Animal Cruelty Bust

Reported by: Caitlyn Jones
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Updated: 2/15 6:36 am
        One by one Rhea County animal control officers removed dozens of dogs from this home near Evansville.
        Sheriff Mike Neal said, "I've been in law enforcement 20 something years and I've never seen anything as far as animal cruelty to this extent,"
        Sheriff Neal told WDEF News 12 they got some tips that Richard Orlowske was hoarding dogs in inhumane conditions.
After searching the home, they immediately arrested Orlowske.
        "The ones that were in the house were in kennel crates and feces all in them.  A lot of them didn't have anything to eat.  There was two to three dogs in a lot of the kennels," said Neal.
     Sheriff Neal also said Orlowske volunteered at the Rhea County Animal shelter for a few months but was let go for allowing a dog to be adopted too soon.
     Many of the dogs found at the home had recently been through the shelter in the past weeks.
      "He has sent people out to adopt animals at our shelter for 15 dollars and then he's putting them on a website to sell them for 250 dollars," Neal said.
     One dog was in such bad health he had to be rushed to a clinic for treatment.
     "One we had to take to the vet right away.  It had Parvo real bad, real sick.  Didn't think it was probably gonna make it through the day," said Animal Control officer Thomas Wilson.
     The rest of the dogs were brought to the Rhea County animal shelter where Wilson says they will be on the road to recovery.
     "A lot of them are very skinny, we'll get them out, get them bathed, I'll have some volunteer come up and help us walk them, keep them exercized and we'll go from there," said Wilson.
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mamac - 2/15/2013 3:55 PM
0 Votes
This or to let ALL the VETERINARIANS all over the Northeast Alabama North Georgia and Tennessee know that the reason most of them got in this line of work is to HELP God's creatures...So, why not hold FREE spied and neuter programs for the people that can't afford it.Yes, we all know they are crooks out there that would try and take advantage of the free program.But there is a way you could check in to the people that registered for it..But it's all about the animals..If I was a vet..I know I would do it for FREE...The place where the vets get there supplies they might could donate to the vets every month...You know like the pharmaceutical places give the Medical doctors all free samples of medicine..Animals are God's creatures ..We have them borrowed till they make it to heaven..

BethMatthews - 2/15/2013 1:35 PM
0 Votes
This man was trying to do what only a handful of people in this area are willing to do - SAVE GOD'S CREATURES - from kill shelters! Maybe this will bring some attention to the inadequate county resources and lack of care by some county officials on this issue. If they cared about the fate of these animals there would be funding and space made available to house and care for them. As it is, a few individuals spend their own time and money doing the best they can to save these animals, networking, vetting, feeding, fostering and transporting to forever homes far and wide - mostly AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. I hope to see this man vindicated and receive the financial support and manpower needed to continue his calling to save as many as he can!

Linda - 2/15/2013 10:00 AM
0 Votes
These are the most outrageous allegations I have ever heard in my life. This sheriff and his dept. are railroading this man. Richard was at the shelter longer than a few months. The sheriff is outright lying about the facts and it seems the news media is taking everything he says as gospel. Wake up people, this is a blatant abuse against one of the residents of this small town. If he can do this to Richard he can do it to any of you. As of this morning Richard's arraignment is being held at the jail instead of court to keep any of his supportives at bay. This is just another example of the sheriff flying under the radar. Disgusting!!

Ligtstar - 2/15/2013 9:05 AM
0 Votes
I am shocked by the allegations in this story. First, when you are hoarding animals, you are not adopting them out. This was a RESCUE. I have been at the rescue. There was a constant turn over of animals. Dogs came from shelters in all health conditions, including ill. They received vet treatment. I saw the fact the dogs had adequate food and water and care. I saw animals adopted out, I never saw more than a $25 ADOPTION FEE, though I was told they would ask a higher fee for some because they had had more extensive veterinary treatment and they were requesting that some of those expenses be repaid by the adopter so they could help more dogs. These animals did not come from a home but from a structure that was just for the animals. Many were pregnant, had just given birth or were puppies. Most were not housebroken because they had never been pets. So, there was constant waste to be cleaned and the volunteers did their best to clean between feeding, bathing, rescuing, and whelping. They also disinfected with a 10% bleach solution. Teh crates with multiple dogs were probably mothers with their puppies. I saw a large crate with 8 dogs in it. Sounds bad? It was a mother rescued from an abandoned house, left without food or water who had 7 puppies the night she was rescued. The puppies are too young to be separated from their mother so yes, the crate has 8 dogs, but 7 are very very tiny. The facts are easily slanted to look bad. Having been to AKC registered and inspected kennels, I can say this rescue was no worse than any of them and they did a great job considering they did not turn animals away and took animals that needed extra attention and care!
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