Animal Hoarding can be stopped or prevented if they would just speak up and ask for help. Hoarder's sometimes have to best intentions in mind but unfortunately the animals suffer for those intentions. Depriving an animal of proper housing and food is just cruel. We need tougher laws to counsel and punish hoarders who have neglected their animals.

Over 20 malnourished animals seized Ariton, AL (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Oct 20, 2011
County: Dale
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Joey D. Senn

Dale County sheriff's investigators and Ozark Animal Control authorities seized more than 20 animals from a residence on Dale County Road 122 on Thursday. Dale County Chief Sheriff's Investigator Harvey Mathis said authorities were still determining mid-Thursday exactly who owned the animals, but that the owner is expected to face a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge for each malnourished pet. The bones of around 20 dogs were visible under their skin as they ran from authorities throughout the wooded property. Water for the animals appeared darkened with dirt and leaves, while both dog feeders and their bags of food appeared empty.

Case Updates
An Ariton man recently pleaded guilty to nearly two dozen animal cruelty charges, involving the neglect of multiple dogs, including six that died. Dale County Sheriff's Chief Investigator Harvey Mathis said Joey Senn, 39, pleaded guilty to 21 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Deputies arrested Senn on Oct. 26, about six days after investigators seized the dogs from his home on Dale County Road 122 in Ariton. Mathis said six of the dogs died because of their health condition. The dogs seized by deputies varied in breed, Mathis said. They included some pit bulls, but most were hunting dogs. Mathis said after Senn pleaded guilty, Dale County District Court Judge Stan Garner sentenced him to a 12-month suspended jail term for each charge, which was ordered to run concurrently with each other. But Mathis said Garner also ordered Senn to pay $1,846 in restitution for the boarding and veterinarian bills involved in the case. Senn was also ordered to pay a $250 fine and $233 in court costs. Mathis said as part of the sentence ordered by the court, upon payment of the restitution Senn will get six of the dogs back. But as a condition of him getting the dogs back, Mathis said investigators will be allowed to periodically check on their welfare.

30 dogs seized Odin, IL (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Sep 19, 2011
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Hank Henson

A 57-year-old rural Odin man has been arrested on an outstanding Marion County warrant for inhumane care of animals and cruel treatment of animals. Hank Henson of Delmar Avenue in the Royal Lakes area was taken into custody at his home Thursday morning after efforts to get him to give up all but five of his 30 dogs on Wednesday failed. Bond for Henson on the two misdemeanor charges was set at $50,000 by Judge Michael McHaney.

Sheriff Jerry Devore says Veterinarian Dr. A.J. Sprague and Animal Control Officer Bobby Patton Junior negotiated with Henson for two hours before talks ended and a report was sent to the State's Attorney's office that resulted in the arrest warrant being issued. If Henson is able to post bond, one of the conditions is he is not allowed to have any animals. Sprague and Patton removed the dogs from Henson's home following his arrest. While the number of dogs at the residence was initially estimated at 17, Devore says once all the dogs and puppies were rounded up there were 30 animals in all.

Case Updates
A 57-year-old Odin man has pleaded guilty to cruel treatment of animals and violation of the humane care of animals act. Hank Henson of Delmar Avenue was placed on two years probation, ordered not to possess any animals and undergo a mental health evaluation, pay court costs, as well as 30 days in jail with credit for time served.

The Marion County Sheriff's Department removed more than 20 severely malnourished and starving dogs from Henson's property on September 19th. Henson admitted that some of the dogs were eating the carcasses of dogs that had died earlier. He also admitted to not having the dogs vaccinated against rabies and not having them treated for mange. Henson was arrested after refusing to give up all but five of the dogs that were going to vaccinated for him.

Hoarding - 15 live animals, 26 dead Hempstead, NY (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Jan 14, 2011
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Faith Ross
» Francesca Maselli
Their mouths were muzzled and wrapped in so much tape they couldn't breathe, bark or eat. Their fur was matted with filth and the house was crammed with so much trash, it hid the floor. A Long Island mother and daughter were arrested yesterday after more than a dozen tortured dogs and cats were rescued from a filth-riddled Rockville Centre home that included more than two dozen decomposing animal remains, cops said.
Judge Anna Anzalone teared up as prosecutors showed pictures of a dog skull with tape still visible on it, as well as the squalor in the small house. Faith Ross, 54, a secretary, and Francesca Maselli, 24, a nursing-home aide, pleaded not guilty and were being held at the Nassau County Jail on more than $75,000 bail each on three felony animal-cruelty counts. When officials arrived, the dogs could be heard barking and there was a smell of gas, so Animal Control as well as National Grid were called in. Inside, authorities said, they found a nightmare: 15 dehydrated, trembling animals covered in urine and feces, amid two feet of trash on every piece of flooring, and the rotting corpses of dozens more. There were six Chihuahuas, three dachshunds, an English bulldog, a Yorkshire terrier, a Shih Tzu, a boxer and two cats among the survivors. Another pooch, a collie mix, was taken directly to an animal hospital for emergency care.

