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The recent post about being active in the animal world made me realize that you all are the perfect people to find out the information I need to go further in my mission.
Last year, my mom moved to central Florida from her home in Miami to be a teacher. I lived with her for a few weeks while my husband was away for basic training. It was Christmastime, and my mom informed me that she had an extremely poor student in her class. My mom had found out that the girl not only had horrible lice, rotting teeth, wore the same tattered clothes and too small shoes that she'd been wearing the previous years, and only had 1 meal a day which was at school (it gets worse, but I won't go further). My parents decided they wanted to help the girl so they went to her house (which turned out to be a shack, LITERALLY, with no electricity whatsoever). They brought her and her disabled grandmother non-perishable foods and bought them clothes and such. While there, they discovered that their floors, which were made of wooden planks, had rotted all the way through the front porch.
Not too many days following, my brothers came up for their Christmas vacation and they went over there to replace the floor. I went with them because I wanted to show them love and possibly make them feel a bit better about everything. When I got there, I saw dogs running around as well as chickens and a cat. They all looked decently healthy considering the look of the actual inhabitants. Of course they had fleas, but they all seemed happy and had shade and water. I asked the grandmother what she does about feeding them, she said her neighbor did it.
I got up onto their porch where my brothers were working and, right there against the house were 2 bodies I recognized as puppies. I remember saying "Oh, you have puppies!" when I realized that these puppies were not moving. I went over to them and found that they were covered in fleas, absolutely starved beyond belief, and there was blood all in their coat from whatever was eating at them. I asked her how old they were, she said 6 months. I asked her what breed they were, she told me (after telling me, I realized they had to be more about 3 months). I asked her where she got them, she said her granddaughter's father (who was no good and the reason that they were in that situation, he stole his mother's social security and disability money and gave them only $20 to live off of every month and she won't report him because he's her son).
Of course, I was freaking out inside. My whole family was there and my mother had a personal relationship as well as a professional relationship with this family so I couldn't act on everything I wish I could have. I asked her why they were starved, she said that the bigger dogs didn't let them eat. I looked around and only found food that could be eaten by adult dogs of a large size, which these obviously weren't. I turned to her and asked her if I could have them, and she said yes. She didn't want them.
I wanted to take them right then, but I knew I had to ask my husband first. My husband called me that day and I told him about it, he told me to go and get them. I went the next day, it killed me to even wait through the night. After 3 months they were to full health, absolutely beautiful, and I was able to place them into GREAT homes.
NOOOOWWWW onto my current concern:
Since this has happened, I've wanted to report them. My mom begged me not to because it would mean so much trouble for her at work, so I waited until this summer when her job was over. Before she moved back to Miami (I was no longer living with her at the time), I asked her to go to their house and check to see what the situation of their animals was like. My mother reluctantly went and, upon arriving, she found their female dog tied up in the sun, starving. She went closer and found that the dog was pregnant. She immediately asked the grandmother what was going on and she said that she was trying to kill the puppies 'cause they couldn't afford to have any and her granddaughter wouldn't stop bringing animals home (by this time, they had more than 1 additional dog than just 5 months before!). My mom didn't tell me this until she found out that all of the puppies who had been born died because their mother couldn't nurse them. I asked my mom why she hadn't done anything about it when she could have and she said that she had, she had brought a ton of food for the mom and told the grandmother to tell her whenever she needed more and she would provide it.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO extremely furious. I started calling animal control places around there and they said they had to have their address, which my mother wouldn't give me because she was scared of what would happen if they saw the condition of the girl and reported her to child services. HOLY FREAKING CRAP, I know you're all fuming now too.
A few months later, after trying everything I could but ending up nowhere 'cause I had no idea where they lived or what their names were, my mom came to me to tell me that the little girl had called to tell my mom about a 3 foot long rat snake she had found in her "house". My mom then continued to tell me that the girl had caught it and was keeping it. I told my mom to tell the girl immediately that that snake would indoubtedly die in captivity. Sure enough, 2 days later, the little girl called and when my mom asked about the snake the girl said it had died.
