Hoarder, Neglect

NEWS ARTICLES

Couple accused of child neglect, hoarding 19 pets

June 10, 2013

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/couple-accused-child-neglect-hoarding-19-pets/nYHRB/

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A couple just bonded out of jail tonight after a call to animal services turned into an animal cruelty and child neglect case.

Animal control officers said the home's condition where the family and 19 animals were living was the worst they've ever seen.

One was near death and had an emergency visit with the vet, but all are alive, but in bad shape.

Animal services may have had no idea this was going on if a tipster in the rescue community didn't alert them.

The home where a woman operated a dog rescue is in such disarray, the county has condemned it.

Jessica Ankiel and Abrhamam Israel were arrested after animal services was called out to the home for animal cruelty.

"The officer said it was a very severe case," Diane Summers with Orange County Animal Services said.

The conditions 17 dogs and 2 cats were found in are so bad, Channel 9 can only show you some of the pictures investigators took inside the home.

At animal services, the dogs are emaciated and their coats are badly matted.

"They do have some ear infections, hair loss, things like that, emaciated," Summers said.

Ankiel was running Ohana Animal Rescue, but neighbors said they had no idea.

One man who didn't want to be identified said he never saw the animals outside.

"Did you know he had that many animals? No, I don't think anybody knew, they weren't out," the man said.

Animal services said Ankiel only adopted four animals from them, the rest were originally adopted by Dogs Rock and Cinagro Rescue.

"These animals originally from our shelter were in a rescue group, and this was a foster for the rescue group," Summers said.

Cinagro's founder told Eyewitness News an initial inspection of Ankiel's home was done last year and the home was fine.

The runner of Dogs Rock said Ankiel's name came from a list animal services gave her.

Animal services adopts out 30 to 40 animals a day and said it can't do home inspections for everyone.

"It's just not possible due to our resources and manpower," Summers said.

Two children were also taken from the home and placed with family.

Animal services said it's too early in the investigation to decide if Ankiel or the rescue groups she adopted the dogs from will be on their do-not-adopt list.

WFTV checked, and Ohana Rescue is not a registered nonprofit rescue group.

Orange County mom arrested on child neglect, animal cruelty charges

Kids shared rooms with 22 starving dogs and cats.

June 11, 2013

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-animal-hoarding-orange-20130610,0,6606518.story

A complaint Monday afternoon led Orange County Animal Services to discover children living with 22 "rescue" pets in garbage-packed home, according to animal services reports.

Besides inches of urine, feces and standing water covering the floors, the home had blue tarps covering furniture and numerous animal cages because of rain coming through the ceiling, reports state.

"The walls and ceiling (were) rotted and falling in. Big chunks of plaster were in the soppy floor water," wrote an Animal Services investigator, who described the conditions as the worst she had seen in eight years on the job. "Bugs were everywhere."

Jessica Ankiel, the children's mother and operator of Ohana Dog Rescue — an unlicensed service — was arrested on child-neglect and animal-cruelty charges, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Her boyfriend, Abraham Israel, told deputies he was tired of cleaning up after Ankiel. He was charged with child neglect, failure to report child abuse and leaving a firearm within easy access of a minor, according to arrest reports.

Ankiel, 35, and Israel, 45, were booked into the county jail and released on bail Tuesday evening.

Ankiel's son and daughter were removed from the home and will stay with a grandparent, the sheriff's office said. The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating.

Some of the puppies had been kept in a bucket. Most of the others lived in cages without food or water. A German shepherd puppy was so hungry that when an Animal Services investigator provided a full pan of food "the dog devoured (it) in a matter of minutes," records state.

A pit bull could not stand or hold up its head.

Of the pets' conditions, Animal Services spokeswoman Diane Summers wrote, "They have issues like hair loss, emaciation, ear infections, etc. but nothing appears to be beyond repair."

The dogs and cats adopted by Ankiel came from a network of private and public Central Florida animal adoption services, records show.

The tip to authorities came from a member of the animal rescue community, records show.

"Ohana Dog Rescue has been using other rescues that are registered with Orange County Animal Services to "save" dogs. There is a very fine line between rescuing and hoarding," the tipster wrote in Animal Control records. "I will not stand by & keep a closed mouth. I feel bad as I have encouraged people to "like" her rescue page before I knew the details of what was going on behind closed doors.

hcurtis@tribune.com or 407-420-5257.

