Falling apart, Starving Stray.

I think these are the cases that bother me the most....  

The pictures are graphic,  Consider yourself warned

I picked up this dog today. He was standing on the side of the road when i arrived.

The complaint came in to the office that this dog was on front of the complainants house and it was either injured or dying the complainant was nt sure what was wrong with the dog but knew it was in horrible shape.

Sure enough the lady was right. As i arrived the dog was standing on the side of the road. He was chewing on a patch of clovers and could barely continue standing. I am not sure 
exactly what skin condition this is. I believe it to be sarcoptic mange though I will have to have a 
skin scraping done to confirm this.  As bad off as this dog was I have nobody to blame and hold 
accountable for this. I canvased the neighborhood trying to find either littermates, or other strays 
in simmiliar condition. Luckily i did not find any other dogs. But after talking to many people in the neighborhood I was pointed to many streets but nothing turned up anything positive.
So now this dog will more than likely have no justice served. The only thing I could offer this dog
was an end to its agony. i will continue my search for an owner again on monday though I will not hold my breath. Its very sad that this is not a rare occurence.

Emaciated Chickens And a Fat Squirrel

To whom it may concern.
             On the evening of December 7th 2007 I obtained a seizure order and seized a total of 66 animals (1 sugar glider, 5 canaries, 9 love birds, 4 cockatiels, 2 doves, 15 ducks, 9 fowl, 2 rabbits, 10 adult dogs and 8 puppies from two litters) from a property in Texas. These animals were all being cruelly treated.

            I came to know about this property as I was patrolling the area. I had taken one of our technicians into the field so she could get some field experience. We were headed east on FM *&^*  as we passed through the intersection of FM %!& and !@#$ St. I noticed one mixed breed dog on a very short chain and decided to stop to make contact with the owner. We parked in the driveway and I noticed that there were more animals in need on this property than I could see from the street. I knocked on the door attempting to make contact with an owner. After no response I went to the location I had seen the first dog on the chain hoping to untangle him then post a compliance notice. I then noticed that there was a large amount of animals and many violations. After a brief 5 minute look at the property and the condition of the animals I made the decision that a seizure would be in the best interest of these animals. We immediately left the property to seek out a Justice of the Peace, and ready the animal shelter for an influx of animals. At approximately 6:00pm myself, and all available staff from the animal shelter and Sherriff Deputy ^^^$$##$%%^ returned to the property with a seizure order in hand. The owner met me in the driveway and I explained the situation. He was surprised but cooperative. I explained that we would be seizing every animal on the property and asked if he would show me inside the buildings on the property first. I explained that we needed to verify that there were not animals inside the house or other buildings. He agreed to show me the inside of the house and shed neither of which contained any animals. After looking in the house we began to document and photograph these animals and their living conditions. After the arduous task of safely collecting all of these animals our findings are as follows.

The sugar glider is obese and has been fed a very dangerous diet. These animals they require a very specific diet to meet their demanding nutritional needs. The sugar glider was housed in a small cage outside. The water bottle was half full and algae was thriving inside the bottle. The cage was full of peanuts, Brazil nuts, acorns, old tortillas and a rotten piece of a potato that was covered in feces. There was no food inside the cage that was of good nutritional value or even safe to eat. This animal has been deprived of necessary food.

The largest bird cage housed 9 love birds, 2 doves, and 2 cockatiels. The inside of the water bottle provided for these birds was also growing a thick layer of algae. The floor was covered in rotting bird seed and feces. The bird seed provided in the feeders on the side of the cage also were covered in feces. These birds have been cruelly confined, forced to live in unsanitary conditions eating food that bas been defiled and drinking water provided in an algae covered bottle.

The second bird cage housed 5 canaries. These birds have been cruelly confined in unsanitary conditions, eating food that bas been defiled. The floor of this cage is a piece of plywood coated in a layer of feces and spilled bird seed. Both the water and food bowl in this cage has been defiled.

The third and smallest bird cage housed 2 cockatiels. These birds have been cruelly treated due to unsanitary conditions and food and water bowls that have been defiled.

