Cleveland19.com reported that a 9-year-old dog had been warehoused for more than half of his life at a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Lake Humane Society and Adoption Center. According to the report, the dog had been transferred to the facility from another facility in Ohio and had “lived in a shelter for five years.” The dog was apparently aggressive toward other animals, as the group advised that he “would prefer to be the only animal in the home.”
January 2022/Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania: WTAE.com reported that “about a dozen” cats had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Angels Journey Home Animal Rescue. Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.com later reported that “[i]nvestigators say the fire started in an enclosed porch due to a propane heater.”
January 2022/Orangeburg, South Carolina: WYFF4.com reported that a puppy had died after he or she was left outside a public turn-away facility doing business as Orangeburg County Animal Control and Shelter. According to the report, security footage showed “what appeared to be a woman dropping off the animal in a pen” at approximately 3 a.m. Lawn maintenance workers found the animal dead later that morning. On its website, the county facility states that it will not accept animals from residents who can’t or won’t care for them and that “pet owners are responsible for finding homes for their unwanted pets.”
January 2022/Pensacola, Florida: PNJ.com reported that 39 dogs and a chinchilla had been surrendered to authorities by a self-professed animal “rescuer” after they were found neglected. According to the report, a first responder reportedly “said the conditions of the premises were ‘dirty’ and the dogs all had ‘some significant level of neglect.’ The owner had several 10-by-10-foot outdoor kennels that some of the dogs had tunneled underneath to get to other kennels. [M]any were malnourished. ‘Many had worms and other parasites that could have been prevented with basic medical care,’” according to the first responder. Authorities were reportedly “continuing to investigate the case,” but no charges were pending at the time of the report. No additional information was available.
January 2022/Cheyenne, Wyoming: KGAB.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies that was partially funded with public monies and doing business as Cheyenne Animal Shelter had “announced that they’re at capacity with intakes and are having to waitlist surrenders.”
January 2022/Wayne, New Jersey: TapInto.net reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Wayne Animal Shelter had been accused of not providing a dog who had been transferred there from a facility in North Carolina with adequate care. The dog was allegedly sick and scheduled for euthanasia when the New Jersey shelter transported him there three months before the report. According to an area resident and former employee of the New Jersey facility, who shared photos with the outlet, the dog had become emaciated during the three months at the shelter. According to the report, “The former Wayne Animal Shelter employee is turning to a lawyer for help, looking to force the shelter’s hands through the threat of criminal charges and make them let someone else … take care of the dog.” The mayor was reportedly looking into the allegations.
January 2022/Effingham County, Illinois: WCIA.com reported that a van that was transporting 58 dogs and cats from Texas for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Texas Rescue Riders in Wisconsin had crashed in Illinois and “rolled several times.” According to the report, a cat was missing after the accident and the Effingham County Animal Control shelter was full and unable to accept animals after rescuing animals from the crash site.
January 2022/Houston, Texas: HoustonChronicle.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Harris County Pets had “closed animal surrender intakes through the weekend due to its critical capacity level reaching an ‘all-time high,’ shelter officials said … in a Facebook post.”
January 2022/Branford, Connecticut: NHRegister.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies, partially funded with public monies and doing business as Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter, had announced that it was full and could not accept any more dogs. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that “almost every other call is someone threatening to dump their animal outside if her shelter doesn’t take them in” and that workers were “seeing a lot of critters being abandoned outside. We’ve just picked up more bunnies that were dumped outside and guinea pigs and hamsters,” she said. A spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” facility in the community doing business as The Animal Haven reportedly said, “Every day I get about 14 calls of animal surrender or animal abuse or animal dump …. We have absolutely no room. We have the most dogs we’ve ever had. I have a waiting list that’s huge.” She also said that she’s “received calls from people threatening to dump now-unwanted animals. A recent caller said they would simply chain a dog outside for someone else to find if [the facility] didn’t take the animal.”
December 2021/Las Cruces, New Mexico: KFOXTV.com reported that three of six dogs who attacked and killed a 6-year-old boy had been foster animals from a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley. All six dogs were euthanized after the attack. According to the report, a state legislator was “advocating for stricter fostering guidelines and awareness” at animal shelters in response to the boy’s death. CrimeOnline.com reported that the 6-year-old was killed “after walking into an enclosed dog cage at his grandfather’s Lac Cruces property. . . . According to police, the enclosed cage housed around six foster dogs on the property.” They reportedly also noted that, when he was found, the child had “cuts in his neck and chest.”
December 2021/Pace, Florida: WEARTV.com reported that some of a woman’s 12 dogs had allegedly escaped a yard, killed a cat, and attacked a pig, whose ear was torn off. She told the outlet that before the attack, she had tried finding homes for a number of the dogs, including by taking them to an animal shelter, which turned them away because it was full. Authorities were investigating the animal attacks.
December 2021/Vallejo, California: SFChronicle.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Ratical Rodent Rescue said the group had stopped accepting owner surrenders and was “turning people away every single day.” According to the report, “Still, people continue to reach out on social media or by phone, asking if they will take their animals. Some continue to dump their pets at shelters’ doorsteps.”
December 2021/Imperial, California: KYMA.com reported that a private group with “no-kill” policies had announced that it was full and that “the situation is so bad, they have to turn pets away.” The group was partially funded with public money and was doing business as Humane Society of Imperial County.
December 2021/Palmhurst, Texas: ProgressTimes.net reported that “Palmhurst City Council wants a self-styled ‘animal rescue’ organization to stop operating from a house” in the community. According to the report, “Members of the Franklin All Animal Rescue Team—an organization managed by Maria ‘Marisa’ Wade, 49, of Palmhurst and Jesus Meave, 61, of Palmhurst—keep dozens of dogs in homemade kennels near the house. The Palmhurst Police Department cited Meave in June for operating a dog kennel within 50 feet of nearby homes, but he didn’t shut down. During a meeting on Friday morning, the City Council authorized the city attorney to take legal action. . . . ‘I fought with the animal control, I fought with the code enforcement, I fought with the judge,’ Meave said. He also had problems with the McAllen Police Department, which arrested Meave on theft and gambling charges in September 2016.” Authorities in McAllen had reportedly “also received a complaint against Meave that accused him of participating in dog fighting.” It was later reported that the city of Palmhurst had sued Meave “and his landlord, Ramon Garcia,” contending that “[Franklin All Animal Rescue Team] is operating a dog kennel in violation of city ordinances.”
December 2021/Sierra Vista, Arizona: KOLD.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Nancy J. Brua Animal Care Center had announced that it was full and would “not accept owner turn-ins of dogs or cats until further notice.”
November 2021/Horn Lake, Mississippi: LocalMemphis.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Horn Lake Animal Control Services had announced that it was full and not accepting owner surrenders. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that because it was turning away animals, “people are dumping their dogs at the shelter after hours one to two times a week.” She also “said dogs are piled up in kennels, hous[ed] in the office, the restrooms, and 26 dogs have to sleep outside. … ‘We have dogs in play yards, we have dogs across the street, we have dogs in the office [and] we have a dog in the bathroom right now.’”
November 2021/Fargo, North Dakota: ValleyNewsLive.com reported that a selective-admission facility doing business as Homeward Animal Shelter was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “[W]e have to say no to quite a few animals who are needing to be re-homed by their owners because we just don’t have the space.” According to the report, “Staff have been forced to stack crates throughout the building in an effort to house more” animals and “[t]he overflow has left one dog to live in the hallway, and forced three staff members to share their office with 10 cats and counting.”
November 2021/Waynesboro, Mississippi: WTOK.com reported that a judge had ordered a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Wayne County Animal Rescue to “shut down and cease operations.” The judge reportedly also charged one of the group’s owners, “Ryan Mills, with two counts of animal cruelty” and “ordered the group to disband their board of directors and forbade them from conducting any animal rescue operations.” ClarkCountyTrib.com reported that a nonprofit group alleged that Ryan Mills had “been charged with beating and shooting dogs.” He and Yvonne Mills were reportedly also ordered not to possess animals for 15 years. No additional information was available.
November 2021/Smithtown, New York: Newsday.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter had a “waiting list to surrender cats for adoption [that] now has 20 names on it.” There was also a waiting list to surrender dogs. A spokesperson for the facility also stated “that town animal control officers are encountering stray animals that appear to have been recently abandoned …. These include a domestic rabbit, a bird and numerous cats that ‘come right up’ to the officers.” She said, “They’re looking for someone to take care of them.”
November 2021/Murray, Utah: FOX13Now.com reported that a turn-away facility doing business as the Humane Society of Utah had “reported for the second time in two weeks, that large groups of cats have been abandoned in boxes at their facility, leaving the animals in potential danger.” Recently, workers had reportedly twice found “boxes of cats and kittens outside of the administrative office.” According to the report, “Attached was a note describing the desperate situation the guardian was in leading to abandoning the animals.” According to its website, the group requires appointments, charges fees to accept some animals, and refuses to accept homeless cats and many other animals. According to the report, a spokesperson for the group said that “animal abandonment appears to be on the rise locally as animal shelters, rescues and even private businesses have reported dogs, cats, rabbits, and small animals being left at their doorsteps in recent months.”
November 2021/Denver, Colorado: Denver.CBSLocal.com reported that “[s]ome Colorado pet rescue organizations have become multi-million dollar puppy importers. A CBS4 investigation found protections, for pets and people, haven’t kept up.” Nick Fisher, who oversees the enforcement of the state’s Pet Animal Care Facilities Act, reportedly said that 37,000 dogs had been imported into Colorado last year by self-professed animal “rescues” and shelters. According to the report, “some of the biggest rescues, he says, import dogs with little—if any—knowledge of the health risks they pose. . . . Fisher says interstate trafficking of dogs has led to new diseases and parasites in Colorado. . . . Fisher has just eight inspectors and investigators for 2,300 pet care facilities, and he says, they get 700 complaints a year. Through an open records request, CBS4 found reports of delayed treatment, overcrowded foster homes, disease outbreaks and poor sanitation. In one case, a rescue dog exposed as many as 25 people to rabies. The same rescue is accused of providing fosters with expired, mislabeled and unlabeled medications that an investigator said could have had ‘catastrophic results for fostered puppies.’” The report concluded, “While most rescues are nonprofits, that doesn’t mean they don’t make money. In part two of our series, CBS4 will tell you how much money they make and how far some rescues will go to get puppies.
November 2021/Tampa, Florida: FOX13News.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill for space” facility doing business as the Humane Society of Tampa Bay had announced that it was “doubling up dogs in kennels and turning cats away because the shelter [was] completely full.”
November 2021/Canfield, Ohio: WKBN.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for five and a half years at a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Animal Charity of Ohio. According to the report, two additional dogs had also been warehoused there for five years and were being given away for free. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that animals routinely spend years at the facility. According to the report, “Some have special needs or diets and some of the dogs don’t do well with children, other dogs or cats.”
November 2021/Erie, Pennsylvania: ErieNewsNow.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as the Erie Humane Society was full and “no longer accepting any cat intakes.” Other area adoption groups were reportedly also full.
November 2021/Elrose, Saskatchewan, Canada: CBC.ca reported that the owner of a self-professed “no-kill” “cat rescue” doing business as Sask Alley Cats Association had been found guilty of “animal distress.” According to the report, “In January 2019, officials … searched the 400-square foot home of Dolores LaPlante, which also operated as a non-profit rescue called Alley Cats, and found it overcrowded and in disarray. They apprehended 106 cats, two dogs and a turtle, leaving about 20 cats behind because they couldn’t catch them. In a Facebook post on Nov. 3, the animal protection service called it a ‘cautionary tale of unethical animal rescue practices.’ . . . Animal protection officers described the inside of the home as ‘filthy’ with air quality so poor it caused lingering respiratory and skin symptoms. . . . [T]he court ordered LaPlante pay a [CA]$400 fine for the animals under distress in her care and she is now restricted from owning more than two dogs and three cats, according to Animal Protection Services. ‘Having a big heart is not a defence under the Act,’ the judge wrote. ‘Having over 100 cats in a 400-square foot house is undoubtedly too many.’”
November 2021/Carthage, Missouri: JoplinGlobe.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as the Carthage Humane Society had “been at maximum capacity since early August” and was turning away animals. According to the report, the facility used to have a program in which “people could donate money so when good Samaritans found a litter of puppies in a cardboard box or a dumped dog on a lonely county road, they could drop off the dog at the shelter without having to pay the fee.” However, a spokesperson for the facility said the fund had “been defunct for months now.” Other facilities in the area had also reportedly seen a recent increase in the number of animals needing care. A spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” animal adoption group doing business as Golden Paw Animal Sanctuary and Rescue reportedly said, “We always take our animals back, but lately we have had to retrieve our abandoned animals from other shelters and animal control more times than I can count, not to mention the ones brought in by owners after only a few months. The number of animals coming in from horrible conditions keeps getting higher.”
November 2021/Bristow, Oklahoma: FOX23.com reported that authorities had filed charges against Tanya Dee Stice that included “cruelty to animals, neglect, and failing to dispose a dog.” According to the report, Stice claimed to run two self-professed animal “rescue” groups doing business as Redoing Rescue and Rescued Heirlooms. Neither group was reportedly “registered with the state as a business or a non-profit.” The charges were filed after the owner of another self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as A Lab for Life Rescue left a dog in Stice’s custody in a foster arrangement. Stice reportedly later told the group’s owner that the dog had died. When the owner went to retrieve the dog’s body from Stice, she claims to have found poor conditions and videotaped “dismembered dogs tossed in a pile of trash on Stice’s property.” The video footage was apparently shared with authorities. According to the report, Stice was “due in court Nov. 19.” No additional information was available.
November 2021/Anniston, Alabama: WBRC.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for six years at an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Calhoun County Humane Society. According to a public post by the group, the dog was “fussy about other dogs and likely best as an only pet.”
November 2021/Colorado Springs, Colorado: KRDO.com reported that authorities had seized 17 dogs and 30 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as New Hope Rescue Inc. According to the report, “The Department of Agriculture began looking into complaints of neglect and cruelty at the shelter. New Hope Rescue’s previous director, Joann Roof, was charged with animal cruelty, neglect, or mistreatment on Aug. 23, 2020, and she had also been charged with nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in 2014. … The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region tells KRDO that five new charges of animal cruelty came to light in September. … New Hope Rescue’s license was suspended under the Pet Animal Care Facilities Act (PACFA), prompting Thursday’s seizure. In total, 17 dogs and 30 cats were taken from the Colorado Springs shelter.” (See the January 2021/Colorado Springs, Colorado, entry below for more details about this group.) KRDO.com later reported that “New Hope Rescue’s Director Joann Roof and veterinarian Frederick Smith both face multiple animal cruelty charges.” Smith was facing five counts in relation to five dogs found in poor condition, including “multiple … seen with their ribs and hip bones showing. One dog had a large open wound to the right side of [the] neck, and lacerations around [the] neck consistent with something being tied around the neck either too tight or possibly for too long. A third dog was incessantly coughing.” During the recent investigation, two dogs were also found “locked inside of a shed behind the animal rescue with piles of feces throughout the animals’ living area. ‘[A dog] was laying on his side and his head was shaking involuntarily back and forth, when animal law enforcement called the animal by name, [he] did not respond,’ said animal law enforcement in the affidavit for Roof and Smith. … New Hope’s vet told animal law enforcement he did not believe in distemper tests and that he doesn’t even order them.”
November 2021/Carroll County, Tennessee: WBBJTV.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as the Carroll County Humane Society was full and not accepting any animals. This was reported in a news story in which a spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that dogs and cats should not stay outside during the winter and that “it’s heartbreaking every year when she receives a call of an animal who has died due to the cold weather.”
October 2021/Palo Alto, California: AlmanacNews.com reported that authorities had charged three employees of a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Pets in Need with cruelty to animals and animal neglect after seven puppies died in a hot van that was used to transport them. The puppies had reportedly been picked up with about 20 other dogs and puppies from an open-admission animal shelter. “The van lacked air conditioning in the rear cargo area, and the employees did not provide water for the dogs during transport. The temperature in the Central Valley that afternoon was in the range of 90 to 100 degrees, police said.” When the vanload of animals arrived at Pets in Need, seven puppies were found “unresponsive.” Veterinary staff allegedly tried to resuscitate the puppies but were unsuccessful. According to the report, “The employees are Patricia Santana Valencia, 40, of East Palo Alto, Margaret C. Evans, 36, of Fremont and Ingrid Anne Hartmann, 45, of San Carlos.” Pets in Need is reportedly “Palo Alto’s contracted animal services agency.”
October 2021/Columbus, North Carolina: WLOS.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Foothills Humane Society was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “Every single cage is full. We don’t have an empty cage.” She reportedly told the outlet that “the shelter is so full, it’s currently unable to accept owner surrenders. She said they get seven to eight calls per day of people asking to surrender their [animal companions], and the humane society’s waitlist has grown to more than 35 names on it.”
October 2021/Lodi, California: FOX40.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Animal Friends Connection Humane Society was full and asking the public to stop leaving animals in need of care on its property. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “They’ve left them on this backdoor, they’ve left them in our driveway. … They leave them at the bottom of the walkway. … We’ve had over 90 cats and kittens dumped on us this year. … Please don’t continue to dump these animals. … We just cannot afford to care for [them] anymore. I mean, we don’t have the resources.” The group was reportedly referring people to open-admission public animal shelters.
October 2021/Muskegon, Michigan: WOODTV.com reported that state authorities were seeking to remove 47 wolf-dog hybrids from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Howling Timbers Animal Sanctuary. The owner of the facility Brenda Pearson, had reportedly been “charged with possessing a dangerous animal causing serious injury and possessing a wolfdog without a permit. Muskegon County prosecutors are raising three main issues: safety concerns, alleged animal neglect and the sanctuary’s lack of permits to house the animals. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources raided the Howling Timbers last year after a young girl, one of Pearson’s granddaughters, sustained an injury that cost her her arm.” According to the report, “A [Michigan Department of Natural Resources] conservation officer testified to the alleged neglect of the animals, saying two of the wolfdogs were not receiving adequate medical treatment at the time of the raid last summer. ‘I observed a white wolfdog on the ground in a kennel, not moving. I had to check if [the animal] was breathing,’ Conservation Officer Anna Cullen said. ‘I could immediately smell rotting flesh.’” At the time of the report, a judgment hadn’t yet been made in the case regarding the disposition of the animals.
October 2021/Helena–West Helena, Arkansas: LocalMemphis.com reported that Reta Merritt Roberts, the director of a self-professed “no-kill” facility, partially funded with public monies and doing business as Humane Society of the Delta, had been “arrested and charged with 285 counts of aggravated cruelty to a dog, cat, or horse, which is a Class D Felony” and that the facility had been shut down. According to the report, authorities “found inhumane conditions” at the facility when they responded to a call and “found several dogs in wire kennels outside in the ground, rodent holes by the kennels, and an overwhelming smell of feces and urine inside. … The next day, police said two volunteers who had worked at the shelter several times reported seeing animals mistreated, neglected, and sometimes physically abused by workers.” When they executed a search warrant, authorities reportedly “found 240 dogs and 45 cats, many malnourished and some suffering from infected open wounds. Investigators said several of the animals were in their own excrement and urine, and several rats, both alive and dead, were around the property. They said inside the mobile home where Roberts lived with her family, there was feces and urine throughout …. They said a child appeared to also have several insect bites.” WREG.com reported that authorities removed the “child from the address, living in [what] was described as ‘filth’ and notified the Department of Human Services.” According to the report, the “operation comes after months of complaints from volunteers and the public about conditions at the ‘no kill’ shelter and an extensive investigation by the city. ‘The purpose of this facility was originally set up to be the animal control for our city and our county and that has failed miserably in recent years,’ Mayor [Kevin] Smith said.”
October 2021/Lebanon, Indiana: NewsandTribune.com reported that one of five dogs who fatally attacked a woman was being fostered by her son for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Lucci’s House Bully Rescue. According to the report, “all five [of the dogs] were reportedly found to have blood stains around their mouths” on the day that Loretta Moore was found dead at her son’s home. Moore bled to death, according to the county coroner. Authorities also revealed that “[p]art of her arm was missing and has never been found. … Evidence indicated she tried to escape the attack.” According to the report, “One of the dogs was a pit bull [who Moore’s son] had fostered for about a month for Lucci’s House Bully Rescue of Indianapolis. The county reached an agreement with the … group and released [the dog called] Chance to its custody last month.” The agreement included a stipulation that the dog would not be allowed back into the county. The other four dogs were returned to the son with restrictions on their care and keeping.
October 2021/Cincinnati, Ohio: Local12.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility, partially funded with public monies and doing business as Cincinnati Animal CARE, had “been over capacity since May 18.” A resident told the outlet about the difficulty he had finding a facility in the area that would accept a homeless cat and kitten. “‘[A cat and her kitten] were out there and they looked pathetic and just miserable. They needed some care,’ said Cameron Adams. Cameron and his wife Laura rescued the mother cat and her baby and kept the pair at their home because finding a safe place for them to go was nearly impossible. ‘It was hard. It was like nine different places we called, and nobody would take them,’ said Laura.” The public animal shelter eventually accepted the animals, according to the report.
October 2021/Bellville, Ohio: MansfieldNewsJournal.com reported that a woman convicted of cruelty to animals for the neglect and deaths of six dogs had “received the dogs from a rescue program.” According to the report, “Cara Welty received two years of probation at her sentencing. … In August, Welty pleaded guilty to three felony counts of cruelty to companion animals. … The incident happened in July 2019.” At that time, a dog warden reportedly “found three emaciated dogs in a fenced-in yard and three dead dogs inside the residence. One of the dogs was found in the basement, one in the garage and one in the kitchen. Assistant Prosecutor Olivia Boyer said one of the dogs had tried to reach a bag of food that sat on a shelf in the garage. Three other dogs, two Great Pyrenees and a Chow-mix that were in the yard, had no food and only stagnant rainwater in a kiddie pool. The temperature was 86 degrees that day with a heat index of 91.” An earlier report revealed that “Welty began volunteering with a rescue group for Great Pyrenees in 2014. She fostered some dogs and helped transport them to new owners.”
October 2021/Cordele, Georgia: CordeleDispatch.com reported that authorities had found more than 40 cats in cages “stacked haphazardly” inside a U-Haul truck. According to the report, “Once police arrived on scene it was determined that a total of forty-one cats was being held together in a total of two squirrel traps, two cat traps and four dog crates with nothing more than bungee cords keeping them from sliding and falling. According to the officers on scene, the cats had no food, limited water, no litter boxes and [were] covered in each [other’s] feces and urine to the point that the smell was overbearing. Most of the water containers had been spilled and held no water for the cats to drink. The trailer was extremely hot and stuffy due to it not having adequate air or ventilation.” The three people transporting the animals reportedly told authorities that they “were in the process of moving with the cats from Florida to Iowa” and that “they were planning on letting the cats loose on a farm due to all of the shelters being on a waiting list and not accepting them.” The animals were signed over to authorities, and the individuals were “issued several citations for the treatment and the condition the cats were in.”
October 2021/Morgan Hill, California: MorganHillTimes.com reported that authorities had charged Brenda Andringa with “three counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of failing to give proper care and attention to an animal.” Andringa, the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as South Bay Rabbit Rescue, was reportedly “forced to surrender 112 rabbits to the animal shelter following an investigation.” According to the report, an investigating officer “found numerous rabbits [at the “rescue”] suffering under the hot sun with no shade in dirty, cramped cages. ‘I observed several empty or dirty water bowls, and litter boxes full of feces and urine,’ says the animal control officer’s report found in Andringa’s criminal court file. ‘(A witness) showed me several rabbits he was concerned were near death from the heat.’ The officer gave the rabbits fresh water and noted in the report that the temperature at the time was 90 degrees. . . . Two of the current charges against Andringa are related to the illness and subsequent death of [a rabbit named] Hare-cules. A witness alerted animal control that the rabbit was ‘suffering from a maggot-infested, untreated wound,’ says the investigation report. … Hare-cules died of his wounds. . . . The charge of cruelty to animals in the DA’s July 6 complaint says that Andringa ‘subjected (Hare-cules) to needless suffering and inflicted unnecessary cruelty upon the animal, and abused the animal, and failed to provide the animal with proper food, drink and shelter and protection from the weather.’” The investigation report noted that “Andringa has also been named on a ‘no adopt’ list held by county animal control since 2017.”
October 2021/Enoree, South Carolina: WNCT.com reported that after a couple rescued a dog who was found tied to railroad tracks near their home, they couldn’t find an animal shelter that would accept the animal. The couple, who reportedly already had four dogs in their care, couldn’t keep the dog, whom they said they found purposely tied to the tracks with a leash in knots after they followed the sound of his frantic barking. According to the report, “Jennifer Winkelman said she tried repetitively to surrender the dog to local animal care spots, but kept coming up short.” She then posted a plea on social media, which evidently compelled an animal adoption group to accept the dog. Authorities were investigating to try to determine who tied the dog to the tracks, but no suspects were identified.
October 2021/Okeechobee County, Florida: WPTV.com reported that authorities had arrested Brian Peffer on “22 counts of cruelty to animals and one count of obstruction of justice” after animals were found neglected “at an unlicensed animal rescue operation” that he was running. According to the report, some dogs found in a fenced area had sustained injuries and “[t]hree other dogs found in a small 5×5-foot style utility shed raised suspicions. According to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), the heat index inside that area measured 85 degrees and the heat index outside was rising to 93 degrees. No food or water source was found, nor were the dogs able to get out of the trailer to urinate or defecate as the floor was thick and saturated with feces and urine. … Investigators already knew about an additional 20×6-foot office-style building located further back on the property. Investigators questioned Peffer about the barking dogs and at first he denied having any animals in the building. However, he reluctantly took investigators to the building where they located 19 more dogs, ‘living in complete squalor without leaving the structure.’ According to OCSO the smell of urine and feces was ‘extraordinarily pungent’ and the floor was thick with feces and urine. Investigators noted that maggots were present.” Thirty-three dogs and two chickens were reportedly surrendered to authorities.
September 2021/Lower Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a cat and kittens had been “placed in a cat carrier and thrown in a dumpster at a business.” When the carrier was found, only one kitten was still alive. He or she was taken to an animal adoption group and died there. According to the report, “Carbon County Friends of Animals shelter in Jim Thorpe has upwards of 150 cats and is not taking any more. [A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that she] understands overrun shelters are almost everywhere you look these days, but dumping animals is not the way to go. ‘It’s hard right now for everyone, but it’s not the way to do it. You have to be very patient and keep trying to call shelters and rescues. Sometimes vets might be able to help you or private rescues. The thing is to have patience right now,’” she said. She also reportedly explained that kittens found outdoors are often brought to shelters in bad shape and added, “‘[D]on’t throw your cats outside. Some of the kittens, I mean, one came in with half a leg, and it’s just, it’s horrible. It’s horrible.’” The report suggested, “If you are having trouble finding a shelter to take in any animal, shelter managers ask that you keep trying.”
September 2021/Camden, Delaware: DelawareOnline.com reported the following:
First State Animal Center & SPCA in Camden has faced over 300 violations from the Delaware Office of Animal Welfare this year related to the transport of 83 dogs from an animal rescue in Arkansas. The violations resulted in more than $12,000 in fines, but Director Jon Parana said they’d do it all over again if they had to. “We were told if they weren’t rescued they were going to be euthanized,” he said. “And if there’s 85 dogs that are going to die … and we’re there at the spot, we’re going to do our damndest to save them.” The dogs arrived at First State on Feb. 14, and after receiving three complaints including allegations of “improper transport, inadequate staffing and medical care provided, and disease transmission,” animal welfare officers inspected the shelter Feb. 27. They found 301 violations of Delaware’s Shelter Standards Law, to include:
- 83 counts of invalid health certificates.
- 64 counts of failure to adhere to veterinary protocol.
- 51 counts of failure to perform intake exams within three days of arrival.
- 103 counts of failure to maintain records.
A staff member at the facility reportedly said that 19 of the dogs from the Arkansas transport had died, apparently from disease.
September 2021/Roseburg, Oregon: NBC16.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center, which has a contract to provide Douglas County with sheltering services, was “temporarily suspending intake of healthy cats and kittens.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that “in order to make sure we are able to provide proper care for the cats in the shelter and save more lives, we must temporarily close our cat/kitten intake. … [W]e do not even have any open cages available if we were able to take in more cats or kittens.”
September 2021/Oak Park, Illinois: ChicagoTribune.com reported that a limited-admission facility doing business as Animal Care League was full. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We are getting constant phone calls of people trying to return their dogs, cats and rabbits …. It’s like families who’ve had a dog for like five years, and all of a sudden, they can no longer care for [the animal] or keep [him or her].” According to the report, staff members would “begin a ‘cycle of calling’ and try to direct the animals elsewhere” when they received calls seeking help. “In severe situations (of owner surrenders) we do what we can, but if we don’t have the space, we just cannot take them,” the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for another turn-away facility in the area, doing business as South Suburban Humane Society, reportedly said that that facility was “seeing animals being returned for other reasons: namely, the economy,” according to the report, which went on to say, “Shelter workers say owners surrendering animals often say they can no longer afford to care for them.”
September 2021/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: KFOR.com reported that after repeated problems with a neighbor’s dogs, a resident told the outlet that “there are 13 dogs who live in that house, and she has filed over 22 complaints just within the past three months.” She said she had visited the public animal shelter doing business as Oklahoma City Animal Welfare, which has “no-kill” policies, and “filed charges on them and all they got was a $100 ticket …. The animal shelter does not want to take these dogs because they literally told me they’re overpacked.” An 8-year-old girl was reportedly “recovering after [the same] dogs attacked her and her grandmother … and members of the community say it’s not the first attack. The girl … is currently out of the hospital after being attacked on Monday. She had to have her ear stitched back in three places. She and her grandmother … received bites and bruises as well.” A neighbor reportedly said, “I heard screaming …. She had multiple dogs attacking her, biting her in every which direction, and the first thing I did was go straight to her.” According to the report, “Another neighbor came armed with a baseball bat, and had to use it to fend off the dogs after they came after him. … Another neighbor told KFOR that she has also been bitten by the dogs. She says she has had to create a higher fence just to protect her family. News 4 called animal control three times but could not speak to anyone in person.”
September 2021/Franklin Township, Pennsylvania: TNOnline.com reported that the owners of four cats who had been kept for six days in carriers after a fire at their residence told the operator of an animal adoption group that “they called veterinarians, shelters and rescuers, but couldn’t get an appointment.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly “said the cats were in carriers, which the owners claimed to be cleaning every other day. ‘But I can tell you right now they (the cats) were in about 4 inches of urine when we got them,’ [she] added. ‘So, their legs are burned—laying in urine. It’s horrendous.’” According to the report, “One cat died over the weekend.” The group’s spokesperson reportedly said that “three out of the four cats had second- or third-degree burns. ‘There is one that was burned in the facial area,’ [she] said. ‘They’re going to need extensive hydrotherapy for weeks on their paws. … They’re getting antibiotics, IV fluids. … [T]here is going to be a lot of work involved with the hydrotherapy a couple times a day in order for them to walk,’ [she] said.” She reportedly “said she isn’t sure if charges will be filed.”
September 2021/Corpus Christi, Texas: KRISTV.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Rural T.A.N.K. Rescue told the outlet that it was receiving an increase in calls for help and “we’re to the point where we’re having to turn people away.”
September 2021/Saginaw County, Michigan: ABC12.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Saginaw County Animal Care and Control Department had announced that it was no longer accepting animals, including lost and homeless ones found in the community. According to the report, “State guidelines indicate the building should house only 90 dogs, they currently have 135 in their care right now.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that animals were being housed in offices and the lobby and that she had told “law enforcement agencies that [the shelter] can no longer take in animals.” The shelter was reportedly “overflowing for a few reasons, including a number of abused dogs and cats that are victims in criminal cases.” The spokesperson said that “some of these animals are coming in to us with urgent medical care [needs], we had a dog with a face full of cancer, we’ve had animals that have broken limbs that have healed incorrectly, they are suffering, and I don’t know what the answer is, other than someone couldn’t get them the medical care they need or were embarrassed.” She reportedly said that some dogs had been sent to self-professed animal “rescue missions” and that the facility had “an adoption sale going on.”
September 2021/Alexandria, Indiana: HeraldBulletin.com reported that authorities had seized 94 animals and a child from a woman who told them “she was running an animal rescue on the property.” According to the report, Nancy L. Clemmer had “been charged with Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent, Class A misdemeanor neglect of a vertebrate animal and Class C infraction, harboring a non-immunized dog. Her 13-year-old daughter, who was described as ‘filthy and had what appeared to be animal feces on her,’ was removed from the home and placed into foster care July 29. The live animals, including three pigs, 21 dogs and 21 guinea pigs, were sent to [animal adoption groups] throughout Central Indiana. An undisclosed number of dead animals also were found around the property. Police described the home as being filthy with feces and urine, and several dead animals were found in and around piles of trash that in some places went so high that the living animals didn’t need to climb on furniture to reach countertops. The unsanitary conditions, including the odors, forced public safety officials to wear hazardous material suits. … ‘This is the worst of anything I’ve seen because there were so many live animals, but there was a fair number of dead animals,’ said [Chief Terry] Richwine, who has been in law enforcement about 45 years.” Clemmer had reportedly “previously been ordered to abate properties where she lived in Long Beach, California, and Niles, Michigan.” The Indiana property was condemned, and she was facing criminal charges of neglect.
September 2021/New York City, New York: NYPost.com reported that Emily Dyson, the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Waldo’s Rescue Pen, had “allegedly been fostering out seriously sick animals, and several have died on her watch, sources said. In one case, four puppies died together of the highly-contagious but treatable canine parvovirus, said Michaela Mele, a former employee and board member. … ‘[T]hey never saw a vet,’ Mele insisted.” According to the report, “Waldo’s periodically brings dogs from Southern states. . . . The taxpayer-funded Animal Care Centers of NYC no longer works with Waldo’s, said spokesman Katy Hansen, who would not explain why.”
September 2021/Flagler County, Florida: WFLA.com reported that “Flagler County sheriff’s detectives said while investigating whether the operator of an animal rescue was illegally selling prescription drugs, they found dozens of animals in filthy conditions on the property, many of them very sick.” The self-professed animal “rescue” was doing business as Save A Furry Friend Animal Rescue, Inc. According to the report, “A total of 46 animals were confiscated from the rescue, though one kitten was dead at the scene, and three others have since died. Several surviving animals have no eyesight, even no eyes, due to untreated upper respiratory infections. … Officials said the rescue operator has previously been accused of adopting out sick animals and said the animals she currently had were all suffering from some kind of illness.” A detective reportedly said, “They were deplorable conditions, filthy, unfit for animals to be in.” PalmCoastObserver.com reported that Sheriff Rick Staly said, “Here’s a lady that uses innocent animals to support her drug-dealing by using them to purchase prescription medications and sell the drugs to human customers for personal use …. This is also why you should always thoroughly check out all non-profits you support to make sure they are legitimate. This was a sad situation for all the animals involved but I’m glad to see they’ve been taken to safety.”
September 2021/Albuquerque, New Mexico: KOB.com reported that an employee of a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department had recently been mauled by a dog who had been deemed safe for adoption at the facility. According to the report, “Throughout the summer, past and former employees and volunteers reached out to 4 Investigates, asking KOB 4’s team to look into the situation, inside the city’s animal shelters, that is turning ordinarily non-aggressive dogs into dangerous ones. ‘My level of concern is very high. I left my job, so I can speak out for the animals of Albuquerque,’ said Deana Case, a former Animal Welfare Department employee. . . . Case believes the dog mauled this shelter employee because [he] had lived in an untenable situation for too long.” Case said that the dog “had been there for months without enough exercise, no enrichment level human contact” and that “the employee had nearly three dozen punctures, the dog nicked a vein and the employee was taken away by ambulance …. Deana Case, along with several others, told KOB 4 dogs are becoming more stressed because of two major issues: there are simply not enough people to care for all the animals and there are just too many animals.” The report went on to reveal that “[m]ore videos and photos show the shelters violate the city’s own animal laws. … [A] photo of the thermostat last winter shows the temperature inside the kennels significantly below” what the law requires.
September 2021/Albuquerque, New Mexico: KRQE.com reported that “[p]eople stepping up and doing the right thing by picking up strays and taking them to Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department are being turned away. … Right now, there are more than 800 animals being housed in the city’s three shelters. Since they are so crowded, strays are being accepted by appointment only.” A resident told the outlet that when she called the facility about turning in a stray dog, she was told that it was “at 100% capacity” and that she’d have to make an appointment. She was also told that there were “twelve other appointments lined up for surrenders.”
September 2021/Jacksonville, Florida: FirstCoastNews.com reported that authorities had removed 74 live cats and a dead one from the home of a man who told them “he had tried reaching out to the Jacksonville Humane Society and some other places and that he had been unable to get any help,” according to an incident report. An investigation reportedly found sick and thin cats. Some animals “had feces encrusted in their fur and others had discharge coming from their eyes.” An investigator reported that first responders “had to leave the area due to trouble breathing and irritation.” The owner of the animals reportedly had to ask “for help surrendering the animals because he said he was on a fixed income, according to the report.” The public animal shelter doing business as Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services is a self-professed “no-kill” facility that evidently requires fees to accept animals from owners who are unable—or unwilling—to care for them.
September 2021/Orlando, Florida: MyNews13.com reported that 17 cats had died in a fire at a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. According to the report, 45 cats and 26 dogs survived. Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire. No additional information was available.
September 2021/Brunswick, Georgia: TheBrunswickNews.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Glynn County Animal Services had announced that it had “put a temporary hold on accepting owner surrender of pets and healthy stray animals because there is no room.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “The number of animals needing care at our shelter is increasing steadily, but our adoption and foster numbers are not keeping pace …. We’re also competing for transport opportunities with thousands of other shelters across the South. Everyone is overwhelmed right now.”
September 2021/Revere, Massachusetts: Boston.CBSLocal.com reported that a man had pleaded not guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals after authorities alleged that he had “chained his dog to a steel rod at a Revere beach last weekend and, as State Police said, left him ‘to the mercy of the next high tide.’” The accused reportedly “told reporters after his arraignment Tuesday that he got the dog from a friend in Virginia just six months ago, but was having issues with him and couldn’t get a shelter to take him.” According to the report, “His dog ‘Killer,’ a 50-pound pit bull mix, was found chained to a rebar rod on Short Beach in Revere on Sunday. There was also a heavy rock attached to the thick metal chain to prevent him from escaping. ‘The dog was at risk of drowning in a couple of hours if he hadn’t been found,’ State Police said, noting that during certain parts of the day, that portion of the beach is completely submerged by the rising tide.” The dog survived and was reportedly scheduled to be examined by a veterinarian. Another hearing was scheduled in the case.
September 2021/Los Angeles County, California: LATimes.com reported that private animal shelters and adoption groups in the community had been overwhelmed with requests for assistance since the public animal sheltering system, doing business as Los Angeles Animal Care and Control, had implemented a “managed intake” policy. A spokesperson for one of them reportedly said the group was “getting four times more emails and calls since the county implemented managed intake.” She added that “she hates turning on her computer each day and being met with emails from people who have found cats, brought them to the shelter and been turned away. ‘We’re just bombarded every day with people trying to give up animals we don’t have room for,’ she said.” A self-professed animal “rescuer” reportedly said that she and others had “witnessed people dumping house cats at feral colonies since managed intake started” at the public shelters. According to the report, “L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said constituents have been calling her with concerns about the appointment system.”
September 2021/Beaumont, Texas: 12NewsNow.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill rescue” doing business as the Humane Society of Southeast Texas was “at almost maximum capacity” and “had to limit taking in certain animals such as large dogs and kittens.” An employee reportedly “said the no-kill shelter has been at capacity since he started working there nine years ago” and the area was “also seeing a high number of stray animals recently.” According to the report, “The Humane Society of Southeast Texas has not been able to transport animals to other Texas shelters, due most of them being at maximum capacity.”
September 2021/Shelter Island, New York: ShelterIslandReporter.TimesReview.com reported that authorities had “arrested Stephanie J. Bucalo, 64, at 6:48 p.m. on Aug. 31, charging her with 18 counts of ‘animal cruelty, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance.’” At the time of the report, Bucalo was listed on an online animal adoption site as the cofounder of a self-professed animal “rescue” group in Shelter Island doing business as Sweetest Dog Rescue. According to the report, “Police reported that the 18 dogs were ‘subjected to urine and feces … [and] severe untreated medical conditions requiring euthanasia.’ … The house has been the subject of complaints from neighbors for years about multiple dogs barking and howling at all hours of the day and night. It was shuttered by the Shelter Island Police and Building departments Aug. 27, and the 18 dogs were removed and put into shelters. The Town’s building inspector determined the residence to be unsafe on Aug. 27 for entry and put up placards saying the residence was not to be occupied. . . . Two years ago, residents packed a Town Board meeting to air complaints about hearing barking, howling, yelping, whining—constantly—for years at the North Ferry Road residence.” No additional information was available.
August 2021/Woodsfield, Ohio: TheIntelligencer.net reported that a private animal shelter, apparently with “no-kill” policies, doing business as Crossed Paws Animal Shelter was “at full cat capacity.” According to the report, “Crossed Paws Animal Shelter fields daily calls from people wanting to drop off cats at the facility; however, the shelter is at full capacity with dozens more on a waiting list. Shelly Young, shelter coordinator, said when people call in the staff directs them to other shelters or asks if they would like to be added to the wait list, which currently has between 20 and 30 animals waiting for a space. In April, a new addition was added to the facility. The Kitty Pit Stop is designed to accommodate additional cats, but that area is also full.” Young reportedly said that the facility receives “multiple calls and messages every day” from people who are concerned about homeless cats who need help.
August 2021/Hollywood, Florida: Local10.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for six years by a self-professed “animal rescue and sanctuary” doing business as Paw Patrol Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. According to the report, the dog, called Sunny, had “spent most of her life” in the group’s custody. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that Sunny had been in its custody “for about six years or so, [and] five of those years she’s been stuck at boarding .… [W]e can’t get good exposure for her in boarding because she looks so sad …. She looks as if she’s not having a good time, and people don’t want to adopt a dog that looks sad.” Sunny reportedly “prefers to be the only animal in a house,” and “there probably shouldn’t be kids in the home either.”
August 2021/Perry, Georgia: 41NBC.com reported that two animal shelters, apparently with “no-kill” policies, had announced that they were full. A spokesperson for one of the facilities, which is doing business as Friends of Perry Animal Shelter, reportedly said that the group had received “about 50 surrender calls this past weekend alone. ‘We just can’t take them all,’ she said. ‘We simply don’t have the manpower or the room to care for that many animals. … I know it’s very frustrating when you have an animal that you need help with, and it seems like nobody wants to help you,’ she said. ‘It’s not that we don’t want to. We would love to be able to help every single animal out there, but right now we’re doing all we can, and it feels like a very uphill battle.’”
August 2021/Chattanooga, Tennessee: NewsChannel9.com reported that an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as McKamey Animal Center, which is partially funded with public monies, had “announced … that it is at max capacity and will not be able to accept animals on a non-emergency basis.” The facility’s executive director, Inga Fricke, reportedly said, “We’ve saturated the market for homes that are available to take in either adopted pets or fostered pets.” According to the report, Fricke said that “there are some regions of the country that would actually help the shelter out and take some of their animals, but they’re experiencing the same phenomenon.”
August 2021/Lowndes County, Georgia: ValdostaToday.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Lowndes County Animal Shelter had “been at capacity for several months now and as a result will no longer accept owner turn in of pets through Thursday, September 30, 2021. . . . Lowndes County will reevaluate the pet owner turn in policy on October 1, 2021.”
August 2021/Independence Township, Michigan: ClickOnDetroit.com reported that authorities had seized 100 animals, including 16 dead cats, from the home of a couple who told them that “they were providing ‘care’ for the cats as part of their [involvement] with a rescue organization.” According to the report, the animals included “82 cats, five dogs, eight ferrets, four rabbits and one bearded dragon. The animals were ‘living in highly unsanitary conditions and showing signs of illness,’ Animal Control officers said. Of the 82 cats, many were in distress because of high temperatures in the home, authorities said. The home lack[ed] air conditioning and air flow, so it was even hotter inside than the temperatures in the 80s outside, according to officials. Nine of the cats were dead at the scene, two died while being transported and two died overnight at the shelter, officials said. Veterinarians had to euthanize three more cats because of an infectious disease, authorities said.” Freep.com reported that the “resident and her husband told the animal control officers at the scene that they were involved with a cat rescue organization” and that “[t]his case remains under investigation.”
August 2021/Volusia County, Florida: News-JournalOnline.com reported that authorities had fined a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Journey’s End Animal Sanctuary. (See the January 2020/Volusia County, Florida, entry below for more details.) “for failing to provide humane care after reportedly ignoring a volunteer’s concerns for the health of one of the facility’s cats, officials said. Mary Van Buren, a Daytona Beach resident, told officials she’d been volunteering at the sanctuary for about a month when she adopted Star, an approximately 13-year-old cat, according to the citation issued Aug. 23. In July, about a week after adopting Star, who was found to have myriad untreated health issues, Van Buren ‘decided to have her euthanized to end her misery.’ Van Buren told officials she’d expressed concerns multiple times about Star while at the sanctuary, according to the citation.” According to the report, a settlement agreement that had been reached in June 2020 between Volusia County and Journey’s End “paved the way for animal services officers to conduct semi-monthly inspections for a year, followed by quarterly inspections with the nonprofit receiving 48 hours’ notice.” The settlement “came about five months after 16 animals were removed from the property, as recommended by a veterinarian, to receive ‘medical and/or behavioral care that [was] not being provided by the facility.’ … Officers have performed 15 announced inspections since reaching the agreement, and ‘instances of non-compliance with both the agreement and the county’s animal ordinance’ were observed each time,” Gary Davidson, a county spokesperson said. “Violations have included: ‘failure to routinely provide rabies vaccinations, county licenses and adequate care for the animals located at the property.’” No additional information was available.
August 2021/Tuscola County, Michigan: MichigansThumb.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies, doing business as Tuscola County Animal Shelter, was “currently not accepting surrendered cats.” According to the report, the shelter was full. “In times like these, the shelter will usually reach out to rescues and foster homes to alleviate some of the pressure on its facility. But right now, these places are also filled to the brim with felines and cannot accept any more.”
August 2021/Lubbock, Texas: EverythingLubbock.com reported that an animal adoption group said that it was helping to rehome more than 40 dogs from a man who could not care for them and claimed that he’d contacted public and private animal shelters with “no-kill” policies in the area but that all of them had turned him away. According to the group, “the man attempted to reach out to Lubbock Animal Services, the Lubbock Police Department, several surrounding shelters and many other places just to be turned away. ‘He was told some of the rudest most hateful things people can say about dogs such as to just take them to the country and let them loose, tie them up so people will feel sorry for them and save them, just to leave the gate open to the property to let them go, etc.,’” a spokesperson said. Some of the dogs reportedly suffered from “hair loss due to fleas and some have possibly a little mange.” They were apparently receiving treatment. No additional information was available.
August 2021/Jackson, New Jersey: Bronx.News12.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” housing mostly wolf-dog hybrids and doing business as Howling Woods Farms and its president, Michael Hodanish, had “been cited by federal regulators for violating animal welfare regulations. . . . USDA Spokesperson R. Andre Bell says, ‘A routine inspection was performed on 7/22/21 in which the facility was cited for only feeding the wolf/dog hybrids every other day instead of daily.’” According to the report, Hodanish “has now reversed his controversial feeding policy, telling staff and volunteers to feed the animals daily as the law requires.” (See the June 2021/Jackson, New Jersey, entry below for more details.)
August 2021/Southington, Connecticut: WFSB.com reported that Abigale Jones, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Tenderheart Rescue, had again been arrested. (See the November 2020/Bristol, Connecticut, entry below for details on the previous case.) This time, Jones “was charged with [the] sale of an underage kitten and second-degree violation of conditions of release.” According to the report, a woman had filed a complaint after adopting a kitten who she was told was 8 weeks old and in good health. “Veterinarian paperwork, however, showed the kitten to be closer to 6 weeks old at the time. Before that was determined, the woman said she took the small kitten home on July 27 and noticed [he or she] appeared weak and had difficulty eating solid food. The kitten was found dead on Aug. 2. … Jones was arrested on Aug. 17 when she turned herself in to Southington police. She was held on a court-set bond of $50,000. Jones was arrested last November in connection with the deaths of multiple kittens [who] were in her care. . . . That case is still going through the court system.”
August 2021/Chandler, Arizona: FOX10Phoenix.com reported that at least 13 dogs had died in a fire at a home that had been “used as a dog shelter” by the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Cruz’s Crusaders. According to the report, the fire “led to the removal of dozens of animals from the home. … According to officials with Chandler Police, 40 dogs were found inside the home, and at least 13 did not survive. . . . Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Jason White said fire, along with the dogs inside, presented challenges to fire crews. ‘That just really changed the dynamics of the fire,’ said White. ‘In addition to what they found and suppressing the fire and getting control of it, we had numerous amounts of dogs running around that we had to get out and provide treatment for.’” AZFamily.com reported, “Firefighters and responding officers say they found around 40 dogs inside the home, which also operates as a shelter. The shelter, Cruz’s Crusaders, is operated by Andrea Smith, Chandler police confirmed. Police didn’t say how badly the surviving dogs were hurt. … Chandler police said the Arizona Humane Society is working with officers to investigate possible issues regarding the care of the dogs at the shelter, but the fire has made it difficult. No one has been arrested.” No additional information was available.
