Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: 100 animals in home, 44 dead

100 animals in home, 44 dead
Whiteford, MD (US)

Incident Date: Friday, May 12, 2006
County: Harford
Local Map: available
Disposition: Acquitted
Case Images: 32 files available

Person of Interest: Donna Lee Bell

Case Updates: 7 update(s) available

Case ID: 8537

Classification: Hoarding, Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull)

View more cases in MD (US)

Suspect was in animal welfare field

Harford County sheriff's deputies have an arrest warrant for a woman accused in what's being described as one of the "most horrific" animal cruelty cases in the county's history.

Over 100 dogs and cats -- 44 of them dead -- were recovered from two homes in the Whiteford area last night.

Sheriff's office spokesman Bob Thomas says a 57-year-old woman owned the two properties and used them as makeshift shelters. She did not live there.

Thomas says when deputies arrived yesterday with a warrant, the woman suffered an apparent heart attack. She's being treated at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, and that's why she hasn't been charged yet.

Thomas says the woman will be charged with 118 counts of animal cruelty. Each count carries a possible sentence of 90 days in jail and a one-thousand-dollar fine.

Officials say 74 of the animals were still alive, though they were living in desperation and squalor.

Animal Control officers found many carcasses of the animals with their collars still around their necks, along with two feet of feces in the kitchen of the house. Rats were leaping at the animal wardens as they worked. Piles of garbage could be seen on the front porch of the rancher.

Bob Thomas, a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office, told the Associated Press that there was evidence some of the animals tried to claw their way through the walls.

"Some have rotted. Some are down to skeletal remains, others frequently passed," Thomas tells WJZ's Suzanne Collins.

Officials say the owner of the two houses, Donna Bell, runs "Furry Companions," an animal rescue operation and has found homes for hundreds of animals.

Three teenagers stumbled upon the grisly discovery when they rang her doorbell.

"There were flies caked onto the windows and you could see the dogs--their feces and all were on their [paws].They smeared their paw prints all over the windows," said Jeffrey Foard.

Bell was taken to a local hospital with chest pains, and police plan to charge her with animal cruelty.

Another woman who rescues animals says the problem associated with this crime is called "hoarding."

"It's because they have just such a good heart and they want to save them all, but they have not the resources or the time or space," said Carry Roberson of Majestic Rottweiler Rescue.

Employees of the Harford County Humane Society plan to work through the night to help clean and feed the malnourished animals, while their medical staff performs examinations.

Windows of the houses were opened to air out the houses, and a cleanup operation is expected to run through the weekend. The houses are condemned for now and officials do not believe the Bell was living in either else.

The Harford County Humane Society is asking for financial donations to help provide food and care for the animals.

Case Updates

A former Harford County resident is headed to a psychiatric facility after she was found not criminally responsible on animal cruelty charges.

Donna Lee Bell faced 118 charges of animal cruelty after authorities found more than 100 dogs and cats living in two Whiteford homes without food, water and ventilation. Animal feces covered the floor, up to 3 feet in some cases, and carcasses were strewn about the homes. "What happened here is very severe," Harford District Judge John Dunnigan said to Bell, 60. "How a person gets into a situation like this boggles my mind."

Dunnigan accepted a psychiatrist's report stating that Bell was not criminally responsible for her actions because she suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder that manifested itself in her hoarding of animals. Bell was taken to Spring Grove Hospital Center by two county sheriff's deputies after the August 17, 2007 hearing.

The dogs that Bell collected developed skin conditions and fleas after being soaked in animal urine and feces inside her two homes in the 2900 block of Whiteford Road. Many suffered muscle atrophy and had to relearn to walk. Rats were found feeding on nearly 40 decomposing dogs and cats. Bell's lawyer, Leonard Shapiro, said Bell "had good intentions, but her behavior spun out of control."
"She took in animals no one wanted -- lame, blind and injured -- and spent thousands of dollars in vet bills," Shapiro said. "She was so concerned about the animals that they'd be euthanized."

Source: Baltimore Sun News - August 17, 2007
Update posted on Aug 17, 2007 - 8:58AM

Back to Top

More than 70 animals recovered from two homes in the Whiteford area of Harford County in May have since been placed in happy homes.

Harford County Animal Control officials said the animals were recovered from homes in one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they had ever seen -- more than 40 animals were found dead.

Officials were able to rescue 69 dogs and four cats, all of which were in terrible condition.

Donna Lee Bell, 57, was charged with numerous counts of animal cruelty.

When word went out about the condition of the rescued animals, people started responding.