The Ducks, Chickens and Geese have all been cruelly treated. They have all been deprived of necessary food and/or care. These birds were kept inside a fence that surrounds a small pond. No food was found provided inside this fence. The birds found in this area of the property were all underweight. Every duck, chicken or goose that I picked up had a very pronounced breast bone which is indicative of disease, sickness or starvation. These birds are not in a good state of health. They will have to be closely watched to ensure they receive the nutrition they have been lacking while at this property.

The small area underneath the shed was enclosed and turned into a bird cage of sorts. This area was used to contain 3 ducks. There was no food or water provided in this area. The floor was covered in feces. These birds have been unreasonably deprived of necessary food and water. They have also been cruelly confined in unsanitary conditions.

The rabbits were housed in a small metal cage with a piece plywood for a floor. The plywood was covered in a thick layer of feces and urine. They have been cruelly confined by having been kept in such deplorable conditions.

One dog was kept on a short chain at rear of the property next to the owners tire shop as if this was his watchdog. This dog was restrained with a 5 foot chain and provided no food, water or shelter. The chain was wrapped around the pole it attached to leaving the dog with approximately 2 ft of chain to move around with. This method of confinement is unlawful restraint and cruel confinement. This dog has been cruelly treated by having unreasonably deprived it of necessary food, water, care, shelter and use of unlawful restraint. This dog is also underweight, and dehydrated.

Two dogs were kept in a small plywood box. These dogs had no food or water. The floor of the cage was covered in feces. These dogs were cruelly confined and deprived of necessary food and water.

One dog was kept in a metal cage underneath the rabbits. This dog has long hair that is full of mats due to neglect. The cage was full of feces from both the dog inside the cage and the pile of feces from the rabbits above. The feces have been accumulating in this cage long enough for the feces to turn a grayish color and be covered with mold. This dog was not only kept in very unsanitary conditions but was also being deprived of necessary care, water and food. This dog was dehydrated and underweight.

Immediately next to the rabbit's cage there was a cage containing a mother DOG and her 4 Puppies. Inside the cage was a doghouse with a heat lamp for the puppies and a scrap piece of carpet inside the doghouse. The water provided in this cage was a brown color and space amounts of food were available. The floor of this cage was covered with feces that were older than the puppies. The feces was moldy and covering the floor enough that it was impossible to retrieve the puppies without stepping in the piles of feces. The smell of urine in this area was very strong and nauseating to me and my coworkers. These 5 dogs have been deprived of necessary care, food and have been cruelly confined.

The two cages next to the mother and pups contained a total of three dogs. 1in one cage and 2 in the next, both of these cages were covered on feces that had not been cleaned in quite some time. The water bowls were filthy and the food was sparse or nonexistent. These three dogs were underweight and dehydrated. These 3 dogs have been deprived of necessary care, food and have been cruelly confined.

Behind this line of cages was a small pen fashioned out of sheet metal that housed two dogs. The dogs were underweight; the only food in their bowl was what appeared to be rotten table scraps.
The floor was covered in feces. The water was a brownish color. These 2 dogs have been deprived of necessary care, food and have been cruelly confined.

Underneath the house is a storage area that contained one female and her four pups. The pups were in the bottom half of a doghouse with a heat lamp on a scrap of carpet. The area surrounding the doghouse was covered in feces. There was a small amount of water in a bowl. These animals have been housed in unsanitary conditions.

In conclusion, I found none of these 66 animals to be kept in such a manner that the owner was not in violation of the law. These animals have been cruelly treated and kept in either dangerous or cruel confinement. These animals are all adoptable through the Animal Shelter. And will surely find refuge and safety after some rehabilitation and necessary care.

10 years of neglect

To Whom It May Concern,
            On the afternoon of January 7, 2008, Myself and another Animal Control Officer responded to a complaint at a property in Texas. We found two dogs on the property. We found one Springer spaniel and one chow chow. After an initial look at the dogs we determined that the complaint we received was valid and we were dealing with a cruelty case. We knocked on the door and the owner came outside. As we began to explain the violations to the owner we continued to find more violations. After a few minutes we called the Galveston County Sherriff office to request a deputy on the scene. We continued to interview the owner as we waited for the Deputy to arrive. The deputy who responded to the scene did not seem to have a problem with placing the owner under arrest and charging her with animal cruelty. However his superior on duty told him that he was not allowing the deputy to arrest the owner or even fill out an incident report. The Deputy’s supervisor stated that the Sherriff department did not respond to cases of neglect. With that decision made he was no longer any use to us and had more pressing matters to tend to, so he left the scene. At this time we gave the owner a choice. She could either surrender her animals or refuse to surrender her animals. In the case that she did not surrender her animals she was informed that we would obtain a seizure order from a Justice of the peace and she could explain her side of the story to a Judge. She agreed to surrender the animals at that time. We then finished our documentation of the area, loaded the animals and left the property.

