185 animals living in deplorable conditions
Apache Junction, AZ (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Feb 5, 2008
County: Pinal
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Michael John Alltop
» Lorraine R. Alltop
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Police were called to an Apache Junction home Tuesday afternoon where more than 185 various animals were found in dirty, smelly conditions.
Officers responded to the home on South Hilton about 4 p.m. after neighbors called dispatchers to report animals that may be in distress, said Apache Junction police spokesman Jay Swart.
“Our animal control officers came across approximately 185 animals and many of them were in severe distress and two had to be euthanized at the scene,” Swart said. “We’ve already transported 15 to hospitals and we’ve brought in several veterinarians.”
At the approximately acre-and-a-quarter home, various houses, sheds and cages contained the animals in “deplorable conditions,” Swart said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Apache Junction’s four animal control officers located 47 dogs, 96 rabbits, 18 chickens, 13 goats, six horses, two cats, one pot-bellied pig, one African Parrot and one cockatiel. Police believe the animals were the owners’ pets, but officers have no idea why they had so many.
Police said the home had more animals in one place than Apache Junction cops have ever seen.
“We have been working through the night to process this and you know, we never stop working,” Swart said. He wouldn’t say if anyone has been arrested in the case, which he described as “an active investigation.”
The residents of the home sat outside their property in a van on Wednesday, a portion of the vehicle window was blocked with a jacket. They declined a Tribune request for comment. Their names were not released by authorities.
A neighbor whose front yard faces the property said her daughter has called authorities numerous times regarding the condition of the animals.
“They came out, but they never did do anything,” said neighbor Laurine Nunn. “It’s very bad, especially that one still lying down there.”
Across from Nunn’s yard was a chocolate-colored horse lying in a small, muddy pen. Its hooves -- which should have been trimmed about every six weeks -- were thick and overgrown. It’s spine protruded from its dirt-crusted coat. And it could only lift its lethargic head.
The horse was euthanized with an injection Wednesday, because it was too ill to survive.
“They water and feed them, but that’s it...no brushing and they don’t even pet them,” Nunn said.
Swart said he could not immediately confirm if Apache Junction’s animal control unit had been contacted in the past. “I thought this was the first time we were out there,” he said.
Police forensic examiners were also sent to the property and Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies and state livestock employees also assisted.
Nunn said she couldn’t understand why the animals weren’t rescued sooner.
Case UpdatesA husband and wife were each charged with 57 counts of animal abuse in Pinal County indictments unsealed Thursday.
The charges against Michael John Alltop and Lorraine R. Alltop stem from a Feb. 6, 2008 raid at a mini-farm in Apache Junction in which police and animal welfare authorities seized 185 animals that they said were in deplorable condition.
"That's a victory for the animals," said Ruth Stalter, director of Pinal County Animal Control, when she was notified about the indictments. "Those in our profession see the agony and the conditions they were held in. It was deplorable."
The menagerie of animals included Shetland Sheepdogs, a couple of Great Danes, horses, and rabbits. The animals were listed as victims in the March 12 indictments, which were not unsealed until the defendants were served.
Authorities said the animals were in such poor shape that at least two dogs and one horse had to be euthanized at the scene.
The dogs were rescued by Apache Junction and Pinal County Animal Control employees and by members of various rescue groups, including the Mid-Arizona Shetland Sheepdog Club Rescue.
Most of the 42 dogs survived and were adopted by new owners, while some were returned to their out-of-state owners.
Stalter said the Central Arizona Animal Cruelty Task Force plans to hold a conference on animal hoarding in October in Phoenix.
"This is a growing issue throughout the whole United States. It needs to be recognized," she said. Hoarders "have such an attachment. It's a mental issue. They think they are the ones who can take care of the animals best." | Source: The Arizona Republic - March 20, 2009
Update posted on Mar 20, 2009 - 1:23PM |
When Shy-Low sits next to Carly Selchow-Burr of Mesa, with his bright blue eyes and long black and white fur, it's hard to imagine he was rescued from a fetid cage a year ago.
But the raid on a suspected animal hoarder in Apache Junction, where a menagerie of 185 animals was seized, proved a rebirth for Shy-Low and other Shetland Sheepdogs.
Ruth Stalter, director of Pinal County Animal Control, said the vast majority of the 42 dogs her agency received from the Feb. 6, 2008 raid survived.
They included 41 shelties and one Belgian Malinois. The dogs were dispersed to different rescue organizations.
