 More than 300 cats and dogs in illegal shelter
Eatonton, GA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 31, 1993
County: Putnam
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Ann T. Morris
|
|
Ann T. Morris, 67, of 391 Harmony Road in northeast Putnam County is being held in the Putnam County jail on seven counts of cruelty to animals.
Morris is accused of operating an illegal animal shelter in her home. Authorities visited the home which Morris shared with her mother, Anna Laura Tuggle, and discovered a gruesome scene.
There were dead cats and dogs inside the house and out in the yard. Hundreds of others roamed loose. There were animal feces everywhere.
Sheriff Gene Resseau said, "It's been an ongoing thing over the past three years. We've been getting complaints from neighbors and family members about the conditions (Morris and Tuggle) were living in and the animals running around everywhere. We've been up there several times before, ... but this time I decided to put" an end to it.
There were more than 300 cats and dogs on the property, including "about 50 to 100 cats" inside the house. Some of the animals were being kept in pens in the yard while others were running loose. Animal defecation was all over the place, carcasses of dead cats were found in an abandoned car outside the house.
The bodies in the car were all decayed. They had been dead for a while. The animals appeared to have starved to death.
Tuggle, 86, was sent to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. "Due to her age and health, we decided to put her in the hospital instead of arresting her."
Tuggle's relatives are arranging to have Tuggle placed in a nursing home. She is said to be suffering from malnutrition and a lot of other things.
Authorities will bury the dead animals and remove the rest of them from the property.
The women had apparently become too fond of the animals. "I think they were just too attached to the animals. But that's no excuse. .... That's just something that should never have been going on in the first place. It doesn't make any sense."
Tuggle apparently started off with a few cats and dogs, but the animals bred and the number increased. A lot of the animals got ran over in the road or the neighbors killed them.
Most of the remaining animals that were examined by a veterinarian were declared unfit adoption. Putnam County does not have a facility where animals can be put up for adoption or put to sleep. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References | The Macon Telegraph - Sept 16 1993 |
« GA State Animal Cruelty Map
|
