Man who had almost 400 dogs admits cruelty

… A man who hoarded nearly 400 dogs on a farm he rented in Clark County pleaded guilty yesterday to five misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a companion animal.

Howard Jeff Burgess, 57, of Xenia, was charged after Clark County humane agents seized 361 dogs in February from a property he rented west of Springfield.

...No other humane society in Ohio had ever dealt with a seizure so large, and simply finding shelter for the animals was an immediate problem.

The dogs — 387 by the time several litters were born after the seizure — were kept at the Franklin County Fairgrounds until April 8, when the last one was shipped out. Hundreds of volunteers worked round-the-clock to care for them until each one could be sent to a rescue, another shelter or a permanent or foster home.

Burgess initially had been charged in Clark County Municipal Court with 46 counts of cruelty to a companion animal, but prosecutors agreed to dismiss all but the most-serious of the offenses because, under Ohio law, Burgess can be sentenced only to a maximum of 18 months in jail. These five counts could earn him that much time.

Michael Sheils, chief prosecutor for the city of Springfield, said he has asked the court for a mental evaluation of Burgess before he is sentenced later this month.

“The hoarding issues need to be explored,” Sheils said. “The goal must be to minimize the chances of this ever happening again.”…more

Discount cards seek to increase dog licenses

Discount cards like this will be handed out along with 2012 dog licenses for Lucas County.

…it is estimated that nearly half of the dogs in Lucas County are unlicensed.

Officials say that compares favorably with the state's other metropolitan counties, but still means some 52,000 dogs are less likely to be returned home if lost -- and more likely to be killed if impounded. Dog advocates hope two initiatives being rolled out this fall by the Lucas County Auditor's Office could change that…

"There are a lot of benefits that people don't necessarily think about, they just think of it as a tax," Ms. Lyle said…

…license fees are the primary funding source for her office. So, potentially there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in license fees not being collected across the county -- money that could be used to take care of dogs under Ms. Lyle's control, help facilitate adoptions, or pay for improvements at the pound…more

All sides hail new livestock-care rules

State agriculture chief Jim Zehringer, seen in front of an Ohio Historical Society photo, acknowleges that the process was a struggle but credits public input in the sweeping result.

Photo courtesy Tom Dodge, Columbus Dispatch

In one of those rare events in government, calmer heads prevailed, averting a costly, divisive political campaign in 2009. Now, two years later, the result is comprehensive farm-animal rules that catapult Ohio to the forefront of the nation…more

Adams County animal hoarders resurface with more dogs

Evelyn and Joyce Nixon

WEST UNION, Ohio -- Assured by Evelyn and Joyce Nixon they would no longer have pets, Adams County Court of Common Pleas allowed the women probation following a 2010 animal hoarding case which saw more than 60 animals seized the week of March 23, 2010 in West Union, Ohio and Lynx, Ohio.

The women have been arrested again, charged with probation violation after about 30 dogs were found in their possession, official said.

Evelyn Nixon, 73, was allowed to enter an Alford plea in November 2010, which acknowledged there was evidence sufficient to convict; Joyce Nixon, 56, was found guilty and was sentenced in January to probation, with the same stipulations, officials said…more