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Pet hoarding... I've been looking at house prices in the neighborhood lately and spotted 'Lady's house.' It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath house with carport and surprisingly it still brings good value. More than 12 years ago, a woman down the street inherited this house from her parents. She was caretaker to her mother until the old woman died. I knew this lady going back to the 1960's as her family was one of the first to purchase in the neighborhood. Her profession was nursing and after a divorce she moved back home. We would often say a friendly hello when greeting on the street, but not much more than that. She had several dogs and would take them for walks usually in the evenings. A read a recent story about someone in New Jersey where city officials had to 'go in' and rescue more than 270 dogs in a situation they referred to as an "extreme hoarding situation" and it reminded me of what happened to 'lady' as she too was a dog (and cat) hoarder. I first noticed this when morning jogs (before sunrise) around the corner brought me alongside her wooden fence. I could hear dogs barking and the stench of poop had filled the calm air. This actually went on for years. The city has restrictions/limitations on the number of animals one can legally possess. All dogs be registered and rabies vaccination updated yearly. They allow a maximum of 5 dogs. Cats don't require shots or registration and they are also part of the 5 pet limit. I know for a fact this woman has many more than the limit. She told me herself... they're her babies and she's too attached to give them away. While she was trying to do good her pet population was out of control. It's expensive keeping a pet as the medicines are only available from a veterinarian. If the animal isn't registered, you cannot obtain the proper medicines for heart worms, antibiotics, fleas and other problems. So most of her pets were not registered and went without health care. Since they have no registration, the city cannot monitor them... they go 'under the radar' is a common street term for this. One afternoon, I was nearing home and several police cars along with news team trucks were in front of her house. That night lady made it to the 5 o'clock news report. They arrested her for animal abuse. It seems that an AT&T workers needed access to her property to service telephone lines in her utility easement. More than 50 dogs and 20 cats were alive. If I recall correctly, there were another 30-40 dead animals inside her house and around her fenced property! What annoyed me the most was an interview of one neighbor who claimed to have reported this trouble to the city several times for more than 8 months, but no one was sent out to respond and investigate. The city mayor at the scene that day. Mister 'big shot' was reported saying the house was condemned and would be torn down. Where was he or his people 8 months earlier? I guess no one put him on the spot wanting to know why his animal control department didn't do their job! The house wasn't torn down. I believe the woman was forced to sell low and leave town. I know she planned retirement and wanted to live in Central Florida on some farmland near Orlando. Hopefully, she got her wish and this time isn't hoarding pets... again. . . |