My mother doesn't feel it's her business, and she begs me to do something about it, but doesn't want to be a part of it. I guess she feels like she's betraying them, but GOD- how the hell could someone betray all these animal's lives like this? My mother loves her animals, but she is not an advocate for their rights. I've tried all the approaches I can think of and she won't go any further.
I am going to be driving up that way around Thanksgiving time and, though my destination will be a little over an hour away, I was thinking I'd stop in that town and try to find my way back to their house. I've only been there those 2 times but I don't think it could be that hard to find since it's so rural.
Here is my question..
If I go there to get there address and don't see any animal abuse at the time, what will the animal control be able to do? I've looked up some stories online and have found that most aren't able to take a witnesses reports as justifiable cause to seize their animals. Instead, they'll check out the living conditions and, if they seem questionable, they'll just give them a warning and come back later to check on the animals again. If they all seem fine then as well, then they'll let them go on with whatever they're doing.
Can someone PLEASE tell me something I can do that will forbid them from having animals? I just found out that they now have a HORSE. They don't even live on a full acre! I know you only need a half acre in the county for 1 horse, but they don't even have a pasture and horses with grass belly are not the healthiest they should be.
Please tell me I am missing some part of what I can be doing, this is my last chance as my parents are selling their property up there and I will be living on the other side of the country as soon as I move Thanksgiving weekend.
DO NOT WRITE A COMMENT TO BASH MY MOTHER, PLEASE. I am asking for advice on what to do, and I'd hate to hear someone tell me mean things about my mother. Her parents used to abuse animals when she was smaller, and owned a cattle farm. She learned to love animals on her own and is still coming a long way. Tell me what I can do NOW, not what she should have been doing. I already know all of that, and am not wanting to hear hateful things about someone I love for not doing what we all know is the right thing.
Thank you, and I am waiting for your words!
Last year, my mom moved to central Florida from her home in Miami to be a teacher. I lived with her for a few weeks while my husband was away for basic training. It was Christmastime, and my mom informed me that she had an extremely poor student in her class. My mom had found out that the girl not only had horrible lice, rotting teeth, wore the same tattered clothes and too small shoes that she'd been wearing the previous years, and only had 1 meal a day which was at school (it gets worse, but I won't go further). My parents decided they wanted to help the girl so they went to her house (which turned out to be a shack, LITERALLY, with no electricity whatsoever). They brought her and her disabled grandmother non-perishable foods and bought them clothes and such. While there, they discovered that their floors, which were made of wooden planks, had rotted all the way through the front porch.
Not too many days following, my brothers came up for their Christmas vacation and they went over there to replace the floor. I went with them because I wanted to show them love and possibly make them feel a bit better about everything. When I got there, I saw dogs running around as well as chickens and a cat. They all looked decently healthy considering the look of the actual inhabitants. Of course they had fleas, but they all seemed happy and had shade and water. I asked the grandmother what she does about feeding them, she said her neighbor did it.
I got up onto their porch where my brothers were working and, right there against the house were 2 bodies I recognized as puppies. I remember saying "Oh, you have puppies!" when I realized that these puppies were not moving. I went over to them and found that they were covered in fleas, absolutely starved beyond belief, and there was blood all in their coat from whatever was eating at them. I asked her how old they were, she said 6 months. I asked her what breed they were, she told me (after telling me, I realized they had to be more about 3 months). I asked her where she got them, she said her granddaughter's father (who was no good and the reason that they were in that situation, he stole his mother's social security and disability money and gave them only $20 to live off of every month and she won't report him because he's her son).
