Mapping can include everything from rough sketches to a


series of measurements on graph paper. In just one month, his team of eight, gathered evidence


for a hoarding case, a dog-fighting ring and cockfighting. Some cases he has investigated have taken unexpected turns. He recalled a trip to Miami for a case that looked like a cat mutilation. It turned out that the city had a coyote problem. Case solved. Advancing forensic knowledge will also help community


veterinarians. While they wouldn't necessarily be expected to become experts themselves, they would be able to determine


related charges. Hoarding Cases. The ASPCA and Dr. Byrd's team helped Gilchrist County


deputies in North Florida remove 47 dogs, four cats and a dead horse from a house earlier this year. The animals all exhibited numerous signs of neglect, said the agency. There was no food on the property, and the animals appeared to be suffering from untreated medical issues and emaciation. The sheriff ’s deputies were alerted by a citizen who reported the dead horse in the front yard of the residence. The Sheriff ’s Office then contacted the ASPCA for assistance. Responders


accidental injuries from abuse and any inconsistencies between ani- mals’ injuries and what their own- ers say happened to them. “Identify abuse with the hope of stopping it. It’s a little bit of CSI with veterinary work,” said Dr. Byrd.


Puppy Mills Late last year, the ASPCA was


called to assist the Hendry County Sheriff's Office with the removal, evidence collection and medical care of approximately 100 dogs from a substandard, unlicensed breeding facility in Clewiston, Florida. The dogs were being sold to pet stores in the Miami-Dade area. Dr. Byrd and his team were there. The dogs, spanning from small to large breeds, including Siberian Huskies, Chihuahuas and Poodles, were discovered living in crowded, filthy pens, many with little protection from the elements. They had no access to clean drinking water or food and were suffering from various medical conditions. Florida is among a minority of states with no laws


regulating the use of dogs for commercial breeding. “Florida also perpetuates puppy mill cruelty nationally by allowing its pet stores to sell dogs from some of the worst breeders around the country,” said a post on the ASPCA site. The two owners of the Clewiston puppy mill have been arrested on cruelty-


www.TheNewBarker.com


took the animals to an emergency shelter. Several years ago, Byrd's team


All of the dogs in these three photos are from the Clewiston puppy mill bust late last year. The photos were provided to The New Barker, courtesy of the ASPCA.


was called to help investigate a similar situation in LaBelle. Nearly 600 cats were found on the prop- erty that housed a Clewiston cat sanctuary, ironically named 10th Life Sanctuary. The team walked the property with law enforce- ment to help assess it. A triage was formed. The more critical animals were documented first (pho- tographed, collecting evidence), then treated and removed for fur- ther care. There were 185 cats that were either critically ill or too wild to be adopted and had to be euthanized. Once all of the ani- mals were removed, the CSI team then focused on the crime scene


itself. Each cage that contained a cat or kitten became a mini crime scene. Often hoarding is viewed as a mental illness. Sometimes,


however, it can arise out of criminal intent. Watching long- term suffering may imply severe malice. The problem with hoarding is, with people who are true hoarders, it has an almost 100 percent recidivism rate. They are going to do it again.


Psychologists have been studying the causes of hoarding with an intent to have it categorized as a disorder. (Continued)g


Summer/Fall 2016 THE NEW BARKER 37


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