Half of dogs found in Yorkville storage unit have new homes

BY MICHAEL BURKE

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 2:33 AM CDT

Journal Times

RACINE - Half of the small dogs seized in Yorkville by authorities on March 25 are well on their way to better lives. People from the area have opened their homes to the 31 dogs taken from a dog "hoarder" in Union Grove last week, a Countryside Humane Society official said Monday.

Twenty-seven of the dogs were leading a wretched existence when they were found inside a storage facility here. Racine County Sheriff's Department officers discovered the dogs packed three to a dog carrier with no food or water and covered in feces. The dogs were malnourished, many had skin problems and they were suffering harm to their eyes from heavy ammonia in the air; one needed to have an eye surgically removed and another had just half a tongue.

A deputy and a humane officer pried open the locked storage unit, found the dogs and got the nominal owner, Susan A. Ball of Union Grove, to surrender the dogs to Countryside.

On Wednesday, in the glare of intense media attention, Ball had a friend bring to Countryside four additional dogs she had had in her home at 1007 Main St. "She said, 'I don't want any more media (scrutiny),' " said Jody Halladay, senior humane officer and animal services director at Countryside, 2706 Chicory Road.

That made a total of 31 new residents for Countryside. Halladay said Monday that 16 of them have gone elsewhere for rehabilitation before attempts are made to find them new homes. Those interim stops included the Elmbrook and Oshkosh humane societies and rescue groups for pugs, cocker spaniels and Chihuahuas.

"As soon as they're ready, they'll be put up for adoption," she said.

For the remaining 15 that stayed with Countryside, the community responded swiftly. By Monday, 10 of them were in new homes with their new owners. The rest had all been adopted but were awaiting spaying or neutering. By Wednesday, all of them would be ready for their new homes.

Moreover, Halladay said dog-lovers donated generously, which helped during the crisis. "The support was unbelievable," she said, "through donations of money, bleach, everything (The Journal Times) listed in the paper.

"It'll not just help these animals; it'll help every animal here."

Most of the dogs that Ball, 44, was hoarding must have started as pets. However, only one was reunited with a previous owner, Halladay said.

That was one of the four dogs that Ball brought in Wednesday. It had been lost by a Norway family that had made extensive efforts to relocate the dog. "(Ball) had to have been aware they were looking for it," Halladay said.

That had Halladay convinced it was a case of theft, and she is proceeding accordingly; Countryside will recommend that Ball be charged with theft or dognapping in that case.

For the 27 seized dogs, Countryside has recommended to Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes that Ball be charged with 27 counts of five different misdemeanors including inadequate water, food and shelter; and neglect. Each is a Class A misdemeanor, the highest level of misdemeanor.

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