Apache Junction police records recorded 48 dogs, with nine returned to their owners and two euthanized at the scene because of their poor condition, Capt. Tom Kelly said. One horse was put down and five went to the Superstition Horsemen's Association. Other rescue agencies took in 96 rabbits.
Stalter said all the dogs initially were photographed and documented as potential evidence against the suspected animal hoarders. About six weeks later, volunteers that included Selchow-Burr started the unpleasant job of cleaning the dogs.
They did everything possible to preserve the dogs' coats, making them easier to adopt than a shaved dog, but Shy-Low's coat was so bad it couldn't be saved.
A PetSmart store donated water bowls, food, clippers and shampoo, said Heather Murphy, a Pinal County spokeswoman.
"I didn't think half of them would survive," Selchow-Burr said. "As yappy as shelties are, they (animal control employees) said the shelties didn't make a sound. They were terrorized."
A longtime dog trainer and rescue organization volunteer, she said the dogs' survival is a testament to hard work by rescue organizations and the Pinal and Apache Junction animal control agencies.
As for Shy-Low, "there are some dogs you need. There are some dogs, they need you," she said. "He was a hunk of feces with blue eyes that stole my soul."
Bill Ferrell of Gilbert, rescue coordinator of Mid-Arizona Shetland Sheepdog Club Rescue, said it took months to clean up the dogs, get them nearly $4,000 worth of veterinary care and find good homes for them.
His volunteer organization received 21 dogs and had to euthanize one because of aggressive behavior. All of the dogs are either adopted or near to adoption, completing the organization's biggest challenge, he said.
"It's very emotionally gratifying, it's very hard work," Ferrell said. "When we see dogs in this condition and we're able to save them, it's an adrenaline rush."
At least for the shelties, a smaller version of a Border Collie, it was a happy ending to a tragic story. The case remains under investigation, and no felony charges have been filed against the couple who operated the mini-farm.
Mary Anne Coyne, a city prosecutor, obtained a judge's order to prevent the animals from being returned to the couple.
Most hoarding cases result in neglect, whether it is intentional or not, said Kelly, who heads the criminal investigation unit.
"People love their animals. They don't want to get in this situation. It's this hoarding mentality. They have to have more, more, more," he said.
Selchow-Burr and Ferrell said the shelties suffered from malnutrition, intestinal infections and needed dental work. The dogs ranged in age from 3 to 8 years old and were traumatized from spending most of their lives in crates.
Selchow-Burr, who estimates she has trained 1,800 dogs in 20 years, said Shy-Low didn't know how to eat out of bowl. She spread his food on the ground and he hid it, wondering if he'd get more.
She said it took her about six weeks for Shy-Low to acclimate to his new home and to show affection. | Source: The Arizona Republic - Feb 13, 2009
Update posted on Feb 16, 2009 - 2:14PM |
The Apache Junction couple whose nearly 200 animals were seized by authorities in February will not be allowed to regain custody of their family dog, a judge ruled this week.
Apache Junction Municipal Court Judge David Alexander ruled in a civil hearing Wednesday on a request by Apache Junction residents John Michael and Lorraine Alltop to reclaim a dog that had been seized, along with about 185 other animals, in connection with a pending criminal animal neglect case. The Alltops were hoping to have their Great Dane, named Jaguar, returned to them, but Alexander denied their request, according to Apache Junction City Attorney Joel Stern.
Police were called to the Alltops' home in early February and found a menagerie of sickly, filthy and distressed animals littering the 1 1/4-acre property. Four animal control officers located 47 dogs, 96 rabbits, 18 chickens, 13 goats, six horses and other assorted animals.
Some of the animals were in such poor health that they had to be put down.
According to Stern, Judge Alexander's ruling Wednesday was based in part on the testimony of Dr. Eva Decozio, who said Jaguar had been suffering from anemia, parasitic worms, ticks, an ear infection, an enlarged spleen and intestinal inflammation when the dog was taken into custody.
Those conditions could have been prevented or treated by a veterinarian, Decozio testified.
In accordance with the judge's ruling, Jaguar will remain in the custody of Apache Junction Animal Control until the dog can be placed up for adoption or transferred to the Humane Society or another approved animal rescue agency. | Source: East Valley Tribune - April 12, 2008
Update posted on Apr 14, 2008 - 3:39PM |
References« AZ State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Pinal County, AZ
|