August 2021/Baldwin, Maryland: WMAR2News.cm reported that authorities had seized an additional 44 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Don’t Be a Bully Rescue. (See the July 2021/Baldwin, Maryland, entry below for more details.) According to the report, “The majority were suffering from symptoms of canine distemper—a highly-contagious and deadly respiratory virus. Others appeared dehydrated, emaciated or underweight. A litter of the puppies in the group also tested positive for parvovirus. Unfortunately 12 of the 44 dogs have since died. . . . Back on June 28, the county recovered an additional 48 dogs from the same organization. Of those, 15 died from similar illness. In total 92 dogs have been recovered from ‘Don’t Be a Bully,’ 27 of which have died.” No additional information was available.
August 2021/Laurel, Mississippi: WDAM.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Laurel Jones County Animal Rescue League was “over capacity and is currently on a no-intake restriction.”
August 2021/Key Biscayne, Florida: IslanderNews.com reported that a group that sterilizes and reabandons homeless cats doing business as KB Community Cats said that it had found a home for a cat named Lion. Apparently a spokesperson for the group said, “Lion was fostered as a kitten then adopted by a resident who signed paperwork saying they’d keep him indoors and [give him] proper medical care and food. But the new owner soon after abandoned Lion, leaving the cat to fend for himself for food, drink and protection from the weather. Pleas to the adopter were ignored. Over Memorial Day weekend, Lion was badly wounded on his face and eye. Residents reported seeing teenagers in golf carts laughing, screaming, and using air guns to shoot birds, squirrels, and wandering [domestic animals], like Lion, who is friendly and would have run toward any human thinking he’d be fed. Our volunteers rushed over to find Lion badly wounded. We made arrangements to take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist. The adopter was notified and he came to claim Lion, saying he’d get the necessary medical treatment. He did not. Instead, he said he gave Lion a friend, who put [the cat] in the cage and abandoned him in Kendall. Lion has not been seen since then. It pains us to think about how much has suffered, alone, scared, in a small cage in a strange place, with such a severe wound in his face and eye. . . . . Lion is not the only cat [who] has suffered on Key Biscayne. Another cat that lived on Mashta Island was confirmed shot, paralyzed, and later died. There are two more cats missing. And, there are numerous reports of young kids in Key Biscayne spitting on cats, and kicking them.”
August 2021/Edinburg, Texas: BigCountryHomepage.com reported that a public animal shelter that claims to be “on a journey to maintain ‘no-kill’ status” and is doing business as Palm Valley Animal Society was “preparing for an incoming wave of surrendered animals due to the end of the national eviction moratorium, and … asking for the public’s help in caring for the excess animals.” According to the report, residents were asked to, among other things, “leave animals that look healthy and are not in immediate danger alone. When finding a stray animal in the street, it may be best to leave [him or her] there. … Sometimes they may be used to living in that environment.”
August 2021/Las Vegas, Nevada: KTNV.com reported that the CEO of a self-professed “no-kill” public animal shelter doing business as The Animal Foundation had announced her retirement “amid intensifying pressure and criticism of shelter operations.” According to the report, a petition had been posted online expressing concerns about policies at the facility, including the following:
- “The shelter, which is paid millions in tax dollars, is turning away strays and delaying or preventing owners from reclaiming their pets or adopting animals by requiring appointments, which can be backlogged for weeks.”
- “Despite getting a $1.25 million PPP loan in February, The Animal Foundation is understaffed, cages are filthy, animals are being neglected and staff are overwhelmed.”
- “Despite local laws, they are adopting out animals that have not been spayed or neutered.”
August 2021/Pomona, New York: LoHud.com reported that authorities had served “a search warrant related to an ongoing investigation” at a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Hi-Tor Animal Care Center, Inc. According to the report, “Rockland County Executive Ed Day … said the county had expressed concerns about operations at the nonprofit.” The supervisor of one town in the county reportedly said, “We have wanted answers on how taxpayer money has been spent …. There are concerns that are disturbing and troubling.” According to the report, “Tension among the board, staff and volunteers have been a hallmark of the nonprofit. In 2018, many volunteers quit after a shelter manager was fired by the board for ‘abandonment.’ The manager said he had gone to the county offices to inform Day about concerns over safety and working conditions at the facility. There have been reports of ringworm outbreaks among cats and overrun trailers.” No additional information was available.
August 2021/Mason City, Iowa: IowaCapitalDispatch.com reported that a facility doing business as Humane Society of North Iowa, which boasts that it’s “considered one of Iowa’s largest ‘no-kill’ shelters,” was “at capacity for certain animals and is running out of space as they continue to receive requests to take new animals.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “Right now, we have over 100 cats in our care, and we literally do not have any open kennels …. We have cats in every nook and cranny of our shelter and so we don’t have room for more. We have a waiting list of cats [who] are waiting to come to our shelter.”
August 2021/Pittsburg, Kansas: MorningSun.net reported that Jasmine Kyle, director of a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Southeast Kansas Humane Society, had told Crawford County commissioners, “‘In March of 2020, our intakes started to skyrocket as more and more individuals lost their jobs and could no longer afford to feed their pets. In just two days we had reached our full capacity.’ Kyle said that they stayed that way for many months, meaning they could not take in any more animals, which resulted in having to turn away families and [companion animals] in need. ‘That did not stop them from dumping animals in our roads, or tying them to the property late at night,’ she said. ‘It finally came to a boiling point when 12 defenseless, adolescent dogs were thrown into the nearby river system just down the road.’”
July 2021/Augusta, Georgia: AugustaChronicle.com reported that Willene Colvin, the owner of a self-professed animal “non kill rescue” doing business as Save the Animals Rescue Society, Inc., had been “sentenced to 10 days in jail and several dozen dogs were removed [from] her home … after an emaciated, sick dog was found in her care.” Colvin had reportedly “been on probation since April on a prior animal-related charge. One of the conditions of her probation was not to be cited again, but on July 1 she was charged with animal cruelty. Alyssa Shelton, a senior animal control officer with Augusta Animal Services, testified she found a dog named Cinnamon unable to walk, emaciated, missing fur and covered in fleas in a doghouse at Colvin’s home. The dog appeared about 20 pounds underweight, but has gained 10 back since Animal Services took her in, Shelton said. Shelton said Colvin continued to advertise puppies online and had given inspectors a runaround when they tried to check conditions at her home, another condition of her probation. Animal Services estimated some 60 or more animals are at Colvin’s property but had not been allowed to enter the home.” After Colvin was sentenced, an animal adoption group reportedly removed approximately 20 dogs from her property, and “Augusta Animal Services personnel continued to load more in city vehicles well into the afternoon.” According to the report, “Colvin had long been a … member of the Augusta Animal Control Board, which took issue with leadership at Animal Services over the years [who] pushed to reduce euthanasia rates and employ rescue groups to save the animals. She served on the panel … that rewrote the animal services ordinance in 2015.”
July 2021/Lake County, Florida: FOX35Orlando.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” cat “rescue” doing business as Purrrfect Angels Cat Rescue had announced that it was “drowning in veterinary bills, which has pushed it to stop taking in cats.” According to the report, the group had an outstanding bill at a veterinary hospital totaling $44,000.
July 2021/Morganton, North Carolina: WBTV.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Animal Services Center for Burke County had announced that it was full and was turning away animals. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that residents who couldn’t or wouldn’t care for their animal companions were encouraged to “keep the [animal] or find a rescue group or foster homes that can help, though, she says, those agencies are filled up as well.”
July 2021/New Orleans, Louisiana: FOXNews.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Zeus’ Rescue said that she was “turning away 10-15 animals daily.”
July 2021/Hawaii County, Hawaii: CivilBeat.org reported that county leaders were “looking for a new animal control vendor after severing ties” with a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Hawaii Rainbow Rangers (HRR). According to the report, “Complaints about HRR in the local media said that HRR’s rigid no-kill stance led to overpopulation in the three shelters, at which several hundred animals are housed.” Hawaii County Police Chief Paul Ferreira reportedly explained to county council members “that HRR simply wasn’t up to the job …. The vendor’s inability to provide the services such as timely responses were the reasons the relationship ended.” The news report revealed, “According to the county, a temporary moratorium on animal intake is now in place, and animal control services are limited to the care of animals currently in facilities.” WestHawaiiToday.com reported, “The rigid no-kill stance has ultimately led to current overpopulation in HRR’s shelters. Multiple sources confirmed that the shelters are at or over capacity …. ‘I saw cats missing half their face,’ said one worker. ‘Mary Rose [Krijgsman, the group’s president] and others refused to euthanize,’” the worker said. According to the report, “Numerous allegations were made by current and former HRR workers including misused funds, illegal independent contractor agreements, unhealthy shelter conditions and unpaid bills, among other concerns.” A council member reportedly said, “If we need to be euthanizing animals because there are too many, then it’s unfortunate. … In the photos I’ve seen and the conditions that they are in, it borders on if it’s really gracious and ethical to keep them alive.”
July 2021/Miami-Dade County, Florida: ABCNews.Go.com reported that self-professed animal “rescuer” Cheryn Smilen “has been sentenced to 364 days in jail for animal cruelty after hoarding cats and allowing them to starve inside her apartment …. Smilen fed street cats nightly and began hoarding them inside the small efficiency apartment. Neighbors told investigators they would often hear the cats scratching and crying at the windows, but they never saw Smilen. A horrible smell eventually brought police to the home nearly three years ago. Once inside, investigators found some cats emaciated and malnourished, and bones littered the scene, suggesting some cats had eaten each other …. Miami-Dade police detective Judy Webb testified in August 2018 that she saw ‘dead cats over dead cats over dead cats.’” (See the March 2018/Miami-Dade County, Florida, entry below for more information.)
July 2021/Shawnee, Kansas: ShawneeMissionPost.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Melissa’s Second Chances was full and had “close to 40 dogs and puppies and nearly 100 cats and kittens on the waiting list.”
July 2021/Austin, Texas: AustinMonitor.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Austin Animal Center (AAC) was experiencing “ongoing capacity issues” and a “lack of kennel space.” According to the report, “In an email to Council Member Ann Kitchen, [Chief Animal Services Officer Don] Bland said that AAC houses ‘behaviorally risky animals that have been declined by [transfer partner] APA! due to the nature of the animal’s bite history and past behaviors’ and that some of these animals have been at AAC for more than 600 days.”
July 2021/Alma, Georgia: WJCL.com reported, “An Alma woman is facing charges for animal cruelty after officials discovered at least 100 dead cats and dogs on her property. Bacon County Sheriff Andy Batten says Terri Lynn Taylor was a foster for a local rescue but also took on strays. In all, he says, at least 60 dead cats were found and at least 40 dead dogs.” A nonprofit group that assisted with the removal of animals found alive at the property reported that four of them had been found in critical condition and that 12 required immediate veterinary treatment. WTOC.com reported that “nearly 150 animals—some alive, most dead” had been removed from the property. According to the report, “Investigators say Terri Lynn Taylor had more than 100 deceased dogs and cats on her property and several other animals in terrible health. They said Taylor had served as a foster home for animals for years and had teamed up with different animal groups.” Sherriff Batten reportedly said, “We have 20 live dogs, three of those in critical condition, two live cats. We recovered 64 cat [carcasses] and 43 dog [carcasses]. Those are preliminary numbers, they’re approximates.” Taylor was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals, but authorities reportedly “anticipate bringing several more.”
July 2021/Mohegan Lake, New York: NBCNewYork.com reported that authorities had arrested Lisa Marie Birdsall, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Recycled Paws Rescue, Inc., “for allegedly stealing money meant to go to the animals.” She was reportedly charged with grand larceny and accused of stealing “over $17,000 from Recycled Paws Rescue, Inc. … Birdsall allegedly spent the stolen money on her own personal purposes.” Days earlier, Bronx.News12.com reported that “[a] Mohegan Lake animal rescue accused of adopting out sick dogs five years ago faces new allegations. Kenny Chevalier says he fostered two 6-week-old litter mates from Recycled Paws Rescue in June. Both died from parvovirus, he said. News 12 first reported on Recycled Paws in 2016 when two pet owners accused the nonprofit of adopting out sick dogs, leaving them with unexpected vet bills. At the time, the Westchester SPCA said the nonprofit was under investigation and voluntarily surrendered several sick dogs. They also said the rescue had outstanding civil penalties for operating in the past without a permit. Chevalier says he first fostered Tommy, a pit bull mix. When his vet found that Tommy had parvovirus, Chevalier says the rescue told him to return Tommy. He then says he fostered Ginger, and again notified the rescue when she too became sick. This time, he says he never heard back from Recycled Paws and paid thousands of dollars in hopes of saving the puppy. ‘What am I supposed to do? Leave a dog throwing up?’” Despite veterinary care, Ginger reportedly died. (See the November 2016/Westchester County, New York, entry below for more information.)
July 2021/Jeffersonville, Indiana: NewsandTribune.com published a column written by a spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill cat shelter” doing business as Animal Protection Association (APA) who reported, “People are contacting various shelters around the metro area to get help with a cat they want to surrender or a stray mom and babies living under their front porch. They are put in a never ending loop of calls to this rescue and that rescue. Rescues are full. APA has a strict intake process like most of the rescues in this area. When we’re full … we’re full and we simply can’t take in any more cats. … As a result, people are getting desperate and literally dumping their animals. … We are also being bombarded with calls about stray cats and particularly stray mama cats with a litter of kittens.” According to the column, a cat who was recently left outside the facility had a broken hip that would require surgery. WLKY.com reported that the same spokesperson “said there are numerous phone calls and attempted drop-offs every day” at the facility. A spokesperson for another area adoption group, which was also full, reportedly said, “When you’re out of room, you’re out of room …. So unfortunately, a lot of these cats and kittens are going to find themselves either in [open-admission] shelters, or they’re going to wind up out on the street.”
July 2021/Walterboro, South Carolina: ABCNews4.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Colleton County Animal Shelter had announced that it “was past capacity for care, adding that most of its normal outlets were also at capacity.” County officials reportedly said the facility had to “drastically cut back” on the number of animals it takes in. According to the report, “Residents’ requests to surrender their pets are currently delayed, and intakes are largely being limited to emergencies only. Officials added that it may be four to six weeks before new animals may be taken into the shelter.”
July 2021/Detroit, Michigan: FOX2Detroit.com reported, “When a teen called Detroit Animal Care and Control about a stray dog in her neighborhood, the animal control officer apparently asked her family to keep the dog in their backyard and did not tell them when they may be back to get [the animal].” A spokesperson for an area adoption group that was concerned about the policy reportedly said, “Apparently animal control responded and secured the dog but said they couldn’t take the dog because the shelter was full …. We don’t know the temperament of that dog – if [he or she is] scared, if [he or she] might hurt someone.” She said it wasn’t the first time that the facility had told a resident to house lost or homeless animals and that in another incident, a “stray dog that was being held at a [resident’s] house got into a fight with a resident’s dog and now one of the dogs is injured.” According to the report, “Detroit Animal Control Director Mark Kumpf said they are over capacity and find creative solutions to make room and avoid putting animals to sleep.”
July 2021/West Odessa, Texas: YourBasin.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal adoption group doing business as Humane Society of Odessa was asking residents to stop leaving animals on its property. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that “people dump animals on us, every day” and that “some people are picking up dogs from the street and dropping them off, if they think the animals are sick or injured.” She acknowledged that some puppies who had been left at the facility were injured and that others “were found to be sick. Some even had Parvo.” The facility was reportedly always full.
July 2021/Columbus, Ohio: Dispatch.com reported that a dog named Bruno, who had been warehoused for nearly 180 days at a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center, had been found dead in a trash receptacle just weeks after he was adopted. According to the report, “The dog’s death has sparked public outrage on social media against the adopter of the dog and the Franklin County Dog Shelter over the shelter’s background checks as part of the adoption process. One public Facebook post claimed that the adopter called the county dog shelter after the dog allegedly died of heat exhaustion from being left outside in the 90-degree-plus heat in late June. The post alleged the owner was told to either cremate the dog or dump [the] body in the dumpster.” Authorities were reportedly investigating. NBC4I.com reported that the day after Bruno left the facility with the adopter, “someone saying they were a former landlord of the person who adopted Bruno contacted the agency to warn them, alleging the adopter’s previous neglect and cruelty of a small dog. … ‘As per the Ohio Revised Code, the information supplied by the landlord was turned over to the Columbus Humane Society on March 22, 2021, the Columbus Humane Society advised they would investigate,’ said [Franklin County Animal Care & Control Director Kaye Persinger]. On June 29, a deputy warden responded to the apartment complex to retrieve Bruno’s body.” No additional information was available
July 2021/North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: WPDE.com reported that animal shelters in the area with self-professed “no-kill” policies were full and turning away animals. The public animal shelter doing business as the Horry County Animal Care Center had reportedly announced that it was full and “would be limiting its animal intake to only strays deemed dangerous or that are seriously ill.” A spokesperson for a nonprofit facility in the area reportedly said, “All of our kennels are full right now …. We get multiple calls every day to take in more, but unfortunately we can only do so much.”
July 2021/Charles County, Maryland: SouthernMarylandChronicle.com reported that Cindy Coulter, the owner and founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as R & T Loving Paws, Inc., had “racked up over $100,000 in unpaid vet [bills] in Georgia and boarding bills across several states, according to financial records obtained from several kennels and rescue organizations.” A representative of one of the kennels reportedly said that Coulter hadn’t paid a $56,000 bill “for boarding and other unpaid fees.” Another one of the kennel’s owners said, “She’s knowingly going in and dropping dogs on you when she knows that she can’t afford to pay the bill. … Then she just took [the dogs] from us and went to other kennels.” The kennel representative said that while the facility was boarding one dog for the group, a maintenance worker was attacked, which “resulted in multiple bite wounds to the shoulder, back and arms …. However, the fact that the cane corso known as Dozer had previously injured someone before was never disclosed to the kennel. … In July 2020 Coulter sustained a severe wound to her fingers when they became lodged in the cane corso’s mouth …. Coulter endured several surgeries and a partial amputation due to the severity of her injuries. Dozer, the cane corso, has since been euthanized.” According to the report, “E-Bourdin assisted in the transport of dogs, which consisted of being sent on long road trips in an ‘airport shuttle bus’ that was in constant need of repair to collect dogs from shelters. E-Bourdin traveled to locations in Georgia and occasionally picked up 40 plus dogs at a time. … ‘You’ll see a pattern, they keep bouncing from kennel to kennel because [the rescue] doesn’t pay so [the dogs] get kicked out,’” he said. According to the report, “Several sources … have attested that Coulter might be continuing” to remove dogs from shelters in Texas.
July 2021/Baldwin, Maryland: FOXBaltimore.com reported that authorities had seized 48 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Don’t Be a Bully Rescue after they were found “in areas with no air conditioning, animals without water and others who showed signs of heat distress and lack of veterinarian care. … [T]esting has confirmed the Distemper virus in at least one of the puppies. Testing of all of the dogs at this location is now underway. Charges may be filed against the owner of ‘Don’t Be a Bully.’” NottinghamMD.com later reported that 11 animals who had been seized from the property had since “died due to illness.”
July 2021/Gilbert, Arizona: 12News.com reported that “someone left two boxes of kittens outside the building” at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Friends for Life Animal Rescue. According to the report, “By the time the shelter’s volunteers found the boxes, two of the kittens [had] died and the rest had body temperatures exceeding 105 degrees.” The group’s website states, “Because we are a limited-intake, no-kill facility, a request for intake assistance does not a guarantee we can assist. Please pursue any other options for finding safe placement for the stray or your pet while waiting to hear back from us.”
July 2021/Effingham, Illinois: FOXIllinois.com reported that a publicly funded self-professed “no kill animal control facility” doing business as Effingham County Animal Shelter & Control was “no longer accepting cats or kittens” because it was full. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “We have cats in every possible space of our shelter and we simply have zero space to put any new ones.”
June 2021/Austin, Texas: KUT.org reported that a public “no-kill” facility doing business as Austin Animal Center had announced that its kennels were “completely full” and its placement partners were “also facing capacity issues.” According to the report, “The center is also urging people who find stray pets or may want to give up their pets to avoid taking them to the shelter for the time being.”
June 2021/Borger, Texas: NewsChannel10.com reported that 38 dogs had been removed from a man who had reportedly been “rescuing dogs and bringing them into his house. His mission went south, as the animals started multiplying and getting sick.” Four of the dogs were reportedly pregnant. A spokesperson for an animal adoption group that assisted with the removal reportedly said the animals were “in horrific shape,” suffering from health problems such flea dermatitis, sores, scratches, and worms. The executive director of another animal adoption group said, “A lot of them, we’re noticing their mouths are not quite right. We’re noticing different bumps and lumps in different places that they shouldn’t be.” Four dogs had reportedly been left at the property because local shelters and adoption groups claimed that donations were needed to rescue them. No additional information was available.
June 2021/Terre Haute, Indiana: WTHITV.com reported that a self-professed “low-kill” facility doing business as Terre Haute Humane Society, Inc., had reported that in a three-day period, two dogs had been left outside its doors. The group posted on social media, “If you are one of the ones that called and we told you we have no space … we really have no space. We now have dogs where they shouldn’t be and will have to leave dogs outside.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “A lot of times, we have people calling saying they have a stray. We just have to, every day, check capacity is and what kennels we have open.”
June 2021/Killeen, Texas: KDHNews.com reported that a woman who fosters animals was trying to regain custody of six dogs who had been seized by authorities after they were allegedly abused by a person who was working for the fosterer. That person had reportedly been charged with cruelty to animals, and the six dogs were being held at the public animal shelter in connection to the case. No additional information was available. The report was later updated to clarify that the woman who fosters animals claimed that the dogs had been in a home to which they’d been adopted when they were seized. She claimed to have “the right to legally get them back if she decided they were not taken care of.”
June 2021/Davenport, Iowa: KWQC.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as King’s Harvest Pet Rescue, No Kill Shelter was full and turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We have people every day calling, saying they have kittens born outside and want us to take them, and we don’t have the room to do so.” Another shelter in the area was also “at capacity with animals,” according to the report.
June 2021/Jackson, Tennessee: JacksonSun.com reported that a public self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Jackson Animal Care Center was full and had no place to put more animals. According to the news story, the center also had 40 animals on a waiting list. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly acknowledged, “We’re tax-payer funded. We should be providing the tax-payers the service they want. Which would mean all the animals picked up in the city should come here.” However, according to the news story, “the intake rate is just too high.” The spokesperson also said that the facility lacked air conditioning in the dog housing area.
June 2021/Tulsa, Oklahoma: KJRH.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue was “backlogged on owner-surrender intakes” and had “a waiting list that is close to 100 names long.”
June 2021/Chester County, Pennsylvania: News.WTTW.com reported that “a dog brought to the U.S. from Azerbaijan that ended up with a family in Chester County, Pennsylvania began acting strangely. [He or she] later tested positive for rabies and was euthanized. At least 12 people were exposed to the animal.” The dog was reportedly “one of 34 animals—33 dogs and one cat” who had been imported by a self-professed animal “rescue” group. Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.com later reported that another one of the imported dogs, who had been placed under quarantine to be observed for symptoms of rabies, had “escaped from a Bridgeville-area home” and was lost in the area. No additional information was available.
June 2021/Sherman, Texas: KXII.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Sherman Animal Shelter had announced that it was “beyond full, at 200% capacity.” Staff at the facility were reportedly “having to ask people with surrenders, to rehome animals themselves.” HeraldDemocrat.com reported earlier in the month that “[t]he Sherman Animal Shelter ceased accepting voluntary surrenders a few weeks ago and has not resumed them.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “[W]e are getting a lot of reasons for the owner surrenders. Some of them are that people are moving into a place that doesn’t accept animals, and then just others saying that the dog isn’t theirs.” Other area shelters were reportedly also full.
June 2021/Jackson, New Jersey: Bronx.News12.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” housing mostly wolf-dog hybrids and doing business as Howling Woods Farms was accused by former workers of failing to feed and care for animals adequately. According to the news story, “Internal messages show the farm’s president, Michael Hodanish, directs the staff to only feed the wolf-dogs every other day, and sometimes not at all for days in a row. After Jackson police came to Howling Woods in February to investigate possible animal cruelty, Hodanish told the employee Facebook group that unless the whistleblower came forward, he might keep the farm ‘closed during the week indefinitely.’ Hodanish told the staff that police knew details ‘only the people in this group would be aware of,’ including ‘that I wasn’t feeding the animals every day.’” After the “rescue” was closed for a week, workers reportedly returned to find “animals they say looked very thin, some digging through the garbage. Gates were left wide open, and the animals’ water bowls water were frozen solid.” Three former employees had sued the group and Hodanish “alleging wrongful termination and other issues.” No additional information was available.
June 2021/Big Spring, Texas: NewsWest9.com reported that a public animal shelter operating as a self-professed “no-kill” facility and doing business as Big Spring Animal Shelter was one of three area animal shelters that had “announced they were going to start turning away people who bring in cats or dogs because there is not enough room for them.” According to the news story, “Since [Big Spring Animal Shelter] became a no-kill shelter two years ago, there has been an influx in stray dogs.” Staff at a nonprofit self-professed “no-kill” shelter in the area doing business as Happy Day Humane Society reportedly said its facility had 200 dogs on site and “a litter of puppies is left outside the gate just about every day.”
May 2021/Harlingen, Texas: ValleyCentral.com reported that a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Humane Society of Harlingen had been “finding abandoned animals outside its shelter daily.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “In the last two weeks it’s been at least 30 to 40 animals that have been abandoned outside of our shelter door.” Recently an empty box was found outside the facility with a note saying it contained kittens the owner was unable to care for. Workers reportedly searched and “found three kittens hiding in a broken down emergency generator,” but the number of kittens dropped off wasn’t known. The spokesperson for the facility said, “We want to take in all of these animals, we wish we could, but we simply have no space.”
May 2021/Harlingen, Texas: ValleyCentral.com reported that a badly neglected cat had died unassisted at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Murphy’s Safe Haven. According to the report, the cat had originally been picked up by an animal control officer, who took him to a public animal shelter doing business as Palm Valley Animal Society. Even though professionals there reportedly determined that euthanasia was the most humane option, the cat was picked up by the “rescue” group, which claimed on social media that he had been “shot in the abdomen, ears stabbed, and had a huge anus ‘as if he was sodomized.’” He was treated at a veterinary hospital. According to the report, “While the cat did suffer from horrible neglect, veterinarians do not believe [he] had been sodomized or shot.” After he was released from the hospital, a spokesperson for the “rescue” group reportedly said in a social media post that she “checked on” the cat the next morning and found that he had died, alone and without veterinary care, overnight. No additional information was available.
May 2021/Hart County, Kentucky: WYMT.com reported that more than 80 dogs had been removed from a property that had “first started out as a rescue operation, but the individual … became quickly overwhelmed.” A spokesperson for a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society reportedly said the shelter had removed 25 animals but was “full” and couldn’t help any more. A nonprofit group reportedly removed another 42 animals, but “[t]here were approximately 13 to 15 left that we still have to go up and get those, but it’s really hard when you’re … already a full shelter with no kennel space whatsoever,” the shelter spokesperson said. WHAS11.com reported, “More than 80 dogs were rescued and 28 of them were severely neglected,” and that criminal charges were “expected to be filed.” No additional information was available.
May 2021/Sunrise, Florida: NBCMiami.com reported, “Police have recovered dozens of cats,” including dead animals, from the home of “Michelline Joy—who works with several animal rescues—[and] was hoarding the cats inside the home and starving them.” A spokesperson for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation, where Joy apparently volunteered, reportedly said, “They’re in the ceiling. They’re in the walls. They’re in the ducts. They’re in closets. Every room had cats.” According to the report, “She also claimed some of the cats were cannibalizing the dead bodies of the other cats. ‘That was their only food source.’” WSVN.com reported, “The cats were either found dead or struggling to survive after, officials said, they were abandoned for weeks and possibly months. . . . As of Tuesday night, a total of 10 cats were found dead and 38 were rescued. On Wednesday, three more felines were rescued from the apartment.” A spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Operation PAW, where Joy apparently also volunteered, said, “No food, there was urine in the water bowls and at least one of the cats died within the last 12 hours and was eaten halfway down. I still can’t process what I saw.” WSVN.com later reported that “10 cats were found dead inside, and at least 50 others were found in desperate need of food, water and medical attention.” News.Yahoo.com reported that Joy “also ran her own rescue group called Love is Feral.” The investigation was apparently ongoing. WSVN.com later reported that Joy (who evidently also goes by the name Michelline Toulouse) had “been arrested on a theft charge that, investigators said, is related to her work as an animal rescuer.” Security footage from the office of a self-professed animal “rescue” with which she volunteered reportedly “showed Toulouse stealing nearly $300 from a cash drawer. Toulouse also faces a charge of criminal mischief.” No additional information was available about the animal neglect, starvation, and abandonment allegations.
May 2021/Portland, Oregon: OregonLive.com reported that the operators of a facility described in court documents “as a training, boarding, rescue and daycare” for animals and doing business as Woofin Palooza, LLC, had been charged with more than 150 counts of animal neglect. (See the August 2020/Portland, Oregon, entry below for more details.) According to the report, “Tori Head and Samantha Miller both face 157 counts of second-degree animal neglect, 13 counts of identity theft and 15 counts of second-degree forgery … The charges come several months after Multnomah County Animal Services seized nearly 120 cats and dogs from Woofin Palooza. Investigators found unsanitary and overcrowded conditions in the facility, as well as evidence that the owners gave false documentation of animals’ vaccines, according to court documents. Many animals from the facility also got sick and died, court documents said.” A complaint was reportedly filed “after a customer adopted a dog on June 20 and had to take the animal to a veterinary hospital the next day because she had distemper. The dog was euthanized a few days later, and the customer reported the disease and death to the county animal services department. The department received six other complaints about Woofin Palooza during the month of July.” In August, authorities “executed a search warrant at Woofin Palooza, seizing 65 cats and 52 dogs. A veterinarian who helped search the facility noted that cats were housed in cramped kennels or spaces, and dogs were in overcrowded areas without spaces to use the bathroom away from their bedding or food, according to court documents. The veterinarian said many animal enclosures had urine and feces on the floor, and soiled kennels were stacked on top of one another, allowing urine and feces to run into other kennels. The veterinarian also noted that young animals with immature immune systems were housed with adult animals, raising the risk of spreading infectious diseases and unwanted pregnancies, according to court documents. … Investigators also allege that vaccine records Head and Miller provided for adopted animals were fraudulent, bearing the signatures or names of various veterinarians. Head and Miller are scheduled to appear in court July 16.”
May 2021/Inverness, Florida: ChronicleOnline.com reported that workers and volunteers at a public animal shelter had been attacked on three separate occasions by three dogs who had been seized from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Out of the Box Animal Rescue Inc. (See the March 2021/Floral City, Florida, entry below for more details.) A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that the “rescue” was “known for” taking dogs from animal shelters after they had been deemed by professionals to be too dangerous for adoption. According to the report, “The attacking dogs were later euthanized after a judge agreed to the county’s request to award it custody of 43 dogs, a pig and three chickens seized in January from Out of the Box, a Floral City rescue run by Robert Schweickert Jr. Schweickert’s attorney is appealing the ruling.” A hearing date was set for that appeal.
May 2021/Rogersville, Tennessee: TimesNews.net reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Hawkins County Humane Society had been warehousing dogs and turning away animals when the shelter was full. The facility, which is partially funded with public monies, reported that several dogs had been there for extended periods. A 2-year-old dog called Lucia had been at the facility for more than half of her life. She was reportedly “showing more jealousy and aggression, especially to strangers.” Another two-year-old dog, called Jack, had also been warehoused there for more than half of his life. An elderly dog called Champ was described as “very food aggressive.” A 2-year-old dog called Will reportedly exhibits “some aggression to strangers and some other dogs.” Other dogs were described as “anxious.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said, “A citizen may not be allowed to leave an animal at the shelter when it is full.”
May 2021/Michigan City, Indiana: WhatsNewLaPorte.com reported that 21 cats had been left in four cages overnight at a limited-admission facility doing business as Michiana Humane Society. According to the report, “The person who surrendered the cats left a note saying that they had run out of options due to failing health and loss of their home.” According to the facility’s website, it does “not always have a cage or kennel available” and “may need to put your pet on a waiting list.” It also has a suggested surrender fee of $35 per animal.
April 2021/Church View, Virginia: WYDaily.com reported that approximately 12 dogs had died in a fire at a home being used as a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Pit Road K9 Rescue and Sanctuary. According to the report, “Only three of the around fifteen dogs sheltered through Pit Road K9 Rescue and Sanctuary dogs survived, with two currently at the vet receiving treatment for smoke inhalation.” The cause of the fire was under investigation.
April 2021/Whitney, Texas: KCENTV.com reported that authorities had found more than 50 dogs and puppies at a home described by investigators as “dilapidated, trash-filled and feces-covered.” According to the report, “Investigators had to wear hazmat suits and respirators due to the high levels of ammonia” at the residence, where dogs were found “spread throughout the home and in crates outside.” Homeowner Linda Kennemore reportedly “said she [had previously] tried contacting animal control for help, but to no avail … the initial conversation took place in January 2020 when she had 22 dogs on her property, five of them were her own, the rest the product of being dumped.” A spokesperson for the community’s animal shelter, doing business as the Humane Society of North Texas, which apparently recently removed some animals but allegedly left approximately 50 dogs at the residence, “said the reason they left some dogs behind had more to do with capacity at their facility …. ‘[W]e pulled what we had the capacity to pull with the understanding that we would be coming back,’” she said. The facility had reportedly “worked with numerous local rescues in Hill County [and] gave them permission to pull as many cute dogs as possible.” Authorities reportedly said that dogs at the property were “infested with fleas and suffered from varying skin issues and hair loss due to the unsanitary living conditions. The dogs also were afflicted with numerous types of intestinal parasites including hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Many of the females were pregnant or had recently given birth. The moms and babies, the youngsters and the aged were all covered in feces with nowhere to escape this torment of living in deplorable conditions–parts of which included approximately 3 feet of compacted urine and fecal matter.” A spokesperson for the community’s animal shelter reportedly “said they will continue to work with Kennemore and to pick up the rest of the dogs when capacity allows.” A nonprofit animal adoption group was reportedly trying to “raise money for vetting 50 dogs and to help Kennemore get back inside her home.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said authorities had “made things worse” by leaving animals at the residence. “This is not your normal hoarding situation because this is someone willing to hand over the dogs because she’s overrun by stray dogs that have bred multiple times,” she said. No additional information was available.
April 2021/McCracken County, Kentucky: WPSDLocal6.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 neglected animals at the home of self-professed animal “rescuer” David Howery. According to the report, “McCracken County Detective Sgt. Benny Kauffman said the animals were sent to Howery’s home over time to be adopted out to other people, but that never happened. Howery also had an outstanding bench warrant from a previous animal cruelty conviction in Adair County, Kentucky. … The animals include 65 to 70 dogs, 26 goats, 12 chickens, eight turtles, two horses, two pigs, and one pony. Animal control personnel discovered cats on the property Thursday. Several of them were alive, but several others were dead.” Howery was reportedly facing 25 counts of cruelty to animals. A spokesperson for a nonprofit group that assisted authorities with the seizure reportedly “described the scene as terrible. ‘We have broken limbs, we have respiratory issues, eye issues, several that are so emaciated that there’s no muscle tone left,’ [he said]. ‘They’re having a hard time walking, standing, just from being starved.’” According to the report, “Flies and feces were everywhere on the property. Detectives and rescue group members said conditions were worse inside and behind the home. Crates were filled with clumps of sawdust and feces and dogs.” A volunteer who was helping care for the seized animals reportedly said that most of the female dogs were pregnant and that “[s]ome of the dogs have some bite marks on their faces where they’ve been in fights and stuff, so it’s pretty sad.”
April 2021/Spring Brook, Wisconsin: WEAU.com reported that 15 cats and kittens had been found shot to death. A spokesperson for the area animal shelter reportedly said that “it appeared someone had abandoned the 33 cats on the side of the road with a pile of cat food, then someone shot at them.” Eighteen cats and kittens who were found alive were taken to the facility, which is a self-professed “no-kill” shelter with restrictive intake policies that states on its website, “All owner surrenders are approached on a case-by-case basis. Many factors impact our ability to help, including: the space available at our shelter; the care needed for the animal(s) you are looking to surrender; and the adoptability of the animal(s). Being a no-kill shelter, space is sometimes an issue and given limited resources, we are not always able to help.” Authorities were investigating the shootings, but no suspects were identified. It was later reported that the bodies of two more dead kittens had been found in the same area. Six more live cats were also found and taken to the shelter, and two additional live cats were seen but couldn’t be captured.
April 2021/Scott County, Mississippi: FOX17.com reported that a nonprofit Tennessee group had removed nearly 50 dogs from what was described as “a makeshift rescue in Mississippi,” where an elderly woman had reportedly “been taking in strays and homeless dogs for years.” According to the group, many of the animals “were kept in outdoor enclosures and some had been tethered to chains.” Some animals reportedly “had skin and eye conditions, as well as other health problems like external parasites.” No additional information was available.
April 2021/Walnut Hill, Florida: WKRG.com reported that authorities and nonprofit groups were “stepping in” after more than 80 dogs were found hoarded by Patty Gentry, who was described as a “foster.” According to the report, the animals were “living in deplorable conditions. The photos show floors covered in feces and several dogs in cages.” A county spokesperson reportedly said that “animal control is working on the animal wellness case but could not comment further.” No additional information was available. WEARTV.com reported, “While the investigation in Escambia County continues, the dogs remain on the property.”
April 2021/California City, California: TurnTo23.com reported that a dog who had been transferred from an animal shelter to a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Ace of Hearts, Inc., had been seriously injured in an attack at a residence where he was being fostered. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that the dog had been left alone in the side yard of a “tiny home,” and when the foster caregiver returned, she found that he had sustained “a knife wound all the way down his spine … along with a broken leg and hip.” He was taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment, where he was reportedly “fighting for his life [and] vets say that … chances are likely that he may never walk again.” Authorities were investigating, but no suspects were identified.
April 2021/Jeffersonville, Kentucky: WTVQ.com reported that authorities had seized more than 200 dogs and cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Caring About Treasured Strays after they were found in conditions described as “horrible.” The owners of the “rescue,” Renee Ann and William Brian Zaharie, were both “charged with second degree cruelty to animals.” WKYT.com reported, “Hundreds of dogs and cats were found stuffed in small cages in tiny trailers with no heat or air conditioning.” A spokesperson for a nonprofit group that assisted authorities with the seizure reportedly said, “The amount of feces, urine, ammonia begins to build up very quickly, so we have several animals that are deathly ill. … They’re finding issues with lungs, improper spay and neuters. We have some at the vet at this moment, because they were improperly spayed and neutered, they lost a lot of blood.” He said cases like this one had been on the rise over the past year. “People trusted these people to take care of these animals, get them the proper care they deserve and ultimately find them new homes. Then the story breaks that they’ve been doing the opposite of this,” he said. WAVE3.com reported that 100 dogs and 150 cats had been seized from the property. A spokesperson for a nonprofit group that assisted in the seizure reportedly said the conditions were “terrible” and that they found “[f]eces everywhere, animals with urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, and they were rampant. It was a critical situation.” Also found were “deceased animals stored in freezers full of human food as well. … They were making money off the backs of animals that were being harmed,” he said.
April 2021/Capon Bridge, West Virginia: Times-News.com reported that authorities had seized 102 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Love Shack Rescue. According to the report, “The action was taken following a several month investigation into the living conditions that Sheriff Nathan J. Sions said was not suitable for the dogs at Love Shack Rescue. He said the rescue failed to comply with directions to comply with state laws and county ordinances pertaining to its operation. … At least three decomposed dog carcasses were reportedly located on the property. Sions said the rescue consisted of multiple makeshift kennels set up in a wooded area, dogs being kept in cages inside outbuildings, in two separate houses and some in vehicles. … Sions also said the investigation and criminal charges will be sought. ‘Throughout all of this, a very disturbing fact is many of these dogs were being shipped to the Love Shack from several rescues located in more southern states,’ said Sions. The dogs were reportedly being shipped without any type of reference checks and on-site visits.” WVMetroNews.com later reported that the owner of the “rescue,” Sabrina Droescher, had been charged with 103 counts of cruelty to animals. According to the report, “Police said [a] search of the property led to the discovery of a total of 21 dead dogs in various stages of decay, most dumped on the property in trash bags. Droescher told deputies she was burying dogs under concrete on the property and there were makeshift concrete pads located on the property.”
April 2021/Union County, North Carolina: My FOX8.com reported that before a pit bull “violently attacked a carriage horse and driver over Easter weekend,” he had been adopted from a public shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control. According to the report, “The attack was caught on video and posted to YouTube. It shows a dog repeatedly attacking a carriage horse at Cane Creek Park as kids screamed in the background. The carriage driver suffered serious injuries and will need to have surgery. The dog broke loose from [his or her] leash, the horse’s owner said, and [the dog ultimately] had to be put down,” evidently because of injuries sustained when the horse kicked frantically during the attack. The dog had reportedly been adopted in 2019 at an adoption event at a mall. No additional information was available.
April 2021/Piedmont, West Virginia: AMP.NewsTribune.info reported, “Two area individuals who allegedly run an animal rescue have come under fire recently due to accusations of ‘flipping’ animals for profit and neglecting the animals in their care. Corallum Louk and Rodney Louk operate Louk Bully Daze Animal Assist and Rehoming, a group that has apparently changed its name multiple times and regularly started new Facebook pages.” Posts on social media reportedly “showed Corallum Louk stating that puppies in their care had died of heart attacks and one had been attacked by a neighboring dog. Another conversation shows her saying that a beagle who had cherry eye, a condition that requires medical treatment, was normal and okay. There were also pictures of animals in the Louks’ possession that appeared to be in desperate need of veterinary care, and a post where the Louks seemed to be breeding and selling animals. … Mineral County Animal Control warden Missy Kidwell confirmed to the News Tribune that she had visited the site and observed the animals. Kidwell noted that [a dog named] Loki was in bad shape and had no evidence that he had been seen by a vet. She said the Louks had been trying to treat the animal at home and it simply was not working, Loki was missing his hair and had severe skin irritation. Kidwell said the Louks had Loki for a month and he was not getting any better. She gave the Louks 24 hours to get the dog to a vet for care.” Another self-professed animal “rescue” reportedly purchased seven dogs in order to get them needed medical attention, including Loki. Other dogs the group purchased were “Layla, [a] white pit bull with several large tumors on her body; tumors so big they were causing major discomfort and pain for her. … Layla also had severely long nails that were causing her to have trouble walking. … [A dog named] Jordan was positive for giardia, had pretty nasty ear infections and super inflamed skin … [and] an older dog named Durwood, who had ear infections, parasites and has tested positive for anaplasmosis.” A local resident who had allegedly worked with the Louks said, “She isn’t rehoming animals in need; they are flipping for money. They are also breeding dogs.” She claimed the Louks “had a litter of pit bulls they sold for $300 and that most of the puppies died from Parvo after they were sold.” No additional information was available.
April 2021/Tulsa, Oklahoma: KTUL.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for years by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Animal Aid of Tulsa, Inc. According to a spokesperson for the group, the dog was “a bit fearful of men” and had been “living in boarding” for the past four years. She reportedly said she worried that the dog “may start to become institutionalized. ‘They get used to living in crates and kennels and find that to be their life.’”
April 2021/Batavia, Ohio: ABC6OnYourSide.com reported that a 10-year-old large-breed dog had been warehoused for seven years at a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as League for Animal Welfare. According to the group, the dog, who had been at the facility since November 2014, had “learned to be wary of humans he doesn’t know.” He also reportedly “has good days and bad—and sometimes, on those bad days … he just needs time alone” and would “need to go to a home without children.”
March 2021/Rowe, New Mexico: KRQE.com reported that the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office had confirmed that it was investigating allegations of animal hoarding at a self-professed wolf “sanctuary” where “[a]t least 50 dogs are kept in cages.” According to the report, a local woman “says the owners claim to be a wolf sanctuary, ‘They’re not wild wolves …. You can tell by looking at them, they’re like husky, border collie, [heeler] mixes,’ [she] said. She says they even solicit donations online to help take care of them. Court records show the owner has been slapped with at least 91 citations for failing to vaccinate the dogs, and improper care and maintenance. [The accuser] says once, while on the property she found a dog with a broken leg, and reported it to Las Vegas Animal Control. The report says the dog owner didn’t believe he needed to take him to the vet, because he performed an alternative medicine technique, and the dog was healed, but animal control insisted he gets the dog checked.” No additional information was available.
March 2021/Waco, Texas: FOX47News.com reported that a 2-year-old dog had been warehoused at an animal shelter with “no-kill” policies for half of his life. His owners had reportedly surrendered the dog, named Rusty, when he was a puppy. According to the report, “Rusty was placed in a foster home for two months and then was sent to a rescue in Idaho. Two months later, the rescue sent him back to Waco because he was not dog-friendly and they weren’t able to place him in a home. Over the next couple of months, Rusty became depressed and frustrated, which caused him to act out in his kennel and towards other dogs. In November 2020, Rusty was adopted, but a month later he was surrendered back to the shelter for being destructive.” Most recently, Rusty was again adopted after spending 419 days at the shelter. He was returned a day later by the adopters, who reported that he had bitten them. KXXV.com later reported that the dog had been moved to yet another shelter.
March 2021/North Smithfield, Rhode Island: ValleyBreeze.com reported that a 13-year-old blind pit bull named Sully had been warehoused at a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies for more than half of his life. A woman who had worked with a self-professed animal “rescue” that had tried to find a home for the dog reportedly said that “volunteers at the shelter tried to find Sully a home, but attempts to adopt him out repeatedly fell through.” A city animal control officer reportedly said, “‘All I know is that he was adopted out a couple of times, and it didn’t work out. He was brought back, one time it was because he attacked another dog. Even as a blind dog he attacked another dog, and another time it was because [they] were moving and the people couldn’t take him.’ … [A] few months ago she tried to adopt Sully into a home, but those plans didn’t work out. Another plan to place him with one of the shelter’s volunteers also fell through, she said. Since then, she said, Sully has begun to show signs of his age and is losing his remaining senses. Sully, she said, is ‘failing fast,’ prompting the shelter to schedule a vet appointment last week to see what’s best for him.”
March 2021/Burlington, North Carolina: CharlotteObserver.com reported that an 8-year-old dog named Jake had been through the revolving door of a public animal shelter with “no-kill” policies four times in three months. He was first found locked in a crate at a residence where he had reportedly been “trapped in a home for days with his dead owner.” A spokesperson for the shelter reportedly said that “Jake was quickly adopted, but came back a few weeks later, after the family lost their home …. He was later taken in and returned by two foster homes … because Jake ‘does not care for cats and they had cats.’” Jake was put back up for adoption.
March 2021/Sinton, Texas: KRISTV.com reported that 14 dogs had died in a fire at a home being used as a self-professed animal “rescue.” According to the report, “at least one dozen other animals were taken to other shelters and the local veterinary clinic.” KIIITV.com reported that at least nine dogs had “burned inside of … cages inside of the home,” and FOXSanAntonio.com reported that “animals were burned inside cages outside and inside the house.” KRISTV.com later reported that an unspecified number of dogs had escaped the home and were roaming the area, including some who were reportedly extremely fearful of humans. No additional information was available.
March 2021/Branford, Connecticut: Patch.com reported that a cat and four kittens had been found unconscious in a sealed plastic container on the side of a road. According to the report, “Good Samaritans resuscitated the animals” and an animal adoption group was called. The group reportedly said that upon intake, one of the kittens had already “died and the mother was thought to be blinded due to a lack of oxygen.” The mother cat reportedly later regained her sight. A spokesperson for the community’s public animal shelter said that the facility “cannot take in every animal.” No additional information was available.
March 2021/Oxford, Mississippi: MississippiFreePress.org reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Mississippi Critterz Animal Rescue, partially funded by public monies, had temporarily shut down after former employees alleged chronic “animal abuse and neglect.” According to the report, “The complaints included widespread medical neglect by the operator of the shelter, Jenn Petermann.” One former employee said “that Petermann would routinely deny sick animals the opportunity to be treated by a local veterinarian due to the cost of treatment. As a result, [the employee said], many animals were given subpar medical treatment at the shelter and would often suffer long and miserable deaths.” Another said “that she once begged management to treat a dog that had begun to deteriorate at the shelter despite having entered in a reasonably healthy state,” but her request was denied. She reportedly “also recalled an instance when a kitten was denied the emergency care [the animal] needed for a ruptured eyeball. The former employee of Critterz alleged that Petermann reprimanded a volunteer who had taken the ailing feline to a veterinarian in secret. Once ordered [to], the volunteer returned with the untreated animal, where [the former employee] says [the animal] died days later. ‘I’d call it a kill shelter in a different way,’ said [the former employee], who started at Mississippi Critterz in August 2020. ‘We didn’t euthanize for time and space, but we also didn’t provide medical care, so [animals] died on their own.’” At one point, Petermann reportedly started to hide sick animals, including a cat, who was later found dead in a closet. According to the report, a former employee said she “opened [a storage] closet, and I just about threw up because I was hit in the face with not only the smell of dead cat, but cooking dead cat.” The cat was reportedly found dead “in a crate on a heating pad. ‘Turned on. And he was left there to die in a closet,’” she said. One of the former employees described “stacks and stacks of cat cages in the building. Full of sick cats.” A veterinarian who visited the facility said she was “shocked to see the conditions and lack of order at the shelter. … ‘Every run had too many dogs in it. Poop smeared everywhere. All of their water was contaminated with feces.’” According to the report, “With the shelter closed for the foreseeable future, it is unclear what steps local leaders will take to care for unhoused animals currently living in Oxford and Lafayette County.”
