Officers investigate a suspected case of animal neglect
Police are investigating a case of suspected animal neglect after officers seized a dozen animals from a home in Springfield.
Friday afternoon Springfield police were called out to check on the welfare of a neighbor but once they arrived at the home they found a woman dealing with medical issues and animals who were in need of help.
Officers eventually ended up removing one dog and eleven cats from the home on the 400 block of S. 40th St. in Springfield.
Officials say the animals were relatively healthy but were living in filth .
"There's a lot of feces, there's a lot of garbage. I couldn't find any water for the animals there was some cat food but people need to provide food and water and they have to provide a clean environment to live in and it was not with the feces and the garbage all over the floor," said Tracy Sparks of Springfield animal control.
Neighbors say they aren't surprised at the discovery. Many of them told us they've seen dozens cats roaming the streets for years.
"I figure she was feeding them and watering them but I knew the house was a pig pen but not as bad as I guess it was. You couldn't walk down the street you couldn't walk on the street or anything, it stunk so bad," said Laura Abell, a neighbor.
The woman who lives in the house was taken to the hospital for treatment for her medical condition. Officers say she will likely be charged with neglect.
The homeowner voluntarily signed the animals over to the authorities. The dog and cats have been transported to LCARA to get checked out and hopefully adopted.
Friday afternoon Springfield police were called out to check on the welfare of a neighbor but once they arrived at the home they found a woman dealing with medical issues and animals who were in need of help.
Officers eventually ended up removing one dog and eleven cats from the home on the 400 block of S. 40th St. in Springfield.
Officials say the animals were relatively healthy but were living in filth .
"There's a lot of feces, there's a lot of garbage. I couldn't find any water for the animals there was some cat food but people need to provide food and water and they have to provide a clean environment to live in and it was not with the feces and the garbage all over the floor," said Tracy Sparks of Springfield animal control.
Neighbors say they aren't surprised at the discovery. Many of them told us they've seen dozens cats roaming the streets for years.
"I figure she was feeding them and watering them but I knew the house was a pig pen but not as bad as I guess it was. You couldn't walk down the street you couldn't walk on the street or anything, it stunk so bad," said Laura Abell, a neighbor.
The woman who lives in the house was taken to the hospital for treatment for her medical condition. Officers say she will likely be charged with neglect.
The homeowner voluntarily signed the animals over to the authorities. The dog and cats have been transported to LCARA to get checked out and hopefully adopted.
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