DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) -- Agents from the Humane Society of Greater Dayton discovered 43 malnourished and injured farm animals at a property in Germantown.
A news release from the Humane Society described the conditions as, "Living in deplorable conditions with little to no fresh food. Water that looked more like sludge than anything suitable for drinking. Stalls nearly 3 feet deep in fecal matter."
The obvious signs of neglect and property maintenance violations resulted in Humane Society agents and the Germantown Police Department removing 43 animals from the farm. Among these 43 animals were 1 horse, 2 cows, 3 goats, 7 sheep, 5 rabbits, 7 peacocks, 1 turkey, 1 duck, 2 guineafowl, 11 chickens and 3 geese.
“It is always a difficult day for our team to see animals in such poor and neglectful conditions,” said Brian Weltge, President & CEO of the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. “However, our team is well trained and responded quickly to obtain a warrant and remove the animals from this horrible situation so that we could begin to immediately address their veterinary needs and provide them with the food, shelter and medical care they need to rehabilitate.”
The Humane Society of Greater Dayton was able to send the animals into foster homes where they are getting the care and medical attention they require, despite the fact that the majority of them were severely underweight and several had additional health problems.
“We are so grateful for the people who reported this situation,” said Weltge. “Our organization can’t be everywhere at once so we rely on the community to be our eyes and ears. It is because of your diligence that we were able to remove these animals and give them the help they need.”
The cost of caring for these animals can be very expensive for the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. If you would like to support the care these animals need to recover and transition into permanent homes, visit www.hsdayton.org/donate to make a donation.
The Humane Society of Greater Dayton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the animals in its care entirely from individual, company, and grant donations.
The Humane Society Agents recently testified about the seizure in Miamisburg Municipal Court. The defendants were accused and found guilty of animal cruelty, and the 43 animals were then turned over to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.
In addition to receiving the maximum penalty allowed by the law, both suspects were placed on probation for a maximum of five years, during which time they will be observed by both the Miamisburg Municipal Court Probation Department and our Humane Society officers.