The SPCA of Texas was granted custody of 66 allegedly cruelly treated animals from a Van Zandt County animal rescue, the nonprofit said.
VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — The SPCA of North Texas was granted custody of 66 allegedly cruelly treated animals after their former owner, who ran an animal rescue, was criminally charged.
A Van Zandt County judge granted the SPCA of Texas possession of the animals after the organization removed them from a metal building owned by Hayley Hull, who runs Yelp for Help Animal Rescue, according to a press release from the SPCA. The organization was also awarded over $22,000 in restitution, the release states.
Hull was arrested May 29 and charged with cruelty to nonlivestock animals — neglect, a Class A misdemeanor.
The SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations executed a search warrant at a property in Eustace, Texas. The team removed 10 allegedly cruelly treated dogs and 56 allegedly cruelly treated cats from a metal building, the release states.
When investigators arrived, they found that the property was overgrown and appeared abandoned, officials said. Officials smelled ammonia consistent with high levels of animal urine and feces.
“Conditions in the metal building were deplorable with extremely high levels of ammonia,” the SPCA said in a release.
The SPCA measured the ammonia level to be 50 parts per million, well over the levels that can cause health problems in humans due to short-term exposure.
Most of the 10 dogs found in the metal building were found to have diarrhea, and were found positive for the intestinal parasites, hookworms and giardia, the release states. Both the dogs and cats were infested with fleas.
A second room in the metal building housed the cats who were roaming freely, the release states. The cats showed clinical signs of illness and neglect, the release states, including eye infections, lethargy, labored breathing and irritated skin, the release states.
The animals were removed and received immediate medical attention, the release states. One of the cats later died due to feline infectious peritonitis.
“This case is a devastating example of how cruelty and neglect can hide in plain sight, and why intervention is so critical,” said Courtney Burns, ACI unit chief investigator with the SPCA of Texas.