Case Update
A Rockville Centre woman and her daughter have admitted to neglecting dozens of cats and dogs in their care after authorities made the grim discovery last month. Faith Ross, 54, pleaded guilty to five felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals at Nassau County court on Friday. Her daughter, 23-year-old Francesca Maselli, pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals.

Judge David Ayres will sentence Ross to six months in jail and five years probation as a part of a plea deal. She is also not permitted to own any animals. Maselli will be sentenced April 29 to up to 60 days in jail and three years probation, during which time she is also not permitted to own any animals. Ross and Maselli must also pay the town restitution to cover the cost of caring for 14 dogs and two cats that were rescued from their home.
Source: longislandpress.com - Feb 25, 2011

Read more: Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Hoarding - 15 live animals, 26 dead - Hempstead, NY (US) http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/17253/NY/US/#ixzz1GJfKFR2g

29 puppies seized, 40 in freezer Elkmont, AL (US) Of the 29 puppies  three have already died.

They call her a breeder and I call her a hoarder !!!


Defendant/Suspect: Nannie Johnson
Disposition: Convicted

Case Updates
An Elkmont woman charged with dozens of animal cruelty charges pleaded guilty Wednesday in Limestone County District Court. However, her situation isn't over yet. Nannie Johnson's lawyers are trying to get the case moved to circuit court. Johnson is charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty. For two of those counts, Judge Jeanne Anderson sentenced Johnson to six months in prison and a $500 fine for each -- meaning one year in prison, and $1,000 in fines. For the other 41 counts, the judge handed down a six month suspended sentence. Johnson spent several months in a mental health treatment facility after her arrest, according to Limestone County District Attorney Kristi Valls.
Source: WHNT - Sept 29, 2010
Update posted on Oct 3, 2010 - 3:45PM

Original Story:
A Limestone County woman is arrested after deputies find more than 40 dead dogs in her freezer and malnourished puppies in her yard. Some of Nannie Johnson's neighbors say Johnson has always been a dog lover. They can't understand how she got in this situation. One Chihuahua barks behind the fence at the home of Nannie Johnson. It's the one dog that got away when Limestone County Deputies rescued 29 puppies on Friday. "Upon looking inside the residence and in the out buildings, they discovered that she had had several animals that had died, that she had put in garbage bags or in shopping bags and placed inside freezers inside her home," said Limestone County Sheriff's Captain Stanley McNatt.

Read more: Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Breeder neglect - 29 puppies seized, 40 in freezer - Elkmont, AL (US) http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/16554/AL/US/#ixzz1Aa90dHXf

Wayne County, Tennessee—June 2010

The Intervention

On June 17, the ASPCA’s Field Investigations and Response Team was deployed to Waynesboro, TN, to assist the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department with a critical hoarding intervention. A total of 85 dogs—including German Shepherds, Labradors and Hound mixes—were discovered in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions on a property owned by an elderly man. The dogs were contained in large pens, chained to posts throughout the yard and found roaming the property. “The dumping of dogs is a serious problem throughout this area and local authorities are without the resources or infrastructure to handle the problem,” said Kyle Held, the ASPCA’s Midwest Regional Director of Field Investigations and Response. “In this case, an elderly man became overwhelmed by the number of dogs in his care—he obviously needed help and voluntarily gave us custody of the animals.”

Twelve of the rescued dogs have since been moved—via the ASPCA’s new, custom-built animal transport trailer—to the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City where they are undergoing medical treatment before being made available for adoption. “Many of the dogs tested heartworm positive,” said Dr. Robert Reisman, Medical Coordinator of Abuse Cases at the ASPCA. “Heartworm is a treatable condition, but it will take at least six to eight weeks until the treatment is complete.” The remaining dogs were transferred to ASPCA partner agencies, including Nashville Humane Association and the Atlanta Humane Society—two organizations that played a vital role in the case by providing essential resources such as veterinary mobile clinics to treat animals at the scene. Local veterinarians and volunteers, including Dr. Rebecca Coleman of Memphis, TN, also assisted with the on-site medical needs of the animals. PetSmart Charities donated 100 crates to temporarily house and transport the animals.

