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96 animals found HAIKU, Maui >> Maui Humane Society officials said they have euthanized 74 dogs and 12 cats -- most of the 96 animals taken from a house near Haiku Elementary School.
in house on Maui
The humane society says it has
euthanized 74 dogs and 12 catsBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comAnimal control supervisor Aimee Anderson said many of the animals were malnourished, dehydrated and sick with open sores, heartworms, urine burns, lice and bite wounds from being in fights.
"What a waste," Anderson said. "We've seen some bad stuff but this one takes the cake."
She said the animals were taken after a woman who owned and lived in the home called humane society officials at 4 p.m. Friday.
Anderson said it was the single largest dog impoundment the agency has done. She added that she is in contact with the prosecutor's office and that an investigation is continuing about the conditions under which the animals lived.
The woman who owned the house was unavailable for comment.
She said the dogs, many of whom were related through inbreeding, were confined within the house in West Lelehuna Place and kept in dark rooms with piles of feces and pools of urine.
Anderson said the cats were confined in kitchen cabinets behind mesh wire and nailed doors.
Feces was smeared on the walls, and urine in one room was standing so long it had dried to form a concave pool on the floor, she said.
"The filth was just pervasive," she said. "This house needs to be condemned."
Many dogs had been bitten by other dogs, and one dog was mauled to death and lay dead in the hallway, Anderson said.
She said with some help from neighbors, humane society officials took about seven hours to remove the animals and ended their work about 2 a.m. Saturday.
Haiku residents Jeff and Maria Bantilan said they had complained several times to state health officials and the humane society about the fecal and urine smell of animals coming from the house across from their residence.
But they never expected to find that the house contained 81 dogs, 14 cats and a dead dog.
"The smell got so bad, we couldn't stand it," Maria Bantilan said.
Jeff Bantilan said they noticed the smell from the residence about two years ago and that the owner did nothing about it.
Anderson said the animal shelter was at 100 percent capacity before the massive removal of dogs and cats and had no room to put all of them.
She said two dogs and two cats are up for adoption, and five other dogs will be evaluated by an animal trainer to determine if they are sociable enough to be adopted.
The two dogs up for adoption have mixed blood lines and include a female red Doberman and a male Australian shepherd with Doberman. The two cats include a male and female.
Anderson said the two cats are still sick, and she plans to take them home to nurse them back to health before putting them up for adoption.