Hoarding - 21 dogs seized Sweet Home, OR (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 29, 2010 County: Linn
Charges: Misdemeanor Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged: Bessie Lovik
Twenty-one dogs will soon need new homes following their rescue last week from severe neglect at a rural Sweet Home residence.
Bessie Lovik, 68, was charged with two counts of first-degree animal neglect and 19 counts of second-degree animal neglect, all misdemeanors, after Albany police and SafeHaven Humane Society staff went to her home at 40131 Mountain Home Drive.
Lovik voluntarily surrendered 20 Shih Tzus and a yellow Lab. She was cited to appear in Linn County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011.
The sheriff's office had received a call about the dogs, and asked the Albany Police Department to handle the case because Lovik is the mother of Deputy John Lovik.
Lt. Marv Hammersley said community service officer Jim Dohr and school resource officer Curtis Bell visited Bessie Lovik's home on Wednesday and again on Thursday. Lovik surrendered 15 dogs the first day and six the second.
"For 30 years, I've done animal rescue, and there just got to be so many, I couldn't take care of them," Lovik said Friday. "That's when I got into trouble. This should be a warning to people to not rescue stray animals. I called the humane society and they wouldn't take them unless they were my own pets."
Lovik said recent heavy rainfall is to blame for the dogs' appearance and condition.
"They are long-haired animals and they were all matted and dirty. They stayed outside, although they had a heated room to go into, where they were fed and watered. I wormed them, but I couldn't keep up with their grooming," Lovik said.
"The dogs were living in their own filth," said Christiana Gunderson, director of operations at SafeHaven Humane Society. "Some of the dogs were so matted, they could not lift their tails. It is the worst case of animal neglect I have dealt with in my four years with SafeHaven."
Gunderson said the dogs range in age from 4 months to 4 years.
"They are young and should not be in this type of physical distress," she said. "Several have eye conditions. One actually lost an eye due to neglect and another one's front leg was so matted it had become infected and abscessed to the bone."
Gunderson said some of the dogs had clumps of fleas and had scratched their fur away until their skin became raw and infected.
"It took 11 staff members and volunteers three hours to clean up the dogs initially," Gunderson said.
"They have such sweet personalities despite the horror they've been through," she added.
The dogs - with new names like Roxy, Poco, Indigo and Goucho - were bathed, clipped and treated. All are being spayed or neutered.
"This is going to take up much of our resources," Gunderson said, adding that the dogs will be available for adoption soon.
Persons interested in helping defray costs associated with treating the dogs can call 541-928-2789 or visit « OR State Animal Cruelty Map « More cases in Linn County, OR
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