Officials held a news conference Thursday to thank all of the volunteers that came to the Human Society of Harford County to help save those rescued animals.

"Over two weeks, we had 1,400 unique volunteers come through and offer their time to help these animals," said Tammy Zuluzney of the Human Society.

"Most of the dogs just craved human contact. Folks and volunteers would come out and just sit on a bench, in some cases for hours, holding it in their lap and cuddling it and just giving it that human contact that it craved," she said. "That's a community that loves animals, and there's just no more that I can say about that."

Two of the dogs were adopted by volunteers.

"She's just been a wonderful part of our family. She loves attention. That's all she wants -- to be petted," said Lois Townsend, one of the volunteers who adopted a dog named Genie.

"Aspen was one of the dogs I walked this summer and, for some reason, every time I came to this door and looked back at his cage, we'd make this eye connection, and after a while I just knew it was meant to be," said Betsy Paxton, who adopted Aspen.

For the staff at the Humane Society, knowing all the rescued animals were adopted made all of their hard work worth it.

"It's very emotional. I was here the night they came in, and I was the one who had to oversee them the whole time they were there. It's emotional," said Doug Rae, who works at the Humane Society.

Source: WBAL - NOv 30, 2006
Update posted on Dec 3, 2006 - 11:19PM

Back to Top

Three months after the Harford County Humane Society took in nearly 80 animals found abandoned inside a Whiteford woman's home, the center continues working hard to care for the animals and find them new homes.

Donna Bell faces 118 counts of animal cruelty after keeping more than 100 dogs and cats inside two houses, leaving many of them for dead while the others were found malnourished and uncared for. It's a mental problem called "hoarding" animals, but those charged in the cases actually believe they're helping the helpless animals.

The Harford County Humane Society shelter was already filled to capacity at the time, so a barn became the animals' new home. Now that barn is practically empty as most of the pets have been adopted.

"We have three of the Whiteford dogs left, all of the cats have been adopted," Tammy Zaluzney of the Harford County Humane Society told WJZ's Sharon Gibala.

In all, 71 pets have been adopted so far.

Zaluzney credits much of the progress to the work of volunteers.

"We came out that first weekend after we first heard about it and we've been coming ever since," Curt Ohler said.

But because the Whiteford dogs have received the bulk of the attention, the 80 other dogs at the shelter have yet to be adopted. To encourage further adoptions, the shelter is holding an adopt-a-thon this weekend, offering adoptions at the price of $19.47 -- representative of the year the shelter opened.

Bell will face a judge for the animal cruelty counts next month.

Source: WJZ - Aug 12, 2006
Update posted on Aug 13, 2006 - 1:23PM

Back to Top

The number of dogs seized from property in Whiteford on May 12 increased this week by seven after a rescued female dog gave birth to a litter of puppies at the Humane Society of Harford County in Fallston.

Almost as if she did not wish for her pups to be born into this world until her own future was secure, the mother of the newborn puppies � five girls and two boys � did not go into labor until Wednesday night, which was after the woman charged with animal cruelty in the case signed over her claim to the animals.

�It was almost as if she knew,� said Tammy Zaluzney, executive director of the Humane Society of Harford County.

Zaluzney said that Donna Bell, 59, of Whiteford, signed a release Wednesday that rescinded a court complaint filed last week to regain custody of the 70 dogs and four cats taken from her property.

Bell is facing 118 counts of animal cruelty after Harford County Animal Control officers found the carcasses of dozens of dogs and cats, in addition to the animals house at the Humane Society, in two Whiteford homes she owns.

Harford County State�s Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly agreed to postpone the trial if Bell signed a release to rescind her claim to the animals.

�[The postponement and the release] weren�t contingent on each other, but her agreeing to turn over the animals certainly made it easier [to grant the postponement],� Cassilly said. �She really loves these animals � and things got out of hand,� said Bell�s attorney Leonard Shapiro. �She wants what�s best for the animals.�

Shapiro said Bell filed the complaint in the first place because she was hoping to have a hand in helping the dogs get adopted.

When Bell filed the complaint last week, it had the opposite effect in that the Humane Society was then required to retain custody of the dogs and cats until a judge could rule on the matter. Bell was unavailable for comment.

New timeline for Animal Adoption

� Wednesday, June 7 � The Humane Society will begin accepting adoption applications.
� Saturday, June 10 � Adoption Applications will be reviewed.
� Sunday, June 11 � Approved applicants will be able to take adopted pet home.

Source: Examiner - June 3, 2006
Update posted on Jun 7, 2006 - 7:01PM

Back to Top

The woman of accused of hoarding more than 100 dogs in two homes will drop her appeal to get them back -- making them available for adoption starting next week.

