3 dogs being housed in public storage unit
Melbourne, FL (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 31, 2006
County: Brevard
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 4 files available
Alleged: Robert Shy
The man accused of cruelty to his dogs said they are like children to him and he cares deeply for them. Brevard County confiscated the dogs because they were being kept in a rental storage unit and their hair was so overgrown they could barely walk, according to local news sources.
The owner, Robert Shy, is charged with cruelty to animals, but friends say he was not intentionally cruel. Shy has no home himself, and didn't think the dogs were being mistreated. In fact, he has been visiting them every day in the animal shelter and bringing them food. Animal control officers said they've never seen another case like it. A judge ordered three dogs taken from Shy after the dogs were found in a storage shed. When animal services officers found them, the abused animals were hardly recognizable as dogs. They are a small breed known as shih tzus. In the locked storage unit in which they were found, their hair had grown so long, and was so matted with dirt and filth, that witnesses were shocked. "I couldn't believe it," storage unit owner Bobbie Olney said. The dogs were found when Olney's dog Presley laid down in front of the locked storage shed and refused to leave until her owner opened it. "There was no air," Olney said.
Bob Brown with Brevard County Animal Services said this is a first in his career. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. Neither dog could walk well. One had a clump of matted fur as large as she was. Another tripped over her own fur and landed on her face, and had trouble getting up.
Officers cut 13 pounds of fur off a dog that now weighs just 11 pounds. Now Isis and Shaaba are recovering, and a judge has awarded ownership of the dogs to Brevard County. They will be available for adoption at the county's South Animal Shelter in Melbourne. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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