March 2021/Lake Odessa, Michigan: WZZM13.com reported that two dogs had been warehoused for eight years at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary. One of the dogs was 9 years old and suffered from arthritis. The other was 10 and reportedly had allergies. Both had reportedly “been shown multiple times during adoption visits, but other dogs are usually chosen or it’s not a good fit with the adopters’ other [animals in the household].”
March 2021/Cape Coral, Florida: ABC-7.com reported that five cats had been left in carriers outside a publicly funded turn-away facility doing business as Cape Coral Animal Shelter. According to a public post by the facility, “those on our waiting list … will now have to wait a bit longer.” On its website, the facility states that animals won’t be accepted unless they meet certain criteria. They must pass behavior tests, test negative for certain common diseases, and more. It also charges fees to accept animals: $50 per cat and $100 per dog.
March 2021/Floral City, Florida: ChronicleOnline.com reported that Robert Schweickert, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Out of the Box Animal Rescue Inc., “and the nonprofit itself are barred from owning any animals, were ordered by the court to hand over what animals they had, and were denied from getting back the abused and neglected animals county sheriff’s animal control officers rescued in January.” (See the January 2021/Floral City, Florida, entry below for more details). In the order, Judge Bruce Carney reportedly cited the following:
- “The sheriff’s office animal control unit supervisor testifying that dogs had no water, food, and had eaten the drywall and insulation out of the walls.
- “A sheriff’s office animal control officer testified that some dogs kept indoors had no lights, no power, and no ventilation.
- “The county’s animal services chief veterinarian testified that 20 dogs were underweight, 10 dogs were emaciated, and two dogs suffered from painful infected wounds caused by shocking bark collars, two dogs suffered from painful, untreated ear infections, 18 dogs had heartworms which is life threatening if not treated, one dog needed hospitalization, dozens of dogs had dirty hair coats, feces in their fur, and smelled bad because of inappropriate care.”
According to the report, “The veterinarian also testified 13 dogs had orthopedic disease, nine were dehydrated and needed IV fluid, and eight dogs had viral and bacterial upper respiratory ailments because of their living conditions and poor air quality. In the county’s request of Carney, the county described horrific scenes at Out of the Box including cage floors soaked in urine and feces and cages far too small for the animals. The county also described a mobile home in which dogs were locked, with floors covered in urine and feces and one dog locked in a bathroom with no windows and kept dark. Investigators also noted there were no food and water dishes in the mobile home and that the stench of urine was so strong animal control officers had to rescue the animals and exit the structure as quickly as possible. One dog was found in a walk-in freezer storage unit with no light [or] ventilated air, and the room was littered with feces and urine, according to the county request for an order against Schweickert.” The criminal prosecution of Schweickert would reportedly move forward and included “25 counts [of] animal cruelty and two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He was also charged with dozens of counts of torment, deprive, cruelty to animals.”
March 2021/Aztec, New Mexico: KOB.com reported that two dogs and two cats had died in an apparent electrical fire at a home where animals were kept by a self-professed animal “rescue” reportedly doing business as Critter Rehoming Sanctuary. According to the report, the “rescue” owner said that an unspecified number of cats were missing: “She said a neighbor opened a window to let some of them out, but she doesn’t know how many made it.” No additional information was available.
March 2021/Tampa, Florida: TheNonprofitTimes.com reported that Albert Adams had again been charged with fraud. According to the report, “In 2018, Adams pled guilty to five felony counts in Hillsborough Circuit Court. The charges stemmed from his work as CEO of the nonprofit Soaring Paws, which provided airplane transport for abused dogs. . . . According to the Tampa Bay Times, a bank account set up for Soaring Paws showed payments for alcohol, fast food, flowers, furniture, haircuts, spas, veterinary bills and yard work. The account also showed $10,000 in Amazon payments and $24,000 transferred to a Capital One account. By pleading guilty in 2018, Adams had two charges against him stemming from registration and record keeping dropped. He was sentenced to a ten-year probation period and 50 hours of community service.” He was also ordered to pay restitution to two animal adoption groups. The latest felony fraud charges involved an alleged animal insurance scheme in which Adams filed “claims that netted him nearly $13,000 in reimbursement for medical procedures for two dogs that allegedly were not performed.” That case was apparently ongoing.
March 2021/Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Saltwire.com reported that four days after a woman took in a dog named Muffin Man to foster him for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Fly With Me Animal Rescue, the animal fatally attacked a small dog and injured three people who tried to stop the attack. According to the report, the 73-year-old foster caregiver “had just patted her newly acquired rescue dog and turned to walk away when [he] bit Oliver, the small bichon frise, in the midsection and refused to let go. [The foster caregiver] fought, struggled and screamed for help. But she couldn’t rescue Oliver from Muffin Man. ‘I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t save him from himself, and in the end, I was left on the ground, broken and bleeding, holding on tight to a cold-blooded killer.’ One witness told police she was alerted to the attack by a woman in crisis, and when she came upon the scene she saw ‘what looks like a pit bull … holding down a small white dog. [The small dog] was ripped open and the brown dog wouldn’t let go.’” The small dog had to be euthanized because of the extent of the injuries he sustained. During the attack, the small dog’s owner was bitten “to the bone” on his hand. Another neighbor sustained two broken ribs and bites described in a police report as “‘with flesh peeled back’ on her upper thigh and what appeared to be a ‘full mouth bite’ on her left breast.” Muffin Man had reportedly been imported with 41 other dogs from a public shelter with “no-kill” policies doing business as LifeLine Animal Project in Atlanta. According to the foster caregiver, she obtained records that she read after the attack. “‘It was his intake history from the shelter in Georgia and in there it did say that he was returned because he injured another dog in the home.’ The Oct. 5, 2020 report from LifeLine Animal Project of Fulton County, Georgia, notes Muffin Man ‘fixated on other dogs in kennels’ when he walked past, and was returned last July “for fighting with other dogs — injured other dogs in home.’” The foster caregiver said that no warning was given to her about the dog’s dangerous propensities when she agreed to foster him. A spokesperson for the city reportedly confirmed that Muffin Man had since been euthanized as part of a plea bargain agreement. The foster caregiver said that the last she had “heard from Fly Away Animal Rescue was when they threatened to sue her for breach of contract for allowing authorities to take Muffin Man after the attack.”
March 2021/Long Beach, New York: LIHerald.com reported that a woman had been arrested “after Long Beach police discovered a whimpering dog inside her van in freezing weather. . . . The temperature was approximately 29 degrees that night. … The dog was transported to a local shelter where [he or she] was in ‘obvious need’ of medical attention and subsequently transported to an animal hospital, police said. The operator of the van Luisa Montalvo of San Juan, TX., arrived at the scene and was arrested for a violation of New York State Agriculture and Markets Law section 353D, a violation for leaving an animal in a vehicle in extreme temperatures. Detectives executed a search warrant on the van and recovered evidence that the van was used in connection with transporting animals for a local animal rescue facility.” Montalvo was released on her own recognizance, and a court date was set. No additional information was available.
March 2021/Middleburg, Florida: AJC.com reported that a dog adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Georgia Animal Rescue & Defence, Inc. (GARD), had allegedly been handed over to the adopter in terrible condition. The adopter reportedly said, “Belle smelled awful. Her fur and claws were matted with feces. She had not been microchipped.” The adopter said she was told the dog was heartworm positive, but a veterinary examination also found that Belle had “an ear infection, a permanent eye infection which requires daily cleaning and medication, and the vet told [the adopter that] the dog was closer to 8 years old than 4 years old [as the group had advertised].” A spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Agriculture reportedly said “[w]hile the Companion Animal division does not have any open complaints against GARD … the Inspector General’s investigation of the rescue is ongoing with several steps to complete before the investigation is closed.” According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic had increased “awareness of the problems in the dog rescue and breeding industry.”
February 2021/Darnestown, Maryland: WUSA9.com reported that two dogs had died in a fire at the home of a self-professed animal “rescuer,” who had also died. Four dogs who survived were reportedly “found in steel cages in the basement of the home.” According to the report, first responders “said ‘excessive storage’ and clutter in the home made their search [for survivors] difficult, and the house did not have a functioning fire alarm.” Friends reportedly said the homeowner “had operated NoVa Rottweiler Rescue League Incorporated” out of the residence. An electrical fault was found to be the cause of the fire. No additional information was available.
February 2021/Newcastle, California: ABC17News.com reported that 40 animals had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as The Enchanted Forest Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Inc. Twenty-five animals reportedly survived, and authorities were investigating the cause of the fire. Sacramento.CBSLocal.com reported, “Geese, ducks, and tortoises were among the animals that could not escape.” No additional information was available.
February 2021/Morgan Hill, California: MorganHillTimes.com reported that Ava Geddes, “who has been active in local volunteer animal fostering and rescue efforts over the years is charged with felony animal cruelty after police found more than a dozen dead or neglected cats in her home last summer, according to authorities.” Geddes was reportedly “fac[ing] two felony counts and one misdemeanor in relation to the feline corpses and unhealthy animals allegedly found in a June 2020 search of her home.” According to the report, a police officer responding to a call for a welfare check on Geddes “discovered a wasteland of cat carcasses, flies swarming throughout the residence and a pungent odor of cat urine and feces that could be smelled from outside.” After obtaining “a search warrant to conduct further investigation and seize the animals,” authorities entered the residence and “found more cages with cat corpses in various stages of decay, as well as feces, urine, fur and other debris on the floor, furniture and countertops throughout the home, the police report describes. Some living cats encountered inside the home appeared to be malnourished and scared of the officers. Many of the kennels did not appear to have receptacles for food or water for the animals. . . . Inside the home, officers observed ‘indescribable’ living conditions …. ‘Every single inch of the floor was covered in layers of feces, litter, trash, cats in different stages of decomposition.’… On their way upstairs, the officers ‘yielded in (their) tracks by a hill of feces’ on a stairway landing, [an officer’s] report continues. An upstairs bathtub was allegedly filled with dead cats. Some carcasses in a guest bedroom were so decayed that only skeletons remained.” Seven live cats were seized and transported to an animal shelter. Authorities were reportedly continuing to investigate “claims that Geddes has attempted to rescue or acquire more cats since she was charged with the animal abuse allegations in June. Geddes has been known in Morgan Hill as a supporter of stray animal care, and is a former board member of a nonprofit that supports the San Martin Animal Shelter and the county’s adoption programs. She has spoken at city council meetings in favor of more funding for the animal shelter’s spay/neuter efforts, and made a presence on social media in recent years as a rescuer of stray cats.” The prosecutor said he would “ask the judge to prohibit [Geddes] from owning or caring for cats as part of her sentence” if convicted.
February 2021/Laurel Hill, Florida: NWFDailyNews.com reported that authorities had seized 77 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Fyre Branch Rescue, including 47 birds, 14 pigs, 11 horses, three dogs, and two cats. According to the report, “animal control officers arrived at the Fyre Branch Rescue to find dead piglets and chickens in various states of decomposition and hogs standing in three feet of their own waste ‘feeding on the dead.’ [Authorities] described emaciated horses with open sores that had no clean water available and said horse skulls, jaw bones and cow horns were ‘scattered across the filthy property.’ . . . The owner of Fyre Branch Rescue goes by different aliases but is known in Okaloosa County jail and court records as Shandi LeBron.” She “has a lot of bad background in Texas and Louisiana,” according to a spokesperson for an adoption group that assisted with the seizure. LeBron was reportedly “adjudicated guilty in 2016 of cruelty to livestock” when she “managed a nonprofit that accepted wild horses rounded up by the federal government on property managed by the Department of Defense and U.S. Forestry Service. The horses were then either sold for a profit or sent to ‘kill pens’ for slaughter,” according to another nonprofit group’s spokesperson, who reportedly said in a news release, “She claims she is a ‘rescue’ and even peddles for donations, when her animals are living in squalor.” Authorities were reportedly “pursuing neglect charges and continuing [an] investigation to find out if the Fyre Branch Rescue owner is involved in horse flipping.”
February 2021/Giles County, Tennessee: WHNT.com reported that a private animal adoption group had “been called multiple times to ‘cat hoarding’ situations,” in the area. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that animal shelters in the community “don’t take cats,” and a recent hoarding case that it had handled involved an elderly couple that “did reach out for help, but because help is not readily available in the area they didn’t receive the help that they asked for.” No additional information was available.
February 2021/Candler County, Georgia: MetterAdvertiser.com reported that self-professed animal “rescuer” Vicki Buck “faces 74 arrest warrants for animal cruelty.” A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office reportedly said, “74 warrants were taken because of the 74 animals in ‘very unsanitary conditions. We saw violations with just about every animal on the property.’” The animals were reportedly voluntarily surrendered to an animal adoption group. According to the report, in 2019, Buck had been denied a permit to keep more than 20 animals at the property, and “[w]hen Buck applied for the permit in 2019, she reported having 63 dogs and cats, but then said she had rabies certifications for over 80 animals. Buck reported that most of the animals were rescues and many were senior pets. At the time, she reported that the dogs were housed in a 110’x60’ concrete block building and the cats were kept in a utility building with a kennel enclosure and roof on a concrete slab. When Sheriff’s Investigator Melvin Ivey went to inspect the premises as protocol for the permit application, he cited Buck with four citations because ‘he was alarmed by the conditions he saw …,’ according to County Attorney Kendall Gross. In that 2019 meeting, Gross said that Ivey ‘was unrestrained of his criticism in the way the animals were being cared for.’ … [T]he animals were reportedly standing in urine/fluid in the bottom of the pens.” MetterAdvertiser.com reported in 2019 that Buck had told county commissioners that she did “not have a definite count on the number of animals” at the property and was “affiliated with several rescues.” The investigation was ongoing.
February 2021/Chappell, Nebraska: KearneyHub.com reported that more than 40 cats and eight kittens had died in a fire at a residence where they were hoarded by a founding member of a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” group doing business as Nebraska Loves Cats. According to the report, the fire broke out at the home of “Michelle Tynan, one of three co-founders” of the group. As the home burned, Tynan said she “could hear the [trapped] cats crying.” Two surviving cats sustained burns and were taken to an animal hospital for treatment. Others reportedly escaped the blaze and “remain on the loose.” Tynan reportedly “said a number of the cats living at the residence had special needs, including a dozen that were blind.” According to the report, “The fire comes in the midst of a legal battle that Tynan is having with the city of Chappell. After a bench trial in December, Deuel County Judge Randin Roland found her guilty of a misdemeanor count of violating a city ordinance by harboring more than five cats over 4 months old in a residential zone.” A hearing date was set for the case.
February 2021/Kokomo, Indiana: FOX59.com reported that authorities had preliminarily charged a 16-year-old with cruelty to an animal and carrying a handgun without a license after he was suspected of shooting a dog to death and leaving the animal’s body in a crate on the side of a road. According to the report, the dog’s owner was a family member, who told authorities that the dog had “attacked her face.” The 16-year-old and another relative reportedly told investigators “that they picked [the dog] up from the owner’s house at her request. They then attempted to contact several agencies to take [the dog] in but all refused because of his aggressive behavior, the suspects stated. The suspects then decided to take [the dog] into the county and release him to run wild. But when they attempted this, [the animal] became extremely aggressive, and the suspects feared he would hurt them or someone else if released …. So, the 16-year-old retrieved a handgun from the vehicle and quickly shot [the dog] while in [the] cage multiple times until he believed him to be dead. Both suspects left [the animal] in [the] kennel on the side of the road.” The investigation was apparently ongoing.
February 2021/Tewksbury, Massachusetts: LowellSun.com reported that “Nicole Hutcheon, who was arrested on animal cruelty charges last year after two dogs died in her care, will avoid jail time but be forbidden from owning any pets for three years while she is on probation.” According to the report, “Hutcheon was charged last year after an agency that fosters dogs in the area asked Tewksbury Animal Control to do a well-being check on a German shepherd Hutcheon was fostering for the agency, according to a press release. The agency requested that check on April 5, after Hutcheon stopped providing updates on that dog. According to a press release issued at the time of her arrest, an investigation determined two German shepherds died while in Hutcheon’s care, including the one she was fostering for the agency. That dog died of starvation, and Hutcheon did not report [the] death, according to a press release. Another German shepherd she had adopted also died in her care, according to a press release, and she tried to hide the remains of that dog. A third dog, a German shepherd puppy, was found in Hutcheon’s house and appeared to be underweight, according to a press release.”
January 2021/Amherst County, Virginia: WSET.com reported that 20 animals, including cats, parrots, and a dog, had died in a house fire at a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Sanctuary Farm Everlasting Care. According to the report, “sanctuary” owner Jody Bart “shares her home and the land around it with hundreds of rescued animals” and “hopes to rebuild.” No additional information was available.
January 2021/Godfrey, Illinois: KSDK.com reported that a dog had been warehoused for 11 years at a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Alton Area Animal Aid Association. The dog had reportedly been surrendered to the facility when she was 3 years old. According to the report, she developed a tumor in 2016, which is currently “the size of a cantaloupe,” she can’t be around “small children” or “other animals,” and she “will sometimes get sores on her body, which they believe is part of her allergy issues, and she tends to chew on them until they get infected.”
January 2021/Bryan, Texas: KBTX.com reported that authorities had charged a woman with cruelty to animals after she allegedly abandoned a dog she’d repeatedly tried to surrender to the community’s publicly funded animal shelter, which refused to accept the animal. According to the report, staff at the facility doing business as Bryan Animal Center “had an encounter with [the woman] before when [she] said she would just ‘dump the dog,’ since they wouldn’t take the dog in. . . . Staff at Bryan Animal Center were further interviewed and it was found that [the woman] had called Bryan Animal Center and … called in her dog as a stray and left the dog with them. When the microchip was scanned, staff found the contact number was the same as the caller. Staff called [the woman] back but she would not answer, a text was then sent to her phone advising her to pick up her dog. [The woman] told them she was at work and not able to get the dog. She said she could not care for the dog and asked Bryan Animal Center to keep the dog. Staff said the [center] could not keep the dog but gave her rehoming options. They then told [her] she would be cited if she didn’t pick the dog up and for lying about the dog being a stray. [The woman] came in to pick up the dog but told the staff she would [go] to Houston and dump the dog.” The dog was later found roaming on a resident’s property and was apparently admitted to the facility. It wasn’t reported why this public facility refused to help the resident and prevent the animal’s abandonment.
January 2021/Thacker, West Virginia: WSAZ.com reported that more than 75 dogs had been removed from a property after a woman who had been hoarding them died. According to a spokesperson for an animal adoption group that removed the animals with the help of authorities, “All dogs were located outside, 80 percent of these dogs were chained up.” According to the report, “The homeowner decided to care for the dogs that she came across, or were dropped off at her home, because she wanted to help the local shelter. ‘In this situation, the lady was concerned about the shelter not having the resources,’” the spokesperson said. Dogs were reportedly found “chained to trees and sticks and some roaming in a flood plain unable to escape the elements.” A veterinarian who examined the animals reportedly found that “some of them have issues with their hearts, several have been [overbred], several have tumors, large tumors,” according to the group.
January 2021/Cape Coral, Florida: NBC-2.com reported that a resident had been “attacked two times by two of his neighbor’s dogs” on the same day. His daughter told the outlet that “the dogs were left outside for two days with no sign of their owners. She said … dog attacks [are] becoming more common in her area.” The publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Cape Coral Animal Shelter is a self-professed “no-kill” facility. A spokesperson said it uses appointments and waiting lists before it will accept animals from residents who can’t or won’t care for them, common “no-kill” policies designed to keep animals out of shelters and exclude them from intake and outcome statistics. She said more dogs were roaming at large in the community and that “some people come in expecting to leave their dog at the shelter and go. [She] said to re-home your [animal companion] with the Cape Coral shelter, there is a process that could take more than a week. ‘We may not get back to you right away. It may take a few weeks,’” she said. No additional information was available.
January 2021/Floral City, Florida: ABCActionNews.com reported that authorities had seized 43 dogs, three hens, and a pig from the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Out of the Box Animal Rescue Inc., after they were found in conditions described as “deplorable” and “disturbing.” Sheriff Mike Prendergast reportedly said, “Under the guise of a rescue, these precious animals suffered in deplorable conditions because of one man’s refusal to provide the basic, minimum requirements of care.” According to the report, “Officials entered the property and inspected the living conditions of these animals. They discovered numerous violations, both civil and criminal, regarding housing and care of the animals on the premises. Violations on scene included: the failure to meet county ordinance regarding kennel space of 80 sq. ft. per dog required, several kennels left outside in the elements with no coverage while other small kennels were found with corrugated roofs and tarps wrapped around the entire kennel – drastically restricting the airflow to the animal, and kennels with wood or particleboard floors that were urine saturated, rotten, with large holes gaping open. Several dogs need medical care and were infested with fleas.” Officials reportedly said, “Some of the most disturbing conditions discovered included dogs locked inside bathrooms with no windows or lights, with urine covered floors. Sadly, one dog was found living in an old walk-in freezer type unit that doubled as a storage room. The unit was similar to the box of a moving van – completely metal, no windows, no electricity, and no ventilation. The door to the unit was closed and locked with the poor animal inside.” The county Fire Rescue Services’ Hazardous Materials Team reportedly also “responded to take air quality readings which will be forwarded for case evidence. The firefighter who took the readings attempted to enter without protective gear but had to come back out and put on Tyvek and full breathing gear due to the levels of ammonia in the buildings.” The group’s owner, Robert Allan Schweickert Jr., was arrested and charged with “25 counts of cruelty to animals with additional charges pending.” (See the June 2019/Citrus County, Florida, entry below for additional information about the “rescue.”)
January 2021/Colorado Springs, Colorado: KRDO.com reported that state authorities were investigating a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as New Hope Rescue, Inc., after receiving “complaints of neglect and cruelty.” According to the report, the “rescue’s” owner, Joann Roof, “was charged with animal cruelty in August 2020. . . . Roof was originally charged with three felony counts of animal cruelty after law enforcement said she failed to get three dogs proper medical care. Court records show two of the puppies related to the charges died days after their adoption. [Roof] was charged with the felonies because it was her second offense. … ‘The animals that are in her care are being transferred there by other organizations that are in desperate need of somewhere. They’re just overrun with animals,’ Animal Law Enforcement Director Jamie Norris said. ‘She’s taking these animals under the provision that they’re going to be well cared for and rescued out. And I don’t think that all of the other organizations are really aware of what’s going on.’” The investigation was ongoing. According to an earlier report, “Court affidavits reveal Roof is accused of failing to get two puppies the medical care they need before she adopting them out, resulting in their deaths. Kaiser, an Australian Cattle Dog/German Shepherd mix is one of those puppies adopted out to a Colorado Springs family in July 2020. The day he was adopted, Kaiser vomited, but New Hope Rescue staffers told the family he was fine, according to court records. Two days later, the family said they took him to the vet. The vet suspected he was in the early stages of Parvo and [quoted] them thousands of dollars in medical bills for treatment, according to the court records. The family decided to take Kaiser back to New Hope Rescue for treatment, but animal law enforcement investigators said Kaiser never received proper vet care and ended up dying just four days after his adoption. . . . Animal law enforcement said Roof previously lost her license but was able to get it back after paying fines and serving six months of unsupervised probation for the 2014 charges. Investigators say they are hopeful she won’t get that license back again.”
January 2021/Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a dog who was in need of care and safety had been found tied to a parking sign outside a private facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. A worker found the animal by chance in freezing temperatures. The facility’s executive director reportedly said, “It was dark by that time. It was very, very cold. It was 24 degrees by that time, so we were very lucky that he stumbled upon him.” The dog was also suffering from “a skin condition that’s caused him to lose a lot of his fur, and the fur he does have was infested with lice.” According to the facility’s website, appointments are required to surrender an animal and there is a $100 fee to surrender a dog, more if the animal “is not fixed” or “needs to be taken in on the spot.” (See the October 2020/Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, entry below for more information about this facility)
January 2021/Burlington, North Dakota: KXNet.com reported that an elderly dog had been found after he’d evidently been abandoned. He was taken to a turn-away facility doing business as Souris Valley Animal Shelter, where a spokesperson said that a search of the facility’s system showed that the dog had been turned away the day before. She said the dog had evidently later been left “in freezing temperatures on the side of the road.” No additional information was available.
December 2020/Bossier City, Louisiana: KTBS.com reported that authorities were investigating conditions at a dog boarding facility doing business as A Dog’s Place after receiving a complaint about poor conditions. According to the report, “Sources told KTBS 3 News, there were about 60 dogs kenneled there at the start of the week. About half of those came from Caddo Parish Animal Services. Caddo’s dogs were boarded before being transported out of state to rescues and adoption. We’re told that Caddo removed its dogs before the Bossier authorities arrived.” A spokesperson for the city reportedly “said in a written statement, ‘Bossier City Animal Control was notified by an employee with the Caddo Parish Animal Shelter that there were dogs being housed in poor conditions at A Dog’s Place. Bossier City Animal Control officers observed unclean conditions at the facility, including feces on some of the animals.’” KTBS.com apparently interviewed “[w]orkers at a nearby business who’ve been inside A Dog’s Place [who] describe[d] an ‘awful stench’ when they ventured inside the front of the place.” The investigation was ongoing.
December 2020/Brookhaven, Mississippi: DailyLeader.com reported that area animal sheltering facilities, including the publicly funded one, were “full,” were “packed,” and had “no room” to accept animals. An animal control officer said that animals were being abandoned throughout the community and reportedly told the public that anyone seeing a dumped animal “has to make a decision on what to do. ‘It’s up to them, but when they pick up a dog it’s going to be a challenge to get [the animal] to a rescue or shelter. I know it’s hard to keep passing them up, but it’s up to the people,’” she said.
December 2020/ Wyckoff, New Jersey: DailyVoice.com reported that New Jersey state authorities had filed a lawsuit asking a judge to shut down a self-professed animal “rescue” and service dog group doing business as Merlin’s Kids. According to the report, the state said the group’s owner, Janice Wolfe, “raised millions of dollars by falsely claiming an organization she founded that places rescue dogs as service animals is a charity … [and] unlawfully raised millions of dollars since 2008 without registering Merlin’s Kids as a charitable organization. . . . Meanwhile, tens of thousands of dollars characterized as donations went to hair styling, skincare products and artwork, along with a $10,000 purchase from a Lexus dealer. … There were also large cash withdrawals, as well as transfers to Wolfe’s personal accounts, among a host of suspicious payments that she was unable to explain.” Wolfe reportedly “bills Merlin’s [Kids] online as ‘a non-profit organization that transforms the lives of dogs by rescuing them from shelters.’” In a lawsuit, state authorities were reportedly “asking a judge for ‘the return of money unlawfully obtained from members of the public,’ along with civil penalties, attorneys’ fees and costs and an order “stopping the defendants’ unlawful practices.’ They’re also asking the judge to dissolve Merlin’s Kids, shut down its website, appoint a receiver, and permanently bar Wolfe from registering or operating any charity in New Jersey.”
December 2020/Hamden, Connecticut: FOX61.com reported that Donna Scirocco, who neighbors said “used to work to rescue animals,” had been arrested and charged with six counts of cruelty to animals after authorities seized 26 cats, six dogs, two squirrels, and a blind owl found hoarded in her home. Hamden Police Captain Ronald Smith reportedly said, “For approximately the last year Hamden Police have received numerous calls of a stench coming from” the property. When a search warrant was executed, animal control officers found “a blind owl kept in a very, very small cage. We found a dead woodchuck on the floor of the cellar. There was an American Eskimo dog that was brought out of the house in grave condition. It was unlivable for both human and animals. It was that disgusting.” A court date was set in the case.
December 2020/Newton, Iowa: NewtonDailyNews.com reported, “A Newton couple ha[d] been charged in the animal neglect incident in November where more than a dozen cats were removed from an abandoned property. . . . [L]ive and deceased cats … had been abandoned by their owners without food, water or adequate shelter since approximately Oct. 31. … All of the live cats were very skinny and officers could clearly see their ribs under their fur and see dirt or bugs around their face and head, even in the chilly weather, according to the report. Officers also found two deceased cats on the property and noted something had clearly been eating at their carcasses. Witnesses reported seeing the live cats eating the dead animals …. A licensed DVM performed examinations on all of the cats and determined three of the living cats were determined to be ‘emaciated,’ five were ‘very thin’ and two were ‘ideal.’ All 10 cats had ear mites and fleas. Of the two deceased cats, only one was able to be examined. The cause of death was ‘lack of nutrition’ followed by post mortem cannibalism. Jason and Tammy Breckenridge openly admitted the cats belonged to them. Jason Breckenridge said they left them at the residence when they moved out because they ‘did not know what to do with them.’” According to their websites, area animal sheltering facilities didn’t accept cats at all, were not accepting owner surrenders, or required appointments and fees to accept animals.
December 2020/Springfield, Illinois: WANDTV.com reported that a dog who had been adopted from a limited-admission facility doing business as the Animal Protective League had starved to death after he was left in an abandoned home when the adopters moved. According to the report, “[t]he property’s landlord, Shane Sullivan, said these tenants failed to pay rent for four months. … Sullivan said he sent several notices to the tenants and posted a notice of entry. Twenty-four hours later he entered the property. According to Sullivan, what he saw in the residence was a sight he will never forget. ‘I saw feces, trash like the dog had been eating anything it could,’ Sullivan said. ‘It was just a mess.’ In all the mess, Sullivan found a dog – 4-year-old Sii. ‘[Sii] starved for quite sometime. It didn’t happen overnight,’ Sullivan said. … Sullivan said upon finding Sii, he immediately contacted Springfield police. This case is still under investigation by Sangamon County Animal Control.”
December 2020/Middle River, Maryland: BaltimoreSun.com reported that the owners of a nonprofit group doing business as Colony Cats of Bird River and Beyond had “been sentenced to serve 60 days in prison and ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to Animal Services after police found more than 220 cats, 74 of which were dead, in their Middle River home last year. Garriott J. Cox, 54, and Pamela J. Arrington, 52 … were found guilty on Nov. 11 of three of the 63 counts of animal cruelty and failure to provide food, drink and care.” (See the November 2019/Middle River, Maryland, entry below for details.) A judge reportedly “ordered the pair to be put on supervised probation for three years and prohibited from possessing an animal while on probation. And they must submit to an updated mental health evaluation and follow any recommended treatment.” According to the report, “Dead cats, found in varying states of decomposition, were stowed in coolers covered with flies, gnats and maggots in a shed on the property. The inside of Cox’s and Arrington’s home was covered in feces, urine and debris, with loose cats running around, police wrote in a report last year. … Arrington and Cox operated a trap, neuter, vaccinate and release program, a county program in which volunteers capture feral cats and have them vaccinated by Animal Services before they’re released. But instead of releasing the cats after they were neutered, Arrington and Cox would sell them to stores like PetSmart and PetCo, [Prosecutor Adam] Lippe said. ‘The ones that didn’t sell were left to die in cages,’ he said.”
December 2020/Wilson County, Tennessee: WKRN.com reported that an area animal adoption group “says they are seeing an alarming number of kittens thrown out of cars. [The group] says they have seen at least 12 incidents of cats being thrown from cars in recent months.” A witness reportedly took one cat to the group after seeing him being thrown from a moving car. The animal sustained “major trauma,” including damage to his spinal cord. He was receiving treatment. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that some kittens who had been taken in had “road rash on the face. It was always a back leg injury, so they tend to hit the ground in a certain way that’s indicative of how they were tossed. One was a whole bag. It was a Hefty bag and those were on the side of the road and somebody actually saw one of the kitties crawling out of the bag and we took the 4 of those in.” At the time of the report, the county’s public animal shelter stated on its website, “We do not accept owner turn-ins. We do not accept animals other than dogs.”
November 2020/Bristol, Connecticut: WFSB.com reported that the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Tenderheart Rescue was “facing charges after police believe multiple kittens have died in care and that she was caring for them illegally. Four pages of an arrest warrant show the founder of Tenderheart Rescue, 30-year-old Abigale Jones, accused of practicing veterinary care without a license. … According to the arrest warrant, Jones denied having any sick cats, but then told police she had a kitten die of distemper, which is highly contagious. She admitted to police she ‘administers medications and fluids to her animals although it’s not always under a veterinarian’s direction.’ … In the warrant, a woman told police she adopted a kitten for $50 from Jones and [the animal] died a day later. A vet clinic in Wolcott also told police, ‘they have seen two of Tenderheart Rescue kittens and mentioned that they know of a few kittens that have passed away in her care.’” BristolPress.com reported that an investigator “also spoke to someone who said she purchased two kittens from Jones. One of them died shortly thereafter and the other, which the woman said Jones told her was 8 weeks old, was examined by a vet and found to be just over 6 weeks old, the warrant said. The animal that was examined had a fever and tested positive for an intestinal tract infection, according to the warrant.” A court date was set.
November 2020/Dallas, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a spokesperson for a selective-admission self-professed “zero kill” group doing business as Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge said that area animal shelters are often full and that so many dogs are abandoned by being thrown from moving vehicles that “we’re just used to it at this point.” A witness reportedly recently “saw [a] boxer mix get thrown from a moving vehicle and out into the street.” The spokesperson for the group said, “The dog chased the car for about a minute until he stopped and sat on the side of the road.” The group then admitted the dog.
November 2020/Pueblo, Colorado: Chieftain.com reported that authorities had seized 78 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as AWR Cat Tails Rescue, Inc., and that its owner, Shelley McPherson, was charged with criminal neglect. According to the report, “Many of the animals displayed obvious signs of illness and in the days after the confiscation, two cats had to be euthanized and another died.” A spokesperson for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, which was caring for the animals, explained, “Our veterinary team found cases of upper respiratory infections and ringworm, and due to lack of proper isolation and quarantine, most of the cats were exposed. Additionally, several of the cats will need dental surgery.” The investigation was ongoing, and additional charges against McPherson were reportedly possible.
November 2020/Pearl River, Louisiana: NOLA.com reported that authorities had seized 45 dogs from an animal adoption group doing business as It’s a Grey Area Greyhound Adoption Group, Inc., and that its owner, Leslie Ezkovich-Tierney, was charged with 45 counts of cruelty to animals. According to the report, the animals were seized after sheriff’s deputies “found the dogs, covered in waste and suffering from malnourishment and dehydration. Several also had sores caused by being kept in kennels for 20 hours a day. The investigation is continuing and more arrests are possible, according to the [sheriff’s office] news release.” No additional information was available.
November 2020/Abilene, Texas: ReporterNews.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 35 cats and dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Paw Angel Animal Rescue. A news release issued by the city of Abilene reportedly revealed that “[t]he city has been investigating Paw Angel since Sept. 23 ‘when the City of Abilene Animal Services and Code Enforcement responded to a citizen complaint at the Paw Angel Animal Rescue about noise and smell,’ the release said. Upon initial investigation, Animal Services and Code Enforcement found approximately 75 dogs and 10 cats in the residential backyard.” Animal Services reportedly worked with adoption groups “to rehome the animals, the release said. [However], ‘[s]ince the initial investigation, Paw Angel Animal Rescue has continued to acquire animals.’” KTXS.com later reported that “rescue” owner Robert Sudbury had “reached a settlement with the City of Abilene” and would not be criminally charged in the case. He also reportedly “agreed to surrender two more cats … [who] the City said were ‘cruelly treated.’ In exchange, Sudbury will not have to pay any costs associated with the care of the cats.” Authorities reportedly called the living conditions for the animals “poor at best.” According to the report, “Sudbury said despite what happened this week, he will continue to help animals through rescue.”
November 2020/Columbia, Tennessee: WDBJ7.com reported that authorities had seized 50 dead and 23 live animals from a property where they had been hoarded by Carolyn Bauer, a self-professed animal “rescuer” who, according to authorities, “was collecting the animals from other rescues and telling them that she would transfer them elsewhere but would take them to her home instead.” According to the report, “The Maury County Animal Control Director told WTVF the case was the most egregious situation he has ever worked and that the animals were in the worst shape he’s ever seen.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group that was caring for some of the survivors reportedly said that the group “had to groom every surviving animal because of the smell and mangled fur.” WSMV.com reported that a spokesperson for the adoption group said the survivors also had “highly, highly infected ears to the point we could barely touch them.” Many of the dead animals had reportedly been found trapped in cages at the property. According to a first responder with the animal services department, Bauer “seemed oblivious to the fact there were dozens of deceased animals in the home.” According to the report, “Bauer has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and surrendered the surviving animals.” NewsChannel5.com reported that “[c]ourt records indicate that Bauer has done this before.” Maury County Animal Control Director Jack Cooper said, “The defendant in this case, was actually arrested in Davidson County more than 10 years ago for a similar offense.”
October 2020/Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada: CBC.ca reported that a cat who was being fostered for a self-professed “cat rescue group” had been killed by the foster caregivers. A witness reportedly testified in court that the 13-year-old cat, named Mittens, had been turned over to the group after her guardian died. She was then apparently sent to a foster home, where, according to the witness, “[foster caregivers] Anderson and Rossiter took a small axe and an empty bag into the bathroom, where the cat was. She said when the couple came out, there was now something in the bag that Rossiter was carrying, and the cat was no longer in the bathroom.” According to the report, “Anderson, 39, is charged with one count of injuring or endangering an animal and two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Rossiter … faces one count of injuring or endangering an animal and one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The one-day trial … began with testimony from the arresting officer, Const. Leon Sheppard, who presented two sets of photographs of the alleged crime scene. In them, he pointed to what he believed were blood stains on a bathroom floor.” It was later reported that Anderson and Rossiter had both been “convicted in provincial court … of injuring or endangering an animal. Charges of causing the cat unnecessary suffering were stayed.” A court date was set for sentencing.
October 2020/Rising Sun, Maryland: FOXBaltimore.com reported that authorities had seized 45 live and two dead animals from the home of Crystal Romine, who ran a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Eden Rehab and Rescue. The animals were found in conditions described as “deplorable” and “included 17 cats, 3 dogs, 3 snakes, 1 guinea pig, 2 turtles, 1 tarantula, 2 birds, 13 goldfish, and 3 [betta] fish. The animals had limited access to fresh food and water.” The previous year, authorities had seized 63 animals from the “rescue.” (See the February 2019/Rising Sun, Maryland, entry below for more details.) Criminal charges were reportedly pending against Romine.
October 2020/Roanoke County, Virginia: WFIRNews.com reported that a Ram utility van that was transporting 80 dogs in 50 crates had crashed on a highway. According to the report, “The van was traveling from Texas to a ‘No Kill’ shelter in Pennsylvania. … One dog died as a result of the crash.” The accident reportedly occurred at 1:20 a.m. on an interstate highway. The surviving animals were taken to a veterinary hospital for care. The van driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained. No additional information was available.
October 2020/Portsmouth, Ohio: WSAZ.com reported that an animal adoption group reported that it had been “told about a box of kittens found abandoned and dead along” a highway. According to the report, “it’s just the latest instance of animal cruelty the shelter says they are noticing an increase in.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “People come in and they come in at the last minute and say, ‘I’ve got these cats. I can’t keep them.’ If we don’t have room, it’s the alternative they either dump them or they take them to a bad place, or they get killed or something like that.” Full shelters in the area “cannot bring in new animals in need,” she said. Animals adopted during the COVID-19 lockdown were also reportedly being returned or abandoned.
October 2020/Amarillo, Texas: NewsChannel10.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Amarillo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had been turning away animals. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that area shelters were full and “forced to turn people away who bring in pets. ‘We’re seeing really an increase … we sometimes have to turn people down because we’re so full right now that we have to you know, end up turning people down.’ … There has been an increase in the number of pregnant dogs and cats, so shelters have been receiving many anonymous drop offs in [litters], only making their job more difficult. ‘Like I said, we have people call us constantly about three or four times a day, with [litters] of kittens being born under you know sheds in people’s backyards. Puppies being born, they don’t know what to do with them. . . . So, we’re seeing a lot of people bringing in pets, trying to bring in pets or strays that they find, and we’re just, we just get sometimes up to capacity,” she said. The city’s public shelter had recently been in the news after allegations about inhumane conditions at the facility and reports that it had been turning away animals “to keep the numbers looking good on paper.”
October 2020/Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a private facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Griffin Pond Animal Shelter had announced that it was housing nearly 200 cats, almost double its capacity, and would “no longer be accepting the surrender of cats until further notice.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said it had “cats in pop-up cages throughout the shelter.”
October 2020/Tulsa, Oklahoma: KTUL.com reported that 19 pit bulls had been removed from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Underdog American Pitbull Terrier Sanctuary, Inc., after the owner was hospitalized. According to the report, the animals “were living on a five-acre plot of land, formerly used as an RV park.” Photographs included in the report showed a severe build-up of trash around the property, some dogs housed in nonoperational vehicles, one dog hiding underneath a dilapidated trailer, and one dog evidently kept in a shopping cart.
October 2020/Rio Rancho, New Mexico: KOB.com reported that four dogs had been left outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Watermelon Mountain Ranch over a period of a few months, including puppies who had been “thrown” over the main gates, according to a spokesperson for the facility. One of the animals had been left in a crate with a note that said, “She’s been neglected. She’s been starved. She’s in poor health. Someone please help her,” according to the spokesperson. The facility reportedly requires appointments before it will accept animals. According to its website, there’s also a fee required and additional restrictions on accepting dogs: “Your animal(s) must be in good health with current vaccinations complete with verifiable shot records; Your animal(s) will NOT be accepted if aggressive, feral or in poor health; Please note, we are a limited admission facility and can only accept animals based on space availability.”
October 2020/Colleton County, South Carolina: WalterboroLive.com reported that a public animal shelter doing business as Colleton County Animal Shelter—which has restrictive policies, including only accepting animals “by appointment on a space available basis” and charging fees—“had a busy weekend” after three homeless or abandoned dogs had been hit by cars in the community. One resident said that neighbors told her that a dog had been “dropped off” in a neighborhood about a week before she was found hit by a car. “As I was coming home from work, I saw something in the road flopping around. I hoped it wasn’t a dog, but it was. … She couldn’t get her back end up. She had no collar and was skinny. … I don’t know why no one had helped her before this,” she said. After the dog was taken to the shelter, the resident said that “she was even more shocked to discover that the dog that she helped was pregnant because the animal was so skinny. Every car that passed would make her tremble. On the roadside, she had a seizure because of the shock and stress. She had a broken pelvis, and the injury caused her to go into labor. But because of the pelvis injury, she couldn’t birth the puppies. She had to have medical treatment to deliver them, [and] two of [the puppies] died. One survived, but the mother was in no condition to nurse.” Another dog had been found with such severe injuries that he or she had to be euthanized. A third dog was found at a garbage dump. The woman who found the dog said, “I was going to the dump when I saw something on side of road. At first, I thought the dog was dead, but then I saw [the animal] lift [his or her] head. … When I approached the dog, I saw that [the animal] was cold, so I covered [the dog] with a blanket and called 911 for animal control. The dog was bleeding and crying, so I moved [him or her] into my warm car and sat with [the animal] until animal control came. We discovered that the little dog had a broken jaw.” The dog was apparently receiving medical treatment.
October 2020/Indianapolis, Indiana: TheIndianaLawyer.com reported that the Indiana Court of Appeals had decided that “[a] south side Indianapolis animal shelter must face a lawsuit from an adopter whose child was attacked by a dog with a history of aggression. … In 2014, the Clinton County Humane Society received a dog named Grieg who was surrendered by his owner for not getting along with another dog in the household. Within the following year, Grieg was adopted out and returned by three separate owners, all of whom experienced aggression from the dog. According to one adopter, Grieg lunged and bit her 2-year-old son, causing the child significant injuries. After that event, Grieg was surrendered to Marion County Animal Control, where a second adopter returned Greig after [the dog] also lunged at him. Grieg’s third adopter, Mark Brown, returned the dog to the Southside Animal Shelter after [the animal] attacked Brown’s 6-year-old daughter, Brooke, who sustained injuries to her face that required surgery. … The Browns then sued Southside, Clinton County Humane Society, Indianapolis Animal Control Services and MCAC, alleging they were negligent. Brown also added claims that Southside committed fraud and constructive fraud when it represented that Grieg’s history was unknown on the adoption release.” The appeals court verdict reportedly overturned a previous court’s decision and determined “that Southside, as the owner and/or keeper of Grieg, had a duty to inform the Browns of Grieg’s ‘vicious characteristics’ so far as it knew, or to the extent such knowledge was ascertainable by the exercise of reasonable care.” Adopting out dangerous dogs is a common scheme used by facilities that prioritize “live-release” statistics over the welfare of individual animals as well as the community’s safety.
October 2020/Jones County, Mississippi: Leader-Call.com reported that “[O]ne-time animal rescuer Miranda Kittrell will spend six months in jail, have to pay $3,800 in fines and serve 380 hours of community service after she was found guilty of 38 counts of animal cruelty in Jones County Justice Court on Thursday afternoon. Judge Noel Rogers handed down the sentence, one of the most severe ever meted out in Jones County. In addition, she will have to get a psychological evaluation and counseling at her own expense and is banned from owning a domesticated animal for 15 years. … Kittrell was charged in September after 38 dogs were found in horrid conditions on her Jones County property.” (See the August 2020/Seminary, Mississippi, entry below for more details.)
September 2020/Concord Township, Ohio: Cleveland.com reported that authorities had seized 161 live and nearly 50 dead cats from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Caroline’s Kids Pet Rescue. According to the report, authorities obtained a search warrant and took a veterinarian to the property, where they “reportedly found unsanitary conditions in the pet sanctuary, saying most of the cats were in critical condition. Forty-nine dead cats were removed from the house and 161 were taken to the Humane Society for treatment for medical conditions such as upper respiratory infections, panleukopenia, stomatitis, flea infestation and ringworm. Painesville Municipal Court has ordered that the cats be surrendered to the Humane Society …. An investigation is under way and criminal charges are possible. In November 2016, the Humane Society seized 157 cats from the sanctuary after they were found to be in poor medical condition. Four employees were convicted on 24 counts [of] animal cruelty in the case. They received suspended jail sentences and were placed on probation.” (See the December 2016/Concord Township, Ohio, entry below for more details.)
September 2020/Corpus Christi, Texas: KRISTV.com reported that authorities had seized more than 80 animals, including 76 cats, five ducks, and two dogs, from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Pets and Animals Life Shelter (PALS) after they were found without adequate care in “unsanitary living conditions.” Caller.com reported that “[a]ll cats and dogs were [found] inside the home and some were kept confined with feces, urine and unsanitary water and food. Ducks were kept outside in enclosures with similar conditions,” according to authorities. Criminal charges were being considered.
September 2020/Panama City, Florida: MyPanhandle.com reported that “[w]ith the humane society no longer accepting intakes and animal control limiting their hours,” private animal adoption groups had been inundated with homeless and injured animals. A spokesperson for an area adoption group reportedly said that the group was “getting calls from everywhere, lots of emergency calls …. Countless cat after cat with broken legs, legs we’re having to amputate, legs [we’re] having to surgically repair. But we’re also finding them emaciated or finding them hit by cars, it just seems like it’s daily that we get a call about another emergency.”
September 2020/Los Angeles, California: KNX1070.Radio.com reported that “[a] woman is suing the city of Los Angeles, alleging she was bitten in the arm by a German shepherd while working as a volunteer at an animal shelter, then had to drag herself more than 200 feet with the animal’s mouth attached to her limb to get help.” For several years, the city’s sheltering system has been implementing increasingly dangerous policies in a bid to profess that its facilities are “no-kill.” The lawsuit reportedly “alleges negligence, negligent hiring, training and supervision, premises liability and dangerous condition of public property” and sought unspecified damages. The report states, “According to her lawsuit, [Kelly] Kaneko was serving as a city shelter volunteer … last Oct. 31 when she was told to leash [a] 100-pound German shepherd named Jax and escort him 250 feet, while alone, from his kennel to an area where a family could meet the dog and decide whether to adopt him. … While placing him back in his kennel and removing the leash, the dog suddenly attacked Kaneko, biting and latching onto one of her forearms, the suit states. Kaneko tried without success to free herself, but the dog intensified his bite, which penetrated her bone and arteries, according to the suit, which says no one at the shelter came to her aid despite her screams and calls for help. After five to seven minutes, Kaneko, fearing she would lose her entire arm, dragged herself the 250 feet from Jax’s kennel to the main office while he continued to bite into her limb, the suit states. One employee was at the main office, but the person was wearing earplugs because of the animal noise in the shelter and was unable to hear Kaneko’s screams, the suit says. Eventually, another employee saw what was happening and helped Kaneko remove the dog’s jaws from her arm, according to her court papers, which say she underwent surgeries and spent weeks in intensive care.”
September 2020/El Paso, Texas: KVIA.com reported that a public animal shelter that had implemented “no-kill” policies had refused to accept an aggressive dog from a resident. The woman reported that the dog had fatally attacked another dog in the household. She said she was rebuffed when she contacted El Paso Animal Services. “I tried to surrender the dog, I called and they said that the program was not available anymore and that the dog was my responsibility and [the animal] was my property,” she said. The agency’s director, Paula Powell, reportedly said that appointments were required to surrender an animal, a common scheme used by selective-admission facilities to discourage people from taking animals to them. According to the report, when “ABC-7 asked if surrendering a pet was an option, Animal Services said it was the owner’s responsibility to surrender a pet via a veterinarian, or bringing them in themselves with an appointment.” No additional information was available. In August, KFOXTV.com reported that a group of residents had protested “outside El Paso City Hall demanding the city’s Animal Services Department do more when it comes to picking up stray pets. . . . Protesters claim that when a stray animal is found in the city, employees tell them to take care of the stray themselves or release them back into the community.” Powell denied the allegations.
