Disturbing....She called herself a "rescue"
Dog euthanizations begin after Blount kennel raid Friday, June 02, 2006 KENT FAULK News staff writer A veterinarian and Blount County's animal control officer on Thursday began euthanizing the sick, malnourished and injured among 150 dogs found in pens or roaming around a kennel near Oneonta this week. Anelia Smith, of Oneonta, was arrested Wednesday and charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals, said Blount County District Attorney Tommy Rountree. She was released from the Blount County Jail on $1,000 bond. Efforts to reach Smith for comment Thursday were unsuccessful. Smith's attorney, Ronnie Blackwood, said Smith denies the charge and "feels she has contributed to the well being of the animals." "She denies that she's done anything to intentionally abuse the animals," Blackwood said. At the end of a Wednesday court hearing, Circuit Court Judge Robert Austin placed the dogs into the custody of the county animal control officer, Rountree said. The judge ruled that with the advice of a veterinarian euthanization of the animals could begin. The number of animals euthanized Thursday was not available. "I would expect most if not all will be euthanized," Rountree said. "It's one of the worst things I've ever seen." While answering the judge's questions on Wednesday, Smith claimed she went to the site everyday for about five hours to tend to the dogs, Rountree said. Smith claimed she was running a rescue shelter, Rountree said, and didn't believe in euthanasia. Construction workers at a house being rebuilt on the property off Ebell Road notified animal control Tuesday of dogs, said Larry Dabbs, a Blount County sheriff's investigator. A sign at the property identifies it as Anelia Animal Sanctuary Inc., authorities said. State incorporation records indicate the sanctuary was created in 1994. Rountree, sheriff's investigators, the county's animal control and two officials with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society visited the site. Nearly 75 dogs were kept in about 30 pens, authorities said. There were other empty cages on the property. An estimated 75 dogs roamed free. Pens, about 3 feet by 5 feet each, held up to four dogs, authorities said. Feces up to a foot or more were in many pens. Food lay on pen floors and water in bowls was stagnant. Some of the dogs had tumors, missing hair or injuries that included at least one broken jaw. "The bulk of the dogs were malnourished," said Melissa Hull, director of operations for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. "Some were so emaciated they could not stand up." No puppies were found, Hull said. Most of the animals found had the mange. It was revealed this morning that there were probably more than the original estimate of 150. There were also cats and other animals found that were not mentioned in this article. I really don't know if she thought she was helping. She claims that all of the animals were strays that just showed up. She doesn't believe in euthenasia, but it appears that is what will happen to most of these animals. I thank those who really do rescue work. Is this going to give them a bad name? I truly hope not. |
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That is such a sad story. 
It is puzzling what the woman was doing with all of the dogs. If she was truly "rescueing" them, then she obviously wasn't doing a good job. If she had some other agenda...what could it possibly have been? Amanda |
| Yikes. She just sounds like a hoarder. |
How frightening  If someone turned their dog over to her "rescue" thinking they were doing the best thing for the animal how horrified they must feel now. So sad |
| How sad |
| How awful!!! |
| How horribly tragic. |
| No words to describe... how WRONG!!!
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| I get sad when I see situations like this. Some people just can't understand the difference between helping and hurting - however unintentional. Sad situation. |
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What a sick woman.  She HAD to know these dogs were suffering or she has to be mentally ill. You cannot have the conditions described and sanely think you are doing good. God bless the construction workers that released these creatures from this situation.
Euthanasia... "the good death" would have been so much kinder than to make these dogs suffer days, weeks, months in these wreched conditions. Things like this make me so angry because they're senseless. It reiniforces the fact that there are much worse ways to go than by lethal injection. I sure hope the authorities keep tabs on her and make sure she never owns another animal or cares for a child the rest of her days. Passionate about this? You bet. They cannot speak for them selves so they suffer in silence... often hidden from view. http://www.untilyoufindme.com |
This woman is indeed deranged.  Just because she kept the dogs alive didn't mean they were living. Thank God for those construction workers!
And Jaclin - all I can say is I'm glad I wasn't at work when I read that poem. Sitting here with tears running down my cheeks. Thanks for sharing! |
| Lets see, 5 hours a day for 150 dogs. Thats 30 dogs every hour meaning 2 minutes per dog. How can you care for a dog in just 2 minutes a day?
And, how do 150 dogs just show up at your place as strays? If that's the case then we should hire dogs to do all our communication needs because that's quite a network. |
| Sorry Chris... I didn't mean to make cry. It's actually a happy poem because this sheepie was rescued and has a chance. Unlike the dirty little secret some horrible people have tucked away on their property.
This lady was not a rescue. She may have started with good intentions a long, long time ago but something went terribly wrong along the way. Maybe if she herself had to stay in a small cage, with 4 other people, with a foot deep of her own filth on the floor, with her meals served on that filth and only stagnant water to drink might she finally get the idea this was not kindess but cruelty and gross neglect. Too bad there's no creative judge handling this case. |
| It is really sad, for the animals, and the people. What gets a person to the point where they think they are a rescue but in reality are only a hoarder and doing far more harm than good? |
sad storry  |
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