Over 200 Animals Seized from Fla. Home

from the Orlando Sentinel

The seizure of more than 200 dogs and birds from a small home in the Oak Ridge area Friday was described as possibly the largest ever removal of abandoned animals in Orange County. Deputy sheriffs, workers from the county's Animal Services Division and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Central Florida took roughly five hours to clear the house. By the time they were done, 57 dogs and 146 birds were pulled from the house crowded with excrement, animals and trash. One dog was dead.

Maqsood Ahamad, 43, who owns the 1,358-square-foot house, was jailed on one misdemeanor count of confinement of an animal without proper food or water. He may face additional charges, plus thousands of dollars in civil fines. Ahamad was booked into the Orange County Jail with bail set at $650.

A report of dog abandonment brought deputy sheriffs to the scene. A neighbor complained that the dogs had been barking for three days, and letters were spilling out of the mailbox. Animal Control arrived as backup. What they found when they opened the door was far worse than they had imagined. Fouled furniture and other clutter crowded their path. Fleas jumped on investigators. Pit-bull mutts were in pens or chained inside and outside the house. There were no bowls with water or food. The floor was covered in so much animal feces that workers couldn't tell if the floor was carpeted or tiled.