This could have been avoided if he just asked for help before it got out of control.

Read more on this intervention. http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/aspca-in-action/wayne-county.html                                              

Animal cruelty has been admitted by a Wayne County man Gary Belcher after the Humane Society of the United States recently rescued 49 horses from his farm.

Owner of Horses pleaded guilty

Gary Belcher, who is the owner of the horses, has pleaded guilty to three charges of misdemeanor animal cruelty due to the condition of horses, dogs and other animals that were seized from his property.  After receiving complaints about their poor health the Humane Society rescued the animals from Belcher’s Prichard property.

Belcher will pay fine

Belcher has been barred from owning any animal or having any animal on his property for five years and he must have to pay a $900 fine for his violations. Belcher will face a fine not exceeding $2,000 if he violates this stipulation. 

The horses will be cared for, for about four to six weeks, when they will be made available for adoption. For information on adopting one of the horses, send an e-mail to wvrescue@hsus.org.

To read more these wonderful horses: http://www.animalshabitshabitat.com/?p=223#more-223

180 Rescued Animals In Ohio owned by Kathy Witzman

 February 2010

Hoarding - 52 animals seized, more dead in freezer Tehachapi, CA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008
County: Kern Charges: Felony CTA Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Cynthia Gudger

Kern County Animal Control officers found the corpses of 14 cats and dogs wrapped in plastic and tucked into a freezer on property in Tehachapi Wednesday. They rescued 15 living dogs and 37 cats. And they arrested Anita Gilbert, 59, on 41 felony counts of animal cruelty. Animal Control officers, backed up by Kern County sheriff's deputies, raided Gilbert's Tehachapi home where they found animals, living and dead, in nightmarish conditions. "Deplorable," said Senior Animal Control Officer Steve Eirich. "I struggle to describe it. I've been here 17 years and this is one of the top five (worst)." Eirich said Gilbert lived in a 100 by 60 foot metal outbuilding with the animals. The dogs were living in kennels constructed inside the building and most of the cats were confined in two offices and a bathroom.
"The situation was so bad that our animal control officers could only go in for a few minutes," said Resource Management Agency Director David Price III. "Station 16 (of the) Kern County Fire Department responded with industrial fans and respirators." Kern County Sheriff's Department Senior Deputy Michael Whorf said Gilbert was arrested by animal control and booked into the sheriff's central receiving facility in Bakersfield. Her bail was set at $205,000.

Case Update
An animal-hoarding woman won't go to jail on cruelty charges, but she may for identity theft. Cynthia Gudger was sentenced Monday in Kern County Superior Court to five years probation for five counts of animal cruelty, which she pleaded no contest to in January. Instead of being released from jail, however, Gudger is being handed off to federal custody to face charges of identity theft. Gudger was was widely known by her false alias of Anita Gilbert when animal control officials seized nearly 50 dogs and cats from Gudger's Tehachapi home in July 2008. She skipped out on a court appearance that August but was arrested two months later. When she was last arrested, Gudger was staying in an Oxnard motel with about 20 cats, including one dead cat in a freezer. She has been in custody since then. Kern County deputy district attorney Mike Yraceburn said Monday that the federal government is now accusing Gudger of using other people's identities to collect Social Security benefits. Gudger must also face an outstanding warrant from Riverside County that accuses her in an earlier animal cruelty case, Yraceburn said.
Source: Bakersfieldnow.com - Mar 1, 2010
Update posted on Mar 8, 2010 - 2:08PM 

http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/14138/CA/US/

Breeder charged with neglect - 69 dogs seized Mason, MI (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Apr 27, 2009
County: Ingham

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Joan Skillman

Nearly 70 of Joan Skillman's Aussie Shepherds were seized April 27 from muddy conditions. Ingham County Animal Control called her kennel atrocious-- she blamed three straight days of rain.  Joan Skillman isn't about to admit to something she didn't do, which means she is fighting charges she neglected her dogs. "I know they're not a child, but they're still a part of my family," she says. The 73-year old breeder and kennel operator was charged with 11 counts of animal cruelty and neglect Friday-- three months after 69 Australian Shepherds were taken from her home in Mason.

