THE MURDER OF MY ANIMALS

What they could not profit from, they killed.

This is a photo from the day they took the animals. It was taken by Will Vracovic, Logan Neill's photographer whom I gave permission to take photographs on that day. He would later return the favor by posting these photos on two animal hoarding web sites for all to see. This is my husband, Teddy, with his beloved Red Dog. We have no clue what happened to him.

Most of these animals were not sold because they were special needs, elderly, abused, and utterly unwanted...nearly all were mixed breeds. Because they could not be profited from, they were all killed with the exception of a few small pure-bred dogs. However, the exotic birds...Macaws, Cockatoos, Conures...and the horses and ponies, and my bull, were all auctioned for over $7,000 dollars. From what I understand, a few of the smaller birds remained at AC, and were being kept in relative darkness, according to Anne Zessin.

Along with the birds, my cages worth thousands of dollars were also taken by AC, and sold along with the birds! Other animals like sugar gliders, ferrets, and bunnies, were also taken in my cages, as were several dog crates and pet carriers that belonged to me. These were never returned.

Looking back on it now, it feels as if Ginger's deliberate and cold-blooded murder (read About Ginger, Our Beloved Mare for more information) was used as the king pin in order to create a situation which would allow Animal Control to ruthlessly seize the rest of the animals in an effort to collect revenue and turn a quick and handsome profit at my expense. Easily done when you are not given time to get a lawyer.

At Christmas time, as we grieved, they appeared in the newspaper with Santa Claus hats, gloating over a job well-done. My story was great publicity for them, thanks to Logan Neill.

All of these pictures were taken on October 29, 2009. A day before animal control took the animals.

Julio, aged 12, euthanized by AC, named after my husband's late father, whom we rescued on the streets of Nashville as a pup. He most recently survived and recovered completely from a crippling illness which took months of rehabilitation, treatments from multiple Vets, and the perseverance of my husband, Teddy.

Sally, aged 3, euthanized by AC, a happy resident of "Our Animal Haus", was rescued from a gas chamber death in 2007 at the hands of Animal Control in Barrow County, Georgia.

Red Dog, 7, euthanized, also a rescue from certain death by Animal Control in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2006. He and Julio are best friends, but are now, sadly, separated. We believe that they were both euthanized. Julio was 12. Perhaps they are together in heaven.

Bailey, 4, auctioned for profit by AC, was rescued in 2005, from a pet store in Largo where he was being improperly hand fed by an employee. At the request of an employee who discovered him in distress with a hardened crop, I purchased him over the phone, where upon he was immediately taken to a Vet for evaluation and care. He is missed very much.

Sunny, also 4, auctioned for profit by AC, was brought to me at the same time as Baily. Her former owner was not educated by the breeder who sold her, and he quickly discovered that Macaws were a noisy and demanding bird to own, not a wise choice for a first bird. She and Baily were pals.

Tutta....pretty Tutta...6, auctioned for profit by AC, was kept in a garage with another bird in a small cage, and rescued in 2005 by the woman who used to be an employee of mine, and who runs a mobile bird services business.

 

Yaki, auctioned for profit by AC...what can I say about this bird that does not break my heart? Yaki was in the window of Arigato, a Japanese restaurant in Clearwater for 12 years. I used to go there with my parents just to sit near her. The first time I saw her was in the early nineties. At some point, she was taken from the restaurant in 2004 because of a health violation. She would be in darkness all day until the restaurant opened at 5 PM. She has eye problems because of this. She had no climbing bars, so she developed arthritis in her feet. I know how this feels. Somehow we found our way towards each other in 2005, the same day that a dear friend of mine died. She is an older bird, 28, and needs special attention. Moving her from her home where she at last felt safe and cared for was cruel, and uncalled for.

Poppy, auctioned for profit by AC....has spradle feet, a birth defect which makes it hard for him to perch on your hand, so he uses his beak to climb onto you. We think that previous owners, of which there were 4, might have mistaken that for biting, which is why he has had multiple owners. He also has a potty mouth, and has been known to shock people with what he says...but hey, I am from New York! Will someone else be as understanding and aware of his birth defect? He was with us since 2005. He had been returned to the neighborhood pet store multiple times. The owner begged me to buy him.

Alma, auctioned for profit by AC, which means soul in Spanish, was 4, and was not a rescue, but family pet. She was a loving bird....and still is, wherever she may be. She is sorely missed.

Stoshi, auctioned for profit by AC, was purchased at a pet store in 2004. She was hand fed in the store, but never hand tamed. Her neighbor Elvis, below, and she had become good friends as their cages were placed next to one another in the store. She never learned to relate to people even after much work, but sure loved Elvis. They are now separated. I am sad and afraid for them both. Birds are so super sensitive to changes in surroundings, and can develop behavioral problems when they are moved around too much, often resulting in a lifetime of multiple owners. Sad.

Elvis, a small Macaw, so very affectionate...auctioned for profit by AC.

Chico, auctioned for profit by AC...used to give me kisses, and hated being put back into his cage. He was 6, and was liberated from a very bad pet store as a pre-owned bird in 2005.