An attorney for Donna Lee Bell says his client wants to see the animals placed in good homes. Leonard Shapiro says Bell really cares about animals and "just got carried away with it." Bell is facing 118 counts of animal cruelty.

Last week, she filed a complaint alleging that the animals were "unlawfully and wrongly" taken from her home and that she was entitled to get them back immediately. She's now dropped that appeal.

The Harford Humane Society in Fallston has been caring for the dogs with the help of volunteers. Seven other dogs will also be available for adoption in about eight weeks--puppies born after the animals were rescued. If you'd like to adopt, call the Harford County Humane Society at 410-638-3500.

Source: WJZ13 News - May 2, 2006
Update posted on Jun 3, 2006 - 9:51PM

Back to Top

Facing 118 counts of animal cruelty, Donna Lee Bell, 59, filed a complaint May 23, 2006 in Harford County District Court alleging that the animals were "unlawfully and wrongly" taken from her home and that she is entitled to "immediate possession" of them. A hearing was set for June 23, 2006.

Known in local animal rescue circles as a caregiver, Bell was arrested May 15, 2006, after authorities found about 120 dogs - at least 40 of them dead - and some cats in two homes she owns in the 2900 block of Whiteford Road. The animals were taken to the Harford Humane Society in Fallston, where officials planned to find temporary foster homes for the dogs until the charges against Bell are resolved.

Some dogs had atrophied muscles, and many were infested with fleas. Officials said the animals had been kept in cages in Bell's homes for weeks or months. Bell refused comment when reached by telephone, but in her complaint she wrote that she had tried to get the animals back. "The request was refused," she wrote.

More details have emerged about Bell's past housing of animals. Richard Lynch, Harford's director of inspections, license and permits, told The Sun yesterday that animal control officers visited one of Bell's properties in February of 2002 but did not issue a citation. At that time, animal control officers noted that Bell had 16 unlicensed dogs on the property and told her to reduce the number or apply for a kennel license. A subsequent visit found that she was in compliance, Lynch said.

Source: Baltimore Sun - May 24, 2006
Update posted on May 27, 2006 - 5:56PM

Back to Top

The Humane Society of Harford County is caring for the 69 dogs and 4 cats seized by the Harford County Sheriff�s Department and Harford County Animal Control as the result of the execution of a search warrant on two properties in Whiteford, Maryland. In response to the overwhelming support and interest from the public we are providing this update.

We are lining up physical therapy sessions with Interstate Swim Center in Aberdeen, Maryland for those dogs who have lost muscle tone and for bodies atrophied by being crated for possibly weeks, months and even years on end. Mobile groomers continue to assist our staff in shaving down dogs matted in their own hair and feces. In concert with Harford County Animal Control and Harford County Sheriff�s Office, one critically ill little dog with uncontrolled diabetes, was placed into emergency care with a local veterinarian who�s staff recognized the dear little creature on television as one they had treated in the past. Then there are the emaciated, starving ones who are being placed on a special recipe weight gain diet that increases their weight and strength without belly upset as well those with thicken, raw skin, open sores and itching from which they have had no relief due to flea infestation, now quieted and healing.

At the Humane Society of Harford County, we�ve seen it before, and we treat and care for pets just like these. We�re prepared, just not for such a volume!! The animals have our help. And they need yours too! The outpouring of volunteers and monetary donations are gratefully appreciated now and in the future as we struggle to get these dogs healthy.

Even while we care for these 69 little ones, there are dozens of others at the shelter every day, waiting for their new families. Our commitment to the homeless animals of Harford County is unwavering, and our primary goal is not take the lives of any dogs because we run out of space. Together, as a caring community, we can do it! Our secondary goal is to find them all the loving forever homes they so deserve and to see them happy at last. And still another goal is to prepare as many as possible to take part in HSHC�s June 25, 2006 Bark in the Park walkathon in Rockfield Park as adopted, healthy and loved alumni of the Humane Society of Harford County.

For more information about how to make a donation, visit or click on one of the �Make a Donations� buttons located throughout our site.

Source: Harford Shelter Humane Society - May 14, 2006
Update posted on May 27, 2006 - 5:16PM

Back to Top

Neighborhood Map

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

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

Digg

Furl

References

WJZ News - May 13, 2006

« MD 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.

Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy

100 animals in home, 44 deadWhiteford, MD (US)

Case Updates

Neighborhood Map

References

100 animals in home, 44 dead
Whiteford, MD (US)