Our findings are as follows:
The Springer spaniel was in a small fenced off area in the rear of the property. This Yard (the fenced off area for this dog) was approximately 15 ft square. In this yard was a doghouse, a metal tub for water along with food bowls. The food bowls were all empty. The water in the tub was putrid and was a very dark green color. The dog’s fur was matted in a few places. The dog was suffering from an injury to his right rear leg. This injury was only visible when the dog was walking he favored the leg and put very little weight on it. The owner of the dog stated that this injury had not been treated. The collar on the dog had become embedded and caused a large open wound on the front of the neck under the jaw. The wound was infected and smelled of rotten flesh. The dog had numerous growths on body that appeared to be tumors. This dog was also underweight and infested with fleas. The owner stated that she had no paperwork for this dog in regards to veterinary care. This dog has been cruelly treated by the state of Texas’ definition. This dog has been unreasonably deprived of necessary care, food and water for such a time that the animal was no longer in a good state of health. After examination at the Galveston County Animal Shelter this dog was euthanized. The temperament of this dog had suffered along with his health. As a result from the pain and lack of interaction this dog was very scared and uneasy. He had to be euthanized because had we gotten him the care he needed we would not be able to adopt him out due to his temperament. Though I would like to have vet reports on this dog he would have had to be sedated to be examined and such time was not available until three days later. The vet reports would not be worth the stress put on this animal by an extended stay in the kennel. The photographs of this dog show obvious health problems and a lack of necessary care. The Chow Chow was in a similar pen built onto one side of the house. This yard was approximately 15 foot wide by 20 foot long. This yard had a doghouse that was falling apart, a metal tub for water and food bowls. The fur on this dog was severely matted on the back half of the body. The dog was also suffering from flea allergies resulting in hair loss. This dog was underweight and infested with fleas. The food bowls were empty. The water in the tub provided for this dog was a dark brown color. This dog has a list of medical problems that have been diagnosed and are being treated by a veterinarian his prognosis is not good however due to a generous foster home this dog will spend the rest of his days in a loving environment getting the care he has been neglected of.

Both owners of these dogs have been charged criminaly with Animal Cruelty

The bruised and matted

To whom it May Concern,
On the afternoon of January 2nd 2008 I responded to a cruelty complaint at a location in Texas. I found three dogs on the property. One adult male poodle, one adult male Lhasa Apso and one adult female Japanese chin. These dogs were kept in large back yard. The water bowl provided was of insufficient size for three dogs and it was empty. The food on the property was provided by the complainant. The complaint stated that these dogs had been abandoned since December 17th 2007 and that no owner had been tending to the property or these three dogs. The dogs had no doghouse provided for them leaving the only shelter to be on a small back porch.
The poodle was severely matted and had not seen a groomer in at least 10 months. Along the top of this dogs back the fur had formed one large matt the size of a subway sandwich. This matted fur had caused a fair amount of bruising to the dog’s skin and had to be removed with a surgical blade. This dog also had very long toenails that now curved sideways instead of down as they should. This dog was also infested with fleas. The Lhasa Apso was severely matted and has also not seen a groomer in at least ten months. The matted fur had to be removed with a surgical blade. After removing the matted fur this dog had to be bathed and rinsed five times to remove the several levels of fleas and flea dirt. The toenails on this dog were also very long and curved to the side instead of down as they should be. The Japanese Chin was not matted. This breed of dog will shed its hair before matting. This dog was infested with several layers of fleas and flea dirt. She was also suffering from excessively long toenails. None of these three dogs were current on any vaccinations. These 3 dogs have been unreasonably deprived of necessary care, water and shelter.

Criminal Animal Cruelty Charges have been filed