shelter inspections not required in Ohio – Dayton Daily News
Local officials said the recent removal of more than 650 dogs and cats from rescue shelters in Huber Heights, Bethel Twp. and Piqua because of poor living conditions and neglect highlight a loophole in Ohio law that does not require shelters to be inspected.
Animal advocates and officials said that even shelter operators with the best intentions can accept too many animals and become overwhelmed, which can result in the animals suffering serious neglect.
“Other states have some stringent inspection requirements,” said Mark Kumpf, director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. “We don’t have those here in Ohio.”
In another neglect case, a few of the 50 exotic birds found at a home in Troy are being cared for on the property by the Miami County Humane Society. Officials said charges could result from their ongoing investigation.
On Wednesday, officers with the Animal Resource Center executed a search warrant at Circle of Love animal rescue shelter at 6721 Spokane Drive in Huber Heights after complaints about the smell and noise coming from the home.
Officers seized 85 cats and 46 dogs from the residence, some of which had fleas, skin problems, ringworm, upper respiratory infections and feline herpes virus, Kumpf said.
Circle of Love, incorporated at the Huber Heights address in 2008, is a nonprofit that adopted out about 200 animals a year, the owners said. It had a commercial kennel license from the county, but the city prohibits such businesses from operating in residential neighborhoods.
Kumpf said he anticipates criminal charges will result from the case, but he noted that Circle of Love board member Mark Madsen and owner Connie James have been very cooperative.
The 131 animals are still under evaluation and not currently up for adoption. But the center is accepting donations to help handle the large influx of cats and dogs, and center officials urge residents to adopt other animals to help ease the crowding.
“Yes, we probably had too many animals, but a lot were kittens and puppies, and it’s not like we had huge herds, and they were never mistreated and always fed,” Madsen said.
Circle of Love was never overwhelmed as far as caring for the animals, Madsen said.
As the investigation into Circle of Love continues, Jeff Burgess, the owner of One More Chance Rescue and Adoption locations in Bethel Twp. and Piqua, faces charges of animal cruelty in Clark and Miami counties .
In February, Clark County officials found more than 400 dogs and 15 cats at the Bethel Twp. shelter. The animals were kept in hog barns teeming with rats and fecal matter, said James Straley, the executive director of the Clark County Humane Society.
He said some of the animals rescued were on the brink of death. They also found 76 dead dogs at the site. About 88 percent of the animals rescued were transferred to other shelters or found new homes. The rest were euthanized.
A few weeks earlier, Miami County inspectors said they found 98 dogs and a litter of puppies living in terrible conditions at Burgess’ Piqua location.
“I knew the dogs were in there, but I couldn’t get in the building because I didn’t have the evidence to get in,” Straley said. “Once we found evidence” — they witnessed dogs outside in the cold without food, water or shelter — “I got a search warrant.”
Like many “animal rescuers” who wind up hoarding animals, Burgess likely started his shelters with good intentions but eventually became overwhelmed, Straley said.
Straley said if the state required routine inspections of rescue shelters, the living conditions for animals kept at those shelters would be less likely to deteriorate.
Teresa Landon, director with the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the lack of oversight means there are no guarantees that the animals are living in conditions better than they lived in before rescue.
Oftentimes, rescue shelter operators who are struggling financially will resort to dog-breeding and transform their organizations into defacto puppy mills, she said.
Kumpf, with the Animal Resource Center, said Ohio law requires animal owners to provide proper care, but without inspections, there is no way of knowing if proper care is being provided.
“It’s a glaring loophole in Ohio’s laws,” he said.
In Troy, the Miami County Humane Society is observing and providing food and water to a few dozen exotic birds that have been relocated. Humane Society members are caring for the birds as the investigation continues into whether the birds’ owner, Douglas Ratcliff, committed any crimes, such as animal cruelty.
“There’s still work to be done, and (Ratcliff) will continue to work on it,” said Sharon Karns, the county’s humane officer.
Nancy Bowman contributed to this report.
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