PALM CITY – Applications to adopt the 36 Border Collies, rescued on Aug. 10 from a Palm City home found to be in “deplorable conditions” through the Humane Society officially opened on Sept. 1, Lori Tucker, director of operations, said.
“We have had to get them mentally and physically ready,” she said. “They do require a lot of attention by whoever adopts them. We will make sure that they have a successful transition into a new home. They are an extremely intelligent breed.”
The collies were once owned by Paige Anne O’Donnell, 62, a one-time AKC dog breeder, but after numerous complaints by neighbors of a growing stench from the home, Martin County Sheriff’s Office intervened and seized the dogs, arresting O’Donnell for neglecting and not properly caring for the animals.
She faces 72 counts of animal cruelty – 36 third-degree felony counts of torture involving pain, serious physical injury or death; and 36 first-degree misdemeanor counts of keeping animals in an enclosure without exercise and air.
She was in the Martin County Jail on a $270,000 bond on those charges as of Aug. 31. She has since legally surrendered ownership of the dogs to the Humane Society, Tucker said.
“It was very unsettling to see them like they were,” Tucker said. “We understand that she fell on hard times and she did the right thing in signing these animals over to us.”
Investigators discovered the dogs living in a house without air conditioning, with feces and urine-soaked walls and other debris. The exterior of the 3-bedroom, two-bathroom home shows little to no signs of the damage inside but the Martin County Building Department posted a “condemned” notice on Aug. 12 on a wooden fence facing the street, through section 21.75.3, citing an unsanitary single-family residence.
Sheriff’s Office deputies turned the dogs over to the humane society, many severely matted and covered in feces.
Some came with physical ailments, such as excessive diarrhea or other digestive issues, body sores and eye infections, Tucker said.
Some of the dogs were so traumatized from the extended life at the house that they didn’t trust anyone at the Humane Society at first, Tucker said. “A few couldn’t even wag their tales,” she said.
Workers at the Humane Society have bathed the dogs several times, shaved off matted fur and cleaned away the feces, Tucker said. And they have changed so much more for the better, now interacting happily with people, Tucker said.
The best fit of a new home for any of the Border Collies is one with a fenced-in backyard and should be a house, not an apartment, where they could roam freely within the confines of the property, Tucker said.
This rescue came just few weeks after 97 cats and 12 dogs were brought to the Humane Society from a woman in the Foxwoods subdivision near South Fork High School. Since then, all of those dogs were successfully adopted out to new owners and many of the cats are available for adoption at the society’s two thrift stores in Stuart, Tucker said.
To keep the phone lines available for urgent shelter needs, the Humane Society is asking that people do not call about the Border Collies.
Also, only online applications will be accepted by the Humane Society. Do not go to the shelter to see the dogs or to apply. A staff member will contact those selected via the online form to set up a meeting.
Monetary donations may be made through the agency’s website at hstc1.org/Emergency-Medical-Fund or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/humanesocietyTC.