Dogs’ conditions arouse concerns

Published 12:23 am Sunday, February 21, 2010

By By GREG KATSKI
Community Editor

EDWARD — Deplorable, unsanitary, below standard: all words used to describe the conditions that Dawn Austin’s 131 dogs were living in before they were surrendered to Beaufort County Animal Control on Nov. 17, 2009.
The descriptions of Austin’s property at 435 Minor Run Road in Edward came from volunteers and officials involved in obtaining the dogs.
“The conditions the dogs were living in were definitely below standard, definitely unsanitary conditions,” said a local volunteer who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. “If you walked back there, that’s the opinion you would have. I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb saying that.”
The volunteer said many of the dogs had obvious ailments such as worms and were drinking brackish water.
Beaufort County Animal Control Director Sandra Woolard was involved in the surrender of the dogs at Austin’s property. She said the dogs with worms were given shots on site by animal-control officers with the Beaufort County and Pitt County animal-control departments.
“Quite a few (dogs) required medical treatment,” said InnerBanks Rescue co-founder Mary McDonald, who helped at the surrender.
Volunteers and officials said the property was muddy, almost swampy in places. Woolard said officials with the Beaufort County Health Department’s environmental-health section were called to the property. The officials determined that a water line running under the property to the two-story house had burst, leading to the swampy conditions, according to environmental health Supervisor Stacey Harris.
“There was no clean water going to the structure at the time,” Harris said. “Who knows how they were flushing the toilet; whether they were using buckets or not.”
Environmental-health officials shared their findings with Beaufort County Building Inspector Brandon Hayes, who condemned the house.
“The house has been condemned. She’s (Austin) not staying there,” he said.
Hayes cited electrical problems, less-than-adequate heating sources and no running water as reasons for condemning the house.
Officials said conditions inside Austin’s house weren’t much better than those outside because mud and sewage was being tracked in from the yard. An official who wished to remain anonymous said the floors of the house were not visible beneath the dirt that covered them.
Volunteers and officials said the dogs didn’t fare much better.
Dr. Marty Poffenberger, a veterinarian at Pamlico Animal Hospital, said her practice treated 31 of the surrendered dogs.
At least one of the dogs, a female Chihuahua, needed knee surgery, according to Poffenberger. She said the dog recently had a litter of puppies.
Poffenberger said the dogs weren’t getting the attention they needed, adding that some were borderline malnourished.
“There were a lot of thin dogs, but none were in imminent danger,” she said. “It’s hard to take care of that many animals and give each of them the attention it needs.”
McDonald, whose animal-rescue organization, InnerBanks Canine Rescue, worked with the animal hospital to arrange for people to adopt the ailing dogs, said many of the dogs she handled were “obviously underweight.”
“I’ve seen worse, but I’ve also seen a lot better,” she said.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County took in a number of the surrendered dogs. Mondi Lamb, the SPCA’s public-relations officer, said the dogs were put through the same course of treatment as stray dogs, adding that they didn’t have medical records or rabies vaccines.
McDonald said people continue to talk about the surrender.
“There is so much in the county that people don’t have a clue about. We are constantly answering calls for animal welfare,” said McDonald, who also volunteers at the Beaufort County animal shelter.
She said the only positive thing to come out of the surrender is the bright spotlight it put on the county’s dog problem.
“Whether or not charges are being made, maybe this is what it takes for light to be shed on the problem and change the outcome in the future,” McDonald said.