Case Update
A Mason-area dog breeder was sentenced to probation Monday for six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty or abandonment. Judge Thomas Boyd, chief judge of the 55th District Court, sentenced Joan Skillman, 73, of Aurelius Township, to two years of probation and ordered her to pay more than $8,000 in fines, costs and restitution. She had faced up to 93 days in jail. A jury in January found Skillman guilty of six counts of animal cruelty or abandonment. She was originally charged with 11 counts. The trial stemmed from what officials have called one of the largest animal seizures in Ingham County history, when on April 27 the Ingham County Animal Control seized 69 Australian shepherds from Skillman's kennel.

http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/16041/MI/US/

Dogs rescued in Eastern Oregon come to Portland for Adoption.

by By KGW.com and AP Staff Posted on December 10, 2009 at 10:10 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon Humane Society teams said they had rescued as many as 200 dogs living without shelter in cold weather on rural property in Eastern Oregon. The agency was trying to find homes for the shepherds and border collies coming in to the shelter from Harney County.  The agency Wednesday was also trying to find homes for another group of more than 100 rat terriers, taken in from a Tillamook breeder, who got overwhelmed by the number of dogs. On Wednesday afternoon, one of the terriers gave birth to a litter of puppies at OHS, bringing the number of rescued Tillamook terriers to over 100.  
Some of the Harney County dogs were living underground in holes covered with planks, while others are chained to farm equipment and have little or no shelter, officials said "It was 11 below this morning," Harney County Sheriff David Glerup said. The condition of the dogs, which included a variety of breeds, was being assessed, officials said. Deputies were called to the property by county social workers who were investigating an unrelated complaint involving an 11-year-old child. Glerup said three people are facing animal neglect charges: Anita Anderson, 55; Ronald Anderson, 43; and Kathlean Fuchs-Goyogana, 34. The Andersons live in one of three mobile homes on the property while Fuchs-Goyogana lives in a second, the sheriff said. Deputies were also checking the condition of some goats and horses on the property, he added. Earlier this year, about 200 dogs were rescued from a Harney County property where a man kept them in pens and trailers scattered around a sagebrush flat in the high desert.  

If you'd like to read more:

http://www.kgw.com/home/Humane-Society-team-sent-to-rescue-100-dogs-in-E-Oregon-78808347.html

Riverside County Animal Control: Mira Loma Woman Convicted of Animal Abuse

A Riverside County Superior Court judge sentenced a Riverside-area woman today to 240 days in jail and ordered her to pay $180,000 in restitution to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Lacie Lynn Caron, 45, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of animal cruelty stemming from a case dating to 2005 when she ran the Limonite Riding Stables in the Mira Loma area. Riverside County Animal Services officers seized 29 horses from Caron on June 2, 2005.

"This was a huge day in our county for animal advocacy," said Animal Services' Field Commander Rita Gutierrez, who attended the sentencing hearing and answered questions from Judge Edward D. Webster.Gutierrez and her officers repeatedly tried to work with Caron about the horses that often did not receive proper food or water or veterinary care.Caron faced 29 counts of animal cruelty related to the horses, plus one additional county of animal cruelty for a dog that did not get proper care. Animal Services discovered the dog had a broken leg. She pleaded guilty to three counts of animal cruelty.

The judge allowed Caron to remain owner of her one companion dog, a Chihuahua named Wednesday, as long as she takes care of proper licensing and micro chipping. She is not allowed to own any horses and remains on probation for five years.

Riverside County Animal Services fought to take over official ownership of the horses, which remained in protective custody in the care of a private ranch paid for by the Department of Animal Services. Roughly two years ago, Animal Services argued successfully that it was in the best interest of the horses to adopt them out to loving horse owners. The court agreed, even though the case had not yet been resolved. The restitution penalty will go toward offsetting the costs of the enormous boarding care bill footed by the taxpayers of Riverside County, Gutierrez said. Friday's sentencing was serious enough that Gutierrez said she believes it will put others who neglect or harm animals on notice.

 http://blogs.inlandsocal.com/pets/2009/12/riverside-county-animal-contro-9.html

Hoarding 24 dogs, 8 puppies in freezer Salem, OR (US)

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Kevin Lee Deal
» Sarah Marie Deal

Salem police say detectives serving a search warrant involving a child pornography investigation found two adults and four children living in unfit conditions. Lt. Jim Anglemier says investigators today found two dozen poodles running loose or in cages, some near death. Eight puppies were found dead in a freezer. Anglemier says trash was strewn throughout the place and dog feces were caked on the floor, beds and clothes. The odor was so strong, that some detectives needed to wear breathing respirators.
Kevin Lee Deal and his wife, Sarah Deal, were charged with animal neglect and criminal mistreatment. Their two children and two other children who live there were taken into protective custody. Anglemier says the child pornography investigation is continuing.

Concentration Camp' for Horses Alleged In Lockwood Valley

A caravan of official vehicles arrived at the Bor family ranch in Lockwood Valley at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8. Ernie Bor (left) and two others were arrested for felony animal cruelty. [Meyer photo]

      California couple arrested for animal hoarding.

