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02 Feb 2012

Animal Care & Control Responds to Extreme Hoarding Case


by: Heather Murphy

87 dogs, 5 exotic birds and another 6 dogs captured one day later

FLORENCE – On Tuesday afternoon, Pinal County Animal Care & Control personnel responded to another case of extreme animal hoarding in an unincorporated area south of Maricopa.  In total, 93 dogs were taken in, along with five exotic birds.

“Our officers have responded to multiple cases of animal hoarding in the last twelve months,” said Kaye Dickson.  “We worked through the night to shuttle these animals to our shelter after finding them on a remote rural property.  Our shelter is exceeding capacity and we are operating under emergency conditions.”

The home was uninhabitable, according to Animal Control.  There was no electricity and no running water.  Floors were covered with garbage and several inches of fecal matter.  One dog had severely infected bite wounds and had to be euthanized to prevent continued suffering.

“We worked this incident in fear for our own health,” Dickson said.  “I cannot fathom how the two adult residents were able to live there.”

The owner voluntarily surrendered the animals, allowing the animals to be put up for adoption in the coming weeks.  A veterinarian must first examine the dogs as part of the ongoing investigation.  Shelter hours for the month of February will be from 8 AM to 6 PM.  The adoption offices will be closed on Saturdays in February.

Calls for Animal Care & Control services are handled at 520-509-3555 or toll free at 888-431-1311.  For information about lost or found pets or to see information on animals for adoption at the shelter, go to Animal Control on www.pinalcountyaz.gov or use this shortened URL:  http://goo.gl/LqALP.  Lost and Found is in red near the bottom of the page.  PetHarbor is the website used to list adoptable animals at the shelter.

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Heather Murphy

Heather Murphy

Heather Murphy joined the Pinal County staff in September 2007 as Director of Communications and Public Affairs. Previously, she served nearly eight years managing communications for the Arizona Corporation Commission, a state regulatory agency. Her professional career has involved work with corporations, non-profits and government. She holds several professional certifications in emergency response and recovery. Following Hurricane Katrina, she took a brief leave of absence from the state to assist FEMA and the state of Louisiana with the launch of the Find Family National Call Center. There she gained valuable real-world crisis communications experience. Murphy is a graduate of the national Emergency Management Institute’s Advanced Public Information Officer training and is certified instructor for the basic PIO course offered by the Arizona Division of Emergency Management. In her leisure time, she is an avid photographer and serves on the board of a statewide pet rescue organization.

Website: pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments/NewsInformation/Pages/Home.aspx

Contact Details

  • Address
    31 N Pinal Street
  • City
    Florence
  • State or Province
    AZ
  • Zip Code
    85132
  • Country
    United States
  • Telephone
    520-866-6057

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