Feces, urine, mold and rotting drywall: Dogs removed from Summerfield home
Editor's note: A video concerning Molly's Law and SPCA of Ocala has been removed from the top of this story. It's not related to the story.
Law enforcement officials have charged a woman with multiple counts of animal neglect and cruelty after finding dogs living in unsanitary conditions.
According to the arrest report, a sheriff's deputy and local animal safety officials entered the residence in the 14200 block of Southeast 91st Terrace in Summerfield late last month and encountered an "overwhelming aroma of dog feces and urine."
Authorities said seven dogs were taken from the residence. They found "feces and urine covering the entire floor of the residence, on the walls at least five feet in height, on the top of the couch and on the bed in the defendant's room," the report says.
"The drywall in most of the residence was either stained with feces, urine, mold or missing as if it had been chewed off or crumbled from the saturation," according to the report.
A 53-year-old woman, whose name is not being released by the Star-Banner due to the nature of the case, has been charged with animal torture/inflict pain/serious physical injury death or animals torment/deprive/mutilate/ kill. She was taken into custody Friday and been released from jail after posting a $9,000 bond.
Here is how the case developed
Authorities went to the residence on July 24 to investigate a deceased dog that was stuffed into a large plastic tote on the property, and also to check the conditions of several dogs inside the home.
The woman who eventually was arrested was sitting in the front yard and prevented Agriculture Deputy James Manning and county Animal Services Investigator Justin McClure from entering. She told them they needed a warrant to enter the home.
Asked by Manning and McClure about the dead dog, the woman told them that the animal was hit and killed by a car a few days before, according to the report. She said she did not have time to bury the dog.
A warrant was obtained from a judge and Manning and McClure returned to the residence. The woman was not there, according to the report. Manning and McClure were told the woman had gone to an emergency healthcare center in Summerfield. The woman's daughter was at the residence.
After executing the search warrant, Manning and McClure went to the Summerfield emergency room to talk with the woman. She was told that the dogs had been removed from the residence, that there would be a hearing to determine custody of the dogs, and that she could face criminal charges.
She said the dogs had not been to a veterinarian because she cannot afford one, according to the report. She said the dogs had not been out of the residence for about a year and the deceased dog had been attacked by the other dogs for more than a week.
The county's animal services department arranged for a doctor to examine the dogs. They were found to be in poor condition, with bodies covered in fecal matter and smelling of feces and urine. Their coats were dirty and they had flees, the report said.
"The number of internal parasites is alarming considering the ages of the dogs and it suggests a very unclean environment with repeated fecal exposure," according to the report. The medical expert noted that the parasites discovered in the dogs could be passed on to humans.
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The weight of the dogs suggests either they were competing for food or suffering from hookworm and roundworm, the report states.
Until the courts decide where the dogs will go, they will remain in the care and custody of county's animal services.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Summerfield woman faces multiple animal neglect charges