Of course, I was freaking out inside. My whole family was there and my mother had a personal relationship as well as a professional relationship with this family so I couldn't act on everything I wish I could have. I asked her why they were starved, she said that the bigger dogs didn't let them eat. I looked around and only found food that could be eaten by adult dogs of a large size, which these obviously weren't. I turned to her and asked her if I could have them, and she said yes. She didn't want them.
I wanted to take them right then, but I knew I had to ask my husband first. My husband called me that day and I told him about it, he told me to go and get them. I went the next day, it killed me to even wait through the night. After 3 months they were to full health, absolutely beautiful, and I was able to place them into GREAT homes.
NOOOOWWWW onto my current concern:
Since this has happened, I've wanted to report them. My mom begged me not to because it would mean so much trouble for her at work, so I waited until this summer when her job was over. Before she moved back to Miami (I was no longer living with her at the time), I asked her to go to their house and check to see what the situation of their animals was like. My mother reluctantly went and, upon arriving, she found their female dog tied up in the sun, starving. She went closer and found that the dog was pregnant. She immediately asked the grandmother what was going on and she said that she was trying to kill the puppies 'cause they couldn't afford to have any and her granddaughter wouldn't stop bringing animals home (by this time, they had more than 1 additional dog than just 5 months before!). My mom didn't tell me this until she found out that all of the puppies who had been born died because their mother couldn't nurse them. I asked my mom why she hadn't done anything about it when she could have and she said that she had, she had brought a ton of food for the mom and told the grandmother to tell her whenever she needed more and she would provide it.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO extremely furious. I started calling animal control places around there and they said they had to have their address, which my mother wouldn't give me because she was scared of what would happen if they saw the condition of the girl and reported her to child services. HOLY FREAKING CRAP, I know you're all fuming now too.
A few months later, after trying everything I could but ending up nowhere 'cause I had no idea where they lived or what their names were, my mom came to me to tell me that the little girl had called to tell my mom about a 3 foot long rat snake she had found in her "house". My mom then continued to tell me that the girl had caught it and was keeping it. I told my mom to tell the girl immediately that that snake would indoubtedly die in captivity. Sure enough, 2 days later, the little girl called and when my mom asked about the snake the girl said it had died.
My mother doesn't feel it's her business, and she begs me to do something about it, but doesn't want to be a part of it. I guess she feels like she's betraying them, but GOD- how the hell could someone betray all these animal's lives like this? My mother loves her animals, but she is not an advocate for their rights. I've tried all the approaches I can think of and she won't go any further.
I am going to be driving up that way around Thanksgiving time and, though my destination will be a little over an hour away, I was thinking I'd stop in that town and try to find my way back to their house. I've only been there those 2 times but I don't think it could be that hard to find since it's so rural.
Here is my question..
If I go there to get there address and don't see any animal abuse at the time, what will the animal control be able to do? I've looked up some stories online and have found that most aren't able to take a witnesses reports as justifiable cause to seize their animals. Instead, they'll check out the living conditions and, if they seem questionable, they'll just give them a warning and come back later to check on the animals again. If they all seem fine then as well, then they'll let them go on with whatever they're doing.
Can someone PLEASE tell me something I can do that will forbid them from having animals? I just found out that they now have a HORSE. They don't even live on a full acre! I know you only need a half acre in the county for 1 horse, but they don't even have a pasture and horses with grass belly are not the healthiest they should be.
Please tell me I am missing some part of what I can be doing, this is my last chance as my parents are selling their property up there and I will be living on the other side of the country as soon as I move Thanksgiving weekend.
DO NOT WRITE A COMMENT TO BASH MY MOTHER, PLEASE. I am asking for advice on what to do, and I'd hate to hear someone tell me mean things about my mother. Her parents used to abuse animals when she was smaller, and owned a cattle farm. She learned to love animals on her own and is still coming a long way. Tell me what I can do NOW, not what she should have been doing. I already know all of that, and am not wanting to hear hateful things about someone I love for not doing what we all know is the right thing.
Thank you, and I am waiting for your words!
