Case Details

Hoarding - 1 horse, 45 dogs seized
Amherst, VA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005
County: Amherst
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Eileen Patricia Ackworth

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 3688
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: dog (non pit-bull), horse
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A judge ordered a woman to give up ownership of an underfed horse after animal control officers seized the horse, two mother dogs and the dogs� puppies during a raid on her house last week.

When officers raided the house in the Tye River area of Nelson County this month, they found the horse and 40 to 45 dogs living at the property with little food and water.

The property owner, Eileen Patricia Ackworth, 55, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of animal neglect and will face charges in court in February.

�This is one of the biggest events we�ve had in the five years I�ve been here,� said Ray Uttaro, animal control supervisor for Nelson County, who said Wednesday that it was unclear whether the property owner or anyone else lived at the house.

�Everybody I�ve talked to says we haven�t had anything like that in Amherst County,� said Bart Shaw, animal control supervisor for Amherst County. �There was no food present and very little water and the water was a slimy green. That was about the worst event I�ve come across.�

Officers inspected the property, which straddles the line between Amherst and Nelson counties, after someone called Amherst County�s animal control department and said it appeared there were animals who were not receiving proper care.

�We looked at the conditions and they seemed to be unsuitable,� Uttaro said.

�The next day, we executed a search warrant. There appeared to be quite a few dogs at the house and no one answered the door.

�There were not signs that someone was living there, but it appeared that someone was going there to give them food and water.�

During the raid, officers seized the horse, which Uttaro said is about 17 years old, two female dogs and about eight puppies.

One of the mother dogs was in labor during the raid - after officers had seized the dog and six of her puppies, she delivered �a few� more puppies at a Nelson County animal shelter. One of the puppies died shortly after it was born, Uttaro said.

The other dog had two puppies who are about four to five weeks old, he said.

Although the mother dogs and their puppies went to the shelter, about 40 dogs remain with the owner, Uttaro said.

�The condition of the dogs was not as life-threatening as that of the horse,� he said. �The inside of the house was not conducive to the two female dogs and their puppies living there.�

The horse was taken to Oakside Stables in Amherst.

�I have someone in line for the horse,� said Shaw, who said he also boards horses at Oakside Stables.

Ackworth will face two counts of animal cruelty in Nelson County on Feb. 23.

Case Updates

A judge found Ackworth guilty of animal cruelty and neglect last month, and authorities from Nelson and Amherst, as well as volunteer dog rescuers, began transporting the animals. They completed the move of 47 dogs, mostly hounds and beagle mixes, at the end of last week.

Ackworth said had tried her best to clean up the home after receiving a warning in January, but the judge said its condition was not good enough for her health or the dogs�, Uttaro said.

A friend from Ackworth�s church helped organize the dogs� evacuation. Ten went to the Amherst animal shelter, 14 to Nelson�s, and 23 to foster homes through the Animal Welfare Action Group based in Appomattox County.

Magda Liska, AWAG�s president, took five younger dogs, which she hopes others will adopt. They were in bad condition, suffering from malnutrition and worms, which caused their stomachs to be severely distended.

�Their rib cages stood out almost,� Liska said. Also, the dogs �reeked,� forcing the volunteers driving them to foster homes to open their car windows.

Her five foster dogs, which range from 4 months to one year, were at first �fearful and confused,� gobbling down all their food and drinking �gallons and gallons� of water, Liska said.

But they responded well to the de-worming treatment and now allow her to touch them
Source: The Daily Progress - March 9, 2005
Update posted on Mar 14, 2005 - 1:31AM 

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References

newsadvance.com - Jan 27, 2005

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