41 Dogs & Cats Rescued From Repeat Hoarder

February 15, 2019

Friday, February 15, 2019

For the third time in 8 years, the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force is rescuing numerous dogs and cats from a property in Bates County in western Missouri. The owner has agreed to voluntarily surrender 21 dogs and 20 cats to the Humane Society of Missouri. Yesterday, the Bates County Sheriff’s Office arrested the animals’ owner on charges stemming from the seizure of more than 100 dogs and cats in December 2017.

The dogs and cats rescued today were living inside a waste-filled, trash-strewn, dilapidated small house. Many were in crates with multiple layers of feces- and urine-saturated newspaper. Crates with animals in them were stacked on top of each other. Some single-animal crates contained two or more animals. Two cats found in a crate outdoors were in peril of dying. There was no running water on the property, and the majority of the animals didn’t have access to water. There was no visible food available to the animals.

Many of the animals are sick, suffering from eye, ear and skin infections, infested with parasites, and have overgrown nails. The dogs are small, medium and large breeds, ranging in age from puppies to mature, adult dogs; the cats are all adults of mixed breeds.

On December 21, 2017, Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT) rescued 84 dogs and 17 cats from an unsafe living environment on a property in Bates County in western Missouri. In 2011, more than 50 dogs were rescued by HSMO from the same property under a warrant obtained by the Bates County Sheriff’s Office.

“It is deeply troubling this person did not heed the warnings or get the help she needed and that this problem occurred yet again,” said Kathy Warnick, president of the Humane Society of Missouri. “As is typical in hoarding situations, persons allowed to continue to own animals often continue to collect them. The only way to protect animals from these horrific, dangerous conditions in the future is to prevent this person from possessing additional animals.

The animals are being transported to Humane Society of Missouri headquarters in St. Louis where they will receive veterinary and shelter care with the goal of making as many available for adoption as possible. To aid in their socialization and recovery, the Humane Society of Missouri is requesting donations of dog and cat toys, long-cut shredded paper, newspapers, towels, blankets and sheets. Donations may be dropped off at the Humane Society of Missouri’s Macklind Ave. Adoption Center, 1201 Macklind Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63110.

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