Summary: An 11-year-old child and eleven dogs were removed from a Richland County home after officers discovered the home was saturated with filth.
A South Carolina couple has been arrested after police discovered the couple’s 11-year-old child and eleven dogs lived in “deplorable conditions.” According to the Huffington Post, police officers responded to a call from a neighbor that the couple had been stealing electricity. The couple, Paul and Melanie Howard, both 44 years of age, were arrested and charged with neglect of a child and felony animal cruelty.
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Photos of the home show that feces and trash were strewn in multiple rooms in the house. The animals and child had been living in such conditions for several months. One of the eleven dogs was missing a limb and was unable to see. Its face was matted with dried feces.
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Another photo shows clothing, children’s books, and shopping bags piled on top of a piano. In another, open wounds are visible on one of the dogs, whose fur is matted and filthy. Another photo depicts feces spread on a tiled floor near a child’s Disney princess bag and all over a pile of sheets or some sort of clothing on the floor. It looks as though dog house-training pads were placed under the pile, which is stained brown and yellow. In yet another photo, several containers of water, presumably for the dogs, are surrounded by feces and dirty rags. In what appears to be a photo straight off of a “Hoarders” episode, a mattress, boxes, and other items nearly reach the ceiling in the home.
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According to The State, Sheriff Leon Lott said that due to the conditions, the child was taken into emergency protective custody and that the family was living in “horrendous conditions, with no regard for their health and well being.” Pawmetto Lifeline has offered medical services for the dogs.
Photo credit: Huffington Post