Sunshine, auctioned for profit by AC, as he was named by a pet store employee in 2003, was one of the birds that never was purchased, and faced a long life in a pet store because he just could not be sold. Before the employee, an elderly man, relocated to Hawaii, he begged me to buy this bird and give him the good home that he so richly deserved. He was a real clown, and fluttered his wings every time he saw me.

Parakeets....

Love birds....

Bonita, 10, auctioned for profit by AC...a yellow-naped Amazon. Shewas purchased from the same pat store as Elvis, Poppy, and Stoshi...a pet store who had them in cages without toys.

Earl, age 8, auctioned for profit by AC...small potatoes for them. I wonder what will become of his mate Pearl. They were so sweet together, and were always chattering during morning coffee.

Ziggy, 4, auctioned for profit by AC. He arrived at my home 2 years ago, the victim of a very bad divorce. His best friend Ozzy, was in the cage next to him. I am sure they will be separated. How tragic.

Paco, the donkey, was rescued from a man who was dying of cancer. In the foreground are Truffles and Clyde, my son's ponies. I bought them for him in 2004...all were auctioned for profit by AC.

Sweet little Truffles. I will never forget her.

Picasso...somehow they "let" me keep him as a reward for being compliant...

...along with Baby, whom I have had for 8 years.

Look how happy and well-fed they were they night before. All of these cats are all deceased...murdered.

...and all these. All euthanized.

Sweet Johnny...he did not have to die.

Sweet Samantha, my son's favorite. How can I explain her unnecessary death to him? He cries about her and the other dead animals...or the stolen ones...his ponies, and his donkey, whom he had nicknamed "Herman"? I do not think he will ever understand or recover from this needless, senseless crime.

From what I understand, all of the people who purchased these animals via the online auctions set up by Animal Control, had to sign a contract allowing Animal Control to make routine surprise inspections for the period of one year. This will make them subject to the same kind of illegal confiscation that happened to me, especially if they own other exotic birds, or other animals that carry a large price tag. Potentially, these animals of mine could be bounced around and sold for profit once again by Animal Control. It is their own special way of spreading the damage.

I encourage you to write to me at samlorac@aol.com if you know of similar animal confiscations of healthy animals in your area, especially if you live in the state of Florida.

These photos were taken by my husband on the 22 of October, 2009.

Ladybug, our Haflinger...auctioned off for profit. My son, who is 7, loved her and was supposed to have been able to grow up riding her. In the background is Clyde, one of my son's ponies.

Crazy Boy, a cute mixed-breed with big ears...euthanized.

Randolph, and elderly hound dog, euthanized. He has been rescued from death at the hands of Barrow County GA Animal Control, only to find the same fate at the hands of Animal Control in Hernando County. He deserved the dignity of living out his life with love, and in peace. Behind him, are some of our huge dog runs, many as big as 30' x 75', and with maybe 2 or 3 dogs each. We did fall behind on the mowing, but had just hired a full-time-live-in-man, who had started working on September 27th, 2 days after Animal Control's happy visit which is documented by the photo at the top of this page. He had begun that day, clearing many of the kennels by hand with a weed-whacker. Hard and time-consuming work.

Our beautiful barn.

Ladybug and Sly (seized on 10/21...I don't know what happened to him...he was blind.) This photo was taken 10/18, 2 days after they seized Ginger. My husband is holding up the newspaper to prove the date. That is Sly in the background. Had I ANY clue they would take him, I would have taken a better photo of him on this day. You can see how the animals are fed separately, and not from a single troth, the empty troth that Tossona had deliberately photographed to frame me.

The cattery. It was roomy and clean, and cost me $35,000 to have built. The outside wrap around chain link area was added by my lovely fence guy Ray, who did some work for the Humane Assoc. building just this sort of fencing. He did all of our farm fencing, coral fencing, and dog runs. No doubt, we were his best customers.

The cattery on the inside...all of these cats are dead.

These cats were QUARANTINED from the rest, until a separate outdoor cattery could be built. I had tried to get another rescue named Caring Fields to take them, whose name I got from Officer Tassoni from Animal Control, but when I called them, they told me that they just had no space...things were worse than ever in this economy. They did, however put me in touch with someone who could help me design an outdoor area similar to theirs. Ray, our fence man, was going to do it for cost, and my new employee was going to supply the much needed manpower. I had a backer who was in the process of arranging a grant for us. I was never given a chance to do this. My husband cleaned these kennels every night, without fail. Today, these cats are dead.

We gave up our huge 700+ square feet living room with huge windows and vaulted ceilings to 16 indoor cats. They even had a spiral staircase which they loved to rule, and a 200 gallon fish tank to gaze at. They were all euthanized, and combined with the very cats they had been separated from with such care for so long.

Puck was declawed, and my mother's favorite. I should have given him to her while I could. It would have saved his life. I just never thought that this ruthless invasion into our home and their home would ever happen. Now I know better. It could happen to anyone.

Where's Milo, the Prairie Dog? God only knows what they did with him...he was very happy with his other animal friends. This is the only photo I have of him, from 2 years ago. Somehow, they "let" me keep Buttons, the Royal Dandie pig (along with 2 birds, 2 cats, and a pony - a most painful choice), as part of the "deal", even though it had been determined by the court that I am unfit to own any animals in Hernando County for the next 3 years. Does that make any sense to you, even if you are not on my side?