This has to be one of the worst cases I've ever heard about. I'm reminded of many of the rescue stories I've read about on this forum such as Wayne's constrictor. I'm considering adopting the boa mentioned in this article but have no idea what I'd be getting myself into. The article doesn't go too much into the specific condition of the reptiles but the snake can't be in great shape. How do people live like this? They didn't even know they were doing anything wrong... The animal control officer, Josephine Guertin, paid several hundred dollars out of her own pocket to get many of these animals cared for and apparentally that's just the start of it. I have to wonder how many animals had to die before someobody finally put an end to this...
BARNET, VT — Responding to a report of animal cruelty, authorities found dozens of living and dead animals in a home infested with fleas, maggots and rotting carcasses. The owners — a woman and her adult son — were charged with animal cruelty.
“It has to be the worst case of animal abuse in the history of Vermont,” according to Animal Control Officer Josephine Guertin.
Ferrets, rabbits, cats, three lizards, a tarantula, a boa constrictor, a chinchilla and a starving dog were among the animals in the home on Route 5 in Passumpsic. Also found was a decomposing animal of unknown type in a pot on a stove, and more than a dozen partially frozen dead animals in a refrigerator freezer.
The animals had been denied food and medical care, according to Sgt. Bill O’Hare, of the Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department, who responded to the scene.
Pauline Harpin, 70, and son Paul Harpin, 41, were charged with animal cruelty and cited into Vermont District Court on Sept. 8.
“The stench was overwhelming, between the urine and feces,” said O’Hare. “As soon as you step in, you’re covered head to toe with fleas.”
On Wednesday, O’Hare and three deputies served a search warrant on the house after receiving a report of severe animal cruelty and threats allegedly made by Paul Harpin to shoot anyone who tried to take the animals.
Inside, they found neglected animals including a 4-year-old Labrador mix who had apparently been living amid filth and water in a basement since it was three months old, Guertin said.
“She’s as starved for affection as she is food. She still has diarrhea,” Guertin said.
One cat had an upper respiratory infection, and a tortoise was found with a deformed shell, according to Guertin.
Also found were a dead kitten in a box, a cat in a plastic bag and the remains of cats, kittens, a hedgehog, an iguana and a white rat in the freezer, O’Hare said Tuesday.
Pauline Harpin, who was covered in flea bites, had to be decontaminated by a hazardous materials crew before being taken by ambulance to Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, where she was treated and released.
Guertin and a veterinarian who responded to the scene also had to be decontaminated, according to O’Hare.
The Harpins signed voluntary surrender forms allowing the live animals to be removed and adopted once they are rehabilitated. For now, the animals are in town custody.
The Harpins, meanwhile, are staying at a motel after being advised to stay out of the house until it is cleaned, according to O’Hare.
“They said they didn’t know why their animals were dying. They were very angry we were taking the animals away from them, and they didn’t offer any information. They simply said ‘We’re taking care of them, but they’re dying, there’s nothing we can do.’ The response they gave was very strange,” O’Hare said.
Animal cruelty is punishable by up to $2,000 in fines and a year in jail.
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