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Abused animals on the road to recovery
Hilleary Bogley's got her hands full.
On July 28, authorities removed 65 animals from a Golden Drive residence in Sumerduck. Of those, approximately 42 were seized, according to Deputy Lane Phillippe, an animal control officer with the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office. The rest were surrendered voluntarily.
Last week, the owner Christopher Dowd, 30, agreed not to try to reclaim the animals, court records show.
"[The animals] were in horrendous condition, but it is amazing how quickly they bounce back," said Bogley, who is an humane investigator for Fauquier County.
Many of the animals were taken to the Middleburg Humane Foundation where they are now available for adoption. The dogs and puppies in need of new homes are beagles, fox hounds and coon hounds. The horses and kittens rescued from the property are also available for adoption, Bogley said.
Due to the state of the economy, Bogley fears that placing them may not be as easy as it has been in the past.
"We think adoptions will be lower this year than [in previous years]," Bogley said.
Compounding matters further is that some people who have a lot of animals can't afford to or simply won't provide them with proper care, she added.
The Dowd case is the fourth animal cruelty/neglect case Bogley's worked in Fauquier County this year. Three of them have involved "very large" numbers of animals.
In addition to the Dowd case, Bogley said she investigated another incident here in April in which someone was keeping 24 cats in a car.
Bogley was also involved in an investigation which resulted in authorities confiscating dozens of large-breed dogs from Charles E. Settle Jr., of Warrenton last December — but the case is still unresolved.
Settle was convicted in General District Court of failing to provide proper care for the dogs. A Circuit Court judge upheld the ruling in April, but Settle turned to the Court of Appeals where the case is now pending.
Fortunately, Suzanne Ashby, an humane investigator for Fauquier County who helped with the Dowd case, said such extreme cases are relatively rare. In all, she said she's worked about 10 incidents of similar magnitude.
Anyone interested in adopting any of the animals now available at the Middleburg Foundation can call the organization at (540) 364-3272. Visits are by appointment only.
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com
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