Hoarding approximately 90 animals Buford, GA (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 County: Gwinnett Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 4 files available Alleged: Dora L. Russell

Case ID: 9115 Classification: Hoarding Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull), bird (pet), rodent/small mammal (pet) View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

For the second time in five years, a Buford area woman has been charged with cruelty to dozens of animals, police said.

With the assistance of the state Division of Public Health, Gwinnett County police removed about 90 animals from the home of Dora L. Russell on the morning of June 28. Investigators said the living conditions were deplorable and the odor could be smelled from the street, according to Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Darren Moloney. Some of the investigators required respirators to enter the house.

Russell, 43, was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals. Her house has been condemned.

"We feel that the medical issues of the house cause a danger to whoever's inside and the community," Moloney said.

Moloney said authorities found about 17 dogs, three cats, 21 birds and 50 field mice. The mice were released into a field. The dogs are at the county's animal control facility; the cats and birds were taken to another facility. He said the dogs and cats are expected to survive, but the birds' conditions were less certain. Moloney said he believed no animals were found dead at the house.

Police are investigating whether Russell was working with an animal rescue group.

"There's a big difference between licensed rescues and these folks that just hoard animals," said Sam Shelton, director of Furkids Animal Rescue in Gwinnett County. "It's a bad situation all the way around, especially now with animal controls that are just so overpopulated right now to keep dealing with the hoarding situations."

Russell was released on bond on June 29.

In 2002, she was arrested and received 93 citations of animal cruelty when approximately 200 animals were removed from her house.

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

	AccessNorthGeorgia - June 29, 2006
	Atlanta Journal Consitution
	11 Alive - June 29, 2006
	AP Wire - June 30, 2006
	WBTV - June 29, 2006

« GA 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.