Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Hoarding 50 dogs and cats

Hoarding 50 dogs and cats
Goose Creek, SC (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 16, 2006
County: Berkeley
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available

Alleged: Lynn Nielsen

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 10118

Classification: Hoarding

Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull)

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Child or elder neglect

A car crashing into a home is an unusual story in itself. But what what police say they found inside a Goose Creek home made this story even more bizarre.

The Highway Patrols says a 43-year-old man blacked out while driving on Nov 16, and the next thing he knew, his car had crashed through a home. The wreck uncovered a home with over fifty dogs and two cats, all hoarded inside.

"This is one of the worst cases of animal hoarding I have ever seen in Berkeley County," said Pearl Sutton of the Berkeley County SPCA.

Eyewitnesses say the wreck caused the animals to run into the yard. Neighbor Valerie Bowens was amazed at what she saw, but says she never knew it was going on. "I heard a lot of dogs barking but I just thought they were neighborhood dogs," she says.

The Berkeley County SPCA obtained a search warrant to go inside. They say there was feces found on the animals.

Berkeley County animal control says the woman who lived in the home may face charges of inhumane care and treatment of her animals. As for the man who ran the car through the home, the Highway Patrol says he was not hurt and will face no charges.

Case Updates

Most of the 60 dogs and two cats seized from the home of a Goose Creek woman will be up for adoption in an agreement reached Monday between the owner and the county.

It was a painful conclusion for owner Lynn Nielsen, who tearfully faced television cameras before she walked to the end of a hallway outside Berkeley County Magistrate Court and turned her back to reporters.

Her attorney, Johnny Driggers, described Nielsen as "a little too big-hearted."

The deal was good news for the hundreds of people eager to adopt one of the 59 Shih Tzus that Berkeley County Animal Control seized Nov. 16 from Nielsen's house in the Devon Forest subdivision. They also took the cats and a German shepherd. The shepherd belongs to Nielsen's husband, who is in the military and is deployed overseas, according to a relative.

Pearl Sutton, executive director of the Doc Williams Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said it will probably be a couple of weeks before the dogs are fit for adoption. Most are on vitamins, many are on antibiotics for various infections, and heart-worm testing just began. It took days to groom the tiny dogs known for their long, flowing, double coat. Their fur was matted with feces and urine, authorities said.

The county agreed to allow Nielsen to choose three of the Shih Tzus to keep if she relinquished ownership of the others. She also got one cat and the shepherd, but not without a list of stipulations.

The cat and the three Shis Tzus must be spayed or neutered at Nielsen's expense before they are returned to her, County Attorney Mark Stokes said. She also must reimburse the non-profit Doc Williams SPCA $3,410 for boarding and veterinarian care. The shepherd will be relocated.

Nielsen agreed to plead guilty to two counts of inhumane treatment of an animal, Stokes said. Nielsen was originally issued seven citations, five for inhumane treatment and two for neglect of animals, Stokes said. Nielsen is scheduled to appear in Summary Court next month on the citations.

The animal hoarding was discovered when the driver of a minivan passed out and his vehicle crashed through the front of Nielsen's house at 101 Kingsbridge Drive.

Authorities said animal feces covered the floor of the house where Nielsen was living with her daughters, ages 11 and 13. Driggers spoke Monday of how the animal case mushroomed and said he had just spoken to a state Department of Social Services representative.

General counsel Virginia Williamson said DSS is aware of the case, but privacy regulations prohibit her from commenting further. Deputies did not observe any neglect or malnutrition of the girls but told Nielsen that the living conditions weren't suitable, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

How to adopt

For information on adopting pets, go to www.dwspca.com or call the Doc Williams SPCA at 797-0610.

Source: Post and Courier - Nov 28, 2006
Update posted on Nov 28, 2006 - 8:54AM

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WLTX - Nov 17, 2006

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Hoarding 50 dogs and catsGoose Creek, SC (US)

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Hoarding 50 dogs and cats
Goose Creek, SC (US)