Authorities have charged a Maple Shade couple with 392 counts of animal abuse for abandoning 33 dogs in their home, which was filled with dog feces and urine. The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed the charges yesterday against Michael Smith, 57, and his wife, Shirley, 55, of Rudderow Avenue, said Sy Goldberg, a captain with the SPCA.
Police and the SPCA were still searching for the Smiths yesterday afternoon.
However, authorities said they were optimistic about apprehending the couple by sometime today, Goldberg said.
"We have a very good idea where they are," Goldberg said.
The Smiths each face 196 counts of animal abuse, with charges ranging from failing to provide necessary sustenance and proper shelter to abandoning a living animal, Goldberg said.
Seventeen of the charges carry maximum penalties of $1,000 and/or six months in jail, while many of the other charges carry mandatory $500 fines, Goldberg said.
The township, meanwhile, has charged the Smiths with harboring more than the maximum of four dogs in a home, harboring unlicensed dogs, maintaining a nuisance, storing an unregistered vehicle and littering, said Joe Sadlowski, Maple Shade's code enforcement officer.
The SPCA removed the dogs from the home Saturday morning after neighbors complained about excessive barking, Sadlowski said. Authorities obtained a search warrant and removed the dogs. The Smiths are renting the home, which was declared uninhabitable by the Burlington County Board of Health.
The home was "messy beyond what anything you could describe in the newspaper," Sadlowski said.
The SPCA took the dogs to the Burlington County Animal Shelter in Westampton, where a veterinarian technician planned to examine several of them today.
Some of the dogs came in malnourished and covered in dog feces, said Lorraine Schrieber, a volunteer at the shelter.
"They're not in the best of shape, that's for sure," Shrieber said.
The dogs are generally small- to medium-sized and of all ages.
All of the dogs are mixed breeds, including some that appear to be part border collie or part beagle, Shrieber said. At least one dog is pregnant, she said.
The shelter is encouraging the public to make donations that will be used to help treat the animals. Donations can be sent to the Burlington County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 6000, Westampton, NJ, 08060.
Many of the dogs may be put up for adoption once they are treated, officials said. Case UpdatesA former township couple pleaded guilty to animal abuse charges last night and now face fines, probation, community service and psychological evaluations.
Michael Smith, 57, and his wife, Shirley, 55, formerly of Rudderow Avenue, also are barred from owning any animals in New Jersey for five years under a plea agreement reached during a hearing in municipal court.
"I hope for the sake of any living creature that you don't have custody, control or care of any animal - I don't care if it's in Nevada - until you have a psychological evaluation," Municipal Court Judge Gregory R. McCloskey said.
The state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charged the couple with abandoning 33 dogs in the Maple Shade home where they had been living earlier this year.
The home was caked with more than an inch of dog feces and urine when authorities obtained a search warrant and removed the dogs Feb. 26, according to the SPCA.
The Smiths, who now live in Philadelphia, had each faced 198 counts of animal abuse.
Michael Smith pleaded guilty to 17 counts of depriving animals of necessary sustenance, while Shirley Smith pleaded guilty to 16 counts of animal cruelty. They also pleaded guilty to violating a township ordinance regarding the number of dogs allowed in a home.
Under the plea agreement, the couple will be on probation for five years. Each must perform 180 hours of community service within six months. They also must undergo psychological evaluations within 45 days. Both also agreed to pay $640 in restitution to the SPCA.
They also received suspended six-month jail sentences.
Additionally, Shirley Smith must pay $4,606 in fines, while Michael Smith must pay $4,893, both within the next four years.
For violating the township ordinance, each must pay a $750 fine.
During the hearing, the Smiths told the judge they believed the agreement is fair. They also said they won't own or care for any animals while living in Pennsylvania.
All but three of the mixed-breed dogs have been adopted, said Matt Stanton, spokesman for the SPCA. One is being housed at the Burlington County Animal Shelter, while two others are in shelters in Monmouth County, he said. | Source: PhillyBurbs.com
Update posted on Apr 27, 2005 - 9:47PM |
Investigators have located a couple charged with abandoning 33 dogs in a West Rudderow Avenue home and mailed to them the animal cruelty complaints against them.
Michael and Shirley Smith, who are staying in Northeast Philadelphia, each face 198 counts of animal cruelty, abandonment, and failure to provide proper shelter and sustenance. If convicted, they could receive 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count.
The couple is expected to appear in municipal court on March 14. | Source: Courier Post Online - March 2, 2005
Update posted on Mar 2, 2005 - 8:03AM |
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