Hoarding - over 60 animals
Clearwater, FL (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 31, 2005
County: Pinellas
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Melissa Maltby
Safe at the Humane Society a couple of ferrets look like happy creatures, but in August, they were crammed into a Clearwater apartment along with over 60 other animals.
The dogs and cats and rats and you name it -- were living in terrible conditions.
Rick Chaboudy, Humane Society of Pinellas: "Flies were just swarming the door."
Twenty-three-year-old Melissa Maltby could possibly face animal cruelty charges, but Chaboudy thinks the real crime occurred at the Largo Petland store. That's where Maltby purchased most of the animals.
Rick Chaboudy, Humane Society of Pinellas: "I was stunned that one store could possibly sell her that amount of animals. In the best case scenario a person can't take care of 95 animals."
In a phone conversation, Petland's owner Max Kennedy told local media that he feels horrible about the way the animals were treated, but he says when Maltby was in his store she appeared to be knowledgeable about the feeding and care they would need.
However, Maltby's attorney says back in January he asked Petland to quit selling his client animals after Maltby spent over $22,000 at the store in a single day.
Brian Pingor, Maltby's attorney: "I think clearly she's been taken advantage... especially since this was the second time this occurred."
Pingor says Maltby recently inherited some money and has delusions of opening a pet store.
Kennedy denies that he was asked to quit selling animals to Maltby.
Chaboudy says all of the animals could have been spared some suffering if Petland put pets before profits.
Rick Chaboudy, Humane Society of Pinellas: "I'm quite sure that was the bottom line there." References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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