I don’t know how to title this but I’m so mad (2)

The Lansing State Journal is running a story today about a case of neglected animals found in Eaton County. What is unique, or possibly not-so-unique (which is why the whole ordeal is so depressing) is how the county has handled these pets.

To summarize the article, five weeks ago an elderly woman was forced to leave her home. The house is in BFE Charlotte, described as “squalid”, and was reported to not have any running water or working electricity when she left. She left two dogs and five cats to fend for themselves; the dogs were chained outside in the backyard. Anyone who’s in the area knows what the weather has been like for the past month.

The main issue is that while the county tried to search out a next-of-kin or relative or somebody to claim the abandoned animals, they were still outside uncared for. Some neighbors took pity on the animals and fed and watered them, while other neighbors reported the case to the county sheriff’s office and animal control. But the county officials said that if the animals were technically being “cared for”, they couldn’t remove them from the home. Hence the local paper became involved and you have the link above. It explains it much better than I can.

What I don’t get is how something like this could happen in the first place. It’s obviously a case of neglect, and obvious that proper authorities needed to be involved. Mostly it sounds like the people running the Sheriff’s office and animal control in Eaton County are f-ing retards, inept at best. If there were children still living in an abandoned derelict home with no food, water, or heat, would they be left like that for five weeks while trying to find distant family? Come on!

They’ve posted an update, where the animals are now at the Capital Area Humane Society. There’s still mention of waiting for the animals to be “signed over”, which hopefully means signed over from the Eaton County people and NOT that they’re still looking for the deadbeat asshole family that caused the problem in the first place.

I don’t really know what to do; mainly I just want to spread the word. Judging by the comments attached to the main article others are calling and writing both the paper and the agencies involved expressing concerns. The whole situation is disgusting…s- like this shouldn’t happen. I understand there are rules and regulations and protection for property rights and all that - but come on, people need some common sense, too.