COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (WANE) — An “all hands on deck” animal rescue in Columbia City brings relief for neighbors living next to the mobile home.
On Tuesday, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Health Department, and the Humane Society removed 33 animals from a residence in Miami Village Mobile Home Park. A total of 24 cats, seven dogs, and two guinea pigs were recovered from the “poor living conditions.”
Neighbors told WANE 15 the person who lived in this house is guilty of much more than hoarding.
“It made me sick, because I have animals,” Miami Village Neighbor Jonathan Michael said.
Jonathan Michael lives just a few doors away from where the animals were taken. He mentioned that six or seven months after the neighbor moved in, he noticed they were neglecting their animals.
“I’d notice dogs, when she would walk them around the park,” Michael said. ‘They were kind of losing hair.”
Over the past year and a half, his concern only intensified. Michael noted that the house emitted a foul odor when it rained. When asked to describe it, he grimaced and said, “feces.”
The odor overtook Michael when he was invited into his neighbor’s home.
“Feces everywhere, animals were sick, matted eyes, and then a lot of cats were missing hair.”
During that period, Michael assisted Miami Village Community Manager Amber Miller with addressing the issue. He had spoken to the neighbor multiple times, providing them with numerous notices reinforcing the rule that they could only keep two dogs and two cats in their home.
“She didn’t listen,” Michael said. “I noticed she was bringing in more animals.”
Miller mentioned that she was aware of the trailer’s poor conditions earlier, but it was only after Michael informed her that over 20 cats lived there that she decided to contact the health department on Friday.
It took authorities six to seven hours, from start to finish, to condemn the mobile home.
“My biggest concern is keeping the community safe and healthy and happy,” Miller said. “You have to take pride in where you live.”
Another Miami Village neighbor and cat owner, Donetta Smith, expressed anger about the situation. She stated that animals require care, and if the owner cannot offer that, they should refrain from having pets.
“I just handed over four of my own strays because I couldn’t take care of them,” Smith said.
Michael agreed and said that other people living in the park are there to be good neighbors to each other.
“There are neighbors out here willing to help,” Michael said. “You just got to ask.”
The Sheriff’s Department told WANE 15 they are working in conjunction with the prosecutor’s office to create a case against the neighbor.