19 Animals Found in Horrible Conditions at Misleading ‘Dog Rescue’

June 13, 2013

http://www.care2.com/causes/19-animals-found-in-horrible-conditions-at-misleading-dog-rescue.html

Jessica Ankiel seemed to run a loving rescue service out of her home, using Facebook and other websites to adopt out puppies and receive ones who needed to be fostered. But the Florida woman was recently found to be hoarding 17 dogs and two cats in revolting conditions. She and her boyfriend were arrested on charges of animal cruelty and child neglect, because there were also two children living amongst the filth.

Ankiel’s Facebook page for Ohana Dog Rescue showed pictures of healthy dogs being adopted and cared for, but pictures taken by Animal Services at Ankiel’s home clearly show a different, and shocking, story. Ohana Dog Rescue was a foster home for some Florida animal shelters, despite the fact that the rescue home was unlicensed. The Ohana Dog Rescue Facebook page said the owners were in the process of getting a 501(c)3 nonprofit license.

Anonymous Tip and a Horrifying Discovery:

After receiving a tip from a member of the Florida animal rescue community, authorities investigated the home and found starving animals with hair loss and ear infections. Their bones were sharply visible through their skin and they were sitting in their own excrement in tiny cages. Some puppies were kept in a bucket, and most of the others didn’t have food or water in their cages. Luckily, these dogs and cats can be rehabilitated and will soon be up for adoption.

The house was in such bad condition that it is now condemned. About two inches of urine, feces and water covered the floors, and tarps covered furniture and numerous animal cages because of rain leaking through the ceiling. Surfaces and floors were covered in trash and spoiled food. The Orange County animal control officers said that the conditions were “the worst they’ve ever seen.”

Tarps covered furniture and cages in Ankiel's house due to rain leakage. Spoiled food and trash covered floors and surfaces. Some puppies were kept in baskets as seen here.

Ankiel’s boyfriend, Abrhamam Israel, knew about the mess and neglect and told officials he was “tired of cleaning up after Ankiel.” According to arrest reports, he was charged with failure to report child abuse, child neglect, and leaving a firearm within close reach of a minor. Ankiel’s son and daughter have been placed with a grandparent while the Florida Department of Children and Families investigates.

Deception on Facebook

The Facebook page of the rescue service, which has been taken down, showed pictures of happy puppies, along with adoption updates and requests for donations through Paypal. Ankiel also asked people who liked the page to donate cages and medications for worms. Other animal rescue groups with Facebook pages warned animal lovers and adopters about the legitimacy of Ohana Dog Rescue, and the warnings likely saved the animals’ lives.

Many Facebook users were deceived by Ankiel’s supposed dog rescue and shocked by the actual conditions. It’s hard to blame them when Ankiel was hiding behind a Facebook page and posting pictures of healthy looking dogs. Neighbors say they had no idea she was even operating a rescue service, because they never saw any animals outside.

The animals found in Ankiel's home suffered from malnutrition and hair loss. One dog could barely stand and needed emergency care.

Treating the animals the way she did entirely defeats the purpose of an animal “rescue,” that much is clear. It makes you wonder, did this woman even care about the animals, or was she just scamming animal lovers for money? Why did she even attempt to run an animal rescue when she clearly didn’t have the resources?

How to Ensure a Rescuer is Legitimate

Millions of unwanted animals are given to shelters each year and often end up on “kill lists.” Volunteer-run rescues are so important because they give these perfectly worthy animals another chance. The Great Animal Rescue Chase sets a great list of guidelines that should be followed by anyone who wants to run an animal rescue. Ankiel’s shameful Ohana Dog Rescue blatantly disregarded the fourth rule- “thou shall not hoard.”

When adopting an animal from a rescue home, it is important to make sure they are licensed and to always ask to tour the facility. While it is difficult to know what is going on behind closed doors, finding out the details can save animals’ lives. There are many resources available to pet lovers who want to find or provide safe homes for animals. There is a registry of animal abusers that shelters and breeders can check before adopting out animals. Additionally, Petfinder provides a database of registered nonprofit rescue groups and shelters that makes it especially easy to find a credible and humane service near you.

If you are interested in running a local animal rescue shelter or already operate one, the Humane Society has a great list of resources for any rescuer.