August 2020/Margate, Florida: Sun-Sentinel.com reported that a dog who had been adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Mastiff Rescue of Florida, Inc., had mauled an elderly woman to death. The dog had reportedly been released to the group by a public facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Miami-Dade Animal Services. According to the report, two weeks after he was adopted, the dog attacked his elderly caretaker. He first attacked her ankle, and when she fell to the ground, “Smokey went for her jugular while her 57-year-old son beat back the dog with anything in reach, including his mother’s wheelchair. It was no use. His 84-year-old mother died Friday in the hallway near the bathroom, according to records released from the Margate Police Department. … While on the ground, she was bitten multiple times in the head and upper body.” The woman, Carolyn Varanese, had reportedly cared for the dog and “allowed Smokey to sleep in bed with her.” Her son “suffered injuries to the left forearm and bicep as well as several facial scratches and a laceration under his right ear” during the attack. The dog was impounded by Broward County authorities.
August 2020/Summerville, South Carolina: ABCNews4.com reported that a dog had been found suffering from dehydration after he was left outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Dorchester Paws. The group, which receives public funding, requires that an appointment be made at least two weeks in advance and that a $125 surrender fee per animal be paid before it will accept them from the public.
August 2020/Los Angeles, California: LATimes.com reported that an animal adoption group had filed a lawsuit against a municipal animal sheltering system doing business as Los Angeles Animal Services alleging that it had been turning away lost and homeless animals. The lawsuit contended that the adoption group had been “overburdened and overrun” with homeless animals since two city shelters had closed. Its founder reportedly said, “I cannot cover for the West Valley shelter. We have a limit on how many animals we can have.” For several years, the city’s sheltering system has been implementing increasingly restrictive intake policies in a bid to profess that its facilities are “no-kill.”
August 2020/Seminary, Mississippi: Leader-Call.com reported that authorities had seized “39 malnourished and abandoned dogs” from the residence of a self-professed animal “rescuer.” Officials reportedly described “conditions of the residence [as] ‘heartbreaking,’ as dogs were trapped inside and … some had died. … Sheriff Joe Berlin said Miranda Kittrell is facing her third offense involving neglected animals; she now faces more than 30 misdemeanor charges, he said.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group that was caring for the dogs reportedly said, “Some of the animals had severe medical and behavioral issues.” According to the report, “In 2017, Kittrell, a founding member of the now-defunct Animal Rescue Team, faced charges of animal neglect and abuse when Jones County Sheriff’s deputies took 40 dogs and nearly 20 horses living in poor conditions from multiple properties. Kittrell was charged with 13 counts of failing to provide substance to the animals. Sources close to this current investigation say those animals were discovered on Kittrell’s property, and children had been there, too.” It was later reported that the residence had “burned down” in a fire suspected to have been caused by arson.
August 2020/Portland, Oregon: KPTV.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” and boarding facility doing business as Woofin Palooza, LLC, including 52 dogs and 65 cats. According to the report, “Investigators said the dogs and cats were seized from the facility after determining the state and condition of the animals at the site. A forensic veterinary team … also responded to assist with medical triage of the animals. The dogs and cats are now being treated by the Multnomah County Animals Services veterinary team. The animals are considered part of an ongoing investigation. The case has been referred to the district attorney’s office and no further details were released Tuesday. The website for Woofin Palooza states they work to ‘save the pets in high kill shelters that are facing euthanasia due to over crowding and lack of homes.'”
July 2020/Amarillo, Texas: Mix941KMXJ.com reported that “a Facebook post that has now been shared over 750 times (at the time of this writing) … allege[d] mistreatment of animals and a lack of concern regarding safety for the animals and employees” at a public animal shelter doing business as Amarillo Animal Management & Welfare. According to the report, the post included gruesome photos and descriptions, including a “gut-wrenching stor[y] … of a dog who chewed through [his or her] own leg. Another is of a cat who, instead of being humanely euthanized, was left to suffer.” The post, which had apparently been written by a former employee, alleged that the horrendous conditions were created by practices instituted by the facility’s director, who “wants her numbers to look good, as if she has turned things around to be ‘no kill.'” It alleged that, “to keep the numbers looking good on paper, she also has closed open intake to strays found in the community. . . . Word is getting around about this new policy, even though management has never even bothered to make an official announcement to the tax paying public. Therefore, there are now packs of dogs roaming. … There are dozens of animals hit by cars all over town and on the highway, who if lucky, died instantly. Most aren’t so lucky. Most bleed out and suffer the pain of broken bones, crushed organs, knocked out teeth and popped out eyeballs from the impact before they die. I can say this with 100% certainty, because I have seen it firsthand as an officer when an animal has been hit. Now, there are even more animals hit daily due to the sheer number of loose animals roaming due to the policy of no longer picking up strays in the field.” The city reportedly provided a statement that gave excuses for the extreme pain and suffering caused to the animals in the photos shared in the post but did not deny that the facility was refusing to accept lost or homeless animals from residents, who fund the program.
July 2020/Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania: BucksCountyCourierTimes.com reported that authorities had seized “60 animals including chickens and sheep from what officials described as unsafe, unsanitary conditions at a Plumstead farm that billed itself as an animal sanctuary on Craig’s List (sic).” A first responder reportedly said that many of the animals had been found “living in filthy pens where the temperature was more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with no access to water. Four sheep that were rescued had ‘extremely thick, matted coats’ that had not been shorn in two years, and no access to food or water. … Some areas of the sheeps’ coats were so heavy they were pulling away from the skin, which was red and irritated. One sheep also had a chronic leg issue. … Eight cats and kittens appeared ill and were living in unsanitary conditions. …Workers also found a near-skeletonized dog corpse under a piece of plastic board.” The investigation was apparently ongoing.
July 2020/Jonesville, Louisiana: WGNO.com reported that authorities had apparently seized 37 dogs and five cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Catahoula’s Urban Tails (CUT) after they were found starving; in need of medical care; stacked in filthy, cramped cages, and living in their own waste. According to the report, “There was no drainage system in the warehouse so the animal waste often accumulated in the kennels without being properly hosed out. According to witnesses, the warehouse’s air-conditioning unit was not working properly and there was only one window unit for the entire 30 x 80 building, which was not running the day that [Stacey Alleman McKnight, director of Pointe Coupee Parish Animal Services] picked up the animals. The outdoor thermometer that was affixed to the side of the warehouse registered 114 degrees the day that the animals were removed, according to Ms. Alleman. A gray tabby kitten was housed in a birdcage. One volunteer said that the water to the warehouse was routinely cut off due to the failure to pay the water bill. … Ms. Alleman observed that all the animals were in very poor health and were severely malnourished and dehydrated. Two of the puppies tested positive for Parvo and died along with a third a few days after being rescued. Subsequent veterinary exams showed that the dogs were extremely dehydrated, infested with fleas, anemic, suffered from bloody diarrhea, internal parasites (a combination of round, hook, and/or whipworms). Ms. Alleman scored all dogs between 1 – 2 out of 5, and the vet who examined the animals concurred with those scores. All the adult dogs tested positive for heartworm disease and only one of the adult dogs had been fixed. According to Ms. Alleman, four of the five kittens were emaciated and two kittens had severe eye discharge. This horrendous lack of basic care occurred even though [veterinarian and CUT Director Kelly Hudspeth’s] veterinary office is within walking distance of the warehouse where the animals were housed.” Alleman reportedly said, “In my 20 years in the rescue community and as the director of two animal shelters, I have rarely seen such a complete disregard for life and an overall lack of care on every level.” An investigation was ongoing.
July 2020/Los Angeles, California: LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com reported that “California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Wednesday filed suit against a Los Angeles-based animal rescue and adoption agency for allegedly misleading donors and improperly soliciting donations. The suit names Little Love Rescue and Brittany Littleton—the agency’s founder and director—alleging that the nonprofit sought donations without being registered with the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts and misrepresented the condition of rescued animals in order to solicit donations through online platforms. The suit alleges that Littleton misrepresented the condition of a dog named Luna, claiming that the animal needed spinal surgery when [she] did not. The suit also alleges that Littleton misled donors by falsely claiming that Little Love Rescue was tax exempt.” Becerra reportedly said in a statement, “Unfortunately, charity rip-offs abound.”
July 2020/Cliffside Park, New Jersey: NJ.com reported that a visitor to a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Bergen County Protect and Rescue Foundation had filed a lawsuit against the company “claiming she suffered serious injuries when she was attacked by a dog that handlers should have known was vicious.” According to the report, the victim said she was attacked by a pit bull at the facility and “claims she suffered permanent injuries in the attack, is under the care of a doctor and is taking prescribed medications.” The facility’s founder, Vincent Ascolese, was reportedly “a former animal control officer in Bloomfield” who had been “charged in 2015 with animal cruelty after the death of a deer whose throat was allegedly slashed, according to a published report on NorthJersey.com. Acolese later pleaded guilty to disorderly person charges, according to the report.” The facility reportedly “closed its Cliffside Park location in October 2019.” The plaintiff was “seeking unspecified monetary damages, along with interest and costs of the lawsuit.”
July 2020/Hamilton Township, New Jersey: Trentonian.com reported that “[a]t least two women” had been attacked by a pit bull called Lucky who was up for adoption at the Hamilton Township Animal Shelter. According to the report, the facility had “moved toward what is commonly referred to as a no-kill animal shelter model, which may partly explain why Hamilton Township still attempted to place Lucky up for adoption in May despite his documented history of bad behavior.” According to attorney Stan R. Gregory, who was representing one of the women in a tort claim against the township, the dog had been confined at the facility “since September 2019. … In April, somebody said, ‘This dog isn’t friendly.’ And in May, my client comes in and gets bitten by this dog, suffering a severe injury. Severe.” According to an incident report, Gregory’s client and her husband visited the public facility in May “for a meet and greet with Lucky. ‘Before the dog approached the couple,’ the report states, ‘they were advised to go slow with Lucky, so they let the dog approach them.’ The report appears to corroborate all of the facts from the tort claims notice.” When the plaintiff petted Lucky, he reportedly “‘bit and vigorously shook’ the victim’s arm, according to the report. . . . The wound [the plaintiff] suffered could be described as a ‘high level 4 bite’ on the Dunbar Bite Scale,” according to a professional dog trainer consulted in the case. The attack caused “so much damage that a plastic surgeon had to be called to the hospital to repair the wounds,” the tort claim notice states. Documents obtained by the outlet reportedly described another incident in which a woman had “suffered a ‘puncture, bruising and inflammation'” from being attacked by Lucky three months earlier, in February. Lucky had reportedly since been euthanized.
July 2020/Salem, Ohio: WFMJ.com reported that authorities had seized more than 200 animals from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as Alchemy Acres Animal Sanctuary after they were found hoarded in conditions described by prosecuting attorney DanaMarie Pannella as “absolutely horrific.” Pannella said that many animals required medical attention. “‘The scope and the volume that need veterinary care is extremely overwhelming,’ she said. ‘Conditions ranging from skin conditions to flea infestations to emaciation.'” Three animals had died since they were seized. According to the report, “Pannella also filed a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s office regarding the owner’s for profit operation, Whispering Pines Castle LLC. Stephen Sacco who operates Alchemy Acres, is also the statutory agent and incorporator of Whispering Pines Castle LLC, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
Pannella says donors to that operation have complained to the humane society in the past. She wants the state to look into the finances of both the LLC and the non-profit Alchemy Acres.” The hundreds of dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals who were seized were receiving care. WFMJ.com further reported that no charges had yet “been filed and humane agents are still investigating who is responsible for the care of these animals. A hearing will be scheduled to determine the custody of the animals.” SalemNews.net later reported, “The four members of the Sacco family who serve on Alchemy Acres Animal Sanctuary board have pleaded no contest to neglect charges after 197 animals in bad shape were seized from an animal shelter they operated in Perry Township. After entering no contest pleas to a single count of animal neglect, county Municipal Court Judge Tim McNicol found Stephen, Julie, Emily and Katie Sacco guilty during Friday’s hearing. The Saccos were sentenced to three months in the county jail, but their sentences suspended and were placed on probation for five years and each ordered to pay a $750 fine. As part of the plea deal, the Saccos were required to relinquish ownership of the seized animals but will be allowed to keep their personal pets. As part of their probation, the Saccos are prohibited from owning, operating or being associated with an animal rescue or animal related organization or business. They also agree any law enforcement officer or humane agent can inspect any non-residential property or buildings they own or control to confirm no animals are being kept there. … As part of the agreement, the humane society agreed not pursue charges against anyone else on the board of Alchemy Acres or the volunteers involved in the organization.”
July 2020/Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada: CBC.ca reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Furbaby Rescues Society had “come under fire from former customers who say they thought they were adopting fully-vetted dogs from [open-admission animal shelters] in California—only to end up with sick dogs from Mexico. Furbaby Rescues owner Krystle Jores charges as much as [CA]$1,100 for a vaccinated and fixed puppy …. Ashley Kipping of Squamish says she spent [CA]$3,900 to keep her dog Kihei alive, after [the dog] started hemorrhaging from a tick-borne illness endemic to Mexico. . . . Lorrie Carlson of Victoria shelled out [CA]$1,600 in vet fees when her newly-adopted dog Lily came down with a mystery illness. . . . They were among eight former customers who spoke with CBC News about their experience with ailing dogs adopted from Jores.” Veterinarian Jefferson Manens reportedly expressed concerns about diseases that may stem from the importation of dogs from Mexico and suggested that people adopt local dogs who need homes. “There’s a large population of dogs that need to be adopted in B.C. and in Canada,” he said. A lack of regulations was cited as a problem by a local animal advocate. “It is the Wild West,” she said, adding that there are “no standards that organizations must meet in order to do this work.”
July 2020/Santa Ynez, California: SantaMariaTimes.com reported that a business called Hollon’s Hounds, which also owns a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Milton’s Mutts, had been approved to house dogs at a property that included “an existing horse barn, a pole barn and two stables, where the dogs will be housed.” An appeal had reportedly been “filed by Elizabeth Gullo, founder and executive director of the nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws … who said the appeal was based on her experiences while living on the site. Gullo said she saw dogs left unsupervised and going without food and water, with feces and urine not cleaned up, dogs being adopted out without first being altered and dogs going without veterinary care. She said the facility had operated without licenses and permits and Animal Services officers had responded to complaints about the operation eight times between July 2017 and April 2020, which she said seemed excessive. During public comment, veterinary technician Angela Adan, who also had lived at the site, repeated many of Gullo’s claims.”
June 2020/Airdrie, Alberta, Canada: CBC.ca reported that former volunteers and foster caregivers for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as EJ Rescue Canada were alleging that the group hadn’t given adequate care to animals on transport trucks and in its custody, had hoarded dogs, and had falsified information on documents when importing animals from the U.S. According to the report, “The ex-volunteers say they struggled to find enough fosters and adopters. They say they also struggled to keep up with feeding, providing bathroom breaks and play time, and cleaning up after the sometimes dozens of dogs that ended up staying at the daycare/rescue facility. . . . Some of the ex-volunteers’ top concerns revolve around the dogs’ transportation into Canada, both in terms of transit conditions and falsified information in documents provided to border officials.” In 2019, while transporting a planned 32 dogs from an adoption group in Arizona, an additional 11 dogs were allegedly “packed” into a van, leaving inadequate space for air to circulate. A former volunteer reportedly said that “[o]ne older terrier, who had been tucked up in a corner, died before they even reached the border.” In May 2020, GlobalNews.ca reported that two people and 14 dogs had died when a “cube van” transporting dogs from Arizona to EJ Rescue Canada careened off the road in Idaho. (See the May 2020/Shelley, Idaho, entry below for more details.) CBC.ca reportedly interviewed an individual or family that had adopted a dog from the group “who says they were left with a hefty vet bill because they say they were never told about pre-existing conditions. Others say they were told a dog was younger than [he or she] really was, which allowed EJ to collect a higher fee. . . . Other fosters told CBC News that they couldn’t contact EJ or convince staff that their dog needed medical attention—whether it be for trouble walking, diarrhea or a wound suffered in a fight.” Volunteers reportedly said that large dogs were kept in cramped crates and that the group imports more animals than it can adequately care for. Six former volunteers reportedly said that “many people have complained to the SPCA about EJ Rescue—including them after they left—but say nothing changes …. They say the SPCA sometimes notified [owner Trina] Demeria before they came to inspect; other times, [former volunteer Twyla] Johnson and another staff member say they would have to stall the SPCA and to give Demeria and the volunteers enough time to clean up, hide dogs, or move them into foster homes.”
June 2020/Austin, Texas: FOX7Austin.com reported that a public “no-kill” facility doing business as Austin Animal Center was “accepting very few healthy stray animals” and residents were “being encouraged to leave the animals on the street in the hope they’ll wander home, or take them in themselves.” The policy started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic but reportedly could be made permanent. According to the report, “An internal memo from late April shared with FOX 7 Austin shows Austin Animal Center chief Don Bland outlining plans for the shelter’s future. Those plans include turning away strays, and only taking in sick and injured animals and those with serious behavioral problems.” A concerned volunteer at the facility reportedly explained, “Animals are gonna be left on the street, people are not gonna have the ability to get these animals to a safe place [and] the community is going to be left doing the job that Austin Animal Center is paid to do.” Program manager Mark Sloatz reportedly said that the facility was “looking for ways to keep intake down.” FOX7Austin.com later reported that local residents were “calling out the Austin Animal Center after a video posted online showed someone trying to surrender a stray dog and being turned away. In the video posted on Facebook Thursday, a staff member can be heard telling the person with the stray dog, ‘If you can’t keep her, and no one on your Nextdoor or Austin Lost and Found Pets can hold onto her, you probably should just let her go where you found her.’ . . . In another part of the now-viral video, the same staff member said, ‘There’s no need for her to be in a kennel without receiving proper care here.'” (The full video can be viewed here.)
June 2020/La Grande, Oregon: LaGrandeObserver.com reported that authorities were investigating the former director of a self-professed “high-save” facility doing business as Blue Mountain Humane Association, who may have “embezzled funds and committed other criminal acts.” Local authorities had reportedly “partnered with the FBI to look into rumors and accusations against John Brinlee, including for embezzlement and false advertising.” Current board members allegedly believed Brinlee could have stolen up to $250,000. The group had reportedly held a contract with Union County to provide sheltering services on and off since at least 2011. At a county meeting in 2016, residents reportedly “voiced frustrations with the shelter. Some community members were upset the shelter would not take sick animals, and others shared their personal experiences, one of which involved the director getting upset with a customer and staff. Jodi Lambert, who manages the Eastern Oregon Pet Lovers Facebook page, shared the story from a message she received: ‘BMHA told them to let the cat go because they couldn’t take [the animal], couldn’t afford the vet fee, and they would put [the cat] down anyway,’ Lambert said, according to meeting minutes.” The cat reportedly had a broken leg, and what became of him or her wasn’t reported.
May 2020/Great Falls, Montana: GreatFallsTribune.com reported that authorities had seized 172 animals from inhumane and dangerous conditions at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as Hooves Paws and Claws, Inc., “following a structure fire on [the owner’s] property on May 6.” Owner/operator Pamela Jo Polejewski had reportedly “been charged with one count of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony, and four counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.” An unknown number of animals had reportedly died in the fire. KRTV.com reported that the surviving animals taken into custody included 52 dogs, 29 chickens, 21 waterfowl, 19 cats, 14 goats, 12 rabbits, 11 horses, six pigs, three turkeys, two parakeets, a tortoise, a ferret, a cockatiel, and a fish. Charging documents reportedly alleged that authorities had found “many dogs … in multiple makeshift kennels throughout the property [that] were not suitable for the dogs to live in” as well as “a cage full of kittens, multiple small fenced areas with dogs, more dogs running loose on the property, and goats running loose on the property. The cage full of kittens appeared to have so many kittens they barely had any room to move around. The floor of the cage was not visible due to the number of kittens present.” A veterinarian on scene reportedly found “a mini-horse on the property whose feet had not been cared for and were so long that they had curled, causing deformities to the horse. The veterinarian also found inside one of the trailers a deceased bloated dog with a necrotic mouth. … The veterinarian stated that the trailer confinement was cruel to the animals as there was no food or water, the animals were confined with the dead dog and an over-abundance of fecal matter, and they were unable to escape the trailer. An adult dog was removed from the trailer that had a severely disfigured face due to an infection; the veterinarian elected to immediately euthanize the dog to end [his or her] suffering. … Many of the cats/kittens were suffering from eye infections that if left untreated can result in the loss of the eye(s).” The report revealed that “records indicate that the organization was involuntarily dissolved by the Secretary of State in December 2018” and that “Polejewski has been charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty, and four misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. … She faced similar charges in Great Falls back in 2006.” GreatFallsTribune.com reported that 176 animals had been seized in the recent case. KRTV.com reported, “This is at least the third time Polejewski has faced similar charges in a courtroom.”
May 2020/Shelley, Idaho: EastIdahoNews.com reported that 14 dogs had been killed and 16 remained missing after a vehicle transporting them from Arizona to Canada crashed, also killing the driver and passenger. According to the report, “Eighteen surviving animals were found and are being cared for by local veterinarians and the Blackfoot Animal Shelter.” AZCentral.com reported that the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Who Saved Who Rescue in Arizona and her boyfriend were killed in the crash. No other vehicles were reportedly involved. The group reportedly removed animals from the public animal shelter in Maricopa County.
May 2020/Texarkana, Arkansas: WAVY.com reported that the public animal shelter in Texarkana had been turning away residents who tried to surrender animals for whom they couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care. The turn-away policy was changed after authorities discovered “five puppies, deliberately drowned at a local park.” A plastic crate was also found at the park. The city’s animal control director reportedly said that the animals had likely been drowned one by one in the crate: “We believe they placed the puppy in it, closed the lid, and then held the crate under water until they [believed] the puppies were drowned, and then drug it back out and then removed the body, and then would go on to the next one.” Authorities were investigating, but no suspects had yet been identified.
May 2020/Elliott County, Kentucky: LEX18.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 animals from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as The Trixie Foundation after they were found “living in poor conditions and receiving improper care.” The animals reportedly included 104 dogs and four cats. According to the report, owner/operator “Randy Skaggs is cited with 12 counts of improperly disposing of dead animals. Police say more charges are pending the results of veterinarian records.” According to a first responder, “There was a dog … they had to call the vet for immediately. She had to be euthanized. She was lifeless but still breathing.” Many of the animals reportedly had “visible health problems, including severe eye infections and large tumors on their mouths and bodies.” (See the March 2018/Elliott County, Kentucky, entry below for information about previous criminal charges against Skaggs.)
April 2020/Tulpehocken Township, Pennsylvania: ReadingEagle.com reported that authorities had seized three horses from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Eden Farm Equine Sanctuary, Inc., “due to neglect.” An affidavit reportedly “listed in graphic detail the problems one emaciated horse, Dahlia, was suffering. According to a statement provided by Dr. Christina Vittoria of Willow Creek Veterinary Center, Dahlia was about 100 pounds underweight during an exam at Eden Farm on March 17.” A volunteer at the “sanctuary” had reportedly contacted authorities, “concerned that three elderly horses were suffering, and 14 cats and seven dogs (six in the home and one in the barn) at Eden Farm were malnourished and not well kept.” He reportedly said that “there [wa]s an overpowering ammonia smell coming from the home due to what [owner Gayle] Cooper had described as having fourteen (14) cats and six (6) dogs inside the home, this ammonia has caused the floorboards in the home to rot/wilt from being damp for so long.” The investigation was ongoing.
March 2020/Hamilton Township, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that 10 cats had died in a fire at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Camp Papillon Animal Shelter. The animals had apparently been confined to a building. The cause of the fire was reportedly not known. No additional details were available.
March 2020/Woodstock, Virginia: NVDaily.com reported that Erica Stinson, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as River’s Edge Senior Sanctuary and Rescue, had been “charged with two felony counts of torture of an animal resulting in death, two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor of inadequate care for animals.” An investigator reportedly said in an affidavit “that she responded to the [Stinson’s] residence on Feb. 27 for a welfare check with Adult Protective Services. [The investigator] states she made contact with Stinson who operates River’s Edge Senior Sanctuary and Rescue. ‘The (residence) where the animals were housed was covered in feces with a strong smell of urine,’ [the investigator] states.” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Amanda Strecky reportedly said she wanted the court to move forward with a civil seizure request to seize additional animals from Stinson, “given the condition and age of the remaining animals. ‘These animals are very elderly and they need a lot of care and the bills are already extensive to the Sheriff’s Office,’ Strecky said.” She reportedly also said that a “large number” of additional charges were expected to be filed against Stinson as well as against one or more co-defendants. According to the report, “Stinson voluntarily surrendered a total of 35 animals to the Sheriff’s Office …. However, three more animals were not signed over … and an additional five to seven animals remain at Stinson’s residence, Strecky said.” An affidavit filed in the case reportedly said, “During the search warrant, [the investigator] observed animals to be living in bad conditions as well as several animals needing immediate medical care.” An earlier report revealed that two dogs and a cat had been found in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized.
March 2020/Oswego, Illinois: KendallCountyNow.com reported that authorities had arrested Michaelene A. Majestic, “the founder, chief executive officer and chief operating officer” of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Just Giants Rescue, Inc. Majestic was reportedly “arrested on four counts of felony theft for the alleged misuse of the rescue’s funds.” If convicted, she could reportedly face up to five years in prison. The court case was ongoing.
March 2020/Port Washington, New York: LongIsland.News12.com reported that former employees of a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as North Shore Animal League America “say they were directed by their superiors to hide the biting history of animals and use euphemisms instead—phrases like ‘resource guarding’—which means a dog protects … food or possessions.” According to the report, about a month after adopting a dog named Ringo, the adopter was attacked by him: “He just lunged and started shaking my arm … All my flesh was pulled back, I was bleeding profusely all over the street,” the adopter said. The dog was later euthanized. “In the paperwork [the adopter] says she received from North Shore, Ringo was described as a playful, puppy-like dog. But documents given to News 12 by former North Shore Animal League employees paint a different picture. … They show that Ringo bit workers or volunteers at the shelter three times, sending one to the hospital about seven months before he was adopted.” The adopter said she wasn’t told about any of those attacks. The report went on: “Records from the whistleblowers show a German shepherd mix named Kobe bit multiple people, including an 81-year-old woman who needed 30 stitches. Despite this, the dog was adopted or fostered several times. There was no mention of any previous attacks in the paperwork that News 12’s whistleblowers say were given to clients.” Nobody from the facility would talk to reporters.
March 2020/Pocatello, Idaho: IdahoStateJournal.com reported that cases of animal abandonment had “skyrocketed,” according to a local animal adoption group. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “We have been scraping neglected animals off the pavement this year, literally in some cases. One problem is that all of the shelters and fosters in our entire surrounding area are full. It’s so bad that we are getting a ton of calls from other rural communities outside of Bannock County looking to surrender animals.” One dog, who was found lying on the side of a road, was suffering from “both demodectic and sarcoptic mites with secondary infections of his mangy skin, and had significant wounds to the top of his head and torso.” According to a foster caregiver, “[E]very time he moved his skin would crack and bleed everywhere.” He was reportedly receiving treatment.
February 2020/Des Moines, Iowa: KCCI.com reported that the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Unbreakabull Bullies “who was arrested last year for having 17 dogs in a home has been arrested again …. Tina Petraline is facing charges for animal neglect, theft and harassment.” Authorities reportedly said that she had “provided someone with puppies that were coughing and covered with fleas. One of those puppies died. Another dog in her possession allegedly had to be put down for lung cancer and heartworms. Officers said Petraline had not cared for the dogs.” (See the November 2019/Des Moines, Iowa, entry below for more information.)
February 2020/Henderson, Louisiana: KATC.com reported that an individual had “witnessed a small white single cab truck briefly stop on the bridge and toss a bag into the water.” He then reportedly retrieved it from the water, “and inside the bag were eight live newborn black lab mix puppies.” Authorities were investigating, but no suspects were identified. The puppies were taken to an animal adoption group and were apparently expected to survive. At the time of the report, the St. Martin Parish Animal Services Shelter stated on its website that the facility accepted surrendered animals by appointment only and charged $50 per animal.
February 2020/Charlotte, Tennessee: WKRN.com reported that authorities had seized 16 horses and 32 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” after they were found in distress and in conditions described as “deplorable.” Dogs were found inside two sheds on the property, and an eyewitness reportedly “described the conditions as cramped, with little food and water. ‘The smell of urine … You already know it’s bad before you walk in,'” the witness said. One of the horses was in such bad shape that he or she had to be euthanized. An investigation was apparently ongoing.
February 2020/Pompano Beach, Florida: Local10.com reported that city officials had filed a lawsuit against a self-professed “non-profit animal shelter” doing business as Cats and Brats to stop the group from housing more than 60 cats at a residential property. The property was reportedly within the city limits, where the law prohibits residents from harboring more than four animals at a residence. A court date was reportedly scheduled for sometime in April.
February 2020/Union County, Florida: WCJB.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 70 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” after they were found in “grossly unsanitary conditions.” According to the report, “Several dogs were caged in unkempt rooms filled with everything from dirty laundry hampers to instant pot cookers. … The investigation crosses state lines with some of the animals belonging to Dragon Paws Rescue which operates in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. The organization’s license was suspended and animal cruelty charges have been pursued.” TheLedger.com reported that a “search warrant of the property revealed animals suffering from multiple untreated medical conditions, severe signs of neglect and unsanitary conditions, investigators said. Deputies found unclean wire cages, stacked upon one another and animals living in their own feces. For some animals, the untreated medical conditions led to infection and loss of limbs,” according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. 11Alive.com reported that one of the dogs seized had been released to Dragon Paws Rescue, Inc., by a county animal shelter in Georgia after he’d been hit by a car in July 2019 and was found suffering from “bi-lateral femur fractures, a fractured pelvis and rib, and a ruptured bladder,” according to a first responder at the raid in Florida. Dragon Paws reportedly posted an online fundraiser to provide him with veterinary care, but when he was found at the Florida property in March 2020, he had chewed tissue off his leg after he was evidently denied medical attention. The Florida property owner, who was reportedly acting as a “foster” for Dragon Paws, told authorities that the family had “duct taped [the leg] to his body” because “they didn’t know what to do.” After the dog was removed from the property, his leg was amputated and another fundraiser was reportedly undertaken to pay for the surgery. A spokesperson for a group that assisted in the raid said, “There were dogs that had fundraisers specifically for spay and neuter that when taken off property had not been spayed or neutered …. Forget the fact that we have [dogs needing medical attention] there. The basics were not taken care of.” Every dog found was reportedly malnourished and infested with fleas and hookworms, according to first responders. A criminal investigation was ongoing.
February 2020/Berkeley, South Carolina: Live5News.com reported that a “South Carolina leader is now taking a Tri-County nonprofit to court after a Live 5 investigation showed it was soliciting donations despite being suspended by the Secretary of State.” The state had reportedly “issued a legal warning to Suzanne Melton, the CEO, for failing to turn in forms for 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Secretary of State also does not have a current registration statement for the nonprofit. According to Doug Renew, the Secretary of State’s Chief Investigator, Suzie’s Zoo Sanctuary for Special Needs Kitties owes the state $6,000 in outstanding fines.” According to the report, the “sanctuary” is Melton’s backyard, where 88 cats had been confined to pens and sheds.
February 2020/Ulster, New York: DailyFreeman.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal facility doing business as Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had been warehousing some animals for years. A cat who had been warehoused there for six years reportedly had a medical condition that required a “10-minute infusion of liquids” three times a week and was extremely “shy.” A pit bull who had been at the facility for three years was described as “fearful of new things, including toys and kitchen appliances.” A worker said the dog was so terrified at one time that “he jumped up in the air with all four paws off the ground.” Visitors were reportedly either not allowed or able to touch him when he exited the kennel where he was kept because of his explosive excitement. Another pit bull had been warehoused at the facility for four years. The report said that “she has special needs. There are places on her body where she just does not like being touched.” Visitors were also either not allowed or able to touch her when she was allowed out of the kennel to which she was confined.
February 2020/Boynton Beach, Florida: WPBF.com reported that two dogs who had been adopted from a public animal shelter with “life at any cost” policies doing business as Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control had been found dead “in crates inside a dumpster.” Sun-Sentinel.com reported that the suspect, Devonna Hinds, had “adopted Paris, a 6-year-old white miniature poodle, on Aug. 10, 2018, and six months later adopted Karma, a 3-year-old white/brindle pit bull, according to the arrest report. Both dogs had satisfactory health and weight when they were adopted, the report says. Hinds kept the dogs outside in plastic crates and deprived them of food and water, the report says. A necropsy revealed that under Hinds’ custody, Paris lost 5% of her body weight and Karma lost 20% of her body weight by the time they died. Karma was bony and emaciated, with sores on her body and legs, extremely long toenails, and her coat was dirty, dry and sparse, the document says. She was also infested with hookworms. Paris … had little body fat and protruding ribs, according to the report. She had overgrown nails, dirty ears, dental tartar and her coat was dirty and matted. Neither dog had food in their digestive tracts, the report says. The veterinarian concluded that the dogs’ poor physical condition suggests they were ‘neglected over a long period of time and deprived of basic life-sustaining needs, specifically food, water and medical care,’ the report says. The dogs ultimately died while Hinds said she was gone on vacation on Nov. 21, 2019. The temperature that day was 81 degrees, and it would have been hotter inside the plastic crates, the report says. The vet concluded in the necropsy that because the dogs were deprived of food and water and exposed to the elements outside, they died of dehydration and heat exposure.” According to the report, “Hinds adopted a new dog the day after she found hers dead. When she went to Animal Care and Control to pick up her new dog, Boynton Beach Police officers were waiting.” She reportedly “told officers that she remembered feeding both dogs in their crates outside in the backyard, and when she returned both dogs were dead in their crates. … She put the crates with the dogs’ bodies in the trunk of her car and hauled them to Boynton Beach, where she saw a dumpster across the street from the high school and decided to throw the crates there ‘without a second thought,'” according to the arrest report.
February 2020/Houston, Texas: HoustonPress.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Mr. K’s Halfwayhouse for Hounds & Kitties Too Pet Shelter had “been picking up dogs from municipal shelters in and around Houston and sending them to a Connecticut shelter with a history of animal cruelty. According to one source close to the operation, the Texas dogs transported along this route number in the hundreds. Connecticut authorities say the nonprofit rescue, Mr. K’s Halfway House for Hounds and Kitties Too, doesn’t have a license to bring animals into the state, but that hasn’t stopped Mr. K’s from transporting animals over the past 18 months. The animals are delivered to the SPCA of Connecticut, run out of a foreclosed home that is set for court-ordered auction in March. The home doubled as the residence of former director Fred Acker, who was convicted on multiple counts of animal cruelty in 2014 and 2016, and sentenced to one year in jail. However, he disappeared while out on bond pending appeal, and is now a fugitive.” (See the September 2016/Milford, Connecticut, entry below for more details.) According to the report, “When told that an animal rescue in Houston was sending animals to the SPCA of Connecticut, [animal control officer] Umstead opined, ‘I wouldn’t send a flea down to that place …. This is what blows my mind, is that you’ve got all these rescues in the south, that think, ‘Oh, everybody in New England is great, and we’re going to ship all these truckloads of dogs up there,’ and they have no clue who they’re sending [them] to.’ … Almost from the beginning, Garrett and Mr. K’s Spokesperson Rocky Fiore greeted questions about dogs’ destinations with hostility.” Despite repeated efforts to obtain interviews and records, the investigative reporter was unable to obtain clear answers to many questions, including where dogs released to the “rescue” ended up, how they were removed from county facilities that had reportedly ended agreements with the group, and how they were imported into other states without the required licenses. His report concludes: “As always, the rescue could use donations. Just don’t ask them, or the Harris County Animal Shelter, where the animals are going.”
February 2020/Cambridge, Ohio: Daily-Jeff.com reported that a resident who was operating a self-professed animal “rescue” at her home had been charged with cruelty to animals after authorities seized 48 dogs from conditions described as “deplorable” at the property. Three children were also removed from the home, which was reportedly condemned by the health department. According to the report: “Authorities also located multiple cats, pigs, turkeys and chickens along with a cow and goat on the property. Several dead animals were reportedly found lying on the ground behind a chicken coop.” The “rescue” operator was unable to tell authorities how many dogs were confined at the property. Inside the residence, “authorities observed numerous dogs and puppies living in crates and cages that contained feces and urine. Dogs of various sizes were located in cages stacked in the children’s bedrooms and living room where crates were three high in places. … [O]ne medium size crate contained three adult dogs. … Paperwork for the rescue operation was not in proper order, according to authorities. … The dogs and crates were removed from the residence and transported to the dog shelter in an enclosed trailer. Five ‘very sick’ puppies were reportedly taken to a local veterinarian where they later died.”
February 2020/Washtenaw County, Michigan: MLive.com reported, “Facing multiple felony animal cruelty charges for failing to care for 71 animals in their home, Augusta Township Supervisor Brian Shelby and his wife have both pleaded guilty to lower misdemeanor charges. Brian Shelby, 65, pleaded guilty, Feb. 3, to seven misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty toward two to three animals, while his wife, Tammy Shelby, 58, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty toward two to three animals, court records show.” The charges were reportedly the result of a 2018 investigation that resulted in the “seizure and surrender of 37 cats, nine dogs, 13 chickens, 10 exotic birds and two peacocks from the Shelbys’ home after investigators … determined the animals were living in unsanitary conditions, records show. Investigators found excessive feces, urine, and debris littering the yard and inside the home. Many of the dogs and cats were locked in filthy plastic kennels, forced to step and lie in their own waste, investigators said. Most of the house did not have electricity or ventilation, and there was little food on the premises, investigators said. The exotic birds, including five cockatoos, two macaws, two conures and an Amazon parrot, were closed up in a room without light or ventilation, they said. ‘Mr. Shelby claimed he was helping homeless animals. This case highlights a common problem whereby people claiming to be rescuing animals are more akin to hoarders, causing direct and serious harm,’ Humane Society of Huron Valley CEO Tanya Hilgendorf said in a written statement. ‘Good intentions don’t justify or excuse animal cruelty. A good reminder to the public to do your homework before working with any animal group. No rational and caring person would have walked through this home and willingly left an animal here,’ Hilgendorf said.” A sentencing hearing was scheduled.
February 2020/East Milton, Florida: PNJ.com reported that because a public turn-away facility doing business as Santa Rosa County Animal Services didn’t have space for approximately 60 sick and neglected dogs, “it will take four or five trips and several months before all of the dogs can be removed” from the terrible conditions in which they were hoarded. The owner of the dogs had reportedly agreed to surrender them to authorities. According to a county spokesperson, “none [of the dogs] had received veterinary care or socialization and all of them had varying degrees of mange.” The report described some of the terrified animals who were reportedly expected to be held by the county for “six to eight months”: “One dog, a yellow Lab mix named Milk, recoils at human touch and sticks her nose in the corner of the kennel whenever a human tries to enter to pet her. Another dog, … Pretty Boy, cowers in the corner and won’t let humans come near him.” The dogs’ owner was not facing charges.
February 2020/Galesburg, Illinois: Galesburg.com reported that a woman who abandoned a cat in a travel carrier in a garbage receptacle at an apartment complex told police that she’d tried to surrender the cat to a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Knox County Humane Society but that it wouldn’t accept the animal. According to the report, “A resident of the complex told police they had seen a woman walking toward the garbage area with the cat in the carrier, then soon after returning without it. The cat carrier belonged to a local veterinary office and, upon speaking with the vet’s office, police confirmed that the woman had been loaned the carrier when having a cat spayed in December. The woman told police she had been having issues with the cat, which she got her son for Christmas. She said her son had no interest in the cat and the people she got the cat from refused to take her back. She claimed that the Humane Society would not take the cat, and when she tried to just let the cat go, a neighbor returned [her]. According to the police report, she grew angry at the cat and ‘put her hands on the cat.’ She told police that the last straw was when the cat destroyed the last roll of toilet paper. She admitted to then putting the cat in the carrier and placing [her] in the garbage, because she did not want to risk anyone bringing the cat back to her. The woman was arrested for animal cruelty and was given a notice to appear at the Knox County jail.” After she was found in the garbage, the cat was apparently taken in by the same facility that had turned her away. A spokesperson reportedly said that the animal “was very scared when first brought to the shelter. She would hide in a corner and cry unless held.”
February 2020/Austin, Texas: KXAN.com reported that it had received new images of alleged filthy and inhumane conditions in which puppies suffering from the painful and highly contagious parvovirus were kept at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Austin Pets Alive! According to the report: “A current staff member at the shelter, who asked to be kept anonymous, shared the images, saying animal waste piles up and that puppies are often caged in their own filth ‘without adequate food and water.’ … ‘Everybody who works there feels the same way, and they all know. Just nobody ever does anything about it,’ the staff member said. ‘I tell my managers and still they never do anything about it. All the veterinarians know but nothing ever gets done about it.'” A spokesperson for the group reportedly “confirmed the images were from the shelter” and “couldn’t say with certainty how many puppies are currently being held in the parvo ward.” The outlet reported that it had “requested a formal interview with Dr. Ellen Jefferson, executive director of Austin Pets Alive! as well as the parvo ward manager. KXAN has also formally requested a copy of the parvo ward cleanliness protocols” but had apparently not been provided with the requested interviews or documents.
February 2020/Millville, New Jersey: 6ABC.com reported that a person driving along a road had noticed a wire crate. The individual apparently stopped and found that it contained a dead pit bull. Authorities were called and reportedly “found a brindle pit bull mix, around six to nine months old. The dog was wearing a small sweater, and had [a] collar, leash and two pieces of fabric that investigators believe was used for bedding. ‘People have put their animals in cages, tied them to trees dumped them in the woods, dumped them in areas and normally they end up dying from starvation,’ said Kathleen Leary, South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter Director of Operations. Leary said animal abandonment occurs frequently throughout Cumberland County …. A necropsy revealed the cause of death was human neglect.” According to its website, the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter requires those who want or need to surrender an animal to make an appointment, be placed on a waiting list, and pay a fee of up to $200 per animal. Apparently, it may also only accept dogs who have been deemed adoptable by the facility.
February 2020/Troy Township, Ohio: Cleveland19.com reported that two puppies had died and an adult dog was badly burned in a fire that destroyed a barn “that was used as a dog kennel” at a foster home for a self-professed animal “foster group” doing business as Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups, Inc. According to the report, “Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups said one of the dogs started to deliver in the driveway by the barn as it burned. She was taken into a home where she gave birth to 10 puppies.” Another dog was badly burned and was reportedly “now at a veterinarian hospital in need of medical care ‘for a long while,'” according to the group.
January 2020/Fresno, California: YourCentralValley.com reported that a “local no-kill rescue group” had turned away nine cats who were suffering from scabies infestations (mange). The cats’ owner evidently told authorities that she could not care for the animals and had contacted local “no-kill” groups but they’d been “unwilling to take the cats in a timely fashion due to a lack of space and/or their medical conditions.” An open-admission animal shelter doing business as Central California SPCA accepted the animals and provided them with needed care, including medical treatment for the painful, highly contagious condition.
January 2020/Louisville, Kentucky: WHAS11.com reported that a dog had been found tied to a fence at a public turn-away facility doing business as Louisville Metro Animal Services. He was reportedly “unresponsive, facing hypothermia from the cold, and severely dehydrated. He also weighed up to 20 pounds less than what he should.” He was receiving treatment. Surveillance footage showed a man tying the dog to a fence and leaving him with a blanket, food and water, and a chew toy before driving away. At the time of the report, the facility’s website stated, “Louisville Metro Animal Services is not accepting owner-surrendered, large breed dogs. LMAS may be able to accept small, owner-surrendered pets by appointment only. LMAS does not accept other owned animals. … Owners who surrender a dog will be charged a $45 impoundment fee. For owners who surrender a cat, there will be a $35 impoundment fee. There may be additional medical costs depending upon your animal’s veterinary records.”
January 2020/Ionia County, Michigan: WZZM13.com reported that two dogs who had been adopted from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary had been returned, apparently after years of neglect. According to the report, “Tic Tac was malnourished and needed several infected teeth removed. Komino had to have emergency surgery on his remaining eye, which was close to rupturing.” The report included a Facebook post in which the group described the dogs’ condition: “Komino is shut down, cries nonstop, has been in great pain for who knows how long due to his remaining eye, which we removed recently along with infected teeth. … Tic Tac just wants closeness and will look into your eyes and whine, she cries in her sleep, she had many infected teeth pulled so she’s pretty swollen now.” The group was reportedly “trying to raise money for their medical expenses.”
January 2020/Dalton, Georgia: TimesFreePress.com reported that a dog had been warehoused at a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia for more than 10 years. She was described by a volunteer at the facility as “a bit territorial,” reportedly “gets jealous,” and has “been known to growl and bite.” The dog had evidently been adopted and returned more than once. The volunteer reportedly said that “she’s not entirely sure how [the dog] would adjust to being in a home with other animals. ‘Nobody’s adopted her long enough for us to see.'” The facility where the dog had been confined for the last decade was described as a “3,000-square-foot shelter [that] had dark sheds that held overcrowded kennels, outdated cages, and outdoor areas that became muddy.”
January 2020/St. Augustine, Florida: ActionNewsJAX.com reported that 21 animals had died in a fire at a property where they were hoarded by a couple who were reportedly “fostering five cats and rescued 15 of their own. Two of their dogs were also inside.” According to the report, after the fire and a successful online fundraising scheme, one of the owners “is coming up with a plan for their new house that will allow her to foster and rescue more cats and dogs.”
January 2020/Newark, Delaware: NewarkPostOnline.com reported that a pit bull who was being fostered for an unnamed self-professed animal “rescue” in Pennsylvania had pushed his or her way through a front door and attacked a small dog who was being walked on a leash by his or her guardian. According to the report, the smaller dog “suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to an animal hospital for emergency surgery, but … is expected to survive.” The property owner, whose daughter was fostering the pit bull, “was charged with keeping a vicious animal and allowing a dog to run at large.” The pit bull was reportedly returned to the group in Pennsylvania. No additional information was available.
January 2020/Langley, British Columbia, Canada: AldergroveStar.com reported that authorities had seized 20 animals—nine dogs, five birds, three cats, two rabbits, and a pig—from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as 1ataTime Rescue Society. According to the report, “Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA, reported all of the animals removed met the definition of ‘distress’ under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. ‘There were concerns in the complaint about dogs being crated for long periods of time, and with one exception, the dogs were crated without access to water when our officers arrived,’ Moriarty commented. … It wasn’t the first time the SPCA has raided the house. In 2016, the agency took 88 animals, 45 dogs, 18 cats, and 24 farm animals including goats, chickens, ducks, and a turtle. In 2012, the SPCA seized 52 dogs and 19 cats from [“rescue” owner Sandra] Simans’ Burnaby residence.” (See the September 2016/Langley, British Columbia, Canada, entry below for more details.) Workers reportedly wore hazmat suits to remove the animals. BC.CTVNews.ca reported that “Moriarty said it was ‘extremely frustrating’ that the SPCA was once again dealing with the same individual. ‘[Simans] was ordered to pay the BC SPCA costs of care, [to] the tune of [CA]$81,000. We haven’t seen a cent of that,’ Moriarty told CTV News. … ‘We will absolutely be recommending charges and we can hopefully see a situation where she does get a ban on owning animals in the future,’ said Moriarty.”
January 2020/Thawville, Illinois: FOXIllinois.com reported that Corinne DiLorenzo, the founder of a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Earth Animal Sanctuary, was “facing a Class 4 felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty.” The charge came after “[h]undreds of animal carcasses were discovered in a shallow grave at the former sanctuary” the previous summer. According to two individuals who knew DiLorenzo, “there have been more than 600 animals [who] died while in DiLorenzo’s care with the possibility of more unaccounted animals.” FordCountyRecord.com reported: “Melissa Pena, a former board member for the Earth Animal Sanctuary, and two others visited the property, discovering ‘nothing short of a horror story,’ Pena said on the sanctuary’s Facebook page. ‘There was an oblong-shaped ditch filled with bag upon bag upon bag of the remains of dead animals,’ Pena said in the Facebook post. ‘There were the remains of pigs that had been dragged out on a tarp or blanket and dumped in the hole. We saw skulls and bones of large pigs, medium-sized pigs, goats of various ages, cats, dogs, birds/waterfowl and rabbits. There were small bags inside of larger garbage bags as well as bags that contained multiple species of animals. We saw various states of decomposition. There were layers of animals, and after about an hour of ripping through bags with my hands, I couldn’t do anymore.'” According to the report: “Following a suspicious fire at the property in September 2018—in which eight pigs, six ducks, six geese and 20 chickens perished—the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office began investigating complaints about the welfare of the hundreds of animals that had been rescued and brought to the property, investigative reports show. … While visiting the property, investigators found unsanitary conditions in DiLorenzo’s home, where multiple animals were being kept, and ordered her to clean up and make various repairs to her home in order for her son to be able to return and live there. They also issued her a ‘humane care’ citation after finding two malnourished pigs with ‘skin issues’ believed to be caused by straw mites in an outbuilding.” ChicagoTribune.com reported, “One of the public agencies that had associated with EARTH Animal Sanctuary was DuPage County Animal Services, which had placed more than 70 animals there since 2014, in part because the sanctuary accepted barn animals, said Laura Flamion, operations manager for the agency. … ‘I don’t think we had been alerted to anything concerning,’ she said.”
