Posted on
Friday, April 11, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Girl, Dogs Removed From Home Filthy With Animal Waste
By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer
LINDALE — The screams of anguish and the putrid smells coming from inside the mobile home punctuated the case that law enforcement says has tugged at their heartstrings — a case involving the removal of a 16-year-old girl and more than a dozen diseased dogs from the home.
Staff Writer
LINDALE — The screams of anguish and the putrid smells coming from inside the mobile home punctuated the case that law enforcement says has tugged at their heartstrings — a case involving the removal of a 16-year-old girl and more than a dozen diseased dogs from the home.
“Look at the brave men out here taking my poor dogs. Can’t you see they are healthy and loved?” Juanita Lindsey screamed from her wheelchair as some of the dogs yelped from cages.
Smith County Constable Dennis Taylor, his deputies and the Dallas Area SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) served a warrant on Ronnie Lindsey and his mother Juanita Friday in their home at 16924 Creekside Drive just outside of Lindale.
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The warrant allowed the authorities to remove more than a dozen dogs from the family’s single-wide mobile home, where officials said fecal matter was several inches deep throughout the home.
“This is one of the worst cases I have ever seen,” Taylor said at the scene as SPCA and law enforcement placed the mange-ridden dogs into kennels. “The girl was living in there in all of this with her uncle and grandmother, and that’s why she was removed.”
Taylor’s deputy and Lindale School Resource Officer Wendy Savering said she was called Monday by the Lindale High School nurse to perform a welfare check on the student’s home.
What she found when she arrived at the home was something she said she would never have believed.
“There are several inches of feces and urine on the floor, in the beds and on the furniture and the dogs all have some mange and some are bleeding from their eyes and other areas,” she said. “They (the Lindseys) are living and eating in there.”
Savering said Child Protective Services removed the student from the home Monday, and she has been placed with a family in Lindale where she is being taken care of and receiving counseling.
“She didn’t have any friends and she hasn’t been riding the bus for some time. Her clothes reeked of the same odor you smell from inside that home,” she said.
Savering said the girl’s father is deceased, and her mother is believed to be somewhere in Colorado but is not in contact with the family.
“We’ve got her with a family now where she is safe and the school got some money together and bought her some new clothes. They couldn’t clean the other ones,” she said.
Paramedics were called to the scene to treat Ronnie’s arms after he was bitten multiple times, while SPCA officials tried to capture the dogs inside the home.
“I love these dogs, and yes they all have names. There is Trixie, Sparky and Peanut. I can’t do this. I don’t want to talk about this now. It’s my time to spend my last time with them,” he said as he cried and kissed at each cage, some of the dogs growling back at him.
Juanita sat in her wheelchair crying and muttering. Both of their clothing was stained. Ronnie kept saying they rescued the dogs that no one wanted.
“I don’t think they will find anyone who will love these dogs as much as we do,” he said sobbing.
“I can’t believe anyone could live like this,” Savering said.
Authorities said the mother and son may face criminal charges for the animals and the girl, but would not give additional details.
Taylor did say that Smith County Environmental officers are making the family clean up outside the place and along with CPS and adult services will be monitoring the condition of the home. Adult Services checked the elderly woman and said she was mentally competent to care for herself.
“Right now the girl has not been removed permanently, but if the filth is not cleaned, then they will place her with a foster family,” he said. “I don’t know what will happen to the uncle and grandmother, but a psychologist told us today that she can take care of herself.”
He added that environmental officers have dealt with the family multiple times for the junked vehicles and other trash outside of the home and a dead horse several years ago that died of malnutrition. He said all of the events showed a pattern.
Ronnie and his mother also used to live in the home next door on the same property, and officials said that home was as bad as the current one.
“The dogs lived in the house 24 hours a day and were not let outside to use the restroom. You can imagine how bad it is in there,” he said.
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