More than 80 animals seized from Madison Township home in care of humane society

The workers at the Humane Society of Richland County looked a bit overwhelmed early Tuesday afternoon.

They worked through the holiday weekend to take care of more than 80 animals that were seized Saturday from a home at 1024 Burger Ave. in Madison Township.

"It's just nonstop activity," said Linda Chambers, executive director of the humane society. "Right now, it's a lot. It's a lot."

Chambers stopped to take a quick lunch break, dining on macaroni and cheese that had been dropped off for the employees, before talking to a News Journal reporter.

It is being called one of the worst cases of animal cruelty and neglect ever reported in Richland County.

Checking her inventory log, Chambers said 79 dogs, including 19 nursing puppies; a marmoset; and a kinkajou were seized from a house that reportedly had "an overwhelming odor of dog urine and feces."

A marmoset is a short-tailed monkey native to South America, while a kinkajou is a tropical rainforest mammal related to raccoons.

Employees were working to clean cages, which took up most of the space in the lobby, on Tuesday. The humane society is closed until further notice.

Confiscated animals placed 'anywhere we have space'

"Anywhere we have space," Chambers said in response to where they are putting the influx of animals.

Office cats David and Elise have been displaced to Chambers' office while some of the dogs are in the lobby.

Chambers said most of the dogs are doing "surprisingly well" and is hopeful they can go to short-term foster care in the near future.

"The goal is to get them in a more quiet environment," Chambers said.

She met with Mansfield Assistant Law Director Mike Kemerer late Tuesday morning to start going over the case. At least where the animals are concerned, Kemerer said there would likely be misdemeanor charges.

"Animal cruelty needs to be an act of abuse for it to go to a felony," he said. "Neglect remains a misdemeanor."

Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Frazier deserves credit for discovering the animals.

"He just happened to be in the area, and he heard an extraordinary amount of dogs barking," Chambers said. "It was like divine intervention."

Frazier stopped at the residence and said he saw several dogs looking through holes of an old cattle trailer in the yard. He said he then noticed more dogs in a shed on the property.

Agents from the humane society arrived and opened the cattle trailer, finding "numerous canines in small cages stacked to the top."

Frazier reported finding more dogs in the shed and in cages behind the shed, along with several dogs in rabbit cages.

He was able to contact the residents when he knocked on the door.

"I was able to see multiple dogs in cages with feces and urine on the floor," Frazier said in his report.

Suspect said he thought dogs were 'well taken care of'

One of the suspects told the deputy that he rescues and sells dogs, and "he believed they were in good condition and well taken care of."

Frazier banged on windows and made contact with a woman. He said he saw "several dogs in the kitchen in cages that had feces and urine covering their bodies." She told the deputy she had complained to the man about the dogs in the past.

The woman gave Frazier permission to walk around the residence. He reported finding more dogs in small cages and rabbit-style houses in the basement.

"While walking through the house, there was an overwhelming odor of dog urine and feces," he wrote in his report. "The house did not appear to be cleaned in quite some time. The kitchen where food was located had dog feces and urine covering the floor."

Sheriff's deputies also reported finding four children and numerous firearms, syringes and marijuana.

The children, who were the couple's grandchildren, were relocated to another grandparent's house.

Frazier said he saw a pit bull-type of dog freely roaming the house. It appeared to be friendly and was called Diesel by the children.

"Diesel appeared to be the only canine that the family was concerned about when we began taking possession of the canines," he wrote.

Frazier also reported finding multiple prescription bottles on the coffee table within reach of the children, along with a large amount of marijuana and syringes within a few feet of numerous firearms.

Seven humane society agents, two dog wardens, one worker from Children Services and numerous deputies were on the scene at various times.

Chambers said she has talked to a person at the house to find out how the situation got out of hand but declined to reveal the details, noting it's an open investigation.

Humane society employees chipping in to help

Despite the overwhelming amount of animals suddenly in their care, staffers remain upbeat.

"Staff, volunteers and board members have been amazing," Chambers said, "and they keep coming."

Salli Tschantz has worked at the humane society for 11 years. She is the designated "dog person."

"This is the first time I've sat down all day," Tschantz said as she talked to the News Journal.

She usually has weekends off but came in to make sure her co-workers weren't completely overwhelmed.

"All the dogs are getting taken care of. It's just a lot of work," Tschantz said.

Along with the staff, the public has responded to help the dogs. As of Tuesday afternoon, donors had contributed nearly $25,000.

Chambers said the humane society reached its initial goal of $20,000 in about 24 hours.

"Some of the dogs are sick or have underlying health issues," she said. "The extra funds are very helpful."

Donations can be made online at adoptourstrays.com or facebook.com/adoptourstrays or through the mail at HRSC, 3025 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, OH 44906.

The humane society still has plenty of needs, including canned dog food, paper towels, newspapers and bleach.

Chambers added none of the dogs are ready for adoption. She hopes if enough fosters can be found, the humane society can reopen late next week.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Humane Society of Richland County dealing with 81 animals seized