17 dogs removed from house

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By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — Deputy dog wardens wore protective white coveralls and breathing apparatus to rescue 17 dogs from a feces-polluted West Side house that has been red-tagged as unfit for humans and animals.

John Hall, Animal Charity humane agent, said he will confer with the city prosecutor about filing cruelty charges against the renters of the two-story house that is now on the city's demolition list.

A few neighbors came outside in the cold wind Tuesday afternoon as vans from Animal Charity and the Mahoning County Dog Warden's office, along with marked and unmarked police cruisers, lined Oakwood Avenue. Relief that something was being done about the smelly house at 1810 Oakwood was evident on the onlookers' faces.

The renters, a mother and her 42-year-old son, stood in the driveway while their dogs were taken out and placed in vans for transport to Animal Charity on South Avenue. They had no objection to the dogs' being taken away because they knew the situation had gotten out of hand, Hall said.

Most of the dogs were carried from the house by Sean Toohey, deputy dog warden, and Nikki Hartley, an Animal Charity caretaker. "You have no idea," Toohey said, shaking his head as he came down the driveway with a dog in his arms.

A few of the dogs had to be captured with a snare. One scared black-and-white dog, his tail between his legs, dragged his butt on the driveway as he resisted being pulled by the snare.

"This is absolutely unbelievable," said Dave Nelson, deputy dog warden. "The house is absolutely uninhabitable. The feces is 1-foot thick in the living room, and upstairs it's probably 2-foot deep."

Nelson said he will issue 17 citations to the residents because none of the dogs are licensed.

Last week, he and Hall were at the house but didn't remove the dogs. The way was cleared for removal after the place was red-tagged Tuesday by the city housing department.

Mary, who lives on the corner, said the stench when the residents of 1810 Oakwood opened their windows in the summer was fierce. She said it was so bad her family couldn't sit outside and couldn't use their pool. Mary asked that her full name not be used.

"We've been calling about this house for two years — two years," Mary said. "There's 15 holes in the backyard where dogs are buried."

She expressed concern at the prospect of the house's being torn down and fecal pollutants becoming airborne. The animal hoarding situation inside 1810 Oakwood, she said, seems all too common in the city.

Mary had tears in her eyes as she watched the dogs, one by one, being carried out. She said she hopes they find good homes.

The dogs, all of whom appear to be healthy, can be adopted by calling Animal Charity at (330) 788-1064, ext. 20.

The red tag placed on the front door Tuesday afternoon means anyone who enters is subject to prosecution. The residents will have a day or so to leave.

meade@vindy.comt

Wednesday, November 7, 2007