Hoarding investigation: Dozens of neglected animals rescued from Clermont County home

Описание: BETHEL, Ohio (WKRC) - Rescue workers took more than 50 animals from a single home in Bethel this weekend. Animal rescue workers call it one of the worst cases of hoarding and neglect they’ve seen in Clermont County.

It started over the weekend as a medical emergency. A man who lives at the home needed an ambulance. Medical workers could not get inside to get him out safely because dogs were blocking the entrance. Animal control officers were then called and found pets suffering in horrible conditions.

It seems that Cat Cameron was destined to care for animals. She holds the title, “cat program manager” for the Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society. More than 20 cats have come here from the home that officers say was in deplorable conditions.

“You can feel where all the flea bites are, like all the way down where there are scabs. I mean, they are essentially being eaten alive by fleas,“ Cameron said. “I don’t know that they’ve ever been treated for fleas. They’ve never been treated for worms. Their teeth are terrible.“

In a video that officers with Clermont County Animal Control took, there are dozens of crates and cages with filth in them. Assistant Chief J.M. Tolle with Clermont County Animal Control said, “This is the worst I’ve ever seen.“

“The house was so bad, you couldn’t hardly walk through it. The smell was unbearable,” he continued.

In addition to the cats, there were 24 dogs at the home. Two were dead. There were also two guinea pigs, four ferrets and six horses.

“Some of the dogs couldn’t walk. They had to be carried out. We tried to get them in here; they had to be carried in,” Tolle said.

Tolle also said that the horses had no shelter and were standing in the rain and snow. Animal rescuers worked through the night and animals are being nursed back to health. Other organizations and volunteers have partnered to help out. Workers are trying to get them all healthy enough to go up for adoption and say what happened to these animals was avoidable.

“Ask for help. I mean, if you feel that you’re getting overwhelmed, I mean, we’ve got some of the best staff that you could imagine here at Clermont County Animal CARE. This is a no-kill shelter,“ Tolle said.

The couple that lives in the home will face several charges of animal cruelty and neglect. Carolyn Fluhart has been charged. Her husband is still in the hospital and has not yet been charged.