170 dogs, 50 cats, 3 snakes, birds seized Le Grand, CA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 County: Merced Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abusers/Suspects: » Elizabeth Lindsay Thompson » William Glen Thompson Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 6189 Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull), bird (pet), reptile View more cases in CA (US) Login to Watch this Case

On May 16, 2001, deputies found more than 200 animals at a rural Merced County home that had been the subject of neighbor complaints six months ago.

Deputies counted about 120 dogs, 50 cats, three snakes and a handful of birds inside the home. An additional 50 dogs were found in pens and an outlying barn on the Minturn Road property south of Le Grand.

The homeowner, Elizabeth Lindsay Thompson, 59, was arrested on a Solano County warrant charging her with animal cruelty. She was released on $5,000 bail Wednesday afternoon.
"We expect to arrest her on charges of felony animal cruelty when she comes back here," Merced County sheriff's detective Jim Johnson said.

Cages for the dogs were stacked throughout the four-bedroom home. In one small bedroom, 26 cages were found, some with as many as three dogs inside. Feces overflowed from some pens, and authorities had to ventilate the house before they entered. "The ammonia levels inside were twice the level considered to be healthy," Sgt. Tom Cavallero said.

Kristi Garrett, operations supervisor for the Merced County Animal Shelter, said the animals received a quick examination and shots before being taken to new lodgings. Stanislaus County animal control workers assisted in the process.

Some dogs went to private kennels, while others were shipped to the Clovis Animal Shelter.
The dogs were in good health, considering their environment, Garrett said, but three had to be euthanized.

Six months ago, employees of a neighboring nut-processing plant reported noise from dogs tunneling through the fences and an overpowering stench when the wind shifted, Garrett said.
At the time, Thompson said she planned to obtain a kennel license, which is required anytime a county resident has more than four dogs in one location.

"We finally decided things weren't going to get any better, so we came back here today," Garrett said. More than 30 animal control officers and deputies raided the home.

"In some of the kennels in the back there was no way for them to get out of their waste," she said. "One kennel had seven puppies in it. There was no food or water in any of them."

Even though she had an idea what was going on behind the closed doors, Garrett acknowledged, "I was more overwhelmed by what was inside than I thought I would be."

The dogs included whippets, basenjis, borzois, great Danes, cocker spaniels and basset hound mixes, she said.

All of the dogs will be observed to make sure they are healthy and can socialize with people. Garrett said Thompson has 14 days to compensate the county for its costs before the animals become county property.

"We're going to try to place in homes the ones we don't have to euthanize," she said. "We want to find homes for everyone."

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References

Modesto Bee - May 17, 2001

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