Fayetteville man cited with 40 counts of animal cruelty
Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006
A self proclaimed animal rescuer was cited on 40 counts of animal cruelty Monday after investigators discovered 30 dogs, a ferret, a chinchilla, a parrot and seven fish living in his Fayetteville apartment. "One of the small puppies had mange and weighed less than 2 pounds," said Fayetteville Animal Shelter Superintendent Jill Hatfield. "He had a really bad fever last night and died. The rest of the dogs are with us and are doing good. I’m taking five of the puppies home with me tonight because their mother quit feeding them."
According to Hatfield, investigators performed a conditions check of the apartment after seeking information regarding an animal rescue organization selling animals at a public location and on the Internet. "The smell was horrid," she said. "You didn’t even have to walk inside to smell the urine and the feces."
Investigators reportedly discovered dogs crated and living in their own feces. Hatfield said several puppies were underweight and in need of immediate veterinary care. "These people didn’t know how to take care of themselves, let alone 30 dogs," she said. "The chinchilla and the parrot are still at the apartment because they wouldn’t surrender them. The ferret went to a real animal rescue organization and the fish went to a home."
The apartment resident and self-proclaimed animal rescuer was issued a citation for 40 counts of animal cruelty, unclean premises, failure to pay annual license fees and failure to vaccinate against rabies. The offenses are misdemeanors. Each offense has a maximum fine of $1,000 and one year in jail. "Anyone can be an animal rescuer," Hatfield said. "These people were in contact with other shelters to get more animals. They thought they could make a profit by hoarding, but there’s no way they could be selling healthy animals."
Overall, 36 animals were surrendered to the Fayetteville Animal Services. All the animals are currently under the care of Fayetteville Animal Services Staff Veterinarian and will not be available for adoption until they have been cleared and given a certificate of health. "They’re all temperamentally doing well," Hatfield said. "Right now we’re concentrating on getting them healthy before we put them up for adoption."
Hatfield said two children were also removed from the residence due to unclean living conditions.
The dogs range in age from 3 weeks to 10 years, many of them rat terriers, Chihuahuas, Pekingese, Labrador retrievers, collies, dachshunds and several mixed breeds. The "Pets Are Forever" rescue Web site claims the animals were rescued from puppy mills and breeders. One of the Pekingese, "Sugar Boggar," is featured on the Web site as rescued. The web site also requests donations for assistance with his care. "Donations are great, but you need go to the shelter or breeding facility and check the conditions for yourself before giving money or adopting," Hatfield said. "These people would exchange the animals in public places, so the people meeting them would never see where the animals came from."
Hatfield urges anyone who sees or hears something strange to contact their local animal rescue organization. "A lot of people are hoarding animals across the country," she said. "This was a couple living in a townhouse-type residence, yet no one ever heard any barking or smelled anything. We were suspicious of some emails, so we investigated."
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