Shelter neglect - 100 dogs and cats seized
Phoenix, AZ (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009
County: Maricopa
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Diane Habener
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Diane Habener said she has run an animal rescue service for several years and has made it a priority to try and save dogs and cats at risk of being euthanized.
"We are euthanizing way too many animals," Habener insisted Wednesday.
But Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies believe Habener's good intentions turned into neglect.
Nearly 100 dogs and cats were rescued Tuesday after the sheriff's office served search warrants at two locations in north Phoenix.
According to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Habener started a rescue business called 'Tuffies Rescue' in 2004 intending to provide shelter and adoption services to animals which might otherwise have been euthanized.
“It appears as though Ms. Habener got in way over her head by taking in too many animals," Arpaio said. "She did not provide the proper care needed to safely and humanely house these animals. Conditions at both locations where Habener housed animals were deplorable at best.”
Habener denies the allegations.
"It really doesn't make any sense at all and I think when they check the animals and they find that they are healthy they'll see it wasn't whatever rumors and speculation were floating around," Habener said.
She could be charged with as many as 77 counts of animal neglect .
The search warrants were served at 25312 North 16th Avenue in Phoenix and at 3836 West Morrow Drive.
Neighbors in the area said the bust was a long time coming and that they have been trying for years to get something done.
"This was not the proper set up for it," Barb Gentz said. "The dogs should not have been in that situation."
Gentz has lived in the area for years. She said the smell could be picked up far from the house. And others said the barking and odor forced them inside their homes.
Sheriff's deputies said some of the animals required immediate medical attention and were transported to area veterinarians.
Sheriff’s deputies and animal crimes detectives are working with local veterinarians and the County Attorney’s Office to determine the magnitude of the neglect.
Animals were reportedly without water, food, living in excrement and many were caged in kennels too small to even allow any real movement by the animal.
MSCO said extra precaution was needed by deputies and detectives as they removed the animals and at least one dog tested positive for leptospirosis, an animal-to-human contagion.
As a safety measure, Arpaio said all animals brought in to the MASH facility from this case will be quarantined until a health evaluation can be made.
The jail MASH unit is located in the old First Avenue Jail that was closed to inmate incarceration due to plumbing issues in 1999.
MCSO said that same year Arpaio turned the jail into an air-conditioned animal housing facility for dogs, cats and other pets confiscated by deputies during abuse or neglect cases.
Over 500 animals have reportedly been cared for by female inmates while the animals’ owners were going through the court process.
MCSO said inmates who care for these animals will not be allowed to do so alone until the health evaluation is done.
Officers will accompany the inmates in the quarantine area to ensure all inmates comply with health recommendations to stop the spread of leptospirosis.
Case UpdatesThe owner of a Phoenix animal rescue shelter now faces new counts of animal abuse.
Diane Habener will be charged with 142 counts of neglect, abandonment and other charges after investigators found dozens of dogs and cats living in terrible conditions on her property.
Many of the healthier animals are now residing and being cared for at the downtown jail. | Source: AZ Family - Nov 19, 2009
Update posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 11:34AM |
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