The odor emanating from a Ross Township home was so potent neighbors couldn’t even bear to be in their yards. Damian Miller said his family could not enjoy their swimming pool because the eye-watering, nose-burning smell was so horrific.
Even though Miller repeatedly reported the smell to authorities, nothing was done. Eleven years ago, animal control officers removed several animals from that same home, so neighbors had a feeling something similar was happening again.
By the time officials appeared on the doorstep of the home owned by 65-year-old Mary Frankovic and her son Chris, 45, it was too late. The pair had accumulated more than 100 dogs in their Pennsylvania home this time, many emaciated.
There were so many dogs in the home they were hiding in furniture and in the walls of the house. One puppy, just days old, died.
Ross Township police and officials with Animal Friends had to don HAZMAT suits and use oxygen tanks just to enter the home. Ammonia levels had spiraled out of control and it wasn’t safe to simply walk in without protection and fresh oxygen, said Brian Kohlhepp, a Ross Township police detective.
“The levels of ammonia are so high, it’s not safe for humans to be in there. They have the self-contained breathing system so that they can safely go in and breathe the air they take in the tanks.”
The 117 rescued dogs ranged in age from newborns to seniors and most were Australian shepherd mixes, said Animal Friends Chief Operating Officer Lauren Leffakis.
“They were everywhere. They were on the second floor. They were in the basement.”
Firefighters called to the scene helped cool down the dogs by spraying them gently, then loaded them onto a truck for transportation to Animal Friends.
“Several are emaciated and in need of immediate medical attention.”
Even though the mother and son told authorities they were trying to help the animals, they will face hundreds of animal cruelty charges, police officers said. Township officials also will return to the home at a later time to determine if it’s even safe to live in.
This particular incident isn’t the only shocking one. Sadly, there are animal hoarding cases occurring across the country every day.
Just this week, police in Edgewater, Fla., carried out a wellness check on three minor-aged girls. They were found living with 245 animals including 60 adult rats with 23 babies.
The dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, reptiles and other rodents were neglected, dehydrated and some were dead.
Officer Anthony Binz testified that some animals sat in cages surrounded by their own excrement. Most had no food or water. All were infested with fleas and some with mange.
According to the police report, there were four dogs, two cats, nine live guinea pigs, 12 rabbits, four hamsters, 10 sugar gliders, 14 birds, a gecko, a tortoise, a hedgehog, seven bearded dragons, a leopard-spotted gecko, 95 mice and 60 adult rats with 23 babies in the home.
There is the case of the woman who lived in a van with 300 pet rats and another woman who kept 42 cats in her apartment. Animal hoarding is considered to be a serious mental illness listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
The good news is that as of Oct. 14, 30 dogs from the Ross Township hoarding case have been adopted and 15 are being cared for at by breed-specific rescue organizations so that they can receive specialized care and attention. However, there are still more pets from that hoarding case and many other incidents across the country waiting to be adopted into a loving home.
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