January 2020/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.com reported that state authorities had launched an investigation into a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Four Paws Elkhound Rescue after adopters reported that “they adopted puppies from [the group who] were underfed, sick, covered in feces and hours away from death.” One adopted puppy “quickly deteriorated and had discharge in his eyes and nose. … [He] died the same day he was brought home.” He and six other puppies had reportedly been imported from animal shelters in Texas. According to the report, “Just two weeks after the litter arrived in Pittsburgh, only one of the seven puppies [was] still alive. KDKA confirmed the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture launched an investigation following our call and their conversations with the impacted families. KDKA also learned humane agents out of Westmoreland County opened an investigation and are looking into search warrants.” Another adopted puppy from the litter “wound up at the vet just one hour after meeting her new family. ‘And they told us the dog was in critical condition,'” said the adopter. That puppy died just days later. The surviving puppy reportedly “tested positive for Giardia, causing malnutrition and digestive issues. He also tested positive for canine herpes, a virus nicknamed ‘fading puppy syndrome.’ Lastly, he tested positive for Bordetella, a bacteria associated with upper respiratory infections.” He was expected to survive.
January 2020/Ellisville, Mississippi: HattiesburgAmerican.com reported that “more than 70 animals found neglected” at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Safe and Warm Animal Rescue Mission had been removed. A spokesperson for an adoption group that took in the animals reportedly said, “Some of them were emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated … and out of the 22 we pulled (Jan. 1), 19 of those had some form of malnourishment. After medically assessing the dogs, we didn’t see any reason for them to be underweight other than they weren’t fed.” The “rescue” had allegedly shut down. WDAM.com reported that the adoption group spokesperson said, “They’re dehydrated. Some of them had some wounds from … dog attacks. One of them had a gunshot wound that had healed incorrectly, and he needed some antibiotics and he may need surgery.” It wasn’t reported whether authorities had been alerted or if charges would be pursued.
January 2020/Volusia County, Florida: News-JournalOnline.com reported that authorities had seized nine cats and seven dogs from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Journey’s End Animal Sanctuary. According to the report, “records show that multiple employees and volunteers over the past several months have contacted the county with concerns about living conditions that resulted from too many animals, more than 100 at least, and not enough staff. Officials arrived at Journey’s End about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to look for animals that Rachel Barton, the lead shelter veterinarian with Tallahassee Animal Services, recommended be taken into immediate custody, Kevin Captain, a spokesman for Volusia County, said. … After visiting the facility in August, Barton wrote in a forensic veterinary statement that the sanctuary had ‘dangerously exceeded its capacity for care, resulting in undue animal pain and suffering. Staffing is inadequate to meet the basic needs of the animals each day, let alone their advanced medical needs,’ Barton wrote.” A spokesperson for the county reportedly said, “What we found during our investigation is that medications were often expired, improperly dispensed and inadequate.” The county issued an order in July requiring the facility to provide animals with adequate care and reduce the number of animals at the property. The order also reportedly “noted issues with housing conditions for dogs and cats, a lack of routine veterinary inspections, health conditions not being fully managed, and a lack of appropriate vaccinations and licensing.” (See the August 2019/Volusia County, Florida, entry below.) According to the report, Barton “wrote that the situation at Journey’s End is a classic example of rescue and exploitation hoarding. ‘There is broad neglect of their personal health and hygiene, animal health and hygiene, accumulation of clutter and debris and general decay and disrepair of the household,’ Barton wrote. ‘Rescue hoarders often claim they are being persecuted and will typically reject assistance from outside groups.'” The county attorney’s office planned to “file a petition for a hearing on the custody of the animals [who] were removed.” News-JournalOnline.com further reported that county authorities “said the cats were infested with fleas and ear mites and have numerous infections, and the paralyzed animals had infected pressure sores and urinary tract infections” and had “posted several dozen pages of records” and disturbing photos “in an effort to show the community why it felt it was time to take action.”
January 2020/Phoenix, Arizona: ABC15.com reported that authorities had determined that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Woofs, Wiggles n Wags was operating “in violation of the city’s zoning and code ordinances.” According to the report, “[i]n October, ABC15 uncovered questionable conditions inside the rescue, which operates out of home near 52nd Street and Cactus Road. Photos surfaced online showing underfed dogs, dogs cramped in cages, blood and rat feces on the floor.” (See the October 2019/Phoenix, Arizona, entry below.) Reportedly, “[t]hrough a public records request, ABC15 received documentation showing numerous complaints filed by residents against the home. Documents state in November, an inspector visited the owner, Melanie Murphy, and told her by boarding and selling animals there, she was in violation of the city’s zoning and code ordinances.” Murphy was reportedly appealing a notice of violation.
January 2020/Jacksonville, Florida: Jacksonville.com reported that 18 cats, a hamster, and a sugar glider had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Dreidel’s House Cat Rescue. One cat was reportedly missing, and 16 animals survived at the single-family home where they had been hoarded. Responding firefighters reportedly fought “flames and pull[ed] animals out of the smoke filled interior of the house. The ones that showed any signs of life were treated with oxygen,” according to the “rescue” owner. It was suspected that the fire started in the home’s kitchen.
January 2020/Morrisville Borough, Pennsylvania: LevittownNow.com reported that authorities had found 24 homeless cats hoarded in an unheated car by a man who said he “had been trying to keep them out of the elements.” It was believed that the animals had been found abandoned at an apartment complex. A spokesperson for a local animal adoption group reportedly “said she is aware there are cat colonies in the area … and it’s not uncommon for people to leave their felines behind when they move from nearby apartments.” The animals were surrendered to authorities and were “being treated for various ailments, including fleas, dehydration, and being underweight.”
December 2019/Austin, Texas: KVUE.com reported that an Austin-area nonprofit group had removed 58 dogs from the property of an unnamed self-professed animal “rescue,” where they had been found in conditions “described as ‘horrific.'” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “The ammonia from urine and three inches of feces and debris littered the house and stung our eyes. We found dogs were living in closets with rats crawling on them and they were defecating all over the house.” She said that despite the horrific conditions and the “rescuer’s” failing health, he kept acquiring dogs “because he feared the local animal shelter would kill them.” The dogs who were removed were reportedly “transported to multiple shelters not just in Texas, but across the country—to states like Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio.”
December 2019/Guilderland, New York: AltamontEnterprise.com reported that Marcia and Charles Scott, the owners and operators of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Happy Cat Rescue Inc., had each been “charged with six counts of ‘Torture/Injure/Failure to Feed an Animal.'” A spokesperson for the local humane society reportedly said that it had received a complaint from someone who adopted a cat from the “rescue.” According to a woman who claimed to be a friend of the adopter, no adoption paperwork had been given to the adopter and “[t]he cat was losing weight and wouldn’t eat.” The animal “tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and also had bartonella, which can be transmitted to humans, as well as stomatitis.” She said, “The cat had to be euthanized.” A former volunteer reportedly said that cats were kept stacked in cages in a garage: “The cats were always in the garage in cages. … They had cats that were unadoptable with no exercise. … She was adopting out cats that were pregnant, sick, and feral.” An investigation carried out by the humane society and local police officers revealed that approximately 52 cats were hoarded “between the garage and the house” at the “rescue.” “It was overcrowded and not great ventilation. It got to be too many cats,” a humane society spokesperson said. According to the report, “The arrest report filed by the Guilderland Police says six cats were not provided ‘medical attention’ and that 32 cats were not provided ‘proper ventilation.'” Charles Scott reportedly said of two of the animals, “Pinto … has eye issues. And Frankie, a male, has ‘dental issues that we missed …. He was drooling and we didn’t catch it right away.” The Scotts had reportedly made a deal in which they agreed to “permanently cease all operations as a rescue organization and … not ‘possess, reside with, or own any animals’ with the exception of five designated cats [who] are to be returned to them.” In exchange, “if the Scotts for the next six months do not violate the agreement, the charges will be dropped. However, the agreement is to remain in effect for the rest of their lives.”
December 2019/Williamstown, Vermont: WCAX.com reported that a city “public health officer has stepped down after town officials failed to support his efforts to tighten oversight of dog rescue operations.” The dispute was reportedly caused by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Heidi’s Haven Rescue, Inc., which had relocated to the town after it “was run out of Ferrisburgh last year after concerns from local zoning and health officials.” (See the March 2018/Ferrisburgh, Vermont, entry below for details.) The health officer who resigned, Don Angolano, said that “[m]ost of the dogs are kept in plastic crates or metal kennels that don’t meet statutory regulations” and that he’d “fielded complaints from community members and presented evidence of subpar conditions after working with veterinarians and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.” He said, “There have been vets up there that have checked out all of the dogs and have voiced some concerns …. There were dogs there that had open wounds and sores on them.” The town council reportedly rejected a proposed ordinance that “would have given the town the ability to regulate the operation to ensure that the dogs are well cared for.” He said, “This would have just brought her numbers down. This would have required her to have more oversight from the animal control officer and myself or a designated health officer.” The owner of the “rescue,” Sheila McGregor, reportedly declined to comment.
December 2019/Raytown, Missouri: FOX4KC.com reported that a cat had been left outside a turn-away facility doing business as Midwest Animal ResQ. Surveillance footage showed a man leaving the animal outside in a carrier. The cat was later found “visibly terrified,” and an implanted microchip helped identify the man. According to the report, the “man’s family had contacted Midwest Animal ResQ on Saturday, complaining that [the cat] had been fighting with their other cat.” The group’s website states, “We receive [hundreds] of requests weekly for pet surrenders, and our currently [sic] response time is between 3–4 weeks. From there we will set up a meeting with you and your pet, to make sure we can safely find a great home for your pet, lastly we will set up a date for your pet to be relinquished to our program.” The man had reportedly “been turned into [sic] Raytown Animal Control officers” and could be fined.
December 2019/Ashtabula, Ohio: KSHB.com reported that a dog who had been adopted after he had been warehoused for 602 days at an animal adoption group doing business as Ashtabula County Animal Protective League had been returned. The report said the adoption had failed and that “[d]ue to his extended time in a shelter, [the dog] does not do well with other animals. The shelter previously thought he would do well in a home with no male dogs or children, but have learned now that he doesn’t do well with any other animals or children.” No additional details were available.
December 2019/Phoenix, Arizona: APNews.com reported that two self-professed “no-kill” adoption groups doing business as Helping Animals Live On (HALO) Animal Rescue and Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA had “started shipping animals in from rural Arizona, other states and Mexico.” The groups were reportedly in conflict with the government-funded facility doing business as Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) over the shipment of thousands of adoptable dogs from MCACC to facilities in other states. The report said, “The seemingly unnecessary shuffling of animals across state lines has left the animal welfare community at odds. … Heather Allen, president and CEO of HALO Animal Rescue, said the transport program is not the option that’s best for pets, potential owners or taxpayers.” A spokesperson for MCACC reportedly told the outlet that “shipments of animals leav[e] the state on planes and in vans almost weekly” and end up at facilities “in New Mexico, Utah, Idaho and Washington state.”
December 2019/Warren Township, New Jersey: MyCentralJersey.com reported that Toni Turco, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Home for Good Dog Rescue Inc., had been “charged with 15 counts of fourth-degree falsifying records for the purpose of deceiving prospective pet owners, two counts of fourth-degree knowingly selling and/or exposing to human contact a pet with a contagious or infectious disease, and a single count of third-degree coercion by threatening to harm an employee’s reputation or livelihood, authorities said.” Employee Richard Errico was “charged with a single count of fourth-degree false advertising for the purpose of deceiving prospective pet owners.” The charges were reportedly “the result of a long-term joint investigation of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and the Special Prosecutions Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office.” The group, which claims to import dogs for adoption from animal shelters “in the South,” was allegedly found to have “been removing negative information from some of their dogs’ intake forms before putting them up for adoption. The investigation found the shelter did that more than a dozen times.” DailyVoice.com reported that “[i]f convicted, Errico faces up to 18 months in prison, while Turco may face three to five years in prison if found guilty on the third-degree charges.”
December 2019/St. Augustine, Florida: ActionNewsJax.com reported that 11 cats and birds had died in a fire at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “sanctuary” doing business as Ayla’s Acres No-Kill Animal Rescue. A cat who was found badly burned was taken to a veterinary hospital, where he died. It was suspected that the fire had been started by a space heater. The report said that the “sanctuary” had been “destroyed” and that “about 140 unadoptable animals” had survived and “need a home.”
December 2019/O’Fallon, Illinois: KMOV.com reported that two cats had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Randy’s Rescue Ranch. CBS58.com reported that owner Randy Grim said that when firefighters opened the door of a burning building that housed “disabled animals” on the property, “three dogs in wheelchairs came running out.” Firefighters “rescued two paralyzed dogs that were inside, but two senior cats did not make it.” According to the report, “Officials said the fire started with an exterior light that was spewing sparks.”
December 2019/Lincoln, Nebraska: 1011Now.com reported that Kandice Bremer, the former owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as All Hounds on Deck, had been cited for violating a court order that prohibited her from having custody of more than eight animals. Authorities reportedly executed a search warrant at her property, where they found 16 dogs and cats, including “six dogs and two cats she was not authorized to have.” The court order that Bremer had violated was apparently made when she was charged with cruelty to animals in September. (See the September 2019/Lincoln, Nebraska, entry below for details.)
December 2019/Brownwood, Texas: BigCountryHomepage.com reported that the incoming president of a nonprofit—which is partly funded with public money—doing business as the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center had fired three employees and described conditions at the facility as “unacceptable.” Debra Dixon filed a complaint with the police department and reportedly said that animals were found “[s]itting in feces and urine. Sitting on cement floors in cages and many of them don’t even have a bottom. It’s just wired. They’re on sheets.” Former director Carren Bowden had reportedly “been the director for four years—looking toward a goal of [being] a no-kill shelter.” She said, “You’re damned if you … euthanize, so what are you supposed to do with all the overflow of animals that [come] in. And, that’s something people don’t understand—people out in the public.” Dixon said an “overwhelming foul odor, with feces and urine everywhere” was the norm at the facility. She explained that “the dogs were never taken out to relieve themselves or taken for walks.” She said, “It’s cruel to force an animal from one crate into another. You don’t know which ones are [housetrained]. It’s painful for the animals if they’re housebroken.” The facility was reportedly in the process of hiring a new director.
December 2019/Jackson County, Illinois: KFVS12.com reported that three kittens were missing after a transport vehicle carrying 45 animals that was owned by a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” group doing business as Wright-Way Rescue had been involved in a serious accident. According to the report, “The transport vehicle was cut apart during the crash and all of the crates holding the animals were destroyed in the crash.” DailyHerald.com reported that a puppy and a kitten were killed in the accident. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that “[t]he animals were being taken from [the group’s] Murphysboro facility in southern Illinois to its shelter in Morton Grove.” NBCChicago.com reported that a dog injured in the crash “spent four days in the emergency room for injuries including a broken leg and lung contusions.”
December 2019/Watervliet, New York: WNYT.com reported that authorities had seized 12 kittens from Samantha Valentine, a former foster caregiver for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Kitten Angels. Valentine was reportedly facing charges, including forgery and animal abuse, after “she posed as a worker for … Kitten Angels, and used fake documents to sell kittens.” According to the report, “Police say Valentine was actually trying to start her own adoption business and sold at least two kittens [who] were ill and then died.” One of the kittens died within hours of being adopted, and another died a day after adoption. TimesUnion.com reported that two dogs had also been seized from Valentine and that she had been charged “with felony possession of a forged instrument and forgery as well as misdemeanor scheme to defraud, injuring/not feeding an animal and sale of a [diseased] animal.” She was arraigned and released on probation.
December 2019/Manistee, Michigan: 9And10News.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility—which is apparently contracted to provide Manistee County with sheltering services—doing business as Homeward Bound Animal Shelter was full and “[couldn’t] take in anymore dogs or cats until the ones they have [were] adopted.” No additional details were available.
December 2019/Elyria, Ohio: MorningJournal.com reported that “[a]n Illinois woman ha[d] filed a lawsuit against the Lorain County commissioners and the Lorain County Dog Kennel alleging her daughter, who is a minor, was ‘viciously’ attacked by a dog up for adoption.” The dog had reportedly “been surrendered on two prior occasions due to ‘vicious, antisocial and aggressive behavior,'” information that the family says was not shared with them when they were placed in a closed room with the animal. The pit bull mix “latched onto” her daughter’s head, resulting “in multiple lacerations to the girl’s scalp and right ear, requiring 24 staples and several sutures, the suit says.” The dog was reportedly “recommended for adoption for a family with a two-year-old child.” The mother was “seeking compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $25,000.”
December 2019/Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: CBC.ca reported that a dog adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Penny’s All-Breed Animal Rescue Inc. had attacked the adopter “just weeks” later. Describing the attack, she said, “I petted him, and then all of a sudden … he started to bare his teeth and growled ferociously, and then before I knew it he was leaping up toward my jugular. … The battle ensued. I pushed into his mouth, and this arm is fairly well chewed up. … One of the bites actually went into one of my bones … I collapsed.” She reportedly “suffered a severe bite to her left forearm, which fractured one of the bones. She has cuts and scratches on her chest and other arm. She’s since had surgery and needed a metal plate and screws put into her arm, which she will have the rest of her life.” The dog had reportedly been imported into the country from South Korea and had “never ever shown any signs of aggression,” according to the “rescue’s” owner. He was quarantined after the attack, and authorities were investigating.
December 2019/Lakeway, Texas: KXAN.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Austin Pets Alive! had adopted out a pit bull who was allegedly known to be aggressive toward smaller dogs to Patricia Stanford, who is “tied to multiple [dog] attacks of people—and other dogs.” According to the report, “Erica Curtis and her bulldog were badly injured after being bitten by Stanford’s two dogs. The animals are tied to attacks on other dogs and injuries to humans—in addition to the dogs simply running around unleashed.” Curtis filed a lawsuit against Stanford, and the two dogs involved were “banned in the city of Lakeway through a court order that required Stanford to house them with a relative in Midland, Texas. . . . According to Lakeway PD documents, one of Stanford’s dogs was found roaming miles from her home back on September 6. The Austin Animal Center took the dog in, but later returned [the animal] to Stanford. In a statement to KXAN Monday, the AAC said that Lakeway’s ban was out of its jurisdiction. On September 13, another Lakeway police report says one of Stanford’s dogs was loose and tried to attack a neighbor’s puppy.” In an e-mail, Lakeway Animal Protection Officer Andrea Greig wrote, “Austin Pets Alive adopted out another pitbull to Patricia Stanford. I contacted them and they told me she adopted a dog that does attack little dogs. I feel she purposely got this dog because [he or she] attacks. I just can’t believe Austin Pets Alive as a rescue does not do even, Google lookups. To say I am livid is an understatement.”
December 2019/Norman, Oklahoma: NormanTranscript.com reported that the city-funded animal shelter, doing business as Norman Animal Welfare Center, requires appointments to accept animals from residents who have animals for whom they can’t—or won’t—care. The report revealed that, “[a]ccording to data analyzed from Animal Welfare at the end of 2018, the shelter was taking an average of 56 days for an owner on the waiting list to receive an update. At the beginning of September, there were nearly 100 animals on the waiting list. . . . As time goes by for owners on the waiting list, owners often begin to look for other avenues for their pets. … [I]t’s common for some pets to be dropped off in rural parts of Norman.” A spokesperson for the city’s Animal Welfare Oversight Committee reportedly explained, “Some of these animals that get dropped off haven’t been spayed, neutered or vaccinated .… [T]his often leads to cats and dogs getting pregnant and having litters, which adds to the animal population. This creates a lot more work for Animal Welfare officers to pick up these animals. In a way, it’s just like kicking the can down the road.”
November 2019/Rowe, New Mexico: SantaFeNewMexican.com reported that authorities had seized 29 dogs from a self-professed animal “refuge” owned by Jessica Taylor. According to IRS.gov, Taylor is the owner of a nonprofit doing business as Green Gates Animal Sanctuary.
The animals had reportedly “been kept in a series of outdoor kennels and in a barn, or left running loose” at her property. According to the report, “Authorities in February charged Taylor with 35 counts of abusing animals—including several felony counts—after San Miguel County sheriff’s deputies seized 26 dogs, two goats and four cats from another property she owns in nearby Ilfeld. . . . Along with the animals seized during the Ilfeld raid in January, court records said, deputies collected carcasses of four dead dogs and a dead goat, as well as animal bones. . . . Dr. Jennifer Steketee, a veterinarian . . . said the case illustrates the need for better oversight of animal shelters, sanctuaries and rescues. ‘It is too easy for someone to obtain nonprofit status, receive support from well-meaning animal lovers and not actually provide a good quality of life for the animals in their care,’ Steketee said.” The seized animals were reportedly being held in temporary situations until another self-professed “sanctuary” was built in Madrid. That property was not yet fully fenced and had no well or running water. The self-professed “rescuer” building it reportedly “said she plans to live in a recreational vehicle on the land with her partner, Jason Jones, while they build kennels and other structures, which she said will take months. She bought a second RV this week for the dogs to sleep in at night while construction continues.”
November 2019/Austin, Texas: KXAN.com reported that an employee of the Austin Animal Center had been transported to a hospital “for serious injuries sustained from a dog bite, according to Austin-Travis County EMS and the Austin Animal Center. The animal center says the dog was in the process of being removed from his kennel when the attack happened.” The dog had reportedly been confined at the facility since September and “had several incidents on record.” He was euthanized after the attack.
November 2019/Des Moines, Iowa: KCCI.com reported that Tina Petraline, the owner of a self-professed “dog rescue” doing business as Unbreakabull Bullies, had been arrested for hoarding 17 dogs in her home. City code reportedly doesn’t allow more than three dogs at any one property. It was reportedly “Petraline’s fifth citation this year.”
November 2019/Nevada, Texas: WFAA.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Astasia’s Angels Animal Rescue. The animals included dogs, cats, and a bearded dragon who were found in a doublewide trailer in which, according to the report, authorities said, “[T]he ammonia levels, mostly found in urine, were very high.” A spokesperson for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas said, “The animals are suffering from a variety of issues includ[ing] long nails, eye issues, ear issues, flea infestations, [and skin] issues, and so today our medical team started right away evaluating the animals.” The Collin County sheriff reportedly described the conditions as “reprehensible.” It wasn’t reported whether charges were being considered.
November 2019/Erie, Pennsylvania: ErieNewsNow.com reported that a man had been “arrested on animal cruelty charges for drowning his cat in a bathtub in early November.” He reportedly “told investigators he was going to take [the cat] to an animal shelter but said he knew they had a lot of cats and though[t] they would charge him a fee.” After drowning the animal, he put the body in a trash can outside his home. According to the report, during the investigation “[i]nvestigators asked [the suspect] to show his arms, which had two fresh scratches inside his right wrist area. He told them the scratches came from [the cat] who fought him during the drowning.” The suspect reportedly refused to surrender a second cat in the home. GoErie.com later reported that an animal adoption group had secured custody of the surviving cat.
November 2019/Tampa, Florida: WFLA.com reported that the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center had been “dumping 3-pound kittens, roughly 3 months of age, on the streets as part of its Community Cat program.” According to the report, the most recent program guidelines don’t “mention, as [they] previously did, that cats will be released in areas where caretakers can feed [them and] provide water and medical care for them. In 2016, we reported that 45% of PRC Director Scott Trebatoski’s annual evaluation is tied to increasing live release rates at the county shelter by 5% each year. . . . PRC slated a 3-month-old kitten now named Luigi, his brother and mother for the feral cat program. Lauren Tillotson of CJPaws rescued them. Luigi was just over 3 pounds, his brother weighed just under 3. Luigi was sick with upper respiratory and contagious eye infections, but PRC scheduled to send him out on the streets anyway. … ‘No one would take a 5-year-old child and drive them out to the Bronx and dump them off on a corner and say, “hope you do okay!” Lauren Tillotson said. But in Hillsborough County, 3 pounds is all it takes to get a kitten out the door.” A later report revealed that “Hillsborough County’s Pet Resource Center is lining up sick and injured animals to turn over [to] the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, which in turn eventually dumps them back into neighborhoods all at taxpayers’ expense. 8 On Your Side has discovered the county slated several sick and injured cats and kittens to be neutered, vaccinated then released by the Humane Society. . . . Lauren Tillotson rescued a 3 lb kitten now called Luigi from the TNVR list. ‘He was not healthy when we pulled him,’ Lauren said. ‘His sheet indicates he has an eye condition and that it is infectious.’ She also pulled Luigi’s brother and mother. ‘Their mother, when we received her, had a very high fever, she was not responsive,’ Lauren added. Another cat they pulled from the TNVR list has a permanent limp in a hind leg, is unable to run or jump, is unafraid of large dogs and would not have lived long on the streets. ‘It seems to be mostly about the money, it’s let’s get them out and away as cheaply as possible and let’s keep as many live release numbers as we can,’ Lauren said.”
November 2019/Indianapolis, Indiana: TheIndyChannel.com reported that “Indianapolis Animal Care Services has another full house at the city shelter.” The facility’s deputy director reportedly said, “To accommodate the animals that continue to come into the shelter, staff members have started setting up portable crates for them to stay in until a kennel opens up.” The facility was reportedly giving away animals for free.
November 2019/Middle River, Maryland: Baltimore.CBSLocal.com reported that authorities had seized 150 live and 74 dead cats found hoarded in a home operated by a “trap, neuter, vaccinate and release” group doing business as Colony Cats of Bird River and Beyond. An animal adoption group had reportedly alerted authorities because “[Colony Cats owner] Pamela Arrington would regularly bring cats to [another group] to be checked and diagnosed by … veterinarians, who sent a letter [to authorities] with their concerns. The letter described terrible conditions including cats and kittens with a ‘foul, indescribable odor,’ adding that she sometimes had the odor on her as well. ‘She has also brought us a few kittens who were in incredibly bad shape and refused our medical services and offer to have these sickly kittens admitted into our shelter program, stating she could offer better care of them,’ the letter said.” According to a report by an animal services investigator, when investigators “entered the garage [at her home, they] ‘were immediately met with very high levels of cat urine smell and ammonia.’ ‘My eyes and nose immediately started to burn and run and I had trouble speaking while in the garage,'” wrote the investigator. Other complaints received, apparently from neighbors, expressed concern about conditions because “the odor from her home can be smelled from the street.” Investigators found the home’s “garage … filled with uncleaned cages and litter boxes, and some cats had either no water in their bowls or no bowls at all.” Inside the home, “[t]hey saw cages stacked two stories high which each had anywhere from one to five cats, and most had more feces than kitty litter inside. As the officials passed several cages, the cats inside thrashed around the cages and climbed up on the cage walls—something [an investigator] said meant the cats were experiencing starvation.” During an initial search of the garage, “[t]hey determined there were 76 cats contained within the cages, and approximately half of them had conjunctivitis, infections, leukemia, ulcers and upper respiratory infections. Through their search, they also found 15 dead cats, some in white styrofoam boxes that had been put on top of cages with live cats.” During a second search that included the home, investigators “found 74 live cats, 59 dead cats, two dogs and one bird. Some of the dead cats were found in the kitchen freezer. Some of the cats were caged, while others roamed free in the home, the report said. Officers describe[d] feces smeared across furniture, along with garbage[.]” Owners Garriott Cox and Pamela Arrington were facing multiple counts of cruelty to animals and were out on bond. They were reportedly suing police to regain custody of the animals.
November 2019/Grinnell, Iowa: TheSandB.com reported that surveillance cameras had captured footage of a resident driving up to a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Poweshiek Animal League Shelter with a dog in the backseat. He could reportedly be seen getting out of the vehicle and trying to open the facility’s door. In the footage, when it became apparent that the facility was closed, he then “tie[d] the dog to a pet carrier in the cold, and then [drove] off.” Authorities identified the man, who reportedly “defended himself by saying that ‘since his rifle wasn’t working, this was the dog’s best option.'” The dog was found after spending hours outdoors and was described as scared and underweight. The facility reportedly has a waiting list and turns animals away when it’s full.
November 2019/Niagara Falls, New York: WKBW.com reported that three board members, an executive director, and a veterinary technician had resigned from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Niagara SPCA. A total of seven board members had reportedly “resigned since September 2018, claiming they can no longer be connected to the organization.” Those who had recently resigned were reportedly alleging “mismanagement and animal neglect” at the facility run by the group. The report said, “In one case, according to documents, a cat went untreated for four months with painful mouth and dental issues. SPCA volunteers finally pooled their own money to take the cat for help at a local vet. In a separate case, board members and volunteers say a cat’s eye infection went untreated for so long, the eye needed to be removed.” The current executive director, Tim Brennan, reportedly said that eyes were surgically removed from at least 13 kittens at the facility because of severe infections.
November 2019/Tustin, California: LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com reported that its investigation into a public shelter that was trying to operate as a “no-kill” facility doing business as Orange County Animal Care “found some of the dogs up for adoption … had a dangerous past and, in some cases, the shelter wasn’t telling people who want to adopt.” One dog, named Bubba, had reportedly attacked an adopter’s roommate: “He just [ran] at his feet and [was] just biting at his feet, and that’s when my roommate had to jump on the counter,” the adopter said. The report revealed that “CBS2 obtained the shelter’s own records about Bubba and his previous owner, which stated the dog had to be impounded and put in quarantine after Bubba grabbed on to a woman’s hand and her daughter and wouldn’t let go.” The dog was eventually returned to the facility, which transferred him to an adoption group. The outlet reported that it had “obtained internal records which show 32 dogs with bite histories at the shelter. Twenty-three had no warnings or any information about biting previous owners on their kennel cards.” When asked on camera about the appearance of hiding bite histories from adopters, the facility’s director, Mike Kaviani, said, “When you’re dating, on the first date do you say all the things that you’re really trying to work on as a human being? No, you’re not airing that on the first date. Are you lying about that? Absolutely not.” The investigation “also found the shelter drugged dozens of dogs. In internal records CBS2 obtained, some dogs were treated with the anti-depressant Trazodone.”
November 2019/Hampton, Virginia: DailyPress.com reported that a dog had been confined for more than 10 years at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Animal Aid Society, Inc. He was described by a volunteer as having “a biting problem.” The facility reportedly fails to comply with state regulations established to ensure the adequate care of animals at shelters and adoption groups and could face “thousands of dollars in potential fines.” Those currently seeking to adopt were reportedly not allowed to “go into the maze of kennels to see the dogs.” The group was trying to raise funds to make the improvements needed to comply with the minimum standards required by state law.
November 2019/Moses Lake, Washington: ColumbiaBasinHerald.com reported that two homeless kittens had been found “starving and filthy” at a homeless camp. They were picked up by a resident who tried to get them help at area animal shelters. The resident called a publicly funded facility doing business as Grant County Animal Outreach, but said he was told the facility was full and would not accept the kittens. He then called a self-professed “rescue,” which is partially funded with public monies, doing business as Adams County Pet Rescue. He was told that the facility was full and would not accept the animals. He said he was put on a waiting list but had not received a call after six weeks. During that time, one of the kittens died because of a lack of needed medical care. The other was still alive at the time of the report.
November 2019/Greenwood, Mississippi: MagnoliaStateLive.com reported that a nonprofit facility (partially funded with public monies) doing business as Leflore County Humane Society had “been over capacity for months” and had stopped “taking in any animals brought in by the public.” The facility’s interim director reportedly said that “the shelter turns away at least 10 animals daily.” The group’s board president reportedly said that she “doesn’t remember ever turning away so many animals for so long.” A new facility was reportedly “in the works,” but “the shelter’s capacity will stay the same despite the increased shelter size.”
November 2019/Coronado, California: 10News.com reported that a resident had found a plastic travel carrier containing a cat and five kittens abandoned on a roadside. Another resident reportedly claimed that he or she had also found an abandoned carrier containing cats alongside a busy road. According to their websites, two area animal shelters (doing business as San Diego Humane Society and Coronado Animal Care Facility) both require appointments and charge fees to accept animals, common “no-kill” policies designed to discourage people from taking animals to sheltering facilities.
November 2019/Sahuarita, Arizona: GVNews.com reported that just days after he was taken home, a pit bull adopted from a public facility doing business as Pima Animal Care Center attacked and killed the adopter’s Chihuahua. The adopter reportedly told responding officers that the Chihuahua was lying on the couch when the pit bull attacked her. The adopter sustained bruises to her hands trying to pry the pit bull’s jaws open, but he would not let go of the smaller dog until she was dead. The adopted dog was euthanized after a quarantine period.
November 2019/New Carlisle, Ohio: WHIO.com reported that three people had been transported to the hospital, one of whom was in critical condition, after they were attacked by a pit bull at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Pawsitive Warriors Rescue. The dog, named Mayhem, had allegedly “show[n] no signs of aggression before Monday night’s attack.” After the attack, he was reportedly “being taken to a veterinarian to be euthanized.” No additional information was available.
October 2019/Cheatham County, Tennessee: WKRN.com reported that a resident had been seen on surveillance footage abandoning two kittens in a plastic storage container at a Dollar General store after being turned away from a public facility doing business as Cheatham County Animal Control. The facility reportedly requires appointments before it will accept animals. According to the report, an animal control officer said that “a man found the kittens in bad shape and contacted their agency. ‘They were hungry, a little dehydrated, covered in feces and urine, and they were really hot inside the container.'”
October 2019/Donora, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 175 animals from a home and an abandoned church next to it. More animals were seized from another home in Monessen in connection to the case. According to a spokesperson for a group assisting with the seizure, “the animals appear[ed] to lack veterinary care and were living in filth. ‘The conditions are truly filthy, really horrific conditions that we’re seeing right now,'” she said. Many of the cats found were reportedly in the church, which was described as “dilapidated” by first responders. They were found “in crates that were allegedly overflowing with feces, and rescuers couldn’t see any food or water.” The report said that “[a]uthorities arrested Christie Harr, though that arrest was based on a 2018 case of alleged animal cruelty.” She was later released on bond. Harr is the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Animal Orphans Animal Rescue & Pet Sanctuary, Inc. Two neighbors interviewed by the outlet reportedly said “that Harr considered her home a ‘sanctuary for animals’ and that she tried to adopt them out.”
October 2019/Raytown, Missouri: FOX4KC.com reported that after being turned away from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Midwest Animal ResQ, which was reportedly “at capacity for cats,” a couple abandoned a cat in the facility’s parking lot. They reportedly claimed to have found the cat, but an implanted microchip pointed to a self-professed “no-kill” animal adoption group doing business as Wayside Waifs, Inc., which had adopted the cat out to the couple. The animal was to be returned to that group, and plans were reportedly made to notify authorities.
October 2019/Norwich, New York: WBNG.com reported that five cats had been left in the parking lot of a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Chenango SPCA. They were found in a crate between two cars in the lot. According to the report, “[t]he shelter was planning on taking in several cats from their waiting list before the five were dropped off, leaving it now out of room. The Chenango SPCA works primarily to take care of strays, but also takes in other cases. If [it doesn’t] have room, [it’ll] place animal owners on a waiting list.” A spokesperson for the group reportedly said that “when there are too many cats, they’re forced to make dire decisions like putting animals in hallways.” The group also charges fees to accept animals, according to its website.
October 2019/Southfield, Michigan: WXYZ.com reported that the city of Southfield had ended its contract with a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Almost Home Animal Rescue, which had been operating the city’s animal shelter. In a news release, the city reportedly listed “ongoing issues which led to severed ties,” including the following:
- Failure to accept animals brought in by Southfield Police Department and animal control officers as required
- Failure to accept animals surrendered by Southfield residents
- Failure to adhere to safety protocols and procedures resulting in several serious injuries to Almost Home employees, volunteers, and others from vicious dog attacks
“The organization has repeatedly failed to adhere to the terms of the contract with the city of Southfield,” the release said. The city was apparently taking animals to the county’s animal shelter while working on a permanent solution.
October 2019/Jonestown, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia.CBSLocal.com reported that authorities had seized 98 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue.” The animals included 83 cats and 10 dogs who were “found with untreated medical conditions and living in unsanitary conditions.” Five dead cats were also removed. Authorities reportedly said that most of the surviving cats were suffering from eye conditions and respiratory infections and many of the dogs were “extremely thin.” WGAL.com reported that Greta Rank was the owner of the “rescue.” An investigation was reportedly undertaken after “one of Rank’s volunteers sent the SPCA photos and videos showing two deceased cats and others roaming freely. According to [authorities], the animals were living in unsanitary conditions, with many of them in enclosures with accumulated feces and urine.” Charges were reportedly pending the outcome of the investigation. In 2015, LDNews.com reported that Rank operated a group called Grrs and Purrs. The report said that “people, including state police, have been dropping off stray cats and dogs [at Rank’s] for years,” and that “many programs and shelters have worked with her.”
October 2019/Grand Junction, Colorado: NBC11News.com reported that “[f]ormer volunteers at the Grand Valley Pit Bull Rescue Center are making serious accusations of dog neglect against the owner. … [They] claim the man has thirty pit bulls inside his home. They say only a select few of the dogs are allowed to go outside each day, for about 45 minutes a day. Other than that they claim the dogs have to stay in the kennels. They add that during the seven months of working there, no dogs we[re] bathed or groomed.” They also alleged that dogs would often escape enclosures, leading to fights and injuries. The former volunteers said they had alerted authorities.
October 2019/Austin, Texas: AustinMonitor.com reported that Austin City Council members had “approved a set of controversial amendments to city code” regarding “no-kill” policies at the city’s animal services center, despite opposition from shelter volunteers, veterinarians, residents, animal advocates, and business owners, who warned that such policies can have inhumane and dangerous consequences. One resident reportedly said the city shelter’s statistics “are misleading as they indicate only an animal’s condition upon leaving the shelter, ignoring health and life span from that point forward.” A local business owner and shelter volunteer was reportedly concerned because “the numbers are particularly deceptive in relation” to a program that sterilizes and abandons homeless cats, including at “high-traffic intersections or commercial sites.” According to the report, “[s]everal residents also took exception to a section of the ordinance that prohibits performing euthanasia” except under certain circumstances. An animal advocate “said the language could be interpreted to mean that the city is dictating what veterinarians can do and when, putting them in the position of choosing between their professional code of ethics or city code.” A veterinarian at the Central Texas Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital, which had reportedly treated more than 800 shelter animals in 2019, “said that if the city wishes to impose such restrictions, it will also need to choose where to send those animals in the future. ‘If we as veterinarians do not have the right to make those decisions on site and we have to watch patients suffer unduly because of a ‘no kill clause,’ then we will no longer be able to provide services for the city of Austin or the Austin Animal Center.'” Another animal advocate reportedly criticized a section of the code regarding dangerous dogs, saying, “Reserving euthanasia only for dogs who have already caused a ‘severe’ injury … allows dogs with bite histories back into the community where they may do further harm.”
October 2019/Wanette, Oklahoma: KXII.com reported that a 9-year-old girl had been attacked by three dogs while outside riding her bike. The dogs had reportedly escaped from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Forgotten Treasures Animal Rescue. The report said that “[t]he dogs reportedly [had] never shown any signs of aggression. They broke out of their pen when no one was around.” The girl sustained “‘dog bites and several severe lacerations,’ according to court documents. Investigators [said she’d] likely need dozens of stitches, and she could have lasting nerve damage that could affect her mobility.” The “rescue’s” owner allegedly said that the dogs would be euthanized.
October 2019/Phoenix, Arizona: ABC15.com reported that a former volunteer at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Woofs, Wiggles n Wags alleged that “[f]our years after ABC15 uncovered questionable conditions inside the animal rescue Woofs, Wiggles N Wags,” no improvements had been made. She reportedly said that “she stayed at [“rescue” operator Melanie] Murphy’s home for about four months last spring. During her stay, she says she saw blood on the floor, dogs sitting in their own feces, rat feces in cages, and underfed dogs. ‘I counted 40 to 50 dogs,’ she said. ‘Animals will sit in their cages for 20-23 hours a day.'” Authorities reportedly confirmed that there was an open investigation into the allegations.
October 2019/Houston, Texas: ABC30.com reported that a resident had “been arrested after authorities say she threw a malnourished dog out of her car window.” She reportedly told authorities that “an old roommate left the puppy behind. [She] told deputies she couldn’t find a place to take the dog so she decided to leave the puppy on the side of the road.” The dog was found barely able to stand, “severely underweight,” and with overgrown nails. Authorities believed that “it likely took months of neglect for her to get to this condition.” According to the city’s website, the public animal shelter, doing business as BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions, only accepts animals after two separate visits, seven days apart, and has other restrictions.
October 2019/New London, North Carolina: TheSNAPOnline.com reported that the Veterinary Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services had “opened an investigation into the potential operation of [two] unregistered animal shelters” being operated by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Project Pawz. In a letter to the group, the agency had reportedly directed it to “cease operating as an animal shelter at both locations and find suitable accommodations for any animals currently in the care and custody of these facilities, until you have obtained a certificate of registration.” The letter reportedly said that owner Wendy Laney “was in violation of a state statute for running an animal shelter without the certificate of registration and could face a civil penalty of up to $5,000.” According to the report, “Stanly County Manager Andy Lucas said the county has attempted to work with Project Pawz. ‘Ms. Laney has not complied with our regulations that in order to adopt animals you have to provide evidence of spaying and neutering them,’ Lucas said. ‘And the whole purpose of that, obviously, is so that you’re not just taking the animals and just sort of exacerbating the problem, and they’re out there repopulating again … She hasn’t complied with that for a long period of time.'”
October 2019/Cobb County, Georgia: WSBTV.com reported that state authorities had suspended the license of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Half the Way Home after a former volunteer filed a complaint. An adoption group reportedly removed 88 of the 108 cats found at the property. A spokesperson for the group said that “some cats had broken bones and runny eyes.” The former volunteer said she contacted authorities after observing animals at the “rescue”: “They were all laying in their own vomit and diarrhea, screaming. There’s a lot of cats that need medical care,” she said. The report stated, “The attorney for Half the Way Home said the rescue plans to fundraise over the next two years and return with more structure.”
October 2019/Middlebrook, Virginia: WHSV.com reported that a woman who admitted to shooting “a litter of puppies and then dumping them over an embankment,” would not serve any jail time. According to the report, “Betsy Hemp, of Middlebrook, was convicted of six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty on Sept. 24. She also pleaded guilty to six charges of illegal dumping in connection with her disposal of the puppies’ bodies.” During testimony, Hemp reportedly “said she was angry and frustrated that even though she tried to do the right thing, she wasn’t able to find a place for the animals. … Hemp advertised the litter of puppies for sale and contacted the SPCA and the Shenandoah Valley Regional Animal Services Center. The SPCA was full and unable to take the dogs and since they belonged to her son, SVASC would not take them without his permission. After that, Hemp said she was frustrated and angry, so she took the puppies out back, shot them to death, and disposed of the bodies.” As part of Hemp’s sentence, she was required “to complete 500 hours … of community service and pay a $1,500 fine for the charges of illegal dumping …. She’ll also have to carry out 60 hours of litter abatement.”
October 2019/Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee: NewsChannel5.com reported that the Clay County sheriff had “been desperately calling various organizations for help” in housing cats from a hoarding situation after their owner was admitted to hospice care and the animals had been surrendered. However, he reported that “most places aren’t taking cats right now.” A resident who was trying to help said, “Dead cats are everywhere. There’s dead pigs out in the field. It’s horrible. I mean it’s so deplorable in there. … There’s feces everywhere, the ammonia smell in the house is through the roof.” Sixteen cats were taken to a veterinary hospital. It wasn’t known how many cats remained at the property or what ultimately happened to them.
October 2019/Josephine County, Oregon: FOX26Medford.com reported that a wire crate containing 14 cats, two ferrets, and a dog had been left outside, apparently overnight, at a public turn-away facility doing business as Josephine County Animal Shelter. The facility explains on its website that it charges fees to accept animals ($15 per cat and $50 per dog), requires appointments, and will only accept two socialized cats per day.
October 2019/Pell City, Alabama: CBS42.com reported that a resident, who neighbors said “was trying to help … stray cats,” and her husband had been charged with cruelty to animals after authorities found 47 cats and three dogs, along with an unspecified number of dead animals, confined in conditions described as “deplorable” at their home. A press release issued by the Pell City Police Department reportedly stated: “‘This home was covered in roaches and did not have water. There was feces covering the floors and it was difficult to breath[e].’ Officers found that many of the animals were malnourished and flea-infested while others were missing eyes and appeared abused. ‘This was the worst scene where people were living that I have seen in my entire career in law enforcement or in the Marine [Corps],’ Chief Paul Irwin of the Pell City Police Department said in a written statement.” City officials were reportedly working to condemn the home.
October 2019/Forney, Alabama: GadsdenTimes.com reported that authorities had seized 41 dogs, three cats, two turtles, and one rabbit, along with three dead animals, from a residence where they had been hoarded. The owner, Ruth Pauline Staggs, reportedly “operated an animal rescue at some point, and hosted pet adoption events” at a local store. The animals were found confined in inhumane conditions. Dogs were malnourished, and some were described as being “in extremely bad shape.” According to the report, “The Department of Human Resources was contacted regarding the older woman—Staggs’ mother—who was living there.” Staggs was charged with 47 counts of cruelty to animals, and the investigation was ongoing.
October 2019/Atascosa County, Texas: GoSanAngelo.com reported that authorities had charged two self-professed animal “rescuers” with four counts each of cruelty to animals and were continuing to investigate after more than 120 dogs given to them by the Atascosa County Animal Control (ACAC) shelter had been found abandoned along a highway in three counties. At least one dog was found dead after he or she was hit by a car. Authorities began conducting surveillance on Katreena and Wayne Martin after photos of abandoned dogs that were posted online were matched up with photos of dogs who had apparently been advertised at ACAC before being given to the Martins. According to the report: “The surveillance revealed that at roughly 5:35 p.m. Sept. 29, the couple picked up several dogs in a Dodge minivan from the Atascosa shelter. Law enforcement followed the van for hours and saw it exit I-10 onto an access road. Minutes later, the van returned to I-10, and officers discovered the dogs were let loose on Farm to Market Road 3130, according to court documents. Eight affidavits, totaling nearly 40 pages, showed that three of the four dogs dumped in late September were from Atascosa County Animal Control. . . . In an affidavit, Katreena Martin told officers she had transported thousands of dogs through the years.” The couple reportedly “had a working arrangement with animal control, according to the Atascosa County judge, but details about that arrangement were not provided because of the ongoing investigations.” The county attorney’s office had reportedly launched its own investigation into the case.
October 2019/Tawas City, Michigan: IoscoNews.com reported that state authorities had ordered a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Iosco County Humane Society to reduce the number of cats it was hoarding. According to the report: “There is a sign in front of the building, advising that the facility is not accepting cats at this time. However, staff are put in a difficult position, as people continue to unload their unwanted animals regardless of the cramped quarters.” An employee reportedly “said a woman recently drove up with a box of kittens who were four days old. When she was informed that the shelter wasn’t accepting cats, the woman threatened to throw the animals into a river.” Cats had also been found abandoned at roadsides and in wooded areas of the community. Recently, a resident reportedly “brought in three cats he had contained within a live trap. The animals had gone to the bathroom in the cage, and they were soaking wet when they were brought to the shelter because the man had hosed down the trap while the cats were inside. … [W]hen the man was told that the facility couldn’t take any more cats, he asked if they wanted him to ‘drop them in the woods then.'” It wasn’t reported what happened to the cats.
September 2019/Ola, Arkansas: KARK.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as NovaStar Animal Rescue had been operating in violation of city code. Neighbors had reportedly been filing complaints about the property, where, according to a spokesperson for the group, approximately 30 dogs were being kept, even though a maximum of four dogs was allowed under city code. Authorities reportedly planned to crack down.
September 2019/Austin, Texas: KXAN.com reported that it had “received reports that claim the Austin Animal Center is not properly evaluating and disclosing dogs’ aggressive behaviors before adopting them out to the public.” A resident said that a dog adopted from the facility had attacked his small dog while out on a walk. His dog “suffered severe lacerations and puncture wounds to his neck, resulting in more than 10 staples from a veterinarian.” He said the dog gave “[n]o warning, nothing, and immediately [went] for the neck and start[ed] biting him and dragging him away …. He was going to kill my dog. He had him by the throat.” The report said, “In another case, J.D. Mathison said his girlfriend’s dog, Bailey, was attacked and killed by a pit bull mix, Daisy, who they had recently adopted from the shelter. Mathison said staff provided very limited information about Daisy’s social skills and it was difficult to return Daisy to the shelter after they realized it wasn’t a good fit. J.D. came home from work one day to find Bailey dead. ‘It was like a crime scene in there,’ Mathison said. ‘Our home is kind of tainted now. My girlfriend still sees blood here and there. She’s definitely going to have to see somebody for the traumatic things she saw.'” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said she couldn’t comment on the attacks.
September 2019/Waterville, New York: CNYHomepage.com reported that authorities had seized more than 60 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Whispering Pines Animal Rescue. Authorities revealed that three people, Brenda, Horst, and Joseph Kunze, “were charged with housing animals in unsanitary conditions. Brenda Kunze was also charged with selling sick or diseased animals.” Sixty dogs, four cats, and a bird were reportedly removed. A warrant had reportedly been served after authorities received complaints about sick puppies adopted from the group, six of whom had died of parvovirus, coccidiosis, and/or pneumonia. Authorities said they had “also charged Brenda and Horst Kunze with illegal weapons charges after searching the home where the rescue is located.”
