This story by John Lippman was first published in the Valley News on June 4.
WINDSOR — More than 160 animals living in a trailer were surrendered by their owners to authorities and taken away by animal welfare organizations last week in what police described as an “animal hoarding incident” in Windsor.
The early-morning May 28 operation rescued scores of animals, many of them confined in cages, from inside a mobile home. Two adults resided at the home in the Bunker Hill Community Cooperative just south of Frazer’s Place diner off Route 12, according to officials.
The identities of the occupants have not been released and no charges have been filed, although the matter remains under investigation, police said.
Removed from the residence were a total of 165 animals, including 28 dogs, 14 cats, 11 guinea pigs, 40 sugar gliders, four rabbits and 68 birds, Windsor police said in an emailed news release Tuesday.
Joining Windsor police in the operation were Windham County Humane Society, Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, Humane Society of Chittenden County, Springfield Humane Society, along with a veterinarian, a wildlife removal specialist and animal control officers from the Brattleboro and Springfield, Vt.
Also enlisted for advice were Humane World for Animals, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Vermont Fish & Wildlife, Windsor Fire Department and the town’s health officer, police said.
“This turned out to be a very complex operation to put this together once police found out about it because of all the regulations involved,” Tom Marsh, Windsor town manager, said on Tuesday. “It required a pretty wide network and support from state agencies.
Jackie Stanley, executive director of the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society in Brownsville, said her organization took in “seven dogs of differing (breeds) and medical conditions,” in addition to six guinea pigs and 12 sugar gliders. (A sugar glider is a squirrel-size, tree-dwelling nocturnal marsupial).
“The remarkable thing about this household was the multiple species. So the coordination of relocating them among all the shelters in Vermont and humane organizations was the huge effort,” she said.
Stanley said the dogs are being evaluated in the same manner as any incoming potential pet and will be treated for parasites, vaccinated, spayed or neutered and “evaluated for behavior.” She said they could be ready for adoption in “one or two weeks.”
“We’ve already had inquiries about the sugar gliders,” Stanley said.
Windsor police said the investigation began last April when they received a complaint “from a citizen” about “the number of animals living inside the residence and feared for the health of the occupants.”
When police investigated, they found animals in cages in each of the rooms of the residence with some cages “stacked up on others” and all the animals located inside the residence, the Tuesday news release said.
The occupants “cooperated with authorities and willingly allowed the removal of the animals,” police said.
On-scene veterinarians assessed the animals prior to their removal and most “appeared to be in good overall health, with a few needing medical attention going forward.”
The occupants are cooperating with the ongoing investigation, police said.
Marsh said it does not appear that the residents were breeding animals to sell.
“The intention was more: ‘We’re giving a home to these animals that don’t have a home,’ ” Marsh said.
He likened the animals inside the residence to a “hoarding situation as opposed to a nefarious breeding operation.”
“Unfortunately they thought they were doing something good and they weren’t,” Marsh said, adding “there’s a mental health aspect.”
Windham County Humane Society posted on its Facebook page on Saturday that they took in 16 dogs and two “sphinx cats” from the Windsor rescue operation and that the next day one of the dogs gave birth to six puppies.
Within days, some of the Windsor dogs had already found new forever homes, the Society announced, noting that they are “basking in the warm sunshine, happily romping around and napping together in the fresh air, and loving their newfound freedom from the cramped space they called home for too long.”
The society launched a special fundraising campaign to help “create a happy ending to a hoarding case” with a goal of raising $5,000.
By Tuesday afternoon, the Windham organization had raised $3,626 toward its goal.
