IN THE BOOKS: Animal abuse and neglect case files in 2007
More animals within Ingham County enduring torment of abuse
Animal control officer expects crisis to worsen as economy takes its toll
Seth Roy
Lansing State Journal
July 17, 2007
Deputies Yvonne Gaines and K.C. Epperson walked up the steps of a small house on Regent Street in Lansing. "We just need to ask you about your animals," Gaines said to the woman inside. "The air is pretty thick in here."
The Ingham County Animal Control officers last week were investigating a complaint that the woman was housing too many cats.
When people own large numbers of animals, it can result in neglect, officials say. Such people are known as hoarders. The report of possible neglect was one of a rising number of animal cruelty cases investigated by officers, Ingham County Animal Control Director Jamie McAloon Lampman said.
In 2006, the number of animal-related complaints, including cruelty, shot up nearly 5 percent to 8,100 in Ingham County, compared to 2005, according to county records. In the same period, the number of cases submitted to prosecutors for charges rose by 27 percent to 84. And the trend doesn't appear to be slowing.
"It's been a really busy year for cruelty," Lampman said. She credits the rise in cruelty cases to the poor economy. "The individuals hardest hit by the economy are the ones involved," Lampman said.
Gaines, an animal control officer for eight years, said the worst is yet to come."People are losing their jobs," Gaines said. "Animals are totally dependent, like children. I think it's just starting, really."
Animal cruelty cases can vary from simple neglect, to hoarding and dog fighting. Gaines rescued eight fighting dogs earlier this year, seven of which are being held as evidence at the animal shelter. The other dog was so badly hurt it had to be put down, Gaines said. "If it's pretty bad, we don't want them to suffer," she said.
The dogs are kept in a wards in the shelter."It's a financial drain," Lampman said. "You're responsible for keeping them alive. "One dog actually tore through the fencing, damaging its jaws, to get at the sleeping dog in the next cell, Gaines said. The dogs are mean to other animals partially because of their wish to please their owners, Lampman said. "The best dog-fighters are affectionate and loyal," she said. "(A dog) just has to have that drive to kill everything else."
Dog-fighting houses can be easy to spot, Gaines said. Typical dog-fighting equipment includes special medicines, thick chains, weights and break sticks, which can loosen a dog's grip on another animal. More common than dog fighting, neglect cases can be harder to spot, but can be disheartening, Gaines said. Just last week, she found a white boxer that had been left alone in a cage for two weeks. It weighed about half what it should, and probably would have died in another day or two. Gaines said the dog is rebounding quickly, but she's more concerned about any children in the family.
Both Gaines and Lampman said animal abuse is often a precursor to child abuse. "Animals and children are abused by the same people," Lampman said. "It breaks my heart, but I'm very proud of the job Ingham does."
Hoarding pets
Clinton and Eaton county officials said the number of cruelty cases has remained the same or fallen. Larry Green, director of Eaton County Animal Control, said one case has been prosecuted this year.
While dog fighters know what they are doing, officials said, many hoarders are unaware they are harming their animals. Lampman said the typical hoarder is a single woman in her 40s or older, who often lives alone. They sometimes hoard 50 or 60 cats. "They have this savior complex," she said. "They truly love those animals. It's very difficult to deal with those cases. We're the big, bad guys that take away their babies."
Neighbors may step in
Some neighbors of neglectful owners take it upon themselves to remove emaciated or worm-ridden dogs from the homes, said Hector Hernandez of Perry, who conducts local seminars on dog training and dog encounters. Those who do face a moral dilemma: "Whether to risk being arrested for stealing, or to make a dog's life better." "I've heard about people doing that," Hernandez said. When investigating a house, an officer must first ask permission to take a look at animal living conditions.
At the Regent Street house last week, Gaines and Epperson weren't invited in. "You can't make hoarders like them understand," Epperson said. "People don't make complaints for nothing." The next step will be to ask veterinarians about the person, then revisit the house. After that, Gaines said they might seek a warrant to enter. "Her heart's in the right place," Gaines said. "She obviously loves those pets." The risk for animals in these situations is possible malnutrition, lack of resources and unhealthy living conditions, Gaines said.
Although Gaines said she gets discouraged with the amount of abuse and neglect cases, she said education can solve a lot of the problems.
Published July 18, 2007
From Lansing State Journal
Dogfight case cost county $14K in canine care
Kevin Grasha
Lansing State Journal
Seven pit bulls confiscated in February from a Lansing man facing dog fighting charges already have cost Ingham County Animal Control more than $14,000 to care for and house, authorities said.
Those costs will only increase as the dogs' owner, Delton Durane Jones, awaits trial in one of the few felony dog fighting cases ever prosecuted in Ingham County .
Jones, 37, is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 8 in Circuit Court. During a pretrial hearing Tuesday, prosecutors requested that Jones forfeit his seven pit bulls, which are being held at the county animal shelter. Judge James Giddings did not make a decision on that request.
Authorities confiscated eight of the dogs in a Feb. 23 drug raid at Jones' home. One eventually died of natural causes. The pit bulls had numerous bite wounds and scars that are characteristic of dog fighting, prosecutors said in court filings. Lansing police conducting the raid on Jones' house at 4615 Pleasant Grove found the dogs.
Court documents also show:
• The home contained "substantial dog training equipment and items (used) for medical treatment of injured dogs."
• In the garage was an area enclosed by 4-foot-high walls that "resembled a dog-fighting pit." A dog-breeding flier was stapled to one of the walls.
• Officers found a videotape showing pit bulls fighting in a similar enclosed pen.
Jones' attorney, Michael Maddaloni, said after the hearing that the pen was where dogs would give birth. He said Jones would breed the dogs and sell the puppies. He didn't fight them," Maddaloni said. "He loved those dogs."
Medical exams of the dogs revealed old scars, puncture wounds and scabs on their bodies, authorities said. Maddaloni said the wounds were caused when the dogs bit each other. During the February raid, six of the eight dogs were so aggressive Animal Control officers had to tranquilize them, court records also show. While loading them on a truck, one of the dogs bit a sedated dog and would not release the dog's leg, shaking it violently. That dog had to be tranquilized a second time.
Providing food, medical care, vaccinations - as well as dealing with the dogs' violent behavior - has been a stress on the shelter, said Animal Control Director Jamie McAloon Lampman. "This is exactly why no shelter will touch dogfighting with a 10-foot pole," McAloon Lampman said. Jones' dogs are extremely aggressive, McAloon Lampman said. One attacked a stainless steel food bowl, after apparently seeing its own reflection.
The felony dogfighting case is one of only a few handled by the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office since 1998.