September 2019/Los Fresnos, Texas: BrownsvilleHerald.com reported that authorities had seized 270 dogs and a cat who were found hoarded in a warehouse by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as All Accounted For. Two men, Mark Anthony Trevino and Stephen Clark Woodington, had been arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. KFOXTV.com reported that the sheriff said that “some of the animals were in various stages of malnutrition and in need of medical attention. Some animals were found in feces and urine. Some animals were found in cages, some were three to four together in a kennel.” At a news conference, he said, “Never in my lifetime have I seen anything like this. According to the officers, the conditions were terrible. It would make anybody sick.” According to the report, because of the seizure, “the Cameron County Animal Shelter will be closed until further notice. According to a release, the shelter will also not be accepting animals from the public for placement until further notice.” Bond for both men had reportedly been set at $20,000. ValleyCentral.com reported that neighbors told the outlet that “they heard dogs barking for hours endlessly and all times of the day and night.” According to the county health administrator, “There were cages on top of each other, piled on top, some of the cages had not been cleaned for a while and the warehouse had two garage doors that I imagine were closed during the day. With this heat, it must have been unbearable, limited water, limited food.”
September 2019/Cole Camp, Missouri: USAToday.com reported that Benton County authorities had found more than 120 dead dogs, one dead cat, 38 live dogs, and one live cat at a property that was part of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as All Accounted For (see the September 2019/Los Fresnos, Texas, entry above). According to the report, “Tiffany and Steven Woodington operated All Accounted For, which brought animals from Texas to Missouri, the Benton County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Monday. Authorities said they found nearly 300 animals living at the operations in Texas and Missouri, but that many of the animals had to be euthanized because of poor health. … The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Steven Woodington was transporting the animals to Cole Camp, Missouri, which is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City. Law enforcement went to a property there, where Tiffany Woodington led them to an old school bus, a barn and a house. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said it found about 120 dead dogs and a dead cat in ‘various stages of decay, some were just bones’ on Sept. 12. … Authorities also found 38 dogs and one cat ‘alive but in unimaginable conditions.'” The surviving animals were described as “[having] matted [fur] and [being] skinny.” Tiffany Woodington was “charged in Missouri with 10 counts of felony animal abuse and two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse.” Steven Woodington, her husband, was “charged in Texas with 19 counts of animal cruelty. A second man described as the caretaker also was charged in Texas with animal cruelty.”
September 2019/St. Lucie County, Florida: WPTV.com reported that a publicly funded facility doing business as the Humane Society of St. Lucie County had been turning away animals. A spokesperson for an area adoption group reportedly said that members of the public had been taking animals to its facility and saying that they “were told to do so by staff at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County. … She said she was given no communication from the Humane Society of St. Lucie County that more animals would be referred to them. ‘We’ve got a lady bringing in a dog with a massive ear infection and the humane society won’t take [him or her],'” she said, adding, “I think we’re going to see a lot more abandonment, a lot of people that are just letting them go.” The report said that the facility’s contract with the county and two municipalities was ending. (See the August 2019/Fort Pierce, Florida entry for more information.)
September 2019/Ashland, Virginia: WTVR.com reported that a “[d]og with [a] known history of biting [and] causing serious injury [was] continually listed for adoption” by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Bandit’s Adoption and Rescue of K-9’s (BARK). The dog, named Duke, was being fostered by Kim Newcomb three years before the report, when, according to her, “he just snapped, and went after my sister’s dog Jambo … I thought he was going to kill him.” She said that after she and her sister finally managed to pull Duke away, “we got quite a few steps away, and Duke turned and bit down on my leg and didn’t let go.” The injuries she sustained “left her unable to fully walk for two months.” She and her family were traveling in another state at the time. Authorities were called and picked up the dog, who attacked an officer so seriously that “she had to be hospitalized, and was out of work for a while.” The report said, “Now, three years later, Duke is once again up for adoption at [BARK].” Newcomb said she was “nervous about him going to a home that doesn’t know this story.”
September 2019/Indianapolis, Indiana: TheIndyChannel.com reported that “Indianapolis Animal Care Services announced Monday they could not house any more cats as they are entirely out of space. As a result, adoptions will be free til Sunday, Sept. 15. Currently, IACS has 70 more cats than they have cages for and are housing two cats per pen. Over the next two days they have appointments for 35 more cats to be surrendered to the shelter—which does not include the average of ten to 20 stray cats that show up at their doors each day.” Residents who needed to surrender a cat were told to make an appointment.
September 2019/Peru, New York: WCAX.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Elmore SPCA (which is partly funded with public monies) had refused to accept three kittens who had been found on the side of a road by a resident. The facility was reportedly the only animal shelter in the county. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly said that the animals were turned away because it was “at capacity.” Residents were advised to find “another shelter in another county” or could be put on a waiting list. The facility was reportedly receiving criticism for its turn-away policy, and some people were calling for an end to its public funding.
September 2019/Wynne, Arkansas: WREG.com reported that “[t]he City of Wynne has canceled its contract with the operators of the Wynne Animal Rescue Shelter, saying the owners failed to provide adequate animal control.” The facility is operated by a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Wynne Friends of Animals, which says on its website, “We keep an average of 125–150 dogs in house at all times, are ‘ALWAYS’ full, and ‘ALWAYS’ have a waiting list of dogs for intake.” Wynne Mayor Jennifer Hobbs explained the city’s decision to end its contract with the group: “We were not getting the service we were contracted for. We had numerous complaints that people weren’t answering their phones, they weren’t responding to the calls, and that was something we addressed a couple of times through the year.”
September 2019/Lake Forest, California: ABC7.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 200 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Reptile Rescue Orange County. The seizure was conducted “following weeks of complaints from nearby businesses of a foul odor coming from the building.” One woman reportedly said that “the smell can only be described as one thing: ‘Dead animals. Animals that have been dead a long time.'” A former volunteer told the outlet that “he observed terrible conditions inside the business, including animals too big for their cages.” OCRegister.com reported that an investigation was ongoing.
September 2019/Montgomery, New York: RecordOnline.com reported that authorities had removed 89 dead cats and kittens from the home of a self-professed animal “rescuer.” More dead cats had reportedly been found “buried outside in small cardboard boxes that doubled as caskets.” They were working to capture five to seven surviving animals at the property. Patrick Rhodes, who lived at the home, reportedly “said he’s been rescuing cats for years, taking in strays and cats whose owners were losing their homes, and cats that may have been dumped at nearby farms. He talked about feeding strays when he worked as a field technician for cellular phone companies, carrying a container of food in his truck.” He said he also took in cats brought to him by the city’s animal control officer, Anne Ilkiw, who reportedly admitted that was true. The investigation was ongoing.
September 2019/Kingston, Pennsylvania: CitizensVoice.com reported that a Kingston man had been “charged with a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals and misdemeanor counts of cruelty to and neglect of animals” after he allegedly strangled his dog to death. He reportedly “told police he ‘choked the dog out’ and buried [the body] in the backyard of a Wilkes-Barre home, according to a criminal complaint.” The report noted that he “said the dog, a 3-year-old Husky mix, had no appetite, had stopped eating and was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. He said he took the dog to the SPCA, where the dog vomited in the office. [The accused] said he was told to take the dog to a veterinary hospital for treatment, but he did not have the money to do so, the complaint states. A necropsy found bruising encircling the dog’s neck, which indicated strangulation as the cause of death.”
September 2019/New Braunfels, Texas: KENS5.com reported that a turn-away facility with “no-kill” policies (which is partly funded with public monies) doing business as the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area was over capacity to such an extent that a volunteer said that “they had hallways with kennels stacked with dogs and cats.” The facility’s executive director, Sarah Hammond, reportedly said that “her facility is dancing with inhumane overcrowding.”
September 2019/Pueblo, Colorado: KOAA.com reported that authorities had seized “several dozen cats” from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Steel City Alley Cats Coalition. The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region’s (HSPPR) Animal Law Enforcement division had reportedly seized approximately “48 cats from the Steel City Alley Cats Coalition so far and believe up to 50 cats could still be inside the facility. In a Facebook post, HSPPR said 31 have been taken back to Colorado Springs, while the other 17 in need of immediate medical attention are kept in Pueblo …. Investigators said at least 4 cats have died at the facility since Sept. 4. The shelter failed three consecutive reports from the Department of Agriculture’s Pet Animal Care Facility Act (PACFA) due to unsafe conditions, including not quarantining diseased cats and not providing proper medical attention to cats in need.” Animal law-enforcement captain Lindsey Vigna explained, “Sometimes, when people are trying to save every animal, actually it’s a cruel act.” The investigation was ongoing. Chieftain.com reported that the warrant had been executed in response to concerns from residents who reported “that basically some cats within the rescue were showing some signs of typical cat illness, like upper respiratory infections and ringworm,” according to Vigna.
September 2019/Warren, Ohio: TribToday.com reported that a pit bull who was being fostered for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Pitbull Advocates of Armstrong County in Pennsylvania had attacked a dog groomer who was trimming his nails. The attack didn’t end “until the dog’s adoptive owner stabbed [him with a kitchen knife] when both a Taser and pepper spray failed,” according to a sheriff’s office report. The groomer reportedly will “need plastic surgery on her face and left ear, has compound fractures to both bones in her left arm and may have broken bones in her right hand, according to the report.” The dog reportedly “had a history of biting people.” He was transferred back into the custody of the “rescue.”
September 2019/Morganton, North Carolina: Morganton.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Friends for Animals—the Humane Society of Burke County was “in trouble with the state again after more noncompliance issues were found at its facility.” (See the September 2018/Morganton, North Carolina, entry for more information.) According to the report, during a follow-up inspection by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture in August, it was noted that there “was a pungent odor in the main lobby that is consistent throughout the entire indoor spaces of the facility. … [T]he primary enclosures housing adult dogs are heavily soiled with feces. … [And i]n almost all of the enclosures the animals did not have room to lie down without coming into contact with feces.” The facility’s license had reportedly been reinstated in January after a 60-day suspension that was the result of the group having “willfully disregarded and violated the N.C. Animal Welfare Act and rules issued.”
September 2019/Atascosa County, Texas: MySanAntonio.com reported that a resident had seen a white pickup truck speeding away from the site where a dog had been left “on the side of a lonely country road” with two buckets of water. The report explained: “The cost of surrendering a dog at Atascosa County Animal Control is $40.” Authorities were investigating.
September 2019/Peyton, Colorado: HuffPost.com reported that state authorities had ordered a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as National Mill Dog Rescue to pay a fine of $15,000, “$7,000 of which is due immediately and another $8,000 of which the state can collect should National Mill fail an inspection or violate [the state’s Pet Animal Care Facility Act] rules during a one-year probationary period.” According to the report, the state filed the order against the “multimillion-dollar nonprofit … after HuffPost published a lengthy investigation into National Mill’s business activities.” The order reportedly “cites 15 regulatory violations, including importing dogs into Colorado without the required vaccinations and paperwork, failing to produce medical records, failing to produce a complete origin record for one dog, and transporting dogs and cats without a license. The order also describes two dogs, named Oscar and Jubilee, being ‘severely injured’ in dogfights at the facility. … State documents also verify HuffPost’s reporting that cast doubt on the description of a number of dogs supposedly rescued by National Mill. While the nonprofit tells supporters that its dogs are saved from ‘puppy mills,’ the government investigators determined that sometimes [Theresa Strader, the group’s founder and executive director] has no idea who is handing over dogs to her—let alone whether they are breeders or how their kennels might be run.” A spokesperson at the state’s department of agriculture reportedly explained that “some of the so-called rescue organizations are really just ‘dog flipping’ as a way to make quick cash … [and] regulations have not kept pace with the evolution of the marketplace. ‘What we see with a lot of these rescue groups is that it’s an easy way to make money,’ he said. ‘You throw up a website, you’re in business, you go to another state and get dogs, and you adopt them out. They don’t have to put a lot of money into them if they get them from a shelter … that just gives them a dog, and then here, they adopt them out for a $400 or $500 fee.’ Part of the problem is the halo effect around dog rescue, he added.” The Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine had reportedly also “issued a cease-and-desist order to Strader for the unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine. Strader, through an attorney, denied the charges.” A hearing was scheduled in that case.
September 2019/Farmington, Utah: Standard.net reported that Davis County had “adopted a ‘socially conscious’ animal shelter posture intended to inhibit instances of inhumane hoarding in the no-kill movement. County commissioners passed a resolution … endorsing Davis County Animal Care and Control’s adoption of the socially conscious animal sheltering philosophy.” The agency’s director explained that managing statistics “by an arbitrary number can cause a shelter pressured to meet the goal to avoid ‘looking at each animal as an individual’ …. People sometimes hold onto animals when possibly the best outcome is euthanasia. … [S]ometimes good intentions lead to unintended suffering for the very pets that people are trying to protect.” According to the report, the tenets of Socially Conscious Sheltering were defined as follows:
- Ensure every unwanted or homeless pet has a safe place to go for shelter and care.
- Make every healthy and safe animal available for adoption.
- Assess the medical and behavioral needs of homeless animals and ensure these needs are thoughtfully addressed.
- Alleviate suffering and make appropriate euthanasia decisions.
- Consider the health and wellness of animals for each community when transferring animals.
- Enhance the human-animal bond through thoughtful placements and post-adoption support.
- Foster a culture of transparency, ethical decision making, mutual respect, continual learning, and collaboration.
September 2019/Tyaskin, Maryland: WMDT.com reported that authorities had charged Madison Schultz with nearly 80 counts of cruelty to animals after they found “12 dogs, along with cats and reptiles all living in feces, urine, trash, and fleas with no food or water. They also found two dogs dead and rotting in the backyard, who according to Schultz had been killed by another dog in the house. Schultz herself was covered in flea bites and her toes and [the] bottoms of her feet [were] covered in dog feces.” A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department said, “I’m told it takes your breath away, the odor, the overwhelming odor—it’s the smell of nothing but feces and urine in that house.” A neighbor reportedly said of Schultz and another woman, Hannah Bowes: “They wanted to try to rescue the dogs, but they didn’t have an area for the dogs or funding for that many dogs.”
September 2019/Lincoln, Nebraska: 1011Now.com reported that authorities had charged Kandice Bremer, the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as All Hounds on Deck, with cruelty to animals. She was reportedly “accused of letting dogs live in unsanitary and unsafe conditions. Now the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says it’s located eight dogs under the group’s care that sustained severe medical problems.” A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department reportedly said that “it’s taken months to locate the dogs and put together what happened, as many were moved to other organizations for care.” The dogs’ medical conditions “consisted of bites, lacerations, some skin infections, a pregnancy and some other malnutrition and nutritional neglect that were visible to the eye,” he said. The report noted, “Pictures obtained through a Department of Agriculture open records request shows piles of feces, trash and rats in the kennels.” A hearing date was set.
September 2019/Fond du Lac, Wisconsin: FDLReporter.com reported that the manager of a turn-away facility doing business as Fond du Lac Humane Society had announced that there had been an increase in the number of animal-abandonment cases in the community. On its website, the group mentions that it requires appointments and fees to accept animals, common “no-kill” policies that discourage people from using shelter facilities. In one case, a cat and “an emaciated pit bull that could barely stand and appeared to be left there to die” had reportedly been found in an abandoned apartment where the power had been shut off for more than two months. In another, a cat had been “found deceased and decomposed after having been left without food or water,” apparently after renters moved from an apartment.
September 2019/Huntingdon, Pennsylvania: WJACTV.com reported that authorities had seized more than 60 cats from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Rose Cottage Cat Sanctuary Inc. Twenty-two live cats and one dead cat were found in a home described as “unlivable between the urine, feces and flies, maggots and fleas. As soon as you pulled up in front of it, the smell hit you.” A spokesperson for an animal adoption group who was at the scene said, “Those poor cats had been breathing that for months or even years.” Three cats were found dead in a rented moving van, which housed 38 live cats. Another spokesperson for the group said, “When they loaded the van onto the bed, we observed large piles of maggots on the pavement under it and they were falling from the crevices of the doors. …When we started removing the cats, feces covered almost all of the interior surfaces of the van and it was soaked in urine. Some of the cats were in crates. The only food was in a bag with maggots all through it and there were no litter boxes or water.” The scene was so horrific that the group planned to provide its employees with grief counseling. The report said that “[a]lmost half of the cats were in critical condition, and officials say 22 needed to be euthanized—a veterinarian [said] that was the only humane course of action. Two of the cats died Sunday night into Monday and one of the females rescued gave birth to four kittens after arriving at the shelter.” Cats removed from inside the home were reportedly “malnourished, dehydrated, [and] anemic and had severe respiratory issues. They had chemical burns on their skin from the urine and feces.” Authorities reportedly said that charges were pending in the case.
August 2019/Logan, Utah: KUTV.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Cache Humane Society was experiencing an “uptick” in the number of people who abandoned animals outside its facility. The facility was reportedly full, and the group had a waiting list and charged between $25 and $50 to accept animals. Recently, two kittens had been left in the parking lot, one of whom reportedly had “special needs.” Surveillance footage had also captured a man leaving a dog in a wire crate in the lot, and a woman had reportedly “left a senior dog overnight the same week.”
August 2019/Volusia County, Florida: News-JournalOnline.com reported that authorities had given a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Journey’s End Animal Sanctuary “about a month to show it is making serious effort to improve conditions for its animals before Volusia County officials consider taking action.” According to the report, “[t]wo veterinarians, who visited the property after volunteers expressed concerns, say Journey’s End has too many animals and not enough staff. The facility ‘has dangerously exceeded its capacity for care, resulting in undue animal pain and suffering,’ wrote Rachel Barton, the lead shelter veterinarian with Tallahassee Animal Services, in a forensic veterinary statement after her visit to Florence Thuot’s property at 1899 Mercers Fernery Road on Aug. 5. ‘Staffing is inadequate to meet the basic needs of the animals each day, let alone their advanced medical needs,’ Barton wrote. … Barton indicated in her report that Journey’s End was lacking in: a clearly defined mission, an adequate level of staff, monitoring and daily checks of every animal, written policies and protocols, proper veterinary oversight and input, a management plan, proper training for staff and sufficient record keeping.” The group’s owner reportedly “disagrees with much of what the veterinarians reported from their visits.” The report noted, “If the county doesn’t see enough progress over the next month, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has offered to help, for free, in reducing the number of animals, specifically cats, at the property … Animals that no longer have quality of life may be euthanized.”
August 2019/Roy, Utah: FOX13Now.com reported that Destiny Collins, who was operating an unlicensed self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Animal Haven out of her home, had been “accused of mistreating ‘rescue’ dogs to the point where puppies are being eaten alive.” A person who inquired about puppies she was selling said, “Collins admitted that at least three puppies were eaten alive by other dogs” at the home. Collins reportedly “told FOX13 the litters were accidental. She later admitted some dogs are bred once every couple of years. The online ad shows dogs being sold for $300 to $400. Collins said she did not know how many dogs were living in the home.” City code reportedly prohibits residents from keeping more than two dogs at a property. Authorities were investigating.
August 2019/Watertown, New York: WWNYTV.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Jefferson County SPCA had stopped accepting cats who were found homeless or whose owners could no longer care for them. The group’s executive director said, “We currently have 75 cats in the shelter, we only have 81 cages, we have 145 cats and kittens in our foster care program, and we also have a pre-vax, a waiting list, of 50 waiting to come into the shelter.” She admitted that the facility receives calls “probably 20–30 times a day, [from] people saying, ‘I found a stray cat, I’ve got a momma [who’s] got ten kittens, can you take [her].'” The news outlet reported that out of a litter of kittens at the facility, only one survived: “The kittens were sick when they came in and overcrowding made things worse, despite [the] best efforts of vets.”
August 2019/Butler County, Ohio: WashingtonPost.com reported that the owner of a dog named Dani told authorities that she was a stray who was found on the side of a road with her throat cut and her nose and mouth duct-taped shut. The dog had been adopted from a group doing business as Homeless Animal Rescue Team, which claims to save animals “from euthanization, abandonment, and abuse.” An investigation reportedly found that Dani “had actually had a cut on her neck after running into a barbed-wire fence. Since the owner couldn’t afford to take the dog to the vet, the person pretended to ‘find’ the abused dog on the side of the road and make up a horrible story. The red marks around Dani’s snout came not from duct tape but from the owner making the dog wear a muzzle several hours a day because Dani was ‘chewing up items in their residence and being aggressive towards their other canine.'” The adoption group reportedly paid for the surgery that the dog needed, but it wasn’t clear what happened to her afterward.
August 2019/Chickamauga, Georgia: TimesFreePress.com reported that a publicly funded facility doing business as Walker County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, which was trying not to euthanize animals, had become so crowded that it had “made the decision to close its doors.” One day later, a state inspection revealed “that the shelter had failed in eight categories, including not having enough water for animals in certain parts of the shelter, failing to have appropriate ventilation, [and] unsatisfactory humane care and sanitation.” The inspector also “found that animals were being kept in bathrooms, hallways and shelter offices, and noted things like exposed electric wire from where a dog had chewed through a wall.” A reported 142 animals were found “living in 75 stalls and enclosures, including 106 dogs in 65 spots.” Three dogs were found to be infected with parvovirus, while “about 36 cats and one litter of kittens” and two dogs were found crammed into “the main office, main office room and the hallway.” The building reportedly “smelled like urine and feces.” One dog was found “housed in a hallway between the main office area and the employee break room with feces and urine in the enclosure. Dead flies were on the floor near the office entrance and [the inspector] found that the bathroom was also used to house animals. In the bathroom, the Sheetrock had been chewed through by a dog, exposing electrical wire.”
August 2019/Jackson County, Michigan: WILX.com reported that a resident was “frustrated with the animal services because they wouldn’t take in the kittens that she found” in a tub on the side of a road. She told the outlet that “she reached out to Jackson County Animal Shelters to help her take the kittens and they say they are both at full capacity. This was … during the same time as their puppy adoption event …. [For that event,] the Jackson County Animal Shelter transported over 20 puppies from Mississippi to their facility.” A local adoption group reportedly set up an appointment for the kittens at a veterinary hospital, which told the outlet that “this is a very common problem in Jackson County.” The director of the county’s animal shelter reportedly said, “If we take in every single cat that comes to us and we don’t have space the alternative is to euthanize and we don’t want to do that, that’s why we practice managed intake, which means we don’t take in more than we can care for.”
August 2019/Cocoa, Florida: ClickOrlando.com reported that after a woman tried to surrender a malnourished dog to a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Brevard Humane Society but was turned away, she became angry and shoved the dog into the trunk of her car before driving off. According to a spokesperson for the facility, after the woman was told that it was full—reportedly housing 42 dogs in 29 kennels—she asked whether the dog could be euthanized there and was told “to go to another shelter.” Surveillance footage that was apparently viewed subsequently showed that she had transported the dog in the trunk of her car both to and from the facility. Authorities were called, and they found the dog at the woman’s residence, where she was evidently arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. The report said that during the “investigation a veterinarian determine[d] the dog was malnourished.”
August 2019/Schenectady, New York: DailyGazette.com reported that an animal adoption group doing business as Voice for the Voiceless was operating in violation of city ordinances. Neighbors of the home-based group were reportedly “fuming” because of the stench of the property, where cats were hoarded, and city officials had made “repeated requests asking the shelter to cease operations at the site.” The report said, “A police log filed on Aug. 1 noted the responding officer reported a ‘strong’ smell of urine that could be identified from several houses away. … The city’s Zoning Office previously issued a violation in 2018 and ordered the occupants to immediately discontinue using the location as an adoption center. A second batch of violations issued that November ordered occupants to remove portable garages from the yard . . . . On Aug. 12, the same day [a neighbor] aired his concerns to City Council, the shelter posted it had taken in 29 kittens during the past three days and ‘desperately need donations.'” A summons was issued to the property’s owner. The case was ongoing.
August 2019/Franklin Township, Pennsylvania: WNEP.com reported that a pit bull mix had been shot to death at a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge after he attacked a volunteer. A spokesperson for the group reportedly said, “[O]ne of its senior volunteers now has more than 200 stitches on her arm after being attacked by a dog during a game of fetch.” The dog had reportedly been taken in by the group despite having a history of dangerous behavior. According to a community service worker who was at the facility when the attack happened, “Nobody tried to attempt to calm down the dog …. they just pretty much out of anger went down there and killed the dog.” He told FOX56.com that the dog was shot approximately 45 minutes after the attack ended and that he saw no efforts made to provide him with peaceful euthanasia by injection. Authorities were investigating.
August 2019/Las Vegas, Nevada: KTNV.com reported that authorities were investigating complaints about poor conditions at the home of self-professed animal “rescuer” Gia Fowler. According to the report, “In April and May, Animal Control records show at least 3 dogs were examined by vets, ‘appearing emaciated … with open wounds crawling with maggots … and matted fur smelling like feces.’ Gia’s history with Animal Control goes as far back as 2011. County records paint a troubling picture of hiding dogs to avoid authorities, evading questions and permitting requirements and citations for too many dogs.” It was alleged that she had kept an aggressive dog named Loki “muzzled day and night for about two years.” Another dog was reportedly euthanized after suffering from severe, chronic seizures. Fowler was reportedly charged with “having too many dogs and unsanitary conditions” in 2016, but the charges were dropped. The recent investigation was ongoing. A local animal advocate told the outlet that “there are more than 80 self-titled rescue groups in Las Vegas, adding that social media could be making the process too easy. ‘Anyone can put their name out there and say, “I rescued a dog. Look at this poor dog. Give us money to help this dog.”‘”
August 2019/Chesterfield County, Virginia: WRIC.com reported that 24 cats had been abandoned at an animal adoption group’s facility by someone who then drove away. The group’s director said that the abandonment of cats at the facility and on the roadways “is an everyday occurrence.” A spokesperson for the county’s publicly funded animal shelter, doing business as Chesterfield County Animal Services, reportedly said that the facility “doesn’t take in owner surrenders because of the high volume of strays, sick and injured cats already in the shelter.”
August 2019/Tavares, Florida: DailyCommercial.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Lake County Animal Shelter was holding 169 dogs at the facility, which can “comfortably … house” 125 dogs. Other animals hoarded there reportedly included “148 cats, two pigs, a horse, five fish and a crawfish.” The facility’s director said, “I have four dogs in my office, two dogs in the vet’s office. I have a dog in each one of my tech’s offices. A dog behind the front desk, three dogs in the lobby. It’s literally anywhere we can pop up a kennel to make space for the dogs.”
August 2019/Berkeley County, South Carolina: OurGazette.com reported that a public facility doing business as Berkeley County Animal Shelter was full and wasn’t “accepting any additional owner surrenders.”
August 2019/Mitchell County, Georgia: WALB.com reported that a group doing business as Stitches for Mitchell County, Inc., which contracts to offer animal sheltering services for Mitchell County residents, was overcrowded. The group’s vice president reportedly said that “if the influx gets out of hand, it could cause the shelter to shut down.”
August 2019/Lebanon, Connecticut: NorwichBulletin.com reported that the owners of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Roadside Ranch Rescue and Sanctuary LLC had received “a notice of violation and cease and desist order from the town’s zoning enforcement officer.” According to the report, co-owners Kaitlyn LaPointe and Oliver Manning were advised that codes that were being violated, included the following: “structures related to ‘commercial kennels’ must be at least 100 feet from all property lines; a special permit must be obtained from the Planning and Zoning Commission to operate a commercial kennel; and accessory farm buildings used to house livestock must be at least 100 feet from any lot line.” LaPointe told the outlet that “[s]ome of the dogs, which she has pulled from the Hartford Animal Shelter and from South Carolina, have been at the sanctuary for six months to a year with no interest.” The owners reportedly “ha[d] until Aug. 31 … to stop using their residence as an animal rescue and sanctuary and as a ‘commercial kennel,’ and to stop housing livestock within 100 feet of the property line, or face possible legal action, ‘including a request to the court that [they] reimburse the Town for legal expenses related to this violation.'”
August 2019/Lane County, Oregon: KEZI.com reported that public facilities doing business as Lane County Animal Services and Greenhill Humane Society had both refused to help or accept “hundreds of cats” who had been abandoned at a property after their elderly owner was hospitalized. A neighbor who was feeding the cats said that “many” had “died over the years” and that some were “sick.” Many were also unsterilized. She said she had “reached out to Greenhill Humane Society and Lane County Animal Services to help get rid of the cats, but they told her they can’t help. Officials at Greenhill said because many of the cats are feral, they can’t bring them to their shelter.”
August 2019/Ravenna, Ohio: Record-Courier.com reported that a box containing cats and kittens had been found outside a turn-away facility run by a group doing business as Portage Animal Protective League. The animals reportedly had “broken legs, injured eyes, [and] upper respiratory infections,” and some kittens apparently were not with their mothers. The facility was reportedly full and had a waiting list to accept animals. Its executive director said, “People call us every day asking us to take their cat or a stray cat they found …. We try to help as many as possible but there are 90-plus cats on our waiting list. We have an average of 50–70 cats in our care on a regular basis, and when you include cats in foster care and the newest rescues, we are talking about well over 100 cats. Two cats have needed leg amputations, some are sickly, [and] some need [to be] bottle fed.”
August 2019/Grand Traverse County, Michigan: 9And10News.com reported that a resident who was dropping off items at a recycling center “heard soft meowing coming from inside” one of the containers there. He found a sick, dirty kitten and took her to a veterinary hospital, where she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory condition. A spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Cherryland Humane Society reportedly said that this was not an isolated case: “Earlier this year, we had kittens [left] by a dumpster out in the Fife Lake recycling center … and there was recently another report that another box was dumped by those same recycling dumpsters on Lafranier Road. This is something that’s becoming more and more common because shelters are becoming overrun with kittens due to overpopulation in the pet community. … [W]e have no room at the inn. … We cannot take any additional cats.” The facility reportedly “has more than 60 cats right now, and doesn’t have any more space for more to come in.”
August 2019/Hardin County, Tennessee: JacksonSun.com reported that the owner of a self-professed “cat sanctuary” had surrendered 88 cats she couldn’t care for. According to a spokesperson for a nonprofit working to remove the animals, many of them were “diagnosed with respiratory or eye infections, and some suffered from parasites, anemia or other conditions. One cat was rushed to a veterinarian’s office for an emergency blood transfusion …. Two had broken legs. Most will require extensive vet care.” It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered.
August 2019/Maryville, Tennessee: WBIR.com reported that the publicly funded Blount County Animal Shelter was full and had temporarily stopped accepting animals from owners who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—care for them any longer. On its website, the facility reported that even when it did accept these animals, the hours were extremely limited: Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (when most people are unavailable owing to work schedules).
August 2019/Helena, Montana: KTVH.com reported that a resident had found a cardboard box that contained three dead kittens and one kitten who was “barely alive” on the side of a road. The surviving animal was taken to a veterinary hospital, where a veterinarian said that “she couldn’t raise her head or eat. Her heart rate was very low, and her temperature was too low to measure.” She required days of “intensive treatment,” including intravenous fluids. She was apparently expected to survive. The veterinarian reportedly said that the hospital “has had a number of cats come to them this summer and they have done the best they can, but their resources are limited.” She said that the local publicly funded animal shelter and adoption groups in the community were “often at their capacity.” According to an earlier news report about the abandonment of cats outside the Lewis and Clark Humane Society (which is partly funded with public monies), “There is a $25 surrender fee for each animal brought to the shelter.”
August 2019/Metuchen, New Jersey: NewYork.CBSLocal.com reported that two kittens had been found in an onion bag left in front of a grocery store with a note that read, “Please take free baby cat to your home.” Authorities reportedly “believe the woman has done this at least four times in the last year. On Thursday morning, four kittens were left inside a plastic bin outside the ShopRite in Edison. Animal shelter officials are still trying to figure out if it was the same woman who left them.” A spokesperson for the public animal shelter said that appointments are needed to surrender animals there. The facility’s website explains that it also charges surrender fees, won’t accept animals with behavioral problems or without veterinary records, and won’t accept animals if the shelter is full.
August 2019/Huntington, West Virginia: Herald-Dispatch.com reported that a publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Huntington Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter was full and had stopped accepting cats “[f]or the second time this kitten season.” An earlier report revealed that the shelter was trying to operate as a “no-kill” facility. Its director reportedly said, “We are just inundated, and we have so many people trying to bring in cats and we just don’t have the staff. We only have one person taking care of all the cats, and we have more than 80 cats here right now.”
August 2019/Jersey City, New Jersey: NJ.com reported that a publicly funded adoption group doing business as Liberty Humane Society had allowed Joseph Mannino to adopt a dog named Maxina, who had been seized from him. He was reportedly facing cruelty-to-animals charges at the time. The dog had apparently been seized from him in late July by members of the city’s Quality of Life Task Force after she was found “tied up on the porch … during a weekend when temperatures soared toward 100 degrees.” The group had allegedly indicated that it had released the dog to her suspected abuser “because she is aggressive toward other animals and Mannino appears to be her best hope at adoption.” She had reportedly been “adopted” out by the group to Munther Asad in 2017, and Mannino was allegedly tasked with caring for her while, according to the report, Asad “was out of state for an extended period. Both men were cited for animal cruelty.” They were reportedly “scheduled to be arraigned in Jersey City Municipal Court on Aug. 27.”
August 2019/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: PennRecord.com reported that a resident had been charged with “five counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals and 37 summary counts of cruelty to animals” after authorities seized 37 cats who had been hoarded at his home. In a lawsuit that he reportedly filed against authorities, he said that five of the animals seized had been “purchased” by him from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Animal Friends. No additional details were available.
August 2019/ Van Zandt County, Texas: GrandSalineSun.com reported that authorities had arrested Cynthia Durham, the president of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Van Zandt County Humane Society, “for theft and a warrant [was] being issued for the arrest of a Wisconsin woman, alleging the duo [were] involved in a scheme called ‘Pet Flipping.'” The report said that Durham “allegedly confessed to the offense and has since been taken into custody for the theft of … two 9-month old blue heeler pups.” A neighbor of Jeremy Housden, the dogs’ owner, had reportedly “seen Durham’s vehicle around his house” and could see “the dogs at one moment, and the next they were nowhere in sight, but Durham’s car was still allegedly in the Housden driveway.” Housden contacted authorities, resulting in the arrest.
August 2019/Fort Pierce, Florida: WPTV.com reported that authorities had served a search warrant as part of a criminal investigation into a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Humane Society of St. Lucie County, Inc. Detectives reportedly said that “the search warrant was approved as part of a felony criminal investigation, though it is too soon for detectives to say which specific crime or potential criminal charge they are pursuing through the investigation. WPTV confirmed the investigation was prompted by a complaint from volunteer Dale Mutchler, who made headlines as the volunteer who found the body of Christine Liquori in May. Liquori was the volunteer mauled to death by a pit bull mix at the shelter” (see the May 2019/Fort Pierce, Florida, entry below). The report said, “The complaints ranged from operational, structural and safety concerns to animal neglect allegations. In [Mutchler’s] complaint, he details concerns about animals not being given adequate care, such as a dog passing out which he was able to ‘bring back’ by hosing [the animal] down with cold water. When he notified veterinary staff, he says the staff did not examine the dog for five days. The alleged neglect, he says, has also turned deadly for some animals, including puppies recently seized by law enforcement from an animal neglect case and placed at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County for temporary care. ‘There were quite a few animals that died due to the lack of care. Due to neglect. Absolute neglect,’ Mutchler said. Some puppies, he said, were killed by rats.” The investigation was ongoing. TCPalm.com reported that Fort Pierce city commissioners had voted to take over operations at the group’s facility located on property owned by the city on October 1. The vote came after “[t]he Humane Society objected to any oversight from the local governments to review its financial accounts. … The local governments requested an updated business plan and a projected budget, which the Humane Society rejected.” Poor conditions at the facility reportedly “became known in September after Fort Pierce and county staff members and animal activists conducted a walk-through inspection of the Savannah and Glades-Cut Off facilities. According to a TCPalm article, officials found animal cages full of feces; empty water bowls; temperatures hovering near 90 degrees; no air conditioning, and at the Glades Cut-Off shelter, no fans because of failed electrical outlets; and no veterinarian on the premises for days at a time.”
August 2019/Lancaster, California: TMZ.com reported that singer Aaron Carter had posted a video on social media in which he said he was selling for $3,500 a dog he’d adopted from a public animal shelter. According to the report, “In the video, which Aaron appears to have acknowledged as authentic, he says … ‘This is my new buddy. So by the way, if I can’t keep him, I am going to be listing him.’ Aaron goes on to say, ‘He’s 10 months old, and he’s running for $3,500. So if anybody wants to give my English bulldog (a home), I rescue him and I find him homes.'” He allegedly “makes reference to another dog in the video that he ‘couldn’t keep.'” The shelter was reportedly looking into the allegation, and Carter “vehemently” denied that he “flip[s] dogs for quick cash.”
August 2019/Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: FOX43.com reported that a plastic bin containing seven kittens had been left outside a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Pet Pantry of Lancaster County after the facility refused to accept them. According to the report, a woman had entered the facility and “told workers she had already taken the kittens to other shelters in the area and was told they were all full and unable to accept new kittens for adoptions. After being told the Pet Pantry was also full and had a waiting list, the woman exited the building, leaving the kittens behind before she drove off.” No charges were being considered.
August 2019/Tavares, Florida: DailyCommercial.com reported that a woman had been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals after allegedly “throwing her chihuahua over a 6-foot fence” after hours at a public “no-kill” facility doing business as Lake County Animal Shelter. She said that she was leaving the dog at the shelter because she was homeless. The dog reportedly escaped from the fenced area and was later found with “severe hind-end damage.” He or she was given pain medication. According to its website, the facility “is often near, at, or above capacity. Owned pets are only accepted as space and resources allow.” Animals are considered for acceptance only during scheduled appointments, and a $40 fee is required per animal. Before the facility will accept unvaccinated animals, two appointments must be made two weeks apart.
August 2019/Fort Lauderdale, Florida: FloridaBulldog.org reported that three longtime volunteers with a public facility doing business as Broward County Animal Care had been terminated. According to the report, this occurred after they “posted photos and videos of canines allegedly being mistreated at the shelter, a $16.5-million facility …. It’s the latest controversy to engulf [facility director Lauralei] Combs, who is under fire for overcrowding at the shelter after a drastic reduction in euthanizations since she was hired 18 months ago.” A local city commissioner reportedly said, “She is systematically letting go of volunteers who disclose what is taking place at the shelter. It leads me to believe we are back on the road to no transparency. They are getting rid of the people who talk.” The establishment was reportedly under a county “mandate” to operate as a “no-kill” facility. Videos shared with the outlet allegedly showed “dozens of dogs being kept in portable kennels inside a section of the shelter with no air conditioning. Several industrial fans can be seen blowing in the direction of the canines, some of which were sitting in their own urine and feces.” The report cited a WSVN.com June 2019 story that revealed that “the shelter was forced to close two hours early on a Friday because there was no more room.” According to a local resident, “animal services inspectors responding to animal-cruelty complaints are not taking abused dogs and cats to the shelter because of the over-capacity problem.” One of the dismissed volunteers reportedly told the outlet, “I am starting to see the lack of interest toward these dogs and cats that are sick or injured.” Combs reportedly admitted to the outlet that after a fight broke out between two dogs who’d been placed together in a kennel at the crowded facility, both of them were so badly injured that they had to be euthanized.
July 2019/Taos, New Mexico: TaosNews.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Stray Hearts Animal Shelter was “full and [could not] accept dogs dropped off by the general public.” The facility, with a capacity of 90 animals, was reportedly “the county’s only shelter for dogs” and was “housing 116 canines.” Adoption groups that the facility regularly transferred animals to, both “in other counties and out of state in places such as Denver,” were also reportedly full. The shelter allegedly asked residents “to hold onto stray dogs they pick up for as long as they can and to keep calling Stray Hearts every couple of days to see if room has opened up.”
July 2019/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: WQAD.com reported that a small, elderly dog had been left outside a turn-away, “no-kill shelter” doing business as Pennsylvania SPCA “in a plastic container with the lid on while outside temperatures were around 90 degrees.” She was reportedly malnourished and “flea-bitten” and might not have been found if not for an “attentive volunteer [who] saw the container and opened it up.” On its website, the group states that it will only accept animals who “meet certain criteria as space in our shelter becomes available,” and it charges a $50 fee per animal before it will accept them.
July 2019/Joplin, Missouri: JoplinGlobe.com reported that a spokesperson for a self-professed “no-kill rescue shelter” doing business as Golden Paw Animal Sanctuary and Rescue said that the group “had to turn away 50 to 60 requests each week from folks who discovered dumped pets—mostly dogs—on their property.” She said, “We’re getting calls all the time.” Reportedly, “a property owner told her that somebody had dumped two dogs in her front yard sometime during the night. In another call, a heartless owner tied their cowering pooch to a property owner’s fence post, though they’d left an unopened 25-pound bag of dog food next to the poor thing, perhaps to help cope with their own guilt. These types of situations and worse are happening all across the Joplin metro area.” The facility, with a capacity of around 100 dogs and 20 cats, had apparently crowded 120 dogs and 52 cats into it.
July 2019/New York, New York: NYPost.com reported that a dog who was being transported from a Brooklyn public animal shelter doing business as Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) to a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Rescue Dogs Rescue Soldiers had been found dead in a cage in the back of the vehicle being used. A spokesperson for the “rescue” reportedly said that when he was found, “the body was really hard, it was very stiff.” Apparently, he’d “been ‘in distress’ before his death because the cage was covered in feces and his mouth was ‘wide open like an alligator.'” He had allegedly been in the vehicle for a “four-hour ride in the midst of the worst heat wave the city has seen since 2011, with heat indexes as high as 110 degrees.” Another dog in the same vehicle was reportedly “also in bad shape when the transporter arrived and was showing signs of dehydration.” That dog received treatment. The report said that the “cause of death was ruled inconclusive by the ACC,” adding that the agency was “facing a probe from the state Attorney General over animal cruelty allegations.”
July 2019/Escondido, California: NBCSanDiego.com reported that an animal adoption group doing business as San Diego Humane Society had given two cats to Joshua Boyer before investigators found “several cat carcasses and more chained live cats” at his property. Prosecutors reportedly “described the scene on Boyer’s property as ‘quite disturbing.’ Ten deceased cats were found near a locked shed on the property. Boyer was the only one with access to it and told his family to stay away from it, prosecutors said. Inside the shed were firearms, a crossbow with arrows, bats and knives. Several of the weapons had blood or fur on them when they were discovered by investigators. Prosecutors said some of the dead cats had their legs zip-tied to cages, some had metal BB’s and bullet fragments in them, and some were burned. All but one had an empty stomach. … Prosecutors said one of the cats he got from the shelter was found dead on the property.” The second cat given to Boyer by the group had apparently not been found. Boyer reportedly said he’d also acquired cats through Craigslist advertisements, and it was suspected that he’d picked up at least one cat, who was allowed to roam outdoors without supervision by his owner, off the street. He was arrested and charged with “multiple felony counts of cruelty to animals.”
July 2019/Gainesboro, Virginia: WinchesterStar.com reported that authorities had charged the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Oreo’s Legacy Rescue with 21 counts of cruelty to animals. The report said that the charges were filed against Tammy Smith Barr after authorities had to rescue 20 dogs hoarded at her home when a fire broke out. According to a criminal complaint, “[t]here were hoarding conditions all through the house as well as dog urine and feces covering the floor all over the house …. The odor of urine and feces overpowered the odor of the house fire.” An assistant fire marshal reportedly said that “‘hoarding conditions’ in the basement hampered firefighting efforts.” And a building official reportedly said that “the house was declared uninhabitable due to the fire and the house being filled with feces and urine.” One of the dogs rescued “had matted hair that had to be shaved off, and many of the 13 puppies rescued suffered from smoke inhalation.” According to the report, Barr had been “convicted in November of inadequate animal care and three counts of dogs running at large.”
July 2019/Mitchell, South Dakota: GrandForksHerald.com reported that authorities had seized 31 cats from two homes where they were found hoarded by Brandy Smith and her son, Michael Smith. According to the report, “Brandy Smith reportedly either lived in or maintained the two residences, and she reportedly solicited money to care for cats on a Facebook page called ‘Heart and Soul Kitty Sanctuary.'” Officials reportedly said that the two were each facing “10 counts of cruelty to animals, a Class 6 felony.” The report said, “Twenty cats ‘in various apparent degrees of sickness'” had been found at one home, and another sick cat was seized from a second address. One cat found allegedly “appeared near death” and was transported directly to a veterinary hospital. A public safety official apparently said that nine more sick cats and one dead cat were found at one of the homes the next day. Both locations “reportedly had cat feces and garbage throughout.” ArgusLeader.com later reported that a total of 37 cats, including the dead one, had been removed from the two homes. Authorities apparently said that the floor of a trailer at one of the properties “was covered in piles of cat feces and empty cat food cans, and that the smell was so pungent it could be smelled through their respirators. Multiple cats were found in the home, many of them sick and lying in piles of feces, the affidavit read. Police said it was ‘obvious that the cats had been left to live in this environment for quite some time.'”
July 2019/Dayton, Ohio: ABC6OnYourSide.com reported that in a 24-hour period, 20 cats had been left outside a turn-away facility doing business as Humane Society of Greater Dayton. According to the report, staff “found two litters of kittens left at the front entrance of the organization. One of the litters found had six very sick kittens … covered in fleas.” A lawn-care company reported later that day that workers had “found a cat and six 4-week-old kittens loose in the [organization’s] dog park. Those kittens were also covered in fleas [and] in need of additional medical care.” The next day, a note was found at the facility “about two cats being left at the dog park next door. The writer of the note was worried about [them] …. A veterinarian was able to find one of the cats, but the second cat still has not been found.” According to its website, the facility only accepts animals by appointment if there is space and if the animals are deemed adoptable. The county animal “shelter” had recently announced that it would no longer handle cats at all. (See the April 2019/Dayton, Ohio, entry below.)
July 2019/Wolcott, Connecticut: NBCConnecticut.com reported that authorities were investigating a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Tails of Courage after a puppy adopted from the group died of parvovirus. It was believed that a second puppy died at the group’s facility and that the litter had been shipped to the group from Texas. An adopter reportedly told authorities “that she had the puppy for seven hours, had to rush the puppy to [an emergency veterinary hospital] doing CPR on the puppy the entire route, only for the puppy to expire.” Preliminary testing suggested that the animal had suffered from “parvo, dehydration, and emaciation.” A police spokesperson said that when investigators visited the facility, one of them “heard a puppy screaming and went to research where the puppy was and found a back room that they consider their isolation room … and that’s where they found the sick puppies.” Two were rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital. The report said that “[a]dopted sick litter-mates continue to be discovered and cared for at other vets around the state.” Authorities reportedly said that there were “red flags when the animal rescue organization moved to town. The land owner of the property says ‘Tails of Courage’ set up shop about two months ago. He says they told him they will be leaving his property by the end of the week. Danbury filed a lawsuit for health and zoning violations in 2018. It was withdrawn this spring when they promised to no longer conduct business in Danbury.” (See the July 2018/Danbury, Connecticut, entry below for more details.) ConnecticutNews12.com later reported that three of the eight sick puppies removed by authorities had died.
July 2019/West Chicago, Illinois: ChicagoTribune.com reported that after a six-month investigation into a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as The Bully Life Animal Services, authorities had arrested operator Garrett Mercado. He was reportedly “charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty, along with 14 counts of violating his duties as an animal owner. Mercado had 58 dogs in his care, with many stacked on top of one another in crates not intended to hold an animal for a long period of time, State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said at a Thursday news conference. ‘These dogs lived in cruel and inhumane conditions, and they died a horrible death,’ Berlin said.” According to a press release issued by Berlin’s office, “Following an investigation that revealed that twenty-nine dogs died in the blaze, it is alleged that numerous other dogs were mistreated suffering puncture wounds, lacerations, abrasions, weight loss, muscle wasting and dehydration. It is also alleged that there was a foul odor throughout the facility and that urine stains, fresh and old feces and empty water bowls were found in the kennel. It is further alleged that the kennel runs were not sanitary and that dogs were kept in cages stacked upon one another. It is alleged that dogs were placed in cages or crates too small for them, dogs were inappropriately tethered and that one dog was tethered to a bar in a bathtub in a fashion that would restrict or prevent movement. It is further alleged that Garrett abandoned the dogs at which time a fire erupted resulting in the dogs’ deaths.” Patch.com reported that “Berlin said some charges stem from the treatment of two dogs in particular. One dog, named Magoo, was returned to his owner prior to the fire but was severely underweight, with ribs showing and wasted muscles, as well as hookworms, Berlin said. Another dog, Coco, perished in the fire after being tethered to a bar on the second floor of the kennel building. Berlin said Coco was tethered so tightly it’s unlikely he would have been able to lie down or move. His body was found under a pile of debris after the fire, according to authorities.” A court date had been set. (See the January 2019/West Chicago, Illinois, entry below for more details.)
July 2019/San Antonio, Texas: KSAT.com reported that after a public turn-away facility doing business as City of San Antonio Animal Care Services refused to accept two dogs from a woman who’d tried to surrender them, video surveillance footage showed her leaving the animals in front of the facility and driving away. The small dogs were frantic and “nearly run over.” When they were found, the facility admitted them. They required treatment “for heat stress.” Authorities reportedly had the woman’s contact information.
July 2019/Chico, California: OrovilleMR.com reported that authorities had received “[m]any complaints … about cleanliness or concerns about dogs being vaccinated or examined before being adopted” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Wags and Whiskers Pet Rescue. The group had reportedly “recently [come] under scrutiny for an outbreak of canine distemper,” and authorities expressed concern about “high numbers of animals” being taken in by the group “from many different areas … with unknown amounts of screening.” The report said that, “while Wags and Whiskers is not breaking laws by keeping animals in stacked wire cages, with only some runs available, [the director of the city’s animal services department] said the illness can spread much more quickly” in those conditions.