October 9, 2009 -Animal control officers and police in California have rescued some 77 cats, which were kept in cages by a couple of pet "hoarders," the Sacramento Bee reported. When a SWAT team entered a house in south Sacramento on Wednesday morning, they found animal feces caked to the floor. Rescuers soon discovered a separate garage, where cat cages were stacked floor to ceiling and felines of all sizes and colors roamed and cowered, the paper's website said. The Sacramento Bee added that the hardiest investigators said they had rarely seen, or smelled, anything like it. A city animal welfare official said it was a classic case of animal "hoarding." Sacramento animal care services manager Penny Cistaro said the couple's neighbors had filed a number of complaints over the course of at least a year, but the homeowners had refused to allow investigators inside. When a court finally issued a search order, veterinary specialists, shelter workers, animal control officers and police converged on the home and spent hours rescuing the cats, which were taken temporarily to the county's animal control center, the paper said. Property inspectors condemned the house as being a health hazard, and police said the owners would be charged with felony animal cruelty and could go to jail. In answer to the claim, Paul and Kathy Franco insisted that they took care of their animals, most of which appeared healthy and friendly. "Go pick on someone else! We have the records! We took care of our cats! I'm not abusing them!" the Sacramento Bee quoted Paul Franco as shouting. Kathy Franco said she was unsure how many cats were in the house and the garage, but said they were like family members to her and her husband, the paper's on-line edition said. She helped round up some of the cats, and when the day ended with 77 cats taken into custody, traps were left for the others. In accordance with local law, the couple will be allowed to keep only seven of the cats, while the others will be medically evaluated and then potentially be available for adoption, the website said. According to the Humane Society of the United States, researchers have recently begun looking into compulsive hoarding of animals and objects and the phenomenon's link to psychological problems.

If you'd like to see more:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/story/2239839.html

Rabbit hoarder skips court appearance in Oregon.

                                   
                                                                     

Miriam Elaine Sakewitz

HILLSBORO, Oregon - Rabbit hoarder Miriam Elaine Sakewitz is in trouble with the law again. A warrant for the 45-year-old Hillsboro woman was issued today when she didn't show up for a scheduled arraignment. Washington County Circuit Judge Gayle A. Nachtigal issued a $120,000 warrant for Sakewitz's arrest. She was to have appeared in court this afternoon on charges of violating her probation. The case against her began in October 2006 when police raided her home on Northeast 23rd Court and found nearly 250 rabbits -- including 88 dead animals in freezers. She was charged with animal neglect. One of the conditions of her probation is that she not keep pets and stay at least 100 feet away from rabbits at all times. According to a probation officer's affidavit, police found a dog and a rabbit in her garage when they went to her house Jan. 7 to check on a report that she was suicidal. Since her initial arrest and conviction in Oregon's most celebrated animal abuse case, Sakewitz pleaded no contest to 10 counts of animal neglect. She also pleaded no contest to charges of criminal mischief and tampering with evidence. Those charges were filed after she took more than 140 rabbits that police were holding as evidence against her in the original case. She also spent 30 days in jail in November 2007 after she contacted two of her former attorneys against court orders.

By Tom Maurer, The Oregonian

January 31, 2008, 2:29PM

If you'd like to see more:

The 'grotesque' cruelty of the meat trader who left more than 100 horses and donkeys starving and living in filth.

By Arthur Martin

  

Smiling accused: James Gray arrives at Bicester Magistrates Court. He is accused of mistreating more than 100 animals The 'grotesque' treatment of more than 100 horses and donkeys at a family farm was the worst case of animal cruelty ever witnessed by experienced vets, a court heard yesterday. Hardened RSPCA officers discovered severely emaciated animals cooped up in pens with rotting carcasses when they raided the farm earlier this year, it is alleged.  As they crossed the fields owned by meat trader Jamie Gray, they were greeted with 'the repugnant smell' of rotting flesh.  In another part of the farm, vets allegedly found a mound of skulls, bones and hooves from horses, ponies and donkeys at Spindles Farm at Hyde Heath in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.  Many of the surviving animals were so malnourished that they could not stand and were discovered collapsed in the faeces of other horses, a judge was told. Witness Helen Evans saw the meat trader drag a horse to a trailer using a rope tied around its neck and tail as it winced in agony, it was said.  The ten-week trial of Gray and four others began at Bicester Magistrates' Court yesterday.  Robert Seabrook QC, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the accused showed a 'callous indifference to the welfare and suffering of those animals'.