5 days ago
Animal Protective League rescues 72 animals
The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League recently rescued 72 animals after receiving a tip from a concerned person.
APL Shelter Director Diane King said the tip brought them to a property in Ashtabula, where they recovered 44 animals May 15.
The APL and its humane officer was assisted by the Ashtabula Police Department's animal control officer, King said.
The county humane agent works with the APL and has the authority to enforce provisions of the Ohio Revised Code relating to animal cases.
King said they got a tip the property owner had a second home outside the city, which they responded to May 27.
'We removed another 28 animals,' she said.
King said she could say where the second property was located.
The 72 rescued animals consisted of 69 cats and three dogs.
'We are trying to work with other shelters, rescues, anybody that's able to pull animals from us at this time would be helpful,' she said.
King has been the shelter director for around a month, she said.
'I've been involved with working with animals for 25 years,' she said. 'I came from Trumbull County as the Chief Humane Officer and Program and Outreach Director. So, I have a pretty extensive background in animal care, and cruelty and neglect [cases].'
King described the conditions she saw during the recent rescue.
'Entering a home like that, it's difficult to navigate,' she said. 'It was dark and you're hit with an overwhelming smell of fecal ammonia. Your eyes burn. Your throat burns. We had to wear respirators. You're walking on uneven ground, because there's several inches of urine and feces caked throughout the entire home.'
King said the floor was squishy beneath her feet because of all the urine and feces.
Animal hoarding houses have a distinct and overwhelming smell, she said.
'You typically see a lot of flies outside,' she said. 'You can smell it on the front porch.'
King said Ohio residents who want to leave a tip about a property they suspect of hoarding animals can reach out to the county humane society.
'A lot of cat hoarding cases, sometimes it's due to mental illness, but other times it's due to a population explosion,' she said. 'It's very important that you spay and neuter your animals.'
People can learn about mobile clinics available through and
'They are traveling [spay and neuter] clinics,' she said. 'They're able to look up different dates and locations.'
