Hoarder Case and Transport Follow-up

IDA’s Project Hope sanctuary works 24 hours/day to rescue, spay/neuter, and find homes for animals of all species. In January, Project Hope’s Director, Doll Stanley, led an effort to save 58 dogs rescued from a Mississippi hoarder. Now, less than two months later, we have a very happy ending.

As the video and photos below show, Project Hope staff just completed a long journey that brought the last of these dogs to their new homes. Along with other dogs (and 8 cats) rescued from a variety of situations, the dogs were transported to our friends at Every Creature Counts (ECC) in Ft. Lupton, Colorado. ECC brought the dogs to PetSmart’s “Winter Adoptathon” and every one of the dogs from the hoarder case was adopted.

AP coverage of our rescue efforts made newspapers all over the south and in Colorado. Readers were inspired to adopt the animals. These dogs went from living in a miserable, dilapidated, over-crowded house, to happy homes, in less than two months. And, those who needed to be spayed and neutered were! All thanks to your support.

We hope this story inspires you to contribute to Project Hope, so we can continue our rescue work.

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Hoarder Case and Transport

On Thursday, January 14, Best Friends contacted Project Hope to ask for help for a woman in Lexington, MS. The woman reported that she had about 30 dogs that she could no longer feed or care for. Project Hope's Director, Doll contacted a vet friend, Dr. Roberts, who has helped Project Hope on many occasions. Dr. Roberts knew the woman, who we'll call Linda, and Friday, he and Doll went to assess the needs of the dogs.

Linda and her dogs live in a house which is missing the entire north side, exposing every room in the house to the elements. The house is so dilapidated that Linda spends all her time on the porch wrapped in blankets to shield herself from the cold and rain. Considering the state of things, the dogs, all terriers and terrier mixes, were in relative good health. The only real issue with the dogs, aside form there being many more than the original 30 we had expected, is that they tended to be excitable and jumped and fought with each other. The smaller and more timid dogs clearly bore the marks of aggression.

With the direness of the situation Doll decided they had to begin moving the dogs. Since Project Hope was at capacity, the dogs would have to be boarded. Dr. Roberts and Doll loaded up 19 dogs on that initial trip.

Doll made a second trip to Linda’s a few days later. This time she removed 10 puppies and 7 adults. Doll left one mother behind because Linda said she might still have a puppy in the woods. The Cleveland/Bolivar County Animal Shelter stepped up to take these dogs. They were already planning a transport and the rescue group they were working with offered to take this group of dogs.

On Thursday, February 4, Doll went back to remove the dogs that remained. The dogs previously removed had all been spayed/neutered and this group would be spayed/neutered the next morning by Mississippi Spay And Neuter (MS SPAN) using their "Big Fix" mobile clinic. MS SPAN is an organization that provides low-cost spay/neuter across the state.

This bring us up to today, where Chele and Doll are doing a transport to Every Creature Counts (ECC) in Denver. ECC has generously offered to take the remaining dogs from this case. Doll and Chele left Project Hope for Denver earlier today with a whooping 76 animals, including 68 dogs and 8 cats.

This is a case of many folks pulling together to help a woman and her animals in desperate need. Thank you to everyone who made this ending a happy one - Dr. Roberts, Best Friends, MS SPAN, Every Creature Counts, Veterinary Associates and of course Chele for always selflessly offering her time and energy for transports.

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Mississippi - Urge Senate to Pass First Offense Felony Cruelty Bill!

MS SB 2623—First Offense Felony Penalty for Aggravated Offenses of Animal Cruelty
Sponsor: Senator Billy Hewes 



Please call your Mississippi state senator today and urge him or her to support the passage of SB 2623 to institute a felony-level penalty for a first offense of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Mississippi is one of only four states that does not have a felony-level penalty for the most severe acts of animal cruelty. However, the Mississippi Legislature has taken an important first step toward correcting this and better protecting dogs and cats in the state. Senate Bill 2623, legislation that will strengthen Mississippi's animal cruelty laws, successfully passed out of committee last week and is now headed to the Senate floor, where it will be considered and voted on by the entire Senate.

If passed, SB 2623 will institute a felony-level penalty for a first offense of the most serious, egregious and aggravated acts of cruelty to dogs and cats.

Studies have proven that violence and cruelty directed at animals is a first step toward violent behavior directed at people, which is another reason why strong penalties for animal abusers are so crucial: they help protect both animals and people and make for safer communities. Because of the proven link between violence toward animals and violence toward people, this is important legislation not only for Mississippi's dogs and cats, but for Mississippi's human population as well.

Help to put an end to the cycle of violence before it starts. Call the office of your state senator today and urge him or her to protect both people and animals by supporting SB 2623 to create a felony-level penalty for a first offense of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Please don't delay; SB 2623 could be heard and brought up for a vote in the Mississippi Senate as early as this week, so time is of the essence!

To find your state senator's contact information, visit our Action Center and enter your zip code.

You can also find your Mississippi state senator's contact info on the state's web site.

Please remember to contact your STATE senator, not federal senator!
Here are a few talking points that might help you when calling your senator:

•Mississippi's animal protection laws are among the weakest in the nation.
•Mississippi is one of only a very few states that does not have a first offense felony-level penalty for the most serious and egregious acts of aggravated animal cruelty.
•Because of the proven link between violence toward animals and violence toward people, mental health and social services professionals support strong animal cruelty penalties such as a first offense felony for aggravated acts of cruelty to animals.
•Providing stronger protections for animals has the added benefit of protecting people.
•Cruelty to animals is an indicator crime of future deviant and violent criminal behavior.
•Strong animal cruelty laws make for safer communities.

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