Animal hoarding case in Maricopa involved distressed 83-year-old paraplegic

A call to the Maricopa Fire Department on Friday night about an 83-year-old male paraplegic in distress led authorities to finding the man lying on a floor covered with debris and fecal matter.

Numerous animals were present in the home and a call was placed to the Maricopa Police Department, which in turn notified Pinal County Animal Care and Control. A woman at the scene claimed to be a caregiver of the 83-year-old, but then changed her story to say she was the man’s girlfriend. The man was taken out of the home and taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown at this time.

“This seems to be a person who is a hoarder of possessions and animals,” said Animal Care and Control Director Kaye Dickson. “It was tough to capture the animals due to the amount of debris inside the home. Because of the conditions, I don’t know if we were able to capture all the animals that were in there.”

Dickson said by night’s end the officers rounded up nine dogs and seven cats. Some of the animals were being kept in crates. The owner claims many of the animals are neutered or spayed and she can produce vet records.

So far, the woman is unwilling to surrender the animals.

“The owner has been told to contact our office on Monday so we can talk about the state of the animals,” Dickson said. “We simply cannot return her animals to those conditions. She will have to thoroughly clean her home and apply for a kennel permit in order to keep these animals.”

This was the second case of animal hoarding reported in less than a week.

On Sunday, Animal Care and Control took possession of nine puppies that were dropped off in a box outside of a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office substation in Arizona City. The mixed-breed puppies are very young and not yet weaned from their mother.

 “You have to wonder about someone who would do such a thing to these puppies,” Dickson said.  “One of our officers is keeping them at her home until we can take them to the vet for a check-up. We are going to need to find a foster situation for these puppies they will need round-the-clock care in the absence of their mother.”

Dickson praised the work of animal control officers for their efforts to handle the massive influx of animals with two hoarding cases in one week.