Sedona Eye columnist, Harley McGuire, "Please, give a care for our four-legged friends!"

FLORENCE AZ (June 27, 2011)–Animal Care and Control officers work long and unusual hours but Pinal County’s team worked straight through the weekend after officers responded to an animal hoarding case, June 24, 2011, in Maricopa, the second hoarding case reported within a week.

On Sunday, June 26, 2011, an unknown person abandoned nine mixed-breed puppies at the Sheriff’s Substation in Arizona City. The animal hoarding case of June 24, 2011 resulted from a call to Maricopa’s Fire Department regarding an 83-year-old male paraplegic who was in distress at a home in the city of Maricopa.

Firefighters arriving on the scene found the man lying on a floor that was covered with debris and fecal matter. Numerous animals were present in the home. An unnamed woman at the scene claimed to be a caregiver of the 83-year-old paraplegic man in distress but changed her story to say she was the man’s girlfriend. A call was immediately placed to the Maricopa Police Department which then notified Animal Care and Control that its immediate presence was required on the scene. The man was taken out of the home and transported to the hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown at this time.

“This seems to be a person who is a hoarder of possessions and animals,” said Animal Care and Control Director, Kaye Dickson. “It was tough to capture the animals due to the amount of debris inside the home. Because of the (house) conditions, I don’t know if we were able to capture all the animals that were in there.”

Dickson went on to say that by night’s end the Animal Care and Control officers rounded up nine dogs and seven cats, some of the animals being kept in unsanitary crates by the owner-occupant-caretaker. The alleged girlfriend-caretaker claimed many of the animals were neutered or spayed and that she will be able to produce veterinary records. She is unwilling to surrender the animals to Animal Care and Control for disposition.

“The owner has been told to contact our office on Monday so that we can talk about the state of the animals,” Dickson said. “We simply cannot return her animals to those conditions. She will have to thoroughly clean her home and apply for a kennel permit in order to keep these animals.”

Sunday, June 26, 2011, Animal Care and Control took possession of nine puppies that were dropped off in a box outside of a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office substation in Arizona City. The mixed-breed puppies are very young and not yet weaned from their mother. “You have to wonder about someone who would do such a thing to these puppies,” Dickson said. “One of our officers is keeping them at her home until we can take them to the vet for a check-up. We are going to need to find a foster situation for these puppies and they will need round-the-clock care in the absence of their mother.”

Dickson praised the work of Animal Control officers for their efforts to handle the massive influx of animals with the two hoarding cases in one week. “The dedication of our staff is amazing,” Dickson stated. “We have over sixty cats from two cases that we are overseeing, and our people have worked around the clock making sure these pets receive the care they need. While it is heartbreaking to see these animals in this condition, the officers and our kennel staff’s professionalism never wanes.”

Dickson said Animal Care and Control will welcome all monetary donations to help offset the costs of caring for the animals from the recent hoarding cases. Donations can be mailed to Pinal County Animal Care & Control P.O. Box 3061 RS Casa Grande, Arizona 85122. To adopt a cat or dog from a shelter, please contact your local Humane Society or Rescue. 

Contributers to this article are Joe Pyritz, Heather Murphy and Harley McGuire.

Harley McGuire, SedonaEye.com Star Columnist says spay or neuter your animals today!