July 2019/Jamesville, New York: Syracuse.com reported that a lawsuit had been filed against Onondaga County and its animal adoption facility doing business as Second Chance Canine Adoption Shelter in response to a dog attack that occurred there. The suit alleged that a 10-year-old girl visiting the facility had been left “bloodied and scarred and [requiring] multiple costly hospital visits” after she was attacked by a pit bull or mix with a history of aggression. The dog had reportedly been adopted approximately eight months before the attack and was returned after biting three people and growling at and acting aggressively toward the adopter’s wife. The report said that it wasn’t the only lawsuit pending against the facility: “An inmate named Brian Howe sued in January. He said a pit bull attacked him and tore up both his arms while he was assigned to work the shelter. He needed stitches on both arms.”
June 2019/Austin, Texas: Statesman.com reported that the Austin Animal Center had “been full since December 2017 when 40 or 50 kennels were added in the building’s most recent expansion,” according to a spokesperson for the facility. She reportedly said that the “center has only 345 kennels available for the 800 animals it is currently housing .… Cats and dogs have overflowed into the center’s meeting and conference rooms, and pets have doubled up in kennels.” Animals were being given away for free and, “the center begged the community to adopt an animal over the weekend because it is out of kennels.”
June 2019/Palmer, Massachusetts: MassLive.com reported that the state’s attorney general had filed a lawsuit against the founder and president of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Destiny’s Road Animal Rescue, Inc., alleging that she had “used money donated to the rescue to pay for personal expenses, including online dating apps, hair and nail salon visits and purchases at vaping stores.” The lawsuit reportedly says that Dawn Cardinal “spent animal rescue money on the online dating websites eharmony and Christian Mingle; rideshare services Uber and Lyft; iTunes and Netflix; the New England Aquarium; an oxygen bar; and vaping stores. She paid for hair salon, massage, nail and beautician services; gas and car repairs; telephone and heating bills; and fast food and restaurant bills. She made online purchases from Toys R Us, Victoria’s Secret, and Bed Bath & Beyond.” The lawsuit “charges Cardinal with breach of fiduciary duty, unfair and deceptive acts, making false statements in annual registration statements, misappropriating charitable assets, failure to properly account for the charity’s funds and failure to file financial statements and reports.” The attorney general was “asking a judge to require Cardinal to pay restitution to Destiny’s Road, give up any money that was raised illegally and bar Cardinal from acting as a fiduciary for any public charity in the future and from conducting any future business in Massachusetts.”
June 2019/Las Vegas, Nevada: LasVegasNow.com reported that authorities had removed more than 40 dogs from a residence where they were found in filthy pens, some suffering from symptoms of parvovirus. At least six puppies were “in need of medical attention.” Four of them were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized. The owner said that she had acquired the dogs from people who didn’t want them and sold them for profit. She voluntarily surrendered the animals and was fined $2,200. Four dogs were left at the residence “with a requirement that [the owner] get medical treatment for one dog with an abdominal mass and seek a fancier permit if she wants to keep the four dogs who have not been neutered or spayed.”
June 2019/Camp County, Texas: KLTV.com reported that authorities had seized more than 150 horses from “an equine rescue facility.” Many of them were reportedly “emaciated, had damage to their hooves and a meager food supply.” The owner of the “rescue” was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. No additional details were available.
June 2019/Greensboro, North Carolina: MyFOX8.com reported that a 2-year-old child had sustained injuries when he was bitten by a dog at a public turn-away facility doing business as Guilford County Animal Shelter. The child’s family was considering adopting the dog when the attack occurred. MyFOX8.com later reported that another visitor saw the mother running with the child, who had sustained a severe bite. “It was a big wound. The only part of that poor child’s ear was his earlobe left on him,” the other visitor said. No additional details were available.
June 2019/Citrus County, Florida: ChronicleOnline.com reported that county officials had “asked the sheriff’s office to issue a trespass warning to Robert Schweickert Jr., president of Out of the Box Animal Rescue Inc.,” ordering him to stay away from the Citrus County Animal Shelter, after he allegedly “threatened to shoot the animal shelter director and her staff.” According to the news report, “Schweickert and Out of the Box have been evicted three times since January.” The county animal shelter stopped providing him with dogs earlier this year. He “also has two cases pending in court over three dogs being held at the animal shelter for attacks on humans or other animals.” (See the February 2019/Citrus County, Florida, entry.) During a telephone conversation, Schweickert reportedly told a volunteer “that if he had a firearm he would shoot [the shelter director] and the staff.”
June 2019/Pueblo, Colorado: KOAA.com reported that authorities were pursuing cruelty-to-animals charges against a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as PAWS for Life Animal Welfare and Protection Society in relation to inhumane conditions and animal deaths at the city animal shelter that it had been contracted to operate. (See the March 2019/Pueblo, Colorado, entry.) During its short tenure at the facility, a state “investigation revealed animals were neglected in some cases for days, as a result, 14 animals died while under the shelter’s watch.” Local authorities were preparing a criminal case for the district attorney’s review. A spokesperson for the Pueblo Police Department said, “When we refer charges, obviously we have a case, we believe these people committed these crimes.”
June 2019/Huntington, West Virginia: Herald-Dispatch.com reported that a turn-away facility partly funded by tax dollars and doing business as Huntington Cabell-Wayne Animal Shelter was “40 cats over capacity and cannot properly care for any more,” according to the director. The facility had stopped accepting cats “until further notice” because it was working “toward becoming a no-kill shelter.”
June 2019/Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania: FOX6Now.com reported that authorities had seized 50 cats and kittens from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Faery’s Felines. Officials reportedly said that the animals were “found living in filth with untreated medical conditions.” PennLive.com reported that just eight cats in the worst condition were initially seized. A spokesperson for an adoption group involved in the seizure said that one of the cats had a “severely ulcerated eye” that would likely require removal and another had an eye injury that was seeping bloody fluid. The other cats suffered from untreated “severe respiratory infections.” A kitten’s temperature was reportedly “so low that it did not register on the thermometer.” Authorities later returned and removed the remaining animals. Criminal charges were reportedly pending.
June 2019/South Bend, Indiana: WSBT.com reported that authorities had ordered a dog-boarding facility to remove all animals from the property within two weeks. During an inspection, they reportedly found 168 dogs and two cats hoarded at the facility, the majority of whom belonged to a self-professed “no-kill rescue” doing business as Homeward Bound Animal Welfare Group. The inspection report “concludes the kennel meets the county’s definition of an animal hoarding situation” and said that the facility “failed to ensure animals have appropriate housing, heating, ventilation and light.” It further stated that “it appears that Homeward Bound does as they please with no regard to [the boarding facility’s owner], the staff … or the animals themselves.” A former volunteer for the “rescue” said, “I would see dogs that had been there for years .… [S]ome of the dogs that had been there years actually had turned feral.” She also said, “There is a closet at the end and you’re going to open it up and it is pitch dark and there are dogs living in there!”
June 2019/Mobile, Alabama: FOX10TV.com reported that six small puppies had been left in a box at the door of a public turn-away facility doing business as the Mobile County Animal Shelter. They reportedly “spent about an hour outside in the rain before they” were found, “getting soaked.” The video news report showed a sign on the facility door that read, “We’re Sorry, We Are Unable To Accept Any Drop Offs At This Time.” A spokesperson for the facility reportedly “said this happens all too often at their shelter.” The report revealed that “authorities said this is a continued problem.” MyNBC15.com later reported that a second litter of four young puppies had been left outside the facility “in a sealed container, with no food, no water, and no fresh oxygen for over 9 hours.” It wasn’t reported whether they had sustained permanent injuries.
June 2019/Richmond, Virginia: WTVR.com reported that a man who had been arrested on charges of cruelty to animals claimed that area animal shelters had refused to accept a dog he no longer wanted. He was arrested after tying the animal to a fence at a park, dousing him with lighter fluid, and setting him on fire. The report said, “The suspect stated he tried to give the dog away to various shelters, but no one would take [him] in because the dog was deemed too vicious.” The suspect reportedly said that he’d had the dog for several months, during which time he “had attacked several of his family members.” The man said that he “snapped” and was trying to protect his family when he tortured the animal. He was facing felony cruelty-to-animals charges, and a judge reportedly denied his bond.
June 2019/Phoenix, Arizona: ABC15.com reported that Angi Hopson, the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as AZ Dog Adoptions, was facing 80 counts of cruelty to animals. Authorities had seized 45 animals from the “rescue” the previous December (see the December 2018/Phoenix, Arizona, entry) and reportedly seized another dog in April. A spokesperson for a local humane society said, “There was a dog who was severely matted to the point of having maggots, flies, and feces encrusted into the fur.” She said that most of the seized animals had recovered and been adopted but that some were in such bad shape that they apparently had to be euthanized. A woman interviewed said that she adopted a dog from the “rescue” who was seriously ill. Her family spent $10,000 in treatments before he had to be euthanized because of the severity of his condition.
June 2019/Killeen, Texas: KWTX.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 200 live and 40 dead cats and kittens from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Spark of Life Kitten Foster and Rescue. Authorities conducted a search and seizure at the property after receiving complaints from residents. Live cats were reportedly “found living in stacked crates and cages” without access to potable water. Litterboxes were overflowing, and many of the animals suffered from upper respiratory diseases and conditions. Ten dogs were also found at the property. It wasn’t reported whether they were removed or whether criminal charges were being considered.
June 2019/Craven County, North Carolina: JDNews.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Hounds of Grace Rescue Inc., had left 22 dogs at a boarding kennel for months and had an unpaid bill of $7,000. Before boarding the dogs, the group left them at an animal control shelter, which had seized them from criminal conditions, for approximately four months. An investigator reportedly “said the shelter worked for months trying to get Hounds of Grace to remove the dogs as promised but [the group’s director, Brenda Wells] ‘kept pushing back.'” The investigator said that the shelter had to euthanize other dogs daily to make room to board the dogs. One of the owners of the boarding facility said that Wells was “‘playing a shell game,’ moving the dogs from kennel to kennel and not paying their upkeep.”
June 2019/Oakbank, Manitoba, Canada: MSN.com reported that a day after he was adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Homeless and Injured Animal Rescue of Canada, Inc., a dog described as a Mastiff mix attacked a child at home. The dog was advertised as being “submissive and very friendly, he is great with kids and dogs.” The adopters reportedly said that a volunteer with the “rescue” told the family that he had been imported from the U.S. and “had been abused and kept in a kennel for long hours, and was saved from being put down.” The adopters told a reporter that they “also noticed the dog’s teeth were damaged, and appeared worn or filed down.” The report said, “As he was leaving for school, [the] 11-year-old son reached out to pet Griz goodbye.” The dog then growled at him. “Before he even had time to retract his hand, Griz lunged forward, grabbed him by the neck, and his lunge forward actually knocked my 11-year-old son down the stairs,” his mother said. “I’m pulling on the dog, trying to get him out the back door, and he turns and growls at me.” Upon the advice of a veterinarian, the family had the dog euthanized. They then received his records from a veterinary hospital in Minneapolis. “All throughout his records [were words] like, ‘aggressive, aggressive aggressive,'” she said. She reportedly provided the Canadian Broadcasting System with the medical records that she had received. “‘Has a lot of anxiety,’ is noted in the records, along with ‘at home and around other dogs—severe dog aggression.’ The records also show a history of visits to adjust the dog’s medication, and an incident where Griz attempted to chew through a metal kennel and ‘broke a few teeth in the process.'” The boy’s father was reportedly “shocked to learn there are no regulations around operating a dog rescue.” He said, “It made me mad. Like, I can go out and start a dog rescue right now, and I could be the worst person in the world and just want money.”
June 2019/Jacksonville, Florida: IBTimes.com reported that a “dog mauled a child and the mother” at a public turn-away facility doing business as Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services. The 7-year-old child was reportedly “viciously bitten on the thigh,” and the mother’s injuries weren’t known. An ambulance rushed the child to the hospital. No additional details were available.
June 2019/Windsor, Ontario: WindsorStar.com reported that authorities had charged the founder of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Royals Animal Rescue Services with “two counts of permitting an animal to be in distress, two counts of failing to provide adequate and appropriate veterinary care, and one count of failing to comply with orders under the Ontario SPCA Act.” A court date was set for July 15. A spokesperson for a local humane society said, “The concerns initially raised were about several animals who had passed away in the care of the rescue, and that’s what led to the investigation.” She said that “it’s really important to remember that there really isn’t a registry of rescues .… [I]t is easy to call yourself a rescue— you can put up a Facebook page and a website and say that you’re a rescue, and there’s nobody that really regulates that in the province.” The report revealed that in May, the “rescue” had “posted a request for donations as an ’emergency fundraiser’ for a dog that escaped ‘and got hit by a car.'” No additional details were available.
June 2019/Ruskin, Florida: Patch.com reported that after she was turned away from a self-professed “no-kill animal shelter” doing business as Critter Adoption & Rescue Effort, Inc., a woman had allegedly driven “a short distance away” and abandoned 10 cats and a dog described as elderly on the roadside. She was facing animal abandonment charges. At the time of the report, the cats had been found and retrieved, but the dog was still missing. According to the report, self-professed “no-kill” shelters in the area were all full and the public turn-away facility doing business as Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center has a lengthy intake process and charges fees before it will consider accepting animals. It was revealed that “the county places restrictions on surrendered pets. Owners must provide proof of residency in Hillsborough County and complete an in-take process, which requires downloading and completing a form, showing a valid photo ID, providing veterinary records and paying a surrender fee. That fee is $20 per pet with valid pet registration; $40 per pet with no valid pet registration; and $60 for a litter of pets less than 4 months old. If pet owners do not follow this procedure, which takes two weeks, they are charged $125 for testing, vaccination and possible isolation in addition to the surrender fee.”
June 2019/Memphis, Tennessee: WREG.com reported that authorities had seized 40 dogs found hoarded in the home of a woman who was involved with a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Save Our Shepherds. A neighbor reportedly said that he’d never seen any dogs at the home but had “heard them barking and whimpering and crying.” The director of Memphis Animal Services said, “This is the worst I’ve ever seen …. I walked in last night and saw animals in conditions that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.” Bonnie Maher-Hazel was reportedly “arrested and charged with neglecting 40 dogs.” Another report revealed that the dogs were “were kept in individual kennels with layers of feces. In one case it was up to a dog’s elbow. Other issues include kennel stress, which typically means the dogs were left in these kennels for extremely long periods of time. Sadly, one dog appears to have chewed off his own tail.” Authorities investigated after a neighbor filed a complaint. It wasn’t known “how long the abuse has been going on.”
June 2019/Indialantic, Florida: FloridaToday.com reported that a “shootout that resulted in the death of the gunman and left a sheriff’s deputy in critical but stable condition … began as a dispute between neighbors about feeding feral cats.” A resident said, “The cats have been a problem for a while.” The report said that “[f]eeding outdoor cats and programs that ‘fix’ and release unwanted cats—like Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s animal shelter does—anger some in this neighborhood, as well as some animal advocates. While those practices deter euthanasia, they can result in short, harsh lives for the cats, the critics say. And biologists say maintaining outdoor cat colonies also raises risk of rabies and other diseases that threaten humans and wildlife. Countless birds, amphibians and small mammals pay the ultimate price, they say, in the zeal to reach ‘no-kill’ status for animal shelters.” The county sheriff’s department had reportedly abandoned approximately 2,000 cats in neighborhoods in the community over a three-year period. A resident said, “The return to field policy is just not working,” and another “noted there were especially a lot of cats on the block where the shooting occurred.” LawEnforcementToday.com reported that “the deputy was called to a neighborhood dispute over the feeding of feral cats when one of the men became upset.” He opened fire, hitting the deputy several times. The deputy returned fire, killing the resident.
May 2019/Summerville, South Carolina: JournalScene.com reported that two cats had been found in carriers apparently left by a member of the public inside a shed at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Dorchester Paws. Temperatures in the area were high, at times soaring into triple digits. A volunteer reportedly found the cats after she followed their cries. The group, which receives public funding, requires that an appointment be made at least two weeks in advance and that a $125 surrender fee per animal is paid before it will consider accepting them from the public.
May 2019/Bemidji, Minnesota: BemidjiPioneer.com reported that “[t]wo sets of cats” had recently been left after closing time outside a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Great River Rescue. One of the cats, who was pregnant, was found in a crate that also contained two apparently stillborn kittens. The group reportedly has a waiting list to accept animals. Its website advises that there is a $50 surrender fee required per animal and that there could be a wait of two months or more before they may be accepted.
May 2019/Cass County, Indiana: WSBTV.com reported that three cardboard boxes full of cats and kittens had been found sealed shut with duct tape and left outside a turn-away facility doing business as the Cass County Humane Society. Temperatures were warm, and the animals were reportedly “all scared, very hot and panting.” WTHR.com reported that a couple of days later, a dog and cat inside a crate covered with a sheet were found outside the same facility, which was full and charges a $35 fee per animal before it will consider accepting them.
May 2019/Adams County, Mississippi: MagnoliaStateLive.com reported that a man had been arrested on cruelty-to-animals charges after a kitten was found “beaten and decapitated” outside a turn-away facility doing business as Natchez–Adams County Humane Society. Surveillance footage reportedly “showed a man, believed to be [the suspect], exiting the vehicle and … [apparently] reading the business hours on the door outside of the humane society before returning to his vehicle and pulling it to the side of the driveway. The man reportedly exited the vehicle again with piece of wood that looked like a [two-by-four] and walked to the passenger side and started beating something on the ground next to the vehicle.” A spokesperson for the group said in a 2017 interview that the facility, which is partly funded by tax dollars, uses a waiting list to accept animals and that it becomes backlogged.
May 2019/Utica, New York: WKTV.com reported that authorities were investigating after video footage showing the conditions at a self-professed “rescue” doing business as Road to Home Rescue Support was shared on social media. The video showed “dozens of dogs, in cages, barking nonstop” in a rented warehouse. The district attorney reportedly said, “Housing 115–118 dogs in cages to me is a problem. But the issue is, there’s no law that prohibits that.” He said that he’d “encourage people who feel there’s a void to contact their lawmakers at every level of government and demand tougher laws, more specific to companion animals.” A later report revealed that the property owner “had no idea [about] the amount of dogs currently being sheltered in the building” and planned to start eviction proceedings against operator Kim Strong. BigFrog104.com reported that authorities had toured the building. The town’s mayor reportedly called what he saw “beyond deplorable conditions” and said that it “brought him to tears.” He reportedly “had to compose himself” before talking to a reporter and saying, “It’s mind boggling that a person who portrayed herself as caring for animals like Kim Strong is even allowed to be around them.” After touring the building, the chief of police reportedly said, “No animal should have to live like this.” Investigators with the district attorney’s office reportedly planned “to visit the facility as well to take video of the conditions for their investigation.” Volunteers were trying to care for approximately 59 dogs who’d been left at the building when Strong had apparently abandoned the property days earlier.
May 2019/Woodhaven, Michigan: WXYZ.com reported that surveillance footage showed a woman abandoning a cat “in a dark plastic box meant for donations of … supplies” at a turn-away facility doing business as the Woodhaven and Trenton Animal Shelter. The facility advises on its website that a $40 fee is required before it will consider accepting animals from residents.
May 2019/Romoland, California: DesertSun.com reported that a 7-year-old girl “required 1,000 stitches to reconstruct her face after she was attacked by a Japanese fighting dog” named Tux at a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as A Passion for Paws Rescue, Inc. She reportedly sustained puncture wounds and “the injuries required three hours of surgery,” according to officials. Potential adopters with children had been encouraged to visit the dog with the following advertisement: “Tux wants to know if you have a kid he can play with? Or, are you a big kid?” An animal services news release reportedly said that the agency was investigating and that a database search found that since 2013, “at least five other serious bites involving dogs at or from this kennel” had been reported. Two of them occurred in 2018. The news release went on to say, “The investigation includes looking into a handful of other serious bites (that) involved dogs from the kennel.” The owner of the “rescue” group reportedly said that Tux “is not aggressive, nor had [he] illustrated any aggressive behavior in the past.” Authorities were seeking a court order to allow for euthanasia of the animal.
May 2019/Cumberland County, Virginia: NBC12.com reported that an elderly Cumberland County resident had been feeding dozens of homeless cats—he believes the number to be “between high 40s or low 50s”—and was unable to care for them adequately. He said that he’d “called animal control, local vets and other groups but was told their shelters were all full.” Most of the cats had evidently not been sterilized and were breeding, and many appeared ill or injured in the video news report. The man reportedly said that “taking care of all these animals takes up about 60 percent of his day.”
May 2019/Cañon City, Colorado: TheDenverChannel.com reported that “[m]ore than a half-dozen insiders, including former employees and current and former volunteers,” had alleged cruel treatment of animals at a “no-kill” facility doing business as the Humane Society of Fremont County. Allegations included “warehousing dogs [which] creates unnecessary suffering … and poorly managing dogs [who] go crazy from prolonged stays in a caged environment.” A former employee said, “I worked there for seven months. … I saw the most horrible things. I saw dogs go crazy in their kennels.” Another said that dogs were “being warehoused. … Kept sometimes two years and being hurt in the process.” Video footage showed a dog named Cracker “circling and circling in the kennel and the floor apparently blood-stained from his paws.” One of the former employees said, “He spins and spins in the kennel. He jumps on the chain link fence … he has no nails on the front of his paws, because he rips them out. It’s cruel and inhumane.” Many of those bringing concerns to the public’s attention reportedly said that “the heart of the issue is the shelter’s focus on [its] ‘no kill’ philosophy. They said, at times, that philosophy creates an environment that is inhumane and dangerous for animals.” Colorado’s Department of Agriculture reportedly performed “a surprise inspection” that “confirmed all the accusations raised by the insiders. The inspection uncovered more than a half dozen violations.” TheIndyChannel.com reported that the group’s executive director, Doug Rae, was the former director of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. He had reportedly been “a polarizing figure in Indianapolis and was fired eight months [after he was hired] …. During his tenure, the Indianapolis city animal shelter experienced slower response times, an increase in overtime pay, and fewer animals impounded, records show.”
May 2019/Mississippi to Wisconsin: NYPost.com reported that 20 dogs had been found dead in a truck that apparently belonged to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which “was transporting them from a site in Mississippi to one in Wisconsin, a spokesperson said.” It wasn’t clear where the dogs died or how, but a spokesperson reportedly said that the deaths were “not the result of a car crash.” It wasn’t reported whether authorities were investigating. No additional details were available.
May 2019/Beryl, Utah: KSL.com reported that “[a]n unknown number of animals” had died in a fire at a residence that was allegedly operating as an animal “rescue.” Cats and dogs were killed in the blaze, which “started in a patio attached to the home,” according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, who also said that the “house is a total loss.” No additional details were available.
May 2019/Mineola, New York: NYPost.com reported that nine days after he was adopted, a dog acquired from a self-professed “no-kill” organization doing business as North Shore Animal League America died after he was beaten by the adopters. He reportedly died “from a kidney rupture” as a result of blunt force trauma, according to prosecutors. After his death, the couple who adopted him, Jessica Kuncman and Ellie Knoller, reportedly purchased two dogs from a breeder. One was beaten to death three days after he was purchased, and the other sustained serious injuries, including “broken ribs, a forearm fractured in two places and a pulmonary contusion,” according to another adoption group that was providing her with medical treatment. The couple was charged “with over-driving, torturing and injuring animals. Knoller also faces a felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.”
May 2019/Hollywood, Florida: MiamiHerald.com reported that authorities had seized 25 cats and four dogs from a man who said that “he was rescuing the animals from winding up at the Humane Society.” The animals were found on a hot day, “in cages or crates in the back of a U-Haul.” In a report, a police officer reportedly wrote, “I observed four dogs in three cages, two of which were in one cage and did not appear to have room to turn around or comfortably move about …. I observed no water or food accessible to two out of the three cages. Behind the dogs were several cages, which housed several cats and kittens …. I observed one black and white cat in a small carrier with yellow liquid throughout the floor of its carrier and covering the animal head to tail. (Animal Control advised it was a mix of urine, feces, food and water…).” The owner was charged with “29 counts of unlawful animal confinement, 29 counts of causing an animal cruel pain and suffering and 29 county ordinance violations for none of the animals having rabies vaccinations.”
May 2019/Pasco County, Florida: ABCActionNews.com reported that authorities had seized “nearly 40 dogs and cats” from a self-professed “no kill animal rescue” doing business as the Humane Society of West Florida. The animals had been found in a warehouse that lacked ventilation and air conditioning, according to a witness who assisted with the seizure and said, “That smell was a knockout punch.” He told the outlet that “several animals were being neglected; suffering from cancer, sores, fleas, infections and left in their own feces.” The executive director of the “rescue,” Sharon McReynolds, was reportedly facing “several citations including failure to vaccinate and failure to obtain animal license tags.” The facility had also been operating without a required license for approximately nine months. The owner of the warehouse where the animals were found said that he would not renew a lease with the group. The investigation was ongoing, with possible additional charges to come.
May 2019/New York, New York: ABC7NY.com reported that a pit bull mix who was adopted from the Animal Care Centers of New York had attacked and badly injured the adopter’s adult son the day after he was brought home to Staten Island. The mother said that “the ACC had told her the dog was not violent in any way.” The animal reportedly “made him fall and that’s when he started attacking him. He went actually for his face.” The man was hospitalized and scheduled for surgery. The dog “was taken to a 24-hour shelter in Manhattan.”
May 2019/De Soto, Iowa: DelawareOnline.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport had announced that it had “purchased 32 dogs at an auction” who had been bred at “a commercial small-dog breeding facility in Marion County, Iowa.” The state veterinarian had reportedly “confirmed several cases” of a zoonotic disease called canine brucellosis in dogs purchased from the breeder. The dogs bought by the facility were reportedly under quarantine.
May 2019/El Dorado, Arkansas: ElDoradoNews.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” adoption group doing business as Union County Animal Protection Society was full and not accepting any animals. The facility reportedly had 350 animals crammed into a building with a capacity of only 300 animals. “Imagine walking 350 dogs with only six people (UCAPS staff) every week, or every day,” a volunteer said. “It stresses the animals out … and then that makes them less adoptable.”
May 2019/Columbia, Maryland: McCall.com reported that authorities had seized 165 animals from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as the Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. They reportedly “found the animals in poor health and ‘in unacceptable conditions'” after a “citizen had reported a foul odor, overcrowding and ‘a lack of cleanliness'” at the facility. Animals seized included cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered.
May 2019/Fort Pierce, Florida: CBS12.com reported that a volunteer with an animal adoption group doing business as the Humane Society of St. Lucie County had been found “dead in the play area” at its facility. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was blood loss from a dog attack. A pit bull mix was reportedly euthanized after the attack.
May 2019/Covington, Georgia: AJC.com reported that the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Paws for Hope Rescue/TNR had been “charged with 73 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty after authorities accused her of keeping scores of animals in unsanitary conditions and running a shelter without a license.” Elizabeth Warbington “surrendered 74 cats and one squirrel to Animal Control inspectors” after they were found living in “conditions with large amounts of accumulated excrement,” according to authorities. Inspectors found that “there was a ‘strong stench’ in the building” and that “food and water was contaminated,” according to the director of animal control. Warbington was reportedly “operating without a Department of Agriculture license or a Newton County business license” and had “previously been issued an order to stop selling cats and kittens by the Department of Agriculture.”
May 2019/Eastlake, Ohio: Cleveland19.com reported that authorities had seized 63 cats and 34 dogs from a self-professed “no-kill” animal “rescue” doing business as Animal Rescue Center after they were found in conditions described as “deplorable.” Many of the dogs were reportedly “limping on the way out of the building,” and others had to be carried. According to a police report, “Some of these cats were observed to have what appeared to be respiratory issues. The cats would breath[e] through their mouths instead of their nostrils as they would normally do when they are healthy. There were cats [who] had what appeared to be green [pus] surrounding the eyes.” Authorities had reportedly “received several complaints about the conditions at the Animal Rescue Center dating back to 2011, according to a police report. Every time they would do an inspection it had to be announced, which they claim in the report, gave the owner time to ‘clean the establishment or move sick animals.'” An informant reportedly gathered the evidence needed for a search and seizure warrant. The facility’s owner, Nadine Betchel, said that animals were denied food and water during business hours “because we know the animals will be taken in and out of the cages and they will spill it and we have a mess to clean up.” She also said, “You can clean them [cages], but 10 minutes later they’re dirty again. We can’t put corks in their butts.” News-Herald.com reported that a news release issued by authorities said that “there were animals at the rescue center with open wounds, skin conditions, upper respiratory virus, parvovirus, fleas, oral lesions, emaciation and dehydration.” The release said, “It was estimated that 75% of the population was dehydrated, with many of the cages lacking water bowls or having empty water bowls.” The case was ongoing.
May 2019/Seguin, Texas: DailyMail.co.uk reported that video surveillance footage showed two men “take a dog from the back of their car and push the frightened animal over a 6ft wall” at the Seguin Animal Services Shelter. It was reportedly “believed the dog’s owner may have tried to avoid paying admin fees for leaving [the animal] at the shelter legally during opening hours.” The Seguin Police Department said in a statement, “The Seguin Animal Services does accept owner surrender animals but there is a process to do so. … You are required to reside in the city to owner surrender and there are fees associated with it.” The dog wasn’t believed to have sustained permanent physical injuries.
May 2019/Shingle Springs, California: TahoeDailyTribune.com reported that authorities had seized nearly 300 animals from a couple who “claimed they were running a sanctuary for unwanted animals.” The animals included “more than 100 dogs and numerous cats, birds, horses, pigeons, ducks, roosters, hens and goats.” In addition, “another 22 dead animals were reportedly found in freezers at the location.” Some animals were reportedly in need of medical care, “especially the dogs.” The residence and a mobile home at the property were “deemed uninhabitable by the county after having been turned into kennels. … Besides the two homes, scattered around the property were numerous tents that held animals, along with pens, sheds, corrals and other structures.” The seized animals were taken to local shelters that became full as a result and had to close temporarily. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered. Sacramento.CBSLocal.com reported that hundreds of dogs had been found “stacked in cages with even more outside.” Neighbors told the station that they’d “been complaining about noise, feces, and overall funk for years.” One said, “This has been going on as long as I have been here since 2011.” The owner of the property had reportedly been trying to evict the renters.
May 2019/Denver, Colorado: KDVR.com reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Colorado Rescue Tails had surrendered its license to operate after “a state inspector found 12 violations at the rescue involving a lack of paperwork on the dogs’ health, adoptions and foster homes.” State inspectors reportedly said that owner Brianna Stephens “was fined $500 and voluntarily turned in her license.” Two people who had adopted dogs from the group said that the animals hadn’t received veterinary care and treatments that were allegedly included in adoption fees. One of them lacked a microchip and tested positive for heartworm. The group had reportedly imported 32 dogs from Texas before surrendering its license.
May 2019/Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: CBC.ca reported that a cat who’d been adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Saving Animals From Euthanasia Team had been beaten and drowned by the adopter’s boyfriend, James Ng. He allegedly told her that “he’d wanted to pet Picasso but the cat had hissed at him. Ng said that made him angry, so he repeatedly hit the cat on the head. Eventually, he took the animal to the bathtub, turned on the tap, held the cat around the neck and forced [Picasso] underwater.” He then tried to drown a second cat, named DaVinci, but the cat “put up a good fight” and escaped from the man. He also admitted to drowning a third cat. DaVinci was returned to the “rescue,” and Ng “pleaded guilty to killing two animals and willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to those cats plus one other.” A sentencing hearing was scheduled.
April 2019/Flagler County, Florida: FlaglerLive.com reported that authorities had seized 10 dogs and eight cats from a home where they were found in “poor living conditions for any human or animals.” One of the owners, Mackenzi Steele, reportedly worked at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Safehaven Pet Rescue. Cats were found without access to water, and dogs were roaming the neighborhood and in and out of the home. A sheriff’s deputy reported that “fecal matter, urine, and dog food covered across the floors and walls.” According to authorities, “The amount of feces and urine did not happen over several hours. This is several days’ worth of being shut in this home.” Steele and her mother, Staci, were reportedly “served summonses” to respond within 20 days to a civil action “to determine whether they are fit to have custody of the animals, whether they ‘neglected and cruelly treated the animal(s),’ and whether they should pay for the care of the animals while they are being held.”
April 2019/Dayton, Ohio: WDTN.com reported that a public animal shelter doing business as Montgomery County Animal Resource Center had announced that it would “no longer handle cats effective immediately.” The new policy was apparently implemented to reduce the need to euthanize animals at the facility, which is funded with tax dollars. The report explained that “now the community lacks a quick place to drop cats off.” Private adoption groups in the area would reportedly “have to step up, by appointment only.” A spokesperson for one of them said, “We are a no-kill facility ourselves. So when people have an immediate need, there can be a waiting period, which is frustrating.” The interim director of the public shelter said, “The number one thing people need to understand about the Animal Resource Center is that it is no place for animals.”
April 2019/Jefferson County, Missouri: KSDK.com reported that a big-box store had suspended an agreement that it had with a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Open Door Animal Sanctuary to display animals for adoption because it had “‘serious concerns’ about the well-being and care of the shelter’s animals.” According to the report, “Last year, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, which oversees and regulates animal shelters, investigated Open Door and conducted multiple site visits.” The group was reportedly “found to have committed a number of violations pertaining to animal care and record keeping,” including “housing cats and kittens in storage areas [and] a kitten dying without a vet exam.” The group had also reportedly illegally sold an opioid medication to an individual. KMOV.com reported that a “former veterinarian at the facility” had told state investigators that “some of the animals had gone years without a vaccination or veterinary examination” and that “some shelter animals went days without veterinary care.” One cat had reportedly been confined at the “sanctuary” for seven years and wasn’t given a veterinary examination or vaccinations during that time. Additional allegations included workers forging rabies certificates and giving medication obtained for animals to workers after they were attacked by dogs at the facility, which a former employee said “happen[s] all the time.”
April 2019/Joshua Tree, California: Z1077FM.com reported that authorities had cited the owner of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Moonlight Animal Rescue after they found 100 animals hoarded at her residence. They were reportedly called to the address “for a civil disturbance between roommates. Deputies found 20 to 30 cats in the main living area, as well as cages and animal feces.” The mother of an 18-month-old child at the property “was cited and released at the scene for child endangerment.” The investigation was apparently ongoing.
April 2019/Port Aransas, Texas: KZTV10.com reported that a dog who had been adopted from a publicly funded selective-admission facility doing business as Corpus Christi Animal Care Services had attacked and injured a woman who was walking on a beach. The dog was reportedly on a leash but managed to cause a “deep bite” that required “several staples to close the wounds.” The report revealed that “[p]aperwork provided by the Corpus Christi Animal Care Services shows that the dog has [a] history of aggressive behavior, as well as biting. . . . Despite the history of aggression, the dog was adopted out once again.” After the recent attack, he or she was reportedly euthanized.
April 2019/Mineral Wells, Texas: MineralWellsIndex.com reported that authorities had seized “52 dogs and four cats from their wire-caged confines inside a large industrial building” at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as A Pet’s Wish. The animals were found “living in poor conditions. With no electricity or air, the building’s interior had a strong smell one would expect from having a large number of animals inside,” according to a veterinarian who helped with the seizure. The animals had recently been moved to the location from Del Rio (see the February 2019/Del Rio, Texas, entry below), after the “rescue” was evicted amid neighbor complaints about “the stench and noise. When officials investigated, they found dead animals placed in freezers and a litany of unsanitary and poor conditions.” In Mineral Wells, “rescue” operator Katrina Dennis was found to be in violation of city codes, including “occupying a building without an occupancy permit and operating a large kennel without a permit.” After an inspection revealed “a strong smell, too many dogs confined in some cages and enclosures too small for some of the dogs kept in them,” the animals were seized.
April 2019/Tucson, Arizona: Tucson.com reported that the Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) lacked adoption standards to protect animals released from the agency. The report said the following:
The lack of a firm policy on adopting dogs to homeless people became a hot-button issue after a community member shared her concerns over a situation in which a dog with a medical condition was adopted to a homeless man. The dog was later “saved” by someone, returned to PACC and the homeless man was allowed to adopt another dog, [who] was also returned to the shelter.
At a recent PACC Advisory Committee meeting, “a similar story was shared … detailing a homeless man who wasn’t able to care for his dogs, despite PACC’s outreach efforts.” According to a letter written by a PACC volunteer, “Not everyone is as responsible as the feel-good stories we are told.” It “went on to say that PACC needs to consider the risks to pets, including inadequate medical care or being hit by a car, when deciding whether it’s appropriate to adopt to homeless people.”
April 2019/Wilmington, Delaware: DelawareOnline.com reported that the remains of an unspecified number of dead cats had been removed from the home of a woman who “lived alone with stray cats she had taken in.” The woman had reportedly been hospitalized in January, after which time the cats had apparently been left without care. The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services was reportedly unable to “determine the number of cats found, due to the condition of the animals.” Neighbors said that they’d been “plagued” by the odor from the home “for months,” and at least one had brought it up at a neighborhood meeting with authorities in February. In 2010, a bill modeled after legislation promoted by “no-kill” extremists, deceptively called the Companion Animal Protection Act, was passed in Delaware. In 2014, a volunteer with an adoption group in the state said, “Delaware law changed several years ago concerning animals, so a lot of the shelters just completely shut down as far as accepting cats.”
April 2019/Denver, Colorado: The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association released a statement “opposing the no-kill movement” and explaining the following:
Protecting animal health and welfare, preventing and relieving animal suffering, and promoting public health are causes every veterinarian supports. Policies and legislation that remove professional judgement and knowledge in animal welfare and public health are counter to those causes; we cannot and will not support them. . . . The no-kill movement increases animal suffering and threatens public health with unintended consequences:
- Animals in need are turned away from shelters because shelters are not able to meet required live release rates if they are admitted.
- Animals languish in cages until they die to avoid euthanasia.
- Dangerous dogs are placed in the community or remain indefinitely in shelters because of release requirements.
- Shelters can no longer accept lost or homeless animals from the community because cages are full of behaviorally or medically-challenged animals who cannot be placed in homes.
- Animal welfare is at risk because shelters are beyond capacity-of-care.
April 2019/Charlotte County, Florida: WINKNews.com reported that authorities had seized 72 animals from a self-professed animal “rescuer” who said that she “was operating an animal rescue organization out of her home.” The animals were “found living inside a home in deplorable conditions. The floors of the house were covered in urine and feces. Cats, pigs, reptiles, hamsters, rats, mice and a dog were seized. The [animals’] health issues range from significant to critical.” The majority of approximately 30 cats found were reportedly sick with a contagious condition. The owner, Elizabeth Smock, had been charged with cruelty to animals in 2015 while operating a self-professed “rescue” doing business as Every Creature’s Salvation (see the August 2015/Port Charlotte, Florida, entry below) but was reportedly found not guilty. It wasn’t reported whether charges would be pursued in the recent case.
April 2019/Montgomery County, Tennessee: TheLeafChronicle.com reported that a judge had dismissed a lawsuit brought against the county and three individuals by a self-professed animal “rescuer” after 15 dogs were removed from her residence. The plaintiff, Cindy Leeann King, had reportedly been “a volunteer working with Chinese Shar-Pei Rescue Inc.” and “also volunteered at the Montgomery County Animal Control shelter” when she was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant after she was stopped for speeding. She reportedly called and asked someone to check on 15 dogs at her residence. The individual said, “When I opened the back door to the residence, my husband and I immediately gagged, and we recoiled from the pungent smell of decaying feces and urine emanating from inside the residence.” Court documents reportedly revealed that “[i]nside, the house was in disarray, and it was impossible to walk without stepping on animal waste .… The dogs had no access to food, and several had no access to water. One was in a cage, and one was later found trapped in an upstairs bedroom with no water.” Authorities were called, and it was “determined the dogs were in need of medical attention and were living in a ‘biohazard environment.'” The animals were seized, and King was reportedly told later that she could reclaim them after paying the cost of their care, which she said that she couldn’t afford. The report said, “U.S. District Judge William Campbell Jr. found that the officers were justified in entering the home and taking custody of the dogs. The court also found that animal control acted properly in holding the dogs and later adopting them out. The case was dismissed.”
April 2019/Dover, North Carolina: WCTI12.com reported that authorities had seized nearly 300 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as I Will Carry You Animal Sanctuary. “Dogs, goats, pigs, birds, roosters, horses, snakes and more” had reportedly been seized from conditions described as “disgusting.” At least one dead animal was found on the property. The county sheriff reportedly said “that some of the puppies sold by the nonprofit had died from the parvovirus” and that horses at the property had been found in “bad shape.” “Rescue” owners Deborah and Cori Hall faced misdemeanor charges, and additional charges were reportedly pending. USNews.com reported that the sheriff “said the animals had no water and hadn’t been vaccinated” and that “most of the dogs were living in barrel-shaped shelters with no straw or bedding.”
April 2019/Ulster, New York: DailyFreeman.com reported that a man was attacked by a pit bull two days after adopting her from a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Ulster County SPCA. The 71-year-old was reportedly outside his residence when it happened and was taken by ambulance to a medical center. The dog was returned to the group. A spokesperson said that “[t]his is an example of a dog being a dog” and that the group may put the animal up for adoption again.
April 2019/Cleveland, Ohio: WKYC.com reported that authorities had seized “approximately 18 or 19 dogs” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Live, Love, Rescue. A former volunteer for the “rescue” reportedly “described as many as 30 dogs, at one point, living in cages stacked on top of each other in the small home, and not let out to use the bathroom. She says dogs were constantly barking and exhibiting high stress. Windows were blocked to keep people from seeing the dogs if they heard barking.” A neighbor reportedly said that “she had complained about the smell and sanitary concerns to police and the health department, but nothing was ever done.” Another was concerned because no one ever saw the dogs outside being walked. The investigation was reportedly “in its initial stages,” and no additional details were available.
April 2019/Las Vegas, Nevada: KTNV.com reported that the Nevada attorney general was investigating a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) for a “massive misuse of money [that] was meant for the animals, but instead … [had] been used for personal expenses by board president Kathy Jung.” Jung reportedly “had an NSPCA debit card and used it to spend more than $148,000 in 2018 alone at places like the PGA store, Pier One, Cost Plus, Michael Kors, Ulta, and Sketchers, among others.” According to the complaint, she “also made ATM withdrawals and got cash back on a number of purchases. She wrote $14,300 in checks from the petty cash account in 2018—all payable to cash and all signed and endorsed by her with no receipts or backup documentation.” In addition, “more than $26,000 was spent in 2018 for meals, travel, and entertainment—an increase of over 3,000 percent from the previous year.” Financial records from the shelter “also prove Jung wrote multiple checks to her boyfriend, Scott Reber—who works at a local car dealership .… In total, Jung’s boyfriend received more than $52,000 with almost every check signed only by Jung and no backup invoices.” After the group’s board of directors had been made aware of the “escalating non-animal related spending,” five members reportedly “allowed Jung to remain on the board.”
April 2019/Warren, Ohio: Vindy.com reported that a 5-year-old girl required hospitalization and plastic surgery after she was attacked by a 90-pound American bulldog mix her family had adopted the previous day from a public animal shelter doing business as Trumbull County Dog Warden and Kennel. The girl’s father reportedly said that the family “thought we were doing a good deed to rescue the dog from the Trumbull County Dog Pound, and they told us on the paperwork he was great with everyone. The next day, he just mauled her.” The dog was reportedly placed under a 10-day quarantine and scheduled to be euthanized after that.
March 2019/Cordova, Tennessee: WMCActionNews5.com reported that authorities had seized more than two dozen animals from the home of a self-professed animal “rescuer.” They included 17 cats, one of whom was found dead, and a dog from inside a single-family home and eight cats found in a shed. According to an affidavit, “many of the animals appeared to be suffering from respiratory, skin, and eye infections” and the animals in the shed “had no heat, air or ventilation.” An animal services spokesperson said of the home, “Pretty much every surface was covered in feces or urine .… In some places the feces was up to about an inch thick.” The homeowner, Charlotte Creasy, was charged with 26 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. In 2014, she was reportedly “cited for animal abuse and neglect after Tipton County animal control seized nearly 100 cats from inside a former deli on Highway 70. Investigators said she claimed to be running a rescue organization. WMC5 uncovered court documents that show she plead guilty and was found guilty on three counts of cruelty to animals in the case. The charges were suspended under special conditions—Creasy could not manage or supervise any animal rescue, but she could volunteer and own pets.”
March 2019/Mount Clemens, Michigan: Freep.com reported that authorities had seized 88 cats, a dog, and a fish found hoarded at the home of a woman who “claimed to be running a sanctuary.” The animals were reportedly “found during an eviction process.” An animal control spokesperson said that “a lot of the cats need medical attention .… Some were very thin and may have upper respiratory infections and intestinal parasites.” Following the seizure, the public shelter was reportedly full of cats and wouldn’t accept any more. The investigation was ongoing.
March 2019/Niceville, Florida: WEARTV.com reported that authorities had seized more than 100 animals from a self-professed animal “rescue shelter” in Niceville, doing business as Danny’s DogHouse. “Dogs, cats, squirrels, and a possum” were reportedly seized after they were found “in a dark room squished together in cramped quarters.” A spokesperson for a group assisting with the seizure said, “It was very dark back there, even at two o’clock in the afternoon . . . . Most of them are underweight. We’ve got one dog that has a very large tumor on [his or her] side. We’ve got another dog that is urinating blood. We’ve got some body injuries on them.” Reportedly, “the room was filled with cobwebs and the dogs were lying in urine and feces.” Many of the dogs were reportedly “matted and had skin or eye conditions.” NewsHerald.com reported that “[s]ome of the dogs … showed signs of malnutrition, and some had mites on their skin. … [A] couple were urinating blood, one had a noticeable tumor and another was unable to stand up.” A veterinarian at an animal hospital next to the property reportedly “said she had not seen the owner bring the dogs outside in weeks.” She said, “We’ve known from some time there were serious abuses happening here .… We tried to report him anonymously several times, and that didn’t work.” A week before the raid, NWFDailyNews.com reported that 21 dead animals had been found at an associated property in Crestview. The report revealed that “[n]ine dogs, six cats and two rabbits were found in a garbage can in various stages of decomposition. Another four dead dogs were found wrapped in blankets in the treeline. . . . The man who was at the house said he is moving the Danny’s Dog House shelter to the [Niceville] address.” The discovery led to the search and seizure at the Niceville property.
March 2019/Austin, Texas: Statesman.com reported that the Austin Animal Center had “reached critical capacity and is running out of space to hold animals.” A spokesperson for the facility said that it had “taken in nearly 100 animals in the past two days and has had to convert a conference room into kennel space to house a surplus of medium-sized and large dogs over the past six months. Staff members also are holding dogs in offices and were preparing to turn another conference room into kennel space.”
March 2019/Dallas, Texas: WFAA.com reported that former UFC Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock was under investigation after allegedly tying a dog to a truck and abandoning her at an airport. She was found five days later. Shamrock said that he had traveled to the area to help his ailing mother move and that she was unable to take her two dogs with her. He found a home for one of them but “claimed he tried to find a shelter or someone to take” the second dog but was unsuccessful. After she was found, she was taken to a public animal shelter. KSAT.com reported that Shamrock said he had called “every shelter and no kill pet center within 200 miles” but that none would accept the older dog. She had reportedly since been adopted.
March 2019/Pueblo, Colorado: KKTV.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as PAWS for Life had “relinquished its license to operate the city and county animal shelter amid a state investigation into shelter conditions and high number of animal deaths.” State inspectors had reportedly found repeated violations of animal-protection regulations at the public facility doing business as Community Animal Services of Pueblo, including the following:
- Overcrowded living areas for cats . . .
- Untimely care for animals (Commissioners specifically referenced a case where a dog was hit by a car, did not receive care for several days, and died on the fifth day.) . . .
- Staff was not cleaning and disinfecting enclosures and cages as required.
- Healthy animals were sharing living spaces with animals being treated for/or suspected to have communicable illnesses. . . .
- Several animals appeared to be neglected, in that they need veterinary care and had not been seen. Some were in poor condition/distress due to their ailments, yet records showed they had gone days or weeks without care.
Fourteen animals had reportedly died at the facility in the less than the two months that PAWS had been contracted to operate it. Chieftain.com reported that it had received confirmation from the facility that during the contract, PAWS had also turned away “at least one resident with a severely injured cat.”
March 2019/Manatee County, Florida: ABCActionNews.com reported that a 6-week-old kitten was in critical condition after a publicly funded animal shelter turned him away. A spokesperson for the Manatee County Animal Services facility said, “For owner surrender, we require an appointment to take those.” Surveillance footage showed that after they were turned away, the couple who had taken him to the shelter left the kitten in the parking lot. He was found hours later with severe injuries sustained when he was run over in the lot. “He basically has a crushed skull,” said the spokesperson. He was “under 24-hour care” and would require “surgeries and rehabilitation” if he survived. MySuncoast.com later reported that the kitten “had trouble maintaining his body temperature over the weekend” and died inside a cage.
March 2019/Cape Coral, Florida: NBC-2.com reported that it wasn’t known what had happened to four pit bulls who were given to a woman who allegedly agreed to drive them to Iowa for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Helping Paws 22. The group had reportedly obtained the dogs from area open-admission animal shelters and paid a woman $1,250 to drive them to an adoption group in Iowa. The group’s president said, “She basically took the funds, took the four dogs, and refused to give their location or return them.” The president “said the dogs are microchipped and have been marked as stolen.” The woman who allegedly agreed to transport the dogs had reportedly been arrested before and had previously been “charged with credit card theft, grand theft in the 2nd degree and organized fraud.”
