Hoarding 14 dogs, 5 cats, 3 rabbits
Forrest City, AR (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2008
County: Saint Francis
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
The Forrest City Area Humane Society rescued 14 dogs, five cats and three rabbits from a home in the county on Tuesday.
The animals were taken because they were found to be living in an unacceptable environment, according to officials with the SFCAHS. It wasn't the first trip the group had made to the residence.
"This was the second visit we made to this home," said Gay Schwartz, an abuse and neglect manager with the Society. "Last time, we gave them a warning and took several animals at that time. This time, we took the animals and are looking into criminal charges. Of the dogs we got this time, 10 had to be put to sleep and four were put in the shelter. In fact, last time we also had to euthanize some animals."
Schwartz described the conditions in which the animals were kept.
"Some of the animals were loose, but most were held captive," said Schwartz. "Seven dogs were held in one very small pen and had no water. There was another pen that was off the ground that had several dogs in it. The water that was there was not suitable to drink, and the dogs looked like they had skirts on because of the skin hanging off them.
"We have come across this situation before, but this was one of the worst ones that I've ever seen, especially since we had to go there twice," Schwartz added. "We had to have 10 people there because of the sheer volume of animals at the location."
For lack of a better word, Schwartz and Brook Goodbar, Forrest City Animal Control officer, called the family housing the pets "hoarders," and Schwartz addressed the conditions at the home.
"It was not a puppy mill, and I'm not sure what you would call it, but I believe that the people who do these things feel like they are doing something good for these animals," said Schwartz. "But they get too many animals and can't take care of them."
According to Schwartz, the situation was reported to the SFCAHS through an anonymous phone call.
"There are people who do this, but there are also people who see this happening," Schwartz stated. "These situations are not good for the people or the animals. The animals that were found at that home were in horrible condition. If anyone sees this going on or knows that something like this, or any abuse of an animal, is going on, they need to contact us at the Forrest City Humane Shelter at 633-7036. If they don't get an answer, leave a message with at least a phone number so we can get back with them. We will investigate these incidents and find out what is going on." References
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