Nearly 100 animals seized
Reidsville, NC (US)Incident Date: Friday, Oct 1, 2010
County: Rockingham
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Thomas Harold Adkins
» Amber Dawn Adkins
Shelley Swaim , an animal welfare technician with the state agriculture department, came to Rockingham County on Monday for a follow-up inspection at the Humane Society in Eden.
But when Swaim learned that a Reidsville couple recently had rescued 60 puppies from a shelter in Wayne County, she decided to make sure the facility operated by Thomas and Amber Adkins was registered with the state.
As soon as she pulled up the Adkins’ driveway off Grooms Road, Swaim saw a dead dog lying atop a crate and dialed the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office.
“The conditions there were some of the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Swaim, who stayed on site as deputies seized 93 dogs, two ferrets, five chinchillas, five guinea pigs, six goats and a horse. They discovered six dead dogs on the property.
The seized animals were immediately taken for veterinary care, but 19 dogs had to be euthanized because of health concerns, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities arrested the couple, Thomas Adkins, 37, and Amber Adkins, 19, on several counts of animal cruelty.
The Adkinses were using a barrel to burn the dead animals but it was broken, according to Dean Venable, sheriff’s office spokesman.
The fate of the animals likely won’t be decided until Thursday, when the case is scheduled to come before a judge. The sheriff’s office said it will work with the Humane Society if the judge allows the animals to be placed in the group’s care.
The dogs are being held at the Rockingham County Animal Shelter, and the livestock have been taken to a farm. Venable said the sheriff’s office would have more information about how the public might help after the couple’s court hearing.
Officials said it wasn’t clear whether the animals were being fed properly.
They found several dogs wandering around the property, about 17 puppies being held in one small area and some puppies eating a dead puppy.
Amber Adkins refutes claims of animal abuse.
On Tuesday, she said about four or five dogs have died at her home since they began operating what she characterized as a rescue shelter about six months ago.
She said there were only two dogs found dead on the property Monday, and she didn’t know where they came from. She later said no dogs had ever died there.
“I’m getting accused of something that we really wasn’t doing,” Amber Adkins said. “Animals do die. You can’t save them all.”
The Adkinses recently partnered with Bethany O’Dell and her fiance Andrew McKee, who run Pancake Hollow Farms in upstate New York . Their nonprofit shelter removes dogs from southern communities with high rates of euthanasia for adoption by families up north.
O’Dell has rescued dogs from North Carolina shelters for more than a year and met the Adkinses through an Internet listing for rescued dogs late last year. About July, the Adkins volunteered to foster dogs while O’Dell and McKee made arrangements to retrieve the dogs.
They have picked up about 20 dogs from the Adkins since then but visited the Adkins home only once in August. They said there were about 15 dogs there during that visit, and they saw no problems.
“We’re horrified,” O’Dell said. “We are worried about the dogs. We’re very confused.”
O’Dell said she has been sending money to the Adkinses for food and other needs. She was planning on picking up the dogs this week.
She said she thinks the Adkinses may have started out with good intentions but got overwhelmed. References« NC State Animal Cruelty Map
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