Case Snapshot
Case ID: 15078
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
More cases in Danville City County, VA
More cases in VA
« Back to Search Results
Login to Watch this Case

New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!


Attorneys/Judges
Judge(s): David Melesco


For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.



Monday, Dec 15, 2008

County: Danville City

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: Timothy Chittum

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Animal control officers seized 22 dogs from Hughes Street on Monday and took them to the Danville Area Humane Society.

A hearing will be held Dec. 30 to determine whether the Humane Society will take control of the dogs or if they will be returned to the owner.

Paulette Dean, executive director and humane investigator at the Danville Area Humane Society said neighbors reported a dead dog on the front porch of the house around Thanksgiving. She said other dogs in the house killed the dog.

After weeks of investigation, animal control officers obtained a search warrant and went inside the house.

"We went in with masks on and saw a lot of feces and a lot of urine on the floor. Plus, one room only had electricity or had any lights. So, the dogs were living in darkness most of the time," Dean said.

There is no law in Danville limiting the number of pets a person can have, Dean said.

Timothy Chittum owns the dogs.

"I had an idea that I had a pack of dogs. I never could count them all," he said.

"I couldn't afford to have the dogs that were getting pregnant spayed and the dogs neutered," Chittum said.

He said he ran out of dog food and would steal food out of dumpsters late at night to feed the dogs.

The dogs have a backyard lot, but he said he preferred they not go back there because it was muddy. He said he would rather clean up their feces than mud.

Chittum said he believes one puppy is still hiding somewhere at his house.

He doesn't expect to get the other dogs back. If the judge gives custody to the Humane Society, about five or six of the younger dogs will be able to be adoptable.

"They would always be considered special needs dogs. These are not dogs that are used to being dogs in a normal human environment. So, they will need special care and a very patient home," Dean said.

If you are interested in adopting of these animal or any animal from the Danville Humane Society, call them at (434) 799-0843.

Anyone with information should contact Danville Crimestoppers at (434) 793-0000 or email crimetips@ci.danville.va.us

Information will remain confidential. People who contact Crimestoppers by telephone might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Chittum has not been charged and the investigation is continuing.

The economy is increasing the number of people like Chittum who can't afford to feed their animals.

Dean said the Danville Areas Humane Society is currently running an amnesty program. If someone is not able to care for their animal, they can bring the animal to the Humane Society. No matter the conditions, the person will not face any neglect or cruelty charges.


Case Updates

Calling it "the closest description of feral animals in a house as I've ever heard; they might as well have been living in the woods," Judge David Melesco upheld the Dec. 30 decision to give custody of 22 dogs seized from a Danville man to the Danville Area Humane Society.

Timothy Chittum, 47, of Danville, lost his appeal to regain custody of the dogs seized from his apartment on Dec. 15 during a hearing in Danville Circuit Court on Friday.

Danville Police Department Animal Control Officer Dennis Dockery testified that he responded to a request for a welfare check on the animals at 312A Hughes St., and to seize them if conditions warranted the action.

Dockery said the smell of feces and urine was so bad animal control and Danville Area Humane Society workers had to wear respirators.

The small, three-room apartment was covered in feces and urine, as was a neighboring apartment at 314A Hughes St. that the dogs accessed through a hole under Chittum's bed.

He said a dog pen in the back yard was equally dirty, and there was no sign of food or water in the apartments or pen.

Paulette Dean, executive director of the Humane Society, said she and other shelter employees went to the home at the request of the police department, to assist if an investigation showed the dogs needed to be removed.

She confirmed Dockery's testimony, and said several of the dogs had skin ailments that resulted in hair loss, some had infections on their paws and many of the younger dogs were underweight.

Dean said she talked to Chittum at his home, and he told her he didn't have the money for dog food, and that both he and the dogs had been eating whatever he could scavenge from dumpsters.

The judge asked Chittum how the situation came about.

Chittum said it began in 2002 or 2003 when someone gave him a dog, and the situation grew out of control from there, until it culminated in several of the dogs killing a puppy â€" which he described seeing in gruesome detail.

He said that puppy's death affected him greatly mentally and emotionally, and that he had also come down with the flu just prior to the arrival of the animal control officers.

"They caught me on my worst week," Chittum said, stating that he normally kept the house and pen clean, saw to it that the animals got outside and fed them as best as he could.

"What made you think you could take care of 22 dogs in such a small space?" Melesco asked.

"Lord knows," Chittum answered.

Chittum told Melesco that, in addition to the puppy that died at the apartment, a number of his dogs have died from poison, getting hit by a car, possibly from eating crack cocaine and having some kind of seizure.

"You can't keep your dogs alive, it looks to me," Melesco noted.

Chittum admitted he was sick, neglectful and low on money when the dogs were seized.

Melesco upheld the previous decision awarding custody of the dogs to the Humane Society and barring Chittum from owning companion animals.

Chittum told the judge he has been feeding a stray cat on his front porch, and the judge warned him that if the cat stays there, "these folks will be back." Melesco also said that if Chittum did not obey the verdict, "I'll put you in jail."

After the hearing, Dean said she was grateful for the final judgment, and plans to have people come to the shelter to try to socialize the younger dogs. She said it is unlikely any of the older dogs will be adoptable due to their aggressiveness.

Chittum said he was satisfied with the judgment, since two judges have given the same ruling.

"I hope they (the dogs) find a better master," he said. "I've loved them and I can love other peoples' animals. If I can't own another dog in Danville, I'll just have to live with it. I hope the (DAHS) will make the right decision with the dogs."
Source: godanriver.com - Feb 6, 2009
Update posted on Nov 27, 2010 - 8:33PM 

References

« Back to Search Results
« VA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Danville City County, VA

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.