 Hoarding 34 dogs
Punta Gorda, FL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 23, 2006
County: Charlotte
Local Map: available
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Randall Warren Negrich
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Their tails wagged with excitement when Mike Moats of the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County walked to the back kennels where the 25 rescued Chihuahuas were kept.
Late on the night of June 23, 34 of the petite dogs were impounded from a Jones Loop Road property owned by Randall Negrich because of poor living conditions, said Lt. Brian Jones with Charlotte County Animal Control.
Animal Control said there was no neglect in the case -- Negrich simply wasn't capable of caring for all the dogs.
"The condition of the animals was fine, but the conditions that they were kept in were (unsuitable)," Jones said Monday afternoon. "This is probably a person who got in over his head.
"It was a bad situation resolved."
No charges will be filed against Negrich, who said he has been raising Chihuahuas since he was 6 years old. He was even able to take nine of the dogs home on Monday.
The 25 remaining dogs will be ready for adoption within the next couple of days, Moats said. Anyone interested can call or visit the Animal Welfare League at 3519 Drance St., Charlotte Harbor, or call 941-625-6720. The dogs, of undetermined ages, will cost $75 each to adopt.
"The dogs had ties to (Negrich's) daughter, who was killed about two years ago in a car accident," Jones said, adding that the daughter originally had only four dogs.
"When I lost my daughter, having these dogs every day probably helped me pull through, maybe even saved my life," WINK-TV quoted Negrich as saying Monday.
Jones said that on Friday evening, a sheriff's deputy responded to Jones Loop, where a dog had been hit by a car. The deputy heard dogs barking nearby, and, according to Jones, thought the dog hit might belong to the owner of the property. After knocking on a trailer door and receiving no answer, the deputy walked around to the back and saw the 34 Chihuahuas living in poor conditions. Animal Control impounded the dogs and took them to the Animal Welfare League.
Negrich came to the Animal Control offices the next morning and met with Jones on Monday. He was able to pay for the nine dogs and took them to his residence in Fort Myers -- no dogs will be kept at the Jones Loop property.
A similar incident occurred four years ago involving a Port Charlotte woman who had 27 Pomeranians. She surrendered the dogs to Animal Control. The agency is willing to work with residents if such a situation occurs. For more information, call 941-743-4320.
The Chihuahuas will be kept at the Animal Welfare League until they are adopted.
"We spent all day giving them flea baths, but they are healthy now," Moats said as the dogs barked for attention. "They are good dogs."
If they can no longer be with them, Negrich said he wants his dogs in happy, loving homes.
"If they bond with people, they're a lifelong buddy," he said, while playing with one of the dogs at the shelter Monday. "They're just a very good dog. They have a lot to offer." Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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