Hoarding - 16 dogs malnourished and abandoned Huntsville, AL (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 31, 2005 County: Madison Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: Debbie Olinger Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 6926 Classification: Hoarding Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in AL (US) Login to Watch this Case

For nearly a month, 13 small dogs were left alone in a west Huntsville home with little food and water. The dogs were removed by Animal Control this week, but neighbors said they were disappointed about how long it took.

Two eviction notices hung on the front door at 4013 Belvoir Drive. Huntsville Utilities had been there Dec. 14, 2005 to turn off services to the house.

Inside the two-story brick house, the 13 small, mixed-breed dogs lived until Animal Control officers removed them January 9, 2006. Neighbors Leroy and Chris Brown said the neglect was surprising because the owner had always been a good neighbor and "treated those dogs like her children." The 49-year-old woman who owned the dogs told Animal Control officers that she had given the dogs to someone else who told her he'd found homes for them, said Mike Taylor, Animal Control center supervisor. He said the woman was cooperative and seemed sincere, but she is facing an animal cruelty charge, a misdemeanor. If convicted, she faces a fine up to $500 and could be sentenced to up to a year in jail. Her name is being withheld until the charges are filed.

The Browns said they were glad the dogs were finally receiving proper care. "Basically, they were living in a toilet," Chris Brown said. She and her husband started putting food and water in the house through an open window because they were so worried about the dogs. "Then, the stronger ones wouldn't let the weaker ones eat," she said.

Animal Control officers said they received several complaints about the residence in recent weeks. The Browns said they reported the neglect to Animal Control on January 5, 2006. "Another neighbor had called to complain about them barking, and they were here that same day," Chris Brown said. "But, call about them starving dogs and it takes this long.

"Something doesn't seem right about that." Things often don't happen as fast as people would like, Taylor said. In this situation, Taylor said that the woman had not been legally evicted and that the officers had no legal authority to remove the dogs. "The owner could have been planning to come back for them," Taylor said. "We have no way of knowing that."

Animal Control was called to the house January 9, 2006, Taylor said. However, officers didn't take the dogs. Taylor said the state's Pet Protection Act allows Animal Control officers to remove an animal only if it appears its life is in immediate danger. A few hours later, Huntsville police were called because someone reported a possible dead body in the house. Officers entered the house around 7 p.m. to look for a dead body and called Animal Control about the small dogs.
That time, the Animal Control officers took two dogs from the house. But Taylor said they left the others until they could investigate further.

On January 10, 2006, officers tracked down the woman at her job. She met them at the house and signed the dogs over to the center. Taylor said the dogs removed were malnourished and needed treatment for worms. He said some of them tried to bite officers, and they will have be tested for temperament before they can be considered for adoption. Taylor had not yet received an update on the dogs removed. The emergency clinic employees said that they couldn't release information about the animals.

Case Updates

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

The Huntsville Times - January 11, 2006

« AL State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.