March 2019/Elk Grove, California: SacBee.com reported that authorities had seized 58 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Elk Grove Animal Rescue, which reportedly “also operates under the names Davis Rescue and Rehabilitation and Davis Animal Rescue.” Authorities said the animals had been “left … without proper care for 48 hours” and that “[s]everal puppies at the site tested positive for parvovirus.” When animal services workers entered a barn at the property the previous month, they reportedly found that “it had a strong odor of urine and feces, dogs of both sexes and various ages were not separated, and the animals had gone without food or water for 24 hours.” The report stated, “The dogs immediately rushed to the water bowls and drank excessively for approximately two minutes .… “[Authorities] observed a large Pit Bull dog inside a plastic crate that was not large enough for the … dog to turn around in, [his or her] head was crouched inside, and [the dog] was unable to extend [his or her] tail.” Puppies found appeared sick and dehydrated. “At least one died before receiving treatment, and at least one puppy had to be euthanized after not responding to treatment and continuing to suffer with parvovirus,” according to the report. The group’s owner, Krista Mitchell, had reportedly been “served a temporary restraining order by her landlord … [after she] failed to pay rent and did not clean up after her dogs.” Eviction proceedings were reportedly ongoing. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered.
March 2019/Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: PoconoRecord.com reported that an injured dog had been left outside in freezing temperatures overnight at a turn-away adoption facility doing business as Camp Papillon Animal Shelter. The dog was found in the morning “frigid and frightened” and tied to a bench, which had been turned over. The kennel manager said, “He was really distressed, and we discovered he had a really bad head wound. We weren’t sure what happened, but there was really pronounced swelling, and it looked possibly infected.” He was taken to a veterinary hospital, where “veterinarians were able to clean and treat the puss-filled [sic] abscess found above the dog’s right eye.” The manager said that the group only accepts animals after an appointment has been made and the facility has determined that they’re considered “safe and placeable.”
March 2019/Pompano Beach, Florida: PointPubs.com reported that a pit bull mix who had been adopted from a “humane society” had escaped from his home and attacked and killed a cat who was allowed to roam outdoors without supervision. According to a police report, the dog, acquired approximately one year before, had also recently attacked and injured or killed an opossum. When the cat’s owners heard her screaming, one of them ran outside and tried to stop the attack but said she was “almost severed in half.” The dog had reportedly been returned to the group twice before the current owner adopted him or her. Authorities fined the owner $250.
March 2019/Virginia Beach, Virginia: PilotOnline.com reported that authorities had seized 100 dead and 25 live cats from the home of a self-professed animal “rescuer” and that criminal charges were pending against her. In 2009, 60 dead and 60 live cats had been removed from the custody of the same woman, Lisa D. Ross. At that time, her attorney reportedly “told reporters [his client] ran a cat rescue and was licensed to keep a large number of felines.”
March 2019/Becker County, Minnesota: ValleyNewsLive.com reported that four kittens had been found abandoned in the snow, taped inside a plastic tote outside a turn-away facility doing business as Humane Society of the Lakes. They were reportedly showing “signs of distress” and “were shivering and scared.” An adult female cat was later found in the snow nearby and appeared to be the kittens’ mother. The limited-admission facility was reportedly full and had a waiting list before it would consider assisting homeless and unwanted animals.
March 2019/Gratiot County, Michigan: TheMorningSun.com reported that the Gratiot County Animal Control Shelter was scheduled to “go from an ‘open admission’ facility to ‘limited admission,’ which means not all animals will be accepted by staff.” The county facility would reportedly stop accepting many animals beginning April 1, including “feral cats, kittens and puppies that weigh less than two pounds or are eight weeks old or younger, pot belly pigs, gravely ill or injured animals, birds and water fowl.” Workers would also reportedly “have the discretion to refuse any animal, other than dogs.” The policy change was aimed at “reduc[ing] the number of animals that have to be euthanized.”
March 2019/Olancha, California: KIBSKBOV.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 160 animals from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Wild Burro Rescue and Preservation Project. Animals included “burros, mules, horses and other livestock suffering from varying degrees of long-term neglect. Several animals had hooves so overgrown that they curled under and continued to grow backwards toward the hind legs; many were unable to stand, and reaching food and water was difficult.” Six burros were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized. Owner Diane Chonto “was taken into custody and booked for felony animal cruelty.”
March 2019/Des Moines, Iowa: DesMoinesRegister.com reported that the state’s attorney general had filed a lawsuit against “four Iowans masquerading puppy-mill puppies as rescue animals and selling them for as much as $3,600 each.” The four were accused of “violat[ing] the state’s consumer fraud act, among other abuses.” Reportedly, “[t]he state seeks to shut down their operations, Hobo K9 Rescue and JAK’s Puppies … and Rescue Pets Iowa. … The state also seeks $40,000 in fines for each violation of the state’s consumer fraud act.”
March 2019/Los Angeles, California: TheEpochTimes.com reported that authorities were investigating after a dog who had been adopted from an unnamed animal shelter was found six months later. The animal was “starving, had multiple infections, was missing his lower jaw, had broken and missing teeth, and had maggots in his chest area. His fur was matted and caked with feces and dried urine.” A spokesperson for an adoption group that took him in said, “When we shaved him, maggots were found crawling all through and over his chest and belly, and he had scalded urine stains.” Records apparently obtained from the shelter that adopted him out showed “that in September 2018, he had an intake exam that listed severe dental disease, ear infections, and multiple cysts, but was then given an exit exam that same day. It is unknown what happened to him.” He was being treated.
March 2019/Roseville, Michigan: DetroitNews.com reported that authorities had seized 33 dogs from a garage at a cemetery where they had been warehoused in cages by a self-professed animal “rescuer.” A police spokesperson reportedly “said the dogs were being held in bad conditions and were in need of immediate attention.” Authorities were told by the “rescuer” that “she was running a rescue in Oakland County.” WXYZ.com later reported that an additional 10 dogs had been found and seized from the woman. Before and after photos of one of the dogs were published, and a veterinary hospital where he was treated wrote the following on its Facebook page:
Photos could not even do justice for how bad this little guy looked and smelled. He was covered in feces and urine from his ears, to his eyes, to his entire body. … [H]e was so bad that we had to put him under sedation to begin removing all his hair. He was dehydrated, loaded with hook worms, and just plain sick from being so filthy. He is missing a foot and we do not know how that occurred.
A police spokesperson reportedly said that a citation would be issued “concerning unlicensed kennels.” It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered.
March 2019/Temperance, Michigan: WTOL.com reported that at least six puppies had died and “[d]ozens of other dogs have endured painful—and expensive—bouts with [parvo] or infestation with worms or other parasites” after they were adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Northbound Hound. The deaths and illnesses had occurred “since the shelter opened in May.” One adopted puppy had been kept in a cage at the adopter’s home. The adopter said that when she “opened up the garage door to come in the house, I knew something wasn’t right.” She said, “There was an awful smell .… I opened up the crate, and she was covered with her diarrhea and vomit.” The puppy was reportedly diagnosed with “an extreme strain of parvo and spent a week in the hospital, racking up close to $10,000 in bills.” Another dog began vomiting so violently when she was taken home that the adopter said it seemed like she “was on the verge of vomiting up her intestines.” The dog was returned to the “rescue” and died days later. Concerned residents reportedly told the outlet that “Michigan should be doing more, including holding shelters accountable for selling sick dogs or educating the public about the risks of buying a ‘rescue’ puppy.”
March 2019/Jacksonville, Florida: FirstCoastNews.com reported that a pit bull mix who was being fostered for a self-professed “no-kill” adoption group doing business as Jacksonville Humane Society had attacked and killed a Chihuahua named Peanut who was being walked on a leash at a condominium complex. Peanut’s guardian said, “She was crying, she was in so much pain, I can only imagine because I [can] feel [pain from] some [of the] bites on me, but I wasn’t the one ripped wide open.” A neighbor reportedly tried to help stop the attack by “jump[ing] on top of the dog while another person punched the dog in the face.” Peanut was rushed to a veterinary hospital, where she died. The foster dog was returned to the adoption group for a required quarantine period. The condominium complex reportedly didn’t allow dogs weighing more than 20 pounds at the property and “the homeowner’s association says they are cracking down on their pet policy and that could mean evictions.”
March 2019/Sumter, South Carolina: Live5News.com reported that four Chihuahuas had been thrown over a 9-foot-high fence after hours at the Sumter SPCA, which states on its website, “Financial contributions are requested from individuals who bring the animals to the shelter to help defray operational expenses.” Two of the dogs escaped the fenced area and were hit and killed by cars. The other two were being treated. One had sustained “a few scratches from being thrown over the fence,” and the other tested positive for heartworm. The survivors were reportedly “extremely frightened from the ordeal.”
March 2019/Moline, Illinois: WQAD.com reported that the operations coordinator of Rock Island County Animal Care & Control had said that animals adopted from the shelter were routinely found on social media sites “for sale a few days later.” It was described as “an ongoing problem.
March 2019/Kansas City, Missouri: KMBC.com reported that a puppy had been left after hours tied to a fence post in freezing temperatures at a turn-away facility doing business as KC Pet Project. The report said, “The problem of animals being dumped outside the shelter has been happening over and over again. One puppy was left under a bench and out of sight.” The facility requires fees and appointments, among other requirements, before animals will be considered for admittance.
March 2019/Sharonville, Ohio: WCPO.com reported that a woman had been arrested and charged with cruelty to animals after a dog she adopted from a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue was found abandoned in a cage behind an animal shelter. When he was found, he was reportedly “malnourished and dying” and covered with sores. The adopter “admitted to leaving him in his cage most of the day.” In response to the case, the group was allegedly “now requiring a more detailed veterinary history and background check for applicants, asking new questions and checking with even more personal references.” The dog was being treated.
March 2019/Lubbock, Texas: LubbockOnline.com reported that the owner of six pit bull mixes who attacked and killed an elderly woman named Johnnie Garner had tried to surrender them to a publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Lubbock Animal Services (LAS) days before the attack. The owner “reportedly showed investigators his call logs that showed he called the service two days before the attack on Garner to arrange a time for him to drop off the animals. … He was told he needed to make an appointment to drop off the animals and the earliest time would have been the morning of March 1.” Garner was attacked on February 27 in her backyard: “The dogs tore portions of her leg, exposing various tissue, tendons and bones .… She also suffered puncture wounds all over both of her arms, on the back of her left leg near her thigh and puncture wounds to the back of her neck,” according to an arrest warrant. The dogs had also attacked a neighbor and killed a dog in the neighborhood before the day they attacked Garner. When the owner called LAS, he reportedly explained to the agency that “he could not care for them and keep them secure.” The dogs were euthanized after the attack, and the owner was arrested and “faces a count of attack by dog causing serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison. However, prosecutors plan to use a previous conviction to enhance White’s punishment range, if he is convicted, according to the arrest warrant.”
February 2019/Helena, Montana: KTVQ.com reported that two cats had been abandoned during business hours in the snow outside a turn-away facility doing business as Lewis and Clark Humane Society. It was reportedly 17 degrees outside at the time. The cats were found within 10 minutes and didn’t sustain any injuries. The facility reportedly charges an admission fee of $25 per animal.
February 2019/Leawood, Kansas: FOX4KC.com reported that authorities were searching for a dog who had escaped from a home where he or she was being fostered for a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption. The dog was one of a group of 26 who had been imported by the group from Egypt, one of whom had since tested positive for rabies. State health officials were trying to locate all the dogs in order to quarantine them.
February 2019/San Antonio, Texas: KSAT.com reported that authorities had seized at least 23 animals from a self-professed dog “rescuer” after they were found in “deplorable conditions” at her home. Investigators reportedly “found dogs of varying ages, including 15 puppies … kept without food, water or shelter.” Some dogs were kept outdoors without access to shelter when the weather had been cold and rainy. Others were found in filthy conditions inside the home. One dog was discovered in a cage “along with what [investigators] believe are the remains of a small dead animal.” The “rescuer” was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants and was facing charges of cruelty to animals. MySanAntonio.com reported that the suspect “fosters dogs for a rescue organization.” The organization’s name wasn’t reported.
February 2019/Jacksonville, North Carolina: JDNews.com reported that state authorities had denied a facility license to a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Ruby’s Misfits Animal Rescue. The group’s codirectors reportedly said that “[t]hey were given a list of upgrades, repairs, and other specifics” but hadn’t made any improvements to the building. A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture said, “We basically told them that they are not allowed to operate a shelter.” Later, the agency was alerted by local officials “that a large shipment of animals was coming in from out of state” and was going to be housed at the unlicensed building. When state inspectors visited, “they found animals inside the building in crates and without water, with heaters set up nearby.” One of the group’s codirectors said that the dogs would be farmed out to foster homes and that all the “dogs are housed this way until they are adopted.”
February 2019/Norwalk, Iowa: WHOTV.com reported that three pregnant goats and two cats had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Shangrala Horse & Animal Rescue. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
February 2019/Fort Worth, Texas: DFW.CBSLocal.com reported that a 5-month-old puppy who’d been adopted in November from the Fort Worth Animal Shelter (which “has been focused on increasing its animal shelter live release rate,” according to the city’s website) had been returned in February emaciated, bleeding, and unable to walk. He was so starved that he had to be “given food every four hours and has an IV.” In addition, he “was covered in mange and his eyes were so infected he couldn’t open them.” He was infested with internal and external parasites, and the adopter reportedly told shelter staff that she hadn’t provided the animal with any care since the adoption. An investigation was undertaken.
February 2019/Citrus County, Florida: ChronicleOnline.com reported that two dogs who had escaped from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Out of the Box Animal Rescue had attacked and killed eight goats at a neighboring property. The goats’ owner said, “It was like a killing field.” Authorities were called and reportedly had to sedate one of the dogs in order to contain him or her. The dogs had been released to the “rescue” by the county-run animal shelter after they’d been “in and out of the system” for years. According to the facility’s director, before being released to the “rescue,” they had been adopted and returned to the county shelter at least three times, the final time after biting someone and exhibiting “aggressive tendencies.” The “rescue” and its owner, Robert Schweickert Jr., has a long list of run-ins with law enforcement and the courts, according to the report, and had allegedly chained another dog released by the county shelter to a wall, where she hanged and choked to death. (See the May 2018/Citrus County, Florida, and the January 2018/Citrus County, Florida, entries below.)
February 2019/Cokato, Minnesota: FOX9.com reported that 14 hours after he’d been adopted, a dog from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as K9 Rescue and Rehoming died of parvo. Two additional complaints had reportedly been filed against the “rescue” and its operator, Mandy DuChaine, alleging that “dogs adopted were ‘underweight’, ‘unhealthy’ and that DuChaine had ‘misrepresented the health’ of one of the animals.” A woman told a reporter that she was fostering a dog for the group who had been given to her in a parking lot and was pregnant, which hadn’t been disclosed. According to a humane society investigator, “[T]here are some 500 animal rescues in Minnesota, and generally, while many are good, there’s no regulation or oversight.” He said, “[A]t some point the money, the profit from the puppy sales starts creeping in. They start sacrificing environmental conditions for profit margin and things go downhill from here. They hide behind the guise of they’re a rescue, how can they be doing anything bad.” According to the report, K9 Rescue and Rehoming had claimed on its website and brochures that it was a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, “but FOX 9 checked with the IRS and discovered the group’s non-profit status was revoked two years ago.” After a reporter questioned DuChaine, the claims were reportedly removed.
February 2019/Austin, Texas: AustinChronicle.com reported that in a bid to proclaim that it’s “no-kill,” the Austin Animal Center “is always filled to capacity.” The article said that because of “a shortage of kennel space and a surplus of dogs, shelter staff has been forced to find any and all ways to house the animals left over. In addition to playrooms and conference areas, dogs can also sometimes be found in staff offices or left waiting in animal control trucks.” Work had reportedly begun on yet another expansion of the facility. Longtime volunteers had filed complaints with city officials, including allegations that “[c]onditions at the shelter, for both humans and animals, continued to deteriorate, as volunteers began to report being suspended or terminated, sometimes after years of service, in what they viewed as retribution for speaking out.” The article stated that they’ve “raised questions about troubling adoptions, kennel conditions, and shelter practices, including a perceived failure to appropriately enforce the department’s spay/neuter requirements.” Dogs were reportedly “not getting regular exercise (a major stressor) … [and] some weren’t even getting appropriate bathroom breaks.” A volunteer testified that “[l]eaving dogs isolated in those conditions leads to longer stays … thus forcing the shelter to get creative and perhaps cut corners in its adoption tactics, with dogs and cats being placed in homes quickly and at a reduced or waived fee.” A volunteer said that “overcrowding does create the impetus for what I would consider ‘cleaning house’ events, zero-cost adoptions that do have recidivism as it relates to returns of dogs.” Such “cleaning house” events included “the recent, cringe-worthy ‘$5 Footlong Adoption Day’ for animals at least 12 inches long.” Former Interim Assistant City Manager Sara Hensley reportedly “acknowledged that the $12 million Austin Animal Center was never designed to sustain no-kill. Often, every single available kennel is full, some containing two (compatible) dogs.”
February 2019/Middletown, Connecticut: MiddletownPress.com reported that after a resident had been turned away from the Waterford branch of the Connecticut Humane Society (CHS), a surveillance camera had captured him abandoning the animal in a cage at a sports complex. Police began investigating after a parks and recreation employee found the cat and reviewed video surveillance footage from the previous night. The animal had been outside overnight when temperatures dipped to 20 degrees. After stills from the footage were publicized, a witness came forward “to report that [the resident] had unsuccessfully tried to surrender the cat” to CHS before abandoning the animal. He was charged with cruelty to animals.
February 2019/Del Rio, Texas: SanAngeloLive.com reported that authorities had found 78 dogs and 23 cats hoarded at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as A Pet’s Wish. Two months after purchasing a building and leasing it to the group, the owner said that he “began receiving calls from concerned Del Rioans about the poor conditions at the shelter.” A neighbor said that she’d complained to city officials in 2017, expressing concerns “about the animals’ health and safety,” parasite infestations created by the horde of animals, and a malodor at the property that “permeates our residences and vehicles parked nearby.” She also “observed multiple dogs caged in kennels that were too small and in metal cages vulnerable to lightning strikes.” The group was evicted from the property, where the owner said that he found dogs “‘housed’ in enclosures measuring 4’x4′.” The man “produced photos of three dogs in this size enclosure.” He said that “[a]nimals were not being cared for. Some were caged for up to three years.” An unspecified number of dead puppies were found in a freezer that “had been unplugged for days before the discovery.” Many animals were sent to other adoption groups. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges were being considered.
February 2019/Astatula, Florida: DailyCommercial.com reported that a resident was allowed to adopt a Tosa (a dog bred for fighting) from a publicly funded, self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as the Lake County Animal Shelter to be used as a guard. The adopter said that when she got the dog home, she chained him “on a steel chain in her yard.” She then let another dog she owned, a Chihuahua, into the yard, where the Tosa attacked and killed him. The adopted dog then escaped from the yard and attacked another dog who was being walked on a leash. That dog’s owner said that he was knocked down and that his dog was “like a folded rag” in the Tosa’s mouth: “He was just squealing; it was the worst sound in the world.” He reportedly “tried to fight the dog off with a citrus wood walking stick, which snapped in the process.” Then “a neighbor came out and started hitting the attacking dog with a shovel.” Because he was badly injured and dangerous, he was euthanized. The adopted dog’s “bio provided by the shelter said he ‘should not be around cats at all,’ though it didn’t mention small dogs. That document described him as ‘friendly on intake and seeking attention from staff,’ ‘easy to handle,’ and ‘has a happy demeanor and appears to be soft and wiggly.'” The surviving dog required emergency surgery and “now has stitches and a drain in his neck. He’s on a pain killer, which renders him aloof. To avoid infection, he’s also on two antibiotics.”
February 2019/Clinton, New York: WKTV.com reported that a resident had seen two kittens thrown from the window of a car behind a store. He was able to capture one of them, but the other one ran off. He took the kitten to an animal hospital and adoption group, and a trap was set for the missing kitten. The group’s director said that another cat had recently been admitted after a resident had seen the animal thrown from the window of a vehicle in front of her apartment. She said that area shelters were full. “People are getting desperate. They don’t know what to do with cats and they’re just disposing of them,” she said. Authorities had been notified.
February 2019/Wahkiakum County, Washington: TDN.com reported that authorities had seized approximately 65 animals, including cats, chickens, dogs, goats, and two horses from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Angel Wings Rescue. Many of the animals were reportedly “skinny and appeared to have been neglected.” A sheriff’s department spokesperson said that the agency had “received videos and photos from potential adopters who witnessed animals in poor conditions” at the property, resulting in the seizure. The prosecutor’s office was reportedly “involved in the ongoing investigation.”
February 2019/Desert Hot Springs, California: KESQ.com reported that federal authorities were investigating suspected financial mismanagement by the former president of a group that professes to be “Southern California’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary,” doing business as Humane Society of the Desert. Former President Malinda Bustos was accused of using the group’s credit cards and bank accounts for luxury items, including “charges made to the Omni Rancho las Palmas, Riviera Palm Springs, Miramonte Resort and La Quinta Resort. Plus St. John, Sunglass Hut Gucci, Planet Beauty, Sephora and Hot Spot Tanning.” Funds were also allegedly spent on cosmetic surgery, and statements reportedly showed “tens of thousands of dollars spent at luxury resorts, stores and restaurants over the course of two or more years.” Evidence reportedly showed “Humane Society funds going toward sushi dinners, and TrueCare cosmetic surgery in Chino Hills to the tune of several thousand dollars a month.” Bustos and her husband, who was also on the group’s board, reportedly “own a $1.3 million, 4.86 acre property north of Phoenix.”
February 2019/Orange County, Florida: WFTV.com reported that more than 30 animals, including dogs, parrots, snakes, and four giant tortoises, had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary. The property reportedly housed “as many as 300 to 350 animals, ranging from dogs and cats to pigs and swans” at any given time, according to firefighters. The cause of the fire wasn’t reported.
February 2019/Langdon, New Hampshire: NECN.com reported that authorities had seized 26 horses from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as St. Francis Farm Sanctuary & Rescue. Its owner, Olexandra Beck, had previously voluntarily surrendered nine horses “after state agricultural officials conducted a search warrant at St. Francis and found conditions that were detrimental to the animals’ health.” State and local police responded to continuing complaints by securing a second search warrant and “discovered the remaining horses were receiving inadequate care.” Beck was charged with four counts of cruelty to animals.
February 2019/New Bloomfield, Missouri: KRCGTV.com reported that residents had staged a protest to bring attention to what they said were inhumane conditions at a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Callaway Hills Animal Shelter. A former volunteer of nine years at the facility said that “the animals lacked human interaction and socialization.” “Many of them rarely left their cages,” she said. “They would spend their whole lives in a cage.” Another protester said that “the shelter is overpopulated with dogs.” “The real thing that brought us out were the frigid temperatures,” she said. “[I]t took an outside concerned citizen to bring hay or straw in to help prepare them for that.” The owner of the shelter reportedly refused to allow the news crew to film conditions at the property.
February 2019/Rising Sun, Maryland: CecilDaily.com reported that authorities had seized 34 cats, 26 dogs, two turtles, and a raccoon from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Eden Rehab and Rescue. According to county officials, the animals had reportedly been found at two locations, “living in ‘deplorable conditions,'” including “limited access to fresh water, unkept litter boxes, strong ammonia fumes, and kennels saturated in feces and urine.” The article stated that “[m]any of the animals were found to be emaciated and suffering from hair loss and open sores on their bodies.” A spokesperson for Cecil County Animal Services said, “These animals were in grave need of care. We are anxious to rehabilitate these innocent victims and are committed to protecting them from any future suffering at the hands of a rescue organization that failed them.” The investigation was ongoing, but officials said that “charges of animal neglect are pending against” the founder of the organization, Crystal Romine.
February 2019/Scappoose, Oregon: KOIN.com reported that the Oregon Department of Justice was seeking the dissolution of two self-professed animal “rescue” groups “for breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment.” State investigators alleged that that the operators of All Terrier Rescue Hunters Crossing, Inc. (ATR), and Rescue Strong Oregon —Samantha Miller and her mother, Jeri Miller—“used adoption fees for personal use, provided false information on state records, and failed to report millions in revenue to the IRS, while misleading adopters.” ATR reportedly “never had a kennel license in Columbia County and rarely complied with record keeping or regulatory requirements.” According to the complaint, “Based on its published reports of its activities, ATR has generated over $7 million in revenue since 1999, but has reported a little over $1 million in revenue in its annual financial reports to the DOJ.” The article states that “[r]ecords show ATR and Rescue Strong agents misrepresent themselves as licensed animal behavior experts or veterinarians and misstate the condition and medical history of the dogs they adopt out.”
January 2019/Nashville, Tennessee: WKRN.com reported that “an estimated 20 animals, both personal and foster” had died in a fire at the home of a member of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Nashville Cat Rescue. Fire officials reportedly “believe the fire started near a space heater.” The homeowner said that she also “[h]ad a kerosene heater and a five-gallon jug of kerosene on the porch, and it just exploded like a bomb.” She said all animals at the home had died.
January 2019/Ocala, Florida: RunnersWorld.com reported that a resident had found a homeless dog along an isolated running trail. She took the animal to a local “humane society” and was told that her owner had been there five or six hours earlier trying to surrender her. Workers speculated that she had then been abandoned on the trail. The woman called another shelter and was told that it was “overflowing” and couldn’t take the dog, who wasn’t spayed. The resident kept her, even though she hadn’t been looking to adopt a dog.
January 2019/Phoenix, Arizona: AZFamily.com reported that a pit bull—who had been confined at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelter for approximately one month, was up for adoption, and had “passed all their behavioral testing”—had attacked and badly injured a shelter supervisor. The worker “was bitten on her hand, ankle, side, and thigh,” and another employee had to intervene “to get the dog off of her.” She required surgery, and the dog was reportedly scheduled to be euthanized.
January 2019/El Paso, Texas: KFOXTV.com reported that four dogs had died during extremely low temperatures after they had been moved to outdoor kennels and a barn built by the city’s Animal Services shelter in an attempt to “save more lives.” Records reportedly showed that one dog had been so sick that he or she had been scheduled for euthanasia but that the director had “held off to see if the medicine the dog was on would take its course.” The shelter director said that in the facility’s “goal of becoming no-kill, [it’s] providing care longer than ever before.” Evidence was apparently not gathered to determine how the other three dogs had died.
January 2019/Mesa, Arizona: AZFamily.com reported that authorities had seized “12 live dogs and five live cats, all in various health conditions and needing treatment,” from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Tiggy Town Rescue. Investigators also reportedly “found two animal skulls in a bedroom and the skeletal remains of a dog on the living room couch. In addition, six dead dogs were found in a kitchen trash can.” Conditions at the “rescue” were described as “extremely unsanitary,” and the building was condemned by authorities. The owner of the “rescue,” Theresa Deanne Finneren, was facing “27 charges, which include animal cruelty, neglect and intentional cruel mistreatment.” She reportedly told authorities that the dead animals had “died from different causes” and that “a couple of them had died from fighting.” ABC15.com reported that “Finneren reportedly told police that she put the dead dogs in the trash can, but ‘other dogs got into the trash can (and) must have eaten them.'” The stench from the property could reportedly be smelled from the sidewalk.
January 2019/Orange County, California: VoiceOfOC.org published a column alleging that the publicly funded OC Animal Care shelter had been turning away animals in a bid to increase its adoption statistics. The writer, the founder of a local self-professed animal “rescue” group, said that her group had “received an alarming number of text messages and emails from OC Residents that went to OC Animal Care to surrender their animals recently and were told by OC Animal Care they were not currently accepting owner surrenders.” She claimed that the “new shelter Director Mike Kaviani is attempting to implement … managed intake, where OC Animal Care will schedule all owner surrenders on a wait list.”
January 2019/Titusville, Florida: WFTV.com reported that authorities had seized three starving horses from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Horse Sisters and Associates, Inc. One of the animals had to be euthanized, and one was in such bad shape that he or she was unable to stand. A veterinarian who examined the two surviving horses reportedly “determined that the horses were suffering from extreme starvation, the worst case she had ever encountered.” “Rescue” owner Clairese Marie Austin was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.
January 2019/West Chicago, Illinois: Chicago.SunTimes.com reported that “at least 31 dogs” died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as The Bully Life Animal Services. According to Carol Stream Fire District Chief Robert Hoff, many dogs were confined to cages. “Some were tied up, and [it was] just a very, very sad scene,” he said. Three firefighters reportedly had to be “treated for dog bites; two suffered puncture wounds to the hands[;] and another was bitten on the lip.” Hoff also said, “The dogs were fighting each other trying to bite the firemen.” The building, which had reportedly been housing more than “50 pit-bulls along with other breeds,” was “deemed uninhabitable and boarded up.” Twenty-three dogs who were rescued alive were suffering from “a variety of injuries, mostly burns, cuts and bites.” Six dogs escaped. All but one had been found by nightfall.
January 2019/Georgetown, Delaware: SussexCountian.com reported that 22 cats had been left behind a companion-animal supply store. “A mother cat and her four kittens … were found in a cardboard box. Seventeen adult felines of varying ages were found in a wire crate.” The article noted, “Cat lovers often resort to desperate measures in Delaware, where cats are not afforded the same protections as dogs. According to [the] state’s Animal Services website, only dogs are provided for in animal control contracts with the counties.” A note had reportedly been taped to the store’s front door that read, “Out back is all the babies I can’t find homes for and I have run out of time. I couldn’t just let them go on the street.” A store employee was reportedly working with adoption groups to find homes for the cats.
January 2019/Highlands County, Florida: BayNews9.com reported that authorities had seized 42 dogs, six cats, and a bird from an abandoned home where they had been hoarded by a volunteer with a self-professed animal “rescue” group doing business as Hardee Animal Rescue Team. Twenty-three dead animals were also found at the home, some “in such advanced states of decomposition that it’s been difficult to determine whether they were cats or dogs.” Some of the animals were reportedly found “in crates stacked three-high in the house’s living room. Others were roaming free in the house, which had no running water,” according to authorities. The volunteer, Jinece Elizabeth Loughry, was charged with 72 counts of cruelty to animals.
December 2018/Jarrell, Texas: KXXV.com reported that an investigation had revealed “deplorable conditions” at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Midnight’s Journey, Inc. Authorities asked and the “rescue” owner agreed to surrender 19 dogs found at the property, who “were taken for proper care.” Four warrants alleging cruelty to animals were issued, and the owner reportedly turned herself in.
December 2018/Guilford County, North Carolina: MyFOX8.com reported that since a publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Guilford County Animal Services had implemented a “managed intake” policy, a local adoption group had experienced “a major increase in the number of surrendered animals.” “Our intake has been quadrupled than in previous years so the needs have just exceeded the structure we have,” said a spokesperson. Many residents who surrendered animals to the group reportedly “said they could not wait to make an appointment with Guilford County Animal Services.” According to representatives of two area adoption groups, animal abandonment had also increased.
December 2018/Pomona, New York: LoHud.com reported that a nonprofit group doing business as Hi Tor Animal Care Center, which had a contract to provide Rockland County residents with animal-sheltering services, had apparently been turning away cats and had confined some “for years” at a building described as “small, disjointed and dilapidated.” It was reported that “[s]oaring cases of ringworm make dealing with perpetual cat overcrowding even more complex.”
December 2018/Pittsylvania County, Virginia: GoDanRiver.com reported that state authorities had notified a self-professed “no-kill” shelter doing business as Pittsylvania Pet Center that it “could be subjected to fines of up to $65,250 unless the state office chooses to dismiss the civil penalties.” The fines were in relation to animal deaths and poor conditions during the time when the center was being operated by a self-professed “no-kill” group doing business as the Lynchburg Humane Society. There were “four violations—one termed by the state as non-critical and three as critical—[that] revolved around reports of designated dog isolation rooms misused, instances of unsafe animal housing, failure to follow veterinary protocol and failing to provide adequate feed and veterinary care.” According to inspection reports, a cat had died alone in a windowless room at the facility that “was cluttered with equipment and miscellaneous items.” A report described a kitten named Dusk whom inspectors found starving. He reportedly “arrived at the pet center without eyes in July [and] was weighed once when [he] arrived and then another time nearly three weeks later. . . . During the Aug. 20 inspection, an office of animal care and emergency response veterinarian examined Dusk, found he was only 1 pound and gave him a body score of 2 out of 9, with a higher score meaning a better condition. The veterinarian [then] advised the shelter manager to ‘promptly obtain veterinary care for [Dusk],’ according to the report.” Another kitten named Voyd “entered the shelter on June 19 and died on July 15 [and] was recorded with an initial weight of 10 ounces. The report stated that shelter staff told the inspector that the kitten wasn’t examined by a veterinarian during [his or her] time at the center, and there weren’t records to show that the kitten had been monitored daily.” After Voyd died, an examination of his or her body “indicated the kitten weighed 7 ounces, according to the state’s report.” Healthy dogs were reportedly found “stored in a designated isolation room meant to separate the sick from healthy.” The state oversight agency “said it will send a second notice of its final decision regarding the violations recorded on Aug. 20.” A timeline wasn’t available.
December 2018/Phoenix, Arizona: ABC15.com reported that authorities had seized 23 dogs and 22 cats from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Az Dog Adoptions after “[i]nvestigators determined many of the dogs and cats had not received medical treatment and were not being cared for.” Dogs were found suffering from apparently untreated medical conditions, including “dental disease, suspected mange, and ringworm,” and cats showed symptoms of untreated respiratory infections, including discharge draining from their eyes. It wasn’t reported whether criminal charges would be pursued.
December 2018/Jefferson, Texas: KSLA.com reported that authorities were investigating allegations of poor conditions and dead animals found at a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Marion County Humane Society. Brooke LaFleur, the president of the group’s board, reportedly “said a woman named Caroline Wedding lived on the isolated grounds at the humane society and was responsible for caring for the dogs. However, LaFleur said Wedding was not transparent about the conditions at the humane society; LaFleur added she had no knowledge of the dead dogs.” LaFleur claimed that board members “were shocked” and “had no idea” about the conditions. Volunteers who reportedly spoke to reporters said they’d found “the humane society in bad shape, with multiple dogs living in a single cage—all of which are outside during winter months—feces scattered across the ground, and a lack of water and food.” One of them reported that approximately 40 dogs remained at the property, some suffering from “extreme diarrhea.”
December 2018/Newport, Tennessee: KnoxNews.com reported that authorities had arrested Terry Starnes, the director of a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as the Friends Animal Shelter, on charges of cruelty to animals. The arrest was made after authorities received a complaint about a dog named Kylar who was approximately 40 pounds underweight when he was found and removed from the facility. The woman who filed the complaint reportedly said, “I’ve never seen a dog that close to death and not dead.” An investigation conducted in December revealed that “Kylar had been adopted in March but was returned to the shelter 11 days later. The shelter’s vetting sheet said the dog had received medical treatment … but the shelter’s manager could not say where Kylar was treated. He also was unable to produce any medical records, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.” The news release reportedly said that “[d]eputies visited the shelter … and reported some areas were in ‘poor condition’ and ‘in need of cleaning.… ‘Officers did observe dogs underweight and in poor condition.'” The director was fired, but the president of the group’s board reportedly defended him. She said that he “did the best he could with the resources that were available” and that “the nonprofit runs a no-kill operation—the shelter previously euthanized animals—and often houses more than twice the number of animals it should.” She went on to say, “We couldn’t hire as many people as should have been hired.… [W]e really couldn’t even afford as much veterinary care as would be ideal.” After he was removed from the facility, Kylar received treatment and was gaining weight.
December 2018/Tampa, Florida: ABCActionNews.com reported that four days after he was adopted from a taxpayer-funded animal shelter doing business as the Pet Resource Center, which has been trying to operate as a “no-kill shelter,” a dog mauled another dog. The dog who was attacked reportedly sustained “a large gash that required a dozen stitches.” When the adopter returned the dog to the facility, he learned that before he adopted the dog, he or she had been “adopted and returned three times for aggression towards wildlife and other dogs and in two cases, he knocked a person to the ground,” information that the adopter alleged had been withheld from him. The facility said that it had since implemented a new policy requiring adopters to “initial [a form] to confirm they’ve been given information about the dog’s medical and behavior history.”
December 2018/Selma, California: KMPH.com reported that after they were turned away from a nonprofit adoption group doing business as Second Chance Animal Shelter, two people who had wanted to surrender a dog were seen on surveillance video abandoning the animal in the parking lot and driving away. The dog was then “seen running around frantically in traffic.” The facility admitted him after the incident.
November 2018/Lafayette, Indiana: JCOnline.com reported that a cat who had apparently been left behind when his or her owners moved had been captured in a live trap and pushed into a pond, where the animal drowned. The incident had been videotaped and posted on social media by a teenager who commenters said was paid by the manager of a mobile home park to “get rid of animals left behind when tenants move out.” Another commenter said that “shelters rarely take the animals.” Authorities were investigating.
November 2018/Calgary, Alberta: CalgaryHerald.com reported that a resident had told staff at a turn-away facility doing business as Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society that he’d found 15 cats, “many suffering from respiratory issues,” in two plastic bins duct-taped shut and abandoned along a highway. After the facility accepted the animals, he later admitted that they “belonged to a family member who was unable to properly care for them” and that he’d been unable to find an animal shelter willing to accept them. A spokesperson for the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that “it’s fairly common for someone who is trying to surrender animals to be told that the agency they’ve approached simply doesn’t have the room” and that most area shelters and adoption groups were full. The cats were receiving treatment.
November 2018/Killingly, Connecticut: Courant.com reported that representatives of two area nonprofit groups had alleged that a publicly funded animal shelter doing business as Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments (NECCOG) Animal Services, which states on its website that it has “not had to euthanize any animal due to a lack of space,” routinely turns away cats. One of the representatives said, “They tell us, ‘We’re full. We have no room.'” A former NECCOG employee had reportedly filed a written complaint about conditions at the facility, including the denial of medical care to a badly injured cat who was allegedly “picked up and left in a cage overnight. She found [the animal] in the morning … meowing, lying immobile with [his or her] head in a food dish.” Killingly Town Council members were reportedly asked to launch an investigation into the allegations.
November 2018/Las Vegas, Nevada: KTNV.com reported that former volunteers at a self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had alleged that conditions and practices at the facility were dangerous and resulted in animal suffering. Allegations included a “leaking roof, sewage hoses running through kennels, and a mauling so severe a woman nearly lost her foot.” The dog involved in that mauling had been advertised for adoption on the same day as the attack. Some dogs had reportedly been languishing at the facility for years. Two former volunteers said that “when they were there, they saw dogs standing in sewage, their paws covered in feces.” Authorities had reportedly compiled a “long history of problems” at the facility. As far back as 2014, “records show overcrowded dog runs, uncomfortably hot temperatures,” and other issues. Records that year reportedly revealed that “a dog [who] was recovering from sedation after surgery [was] being walked on by other dogs in the cage.” County records and photographs from January 2018 “confirmed that kennels were flooded and that the roof was in disrepair.” A spokesperson at the facility reportedly said that “they are doing the best they can as a no-kill shelter.”
November 2018/Fairfield, Connecticut: Connecticut.News12.com reported that authorities had found the remains of five dead dogs locked inside wire crates at the home of a woman who was “involved with an animal rescue agency.” The dogs reportedly “appeared to be neglected and left to die inside their crates.” Cruelty-to-animals charges were expected to be filed. It was later reported that a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Bully Breed Rescue, Inc., said that “it was the organization’s president who was supposed to be taking care of the five dogs.” Authorities reportedly confirmed that they were interviewing representatives of the group “as part of this investigation.”
November 2018/Elsberry, Missouri: STLToday.com reported that authorities had seized 80 cats and 29 dogs from the property of a self-professed animal “rescue” group. Most of the cats had reportedly been found “crowded into a three-room apartment reeking of urine and visible feces .… Many of them ha[d] matted or very thin coats; eye, ear and upper respiratory infections; and flea infestations. Many of the dogs were housed in indoor/outdoor kennels and those found inside the living area ha[d] hair loss, visible tumors and very long nails,” according to information provided by the Humane Society of Missouri. A humane society news release reportedly said, “In recent years, the owner had been licensed as an animal rescue facility. … Due to numerous unresolved citations, earlier this year the license was not renewed and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit alleging violations of Missouri’s Animal Care and Facilities Act.” (See the June 2018/Jefferson City, Missouri, entry below.) A court date was set to determine permanent custody of the animals.
November 2018/Sams Valley, Oregon: KTVL.com reported that more than 36 cats at four locations where a group doing business as Wild Whiskers Animal Rescue had been trapping, sterilizing, and reabandoning homeless cats had died from “panleukopenia, also known as cat parvo or feline distemper.” Painful symptoms of the fatal disease include diarrhea, vomiting, and seizures.
November 2018/Harris County, Texas: CommunityImpact.com reported that since the Harris County Animal Shelter had “implemented initiatives in recent years to reach ‘no-kill’ status,” the facility was chronically severely crowded. The shelter director reportedly said, “We have four or five dogs in [some of our] runs, which to me is totally unacceptable.” The county was constructing a new $24 million shelter in an attempt to address crowding. A self-professed “no-kill” adoption group in the area doing business as The Kitten House Rescue of Houston, LLC, was also severely crowded, reportedly “over capacity by 50 percent.” Its managing director said that it turns away “50–100 cats/kittens each day, on average.”
November 2018/Kittanning, Pennsylvania: TribLive.com reported that 17 cats had been left in covered plastic tubs outside a turn-away facility doing business as Orphans of the Storm. The facility’s manager reportedly said that the “shelter is inundated with cats at this time of year and does not have room for more.” The group was looking for other facilities and foster homes for the cats.
November 2018/Boardman, Ohio: WKBN.com reported that a pit bull adopted just days before from the Mahoning County Dog Pound had been shot after attacking a child in the kitchen of the adopter’s home. The child’s father shot the animal once. Authorities were called and found the dog “still alive and walking around in the backyard of the house, badly bleeding.” He or she had to be euthanized because of the extent of the injuries.
November 2018/Griffith, Indiana: NWITimes.com reported that authorities had seized 47 cats and six dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Bella’s House Animal Rescue after they “were found in a urine- and feces-filled home.” The animals were “found with limited to no food or water, police said, some confined in cages and others roaming free” in an “unoccupied home” and garage. The floors were reportedly covered with urine and feces, and the only heat available was an electric oven that was on and open at the time of the raid. First responders had “to wear protective clothing and face masks ‘to operate in the deplorable conditions,'” and the home was declared “unfit for human habitation.” “Rescue” owner Deborah Gizynski was charged with animal abandonment and neglect.
November 2018/Martin County, Kentucky: WSAZ.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Stray Hearts Animal Rescue/Martin County Shelter had reported that a kitten had been found dead after being left in a cardboard box outside the facility in below-freezing temperatures. A spokesperson reportedly said that “dogs and cats are being left outside their doors at all hours of the night in the bitter cold,” that the facility was “overcrowded,” and that “people are constantly dropping off animals in the middle of the night.”
November 2018/Bethesda, Maryland: Philanthropy.com reported that a nonprofit organization doing business as Alley Cat Allies, which promotes the abandonment of domestic cats, had been involved in “a number of questionable” financial practices. The piece said that this organization “offers a case study in what can happen when there’s a lack of government or institutional oversight.” The group’s founder and president, Becky Robinson, was reportedly “paid $265,309 in total compensation for the fiscal year that ended on July 31, 2017, while [Donna] Wilcox, the board chair and vice president, was paid $230,556 in salary and benefits. Together, their compensation amounts to more than 5 percent of the group’s revenue. The board sets the CEO’s pay, yet the board chair works for the CEO.” In 2015, after a neighbor complained about an outdoor horde of cats at Robinson’s home, “Alley Cat Allies bought the neighbor’s home for $590,000. Last summer, the charity bought a second home in Arlington for $569,000. Neither transaction was disclosed to the full board of the nonprofit.” In addition, the “board rarely meets—it has yet to convene in 2018.”
November 2018/Marion County, Florida: WCJB.com reported that two cats had been left in a carrier at the gate of a turn-away facility doing business as the SPCA of Ocala. The president of the group, which only accepts animals if it has room, reportedly said “that the overall push to no-kill has organizations close to capacity and that people abandoning animals is a growing problem.”
November 2018/Buda, Texas: Statesman.com reported that authorities had seized 161 cats and 15 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue.” They were found after authorities responded to a “call about inhumane animal care” and were removed “for welfare concerns.” ExpressNews.com later reported that owner Melissa Caffey had been arrested and charged with 10 counts of cruelty to animals and two counts of child endangerment. A sheriff’s office news release reportedly said that investigators had “found dozens of cats and several dogs living in ‘brutal conditions.’ Four cats were found dead and several others are seriously ill.”
October 2018/Spring, Texas: YourConroeNews.com reported that authorities had seized 231 cats from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Faye and Dave’s Cat Sanctuary. Officials testified at a custody hearing, reportedly revealing that they had “found the house to be in a bleak condition.” They said that “[u]pon their arrival after repeated complaints from neighbors, they found cats suffering from upper respiratory infections, skin conditions, emaciation, fleas and diarrhea. One unresponsive cat found on the property was later euthanized.” The court reportedly ordered owners Faye and David Spencer to surrender ownership of the animals and pay “more than $52,000 in court fees and veterinary bills.” It wasn’t reported whether cruelty-to-animals charges were being considered.
October 2018/Edmonton, Alberta: TheGlobeandMail.com reported that authorities had charged the city of Edmonton and four of its employees with violations of the province’s Animal Protection Act in connection with the deaths of three cats in the city’s custody. The Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had undertaken an investigation “after receiving a public complaint that three cats in the care of the city had suffered distress and died.” They had reportedly “been transported between city facilities as part of a pilot project to provide homes for feral cats, but three of the cats died within a day of being moved.” A court date was set.
October 2018/Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania: LehighValleyLive.com reported that authorities had found “more than 20 cats and dogs [who] were forced to live in a feces-smeared, flea infested home” at a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Heaven on Earth Farm. Earlier in the year, “sanctuary” owner Jahjah Melhem had reportedly pleaded no contest to 31 counts of cruelty to animals “for failing to feed and care for some” of the approximately 300 animals in his custody (see the December 2017/Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, entry below) and “agreed to get rid of about 200 of the horses, goats, alpacas, sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs and cats he owned.” During a recent inspection of the property, authorities said that they had found “nine cats and 16 dogs living in horrible conditions.” When they returned to the property with a warrant to seize the animals, the dogs were gone and Melham said that he’d “sent eight of the 16 dogs to a foster service via a friend.” An officer tracked down four of them, “and two still had significantly matted fur.” In addition, “[a]ll four of them need[ed] veterinary attention.” The other dogs were being sought. The “sanctuary” property’s lease had reportedly lapsed and wasn’t being renewed, and authorities intended to file cruelty-to-animals charges in the recent case.
October 2018/Bakersfield, California: KGET.com reported that investigators with the State of California Franchise Tax Board alleged that Diana Roman and her mother had created a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Oliver Rescue Mission to “get a tax break on hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Roman had reportedly claimed that she donated nearly $700,000 to the “rescue.” However, “[i]nvestigators said no dogs ever were rescued or rehomed by Roman’s non-existent organization. Instead, investigators said Roman spent the money on her mother’s personal expenses.” She was scheduled to appear in court.
October 2018/Morgantown, West Virginia: Newsweek.com reported that one of nine cats who were being fostered at a home for a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Appalachian Peace Paws Rescue, Inc., had been “strangled and injured.” A suspect was charged with cruelty to animals after he reportedly called authorities to report what he’d done. The animal control and police departments were removing and caring for the animals.
October 2018/Greenback, Tennessee: KnoxNews.com reported that two dogs had been shot to death at the property of a self-professed animal “rescuer.” They were two of 64 dogs “rescuer” Tony Alsup had removed from evacuated areas after a hurricane. They had reportedly been handed over to him by a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Saint Frances Animal Center in Georgetown, South Carolina, whose executive director reportedly said, “I didn’t have a good gut feeling about (Alsup), but I made the call to send the dogs with him.” A sheriff’s department incident report allegedly said that two of the dogs “were shot by a neighbor and one was injured during a dog fight within the small cage they were staying in” at Alsup’s property in Tennessee. The injured dog “required a two-hour surgery” and was expected to survive.
October 2018/Douglas, Wyoming: Caller.com reported that two dogs had died and another had sustained a broken toe after a van transporting 52 dogs from animal shelters in Corpus Christi, Texas, to adoption groups in Washington was totaled in a crash. The van belonged to a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Faith and Hope Foundation, Inc. After the accident, “many of the dogs in the van got loose” but were apparently eventually located.
October 2018/Lake Butler, Florida: Gainesville.com reported that authorities had seized 54 horses from a self-professed animal “rescue,” where they were found without adequate food or “proper living conditions.” Two of them died at the property, and one was in such bad shape that he or she had to be euthanized. A sheriff’s department spokesperson reportedly said, “The horses all seemed to suffer from some form of neglect. Some were mildly neglected, while others were in critical condition.” He also said, “Arrests are forthcoming …. I can guarantee you that.”
October 2018/Asheville, North Carolina: WFMYNews2.com reported that a cat who had been adopted from a self-professed “no-kill” adoption group doing business as Brother Wolf Animal Rescue had been found dead and mutilated on the property of a grocery store. Authorities had reportedly been “alerted to social media images showing the dead cat strung up and sliced open, posed with needles in [his or her] body and drugs in [his or her] mouth.” The adopters had apparently allowed the cat to roam outdoors without supervision, and a microchip traced back to the group. Two suspects were arrested and “charged with misdemeanors for ‘improper burial of an animal,'” and a third was being sought in connection with the case. A necropsy was reportedly scheduled to determine the cause of the cat’s death.
October 2018/Camden, Ohio: FOX19.com