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In need of homes: 170 birds and 52 dogs seized in raid evaluated for adoption

Robert C. Reed

Animal Care Coordinator Rachel Johansen, with Catawba County Animal Shelter, holds a cockatoo — one of many birds and and dogs seized from a home in Newton by law enforcement on Dec. 16.

By Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Published: January 29, 2010

NEWTON - Bent, faded and rusty birdcages lay strewn across the yard. An empty building that looks like a homemade greenhouse shrouded in gray plastic sits beside the house.

When the greenhouse door is opened, the oppressive odor of years of accumulated excrement and waste rushes out on a warm breeze. Feathers, empty cages and mounds of waste are all that was left behind by the scores of sickly birds that were once housed in the structure.

On Dec. 16 four law enforcement agencies seized every animal from this Newton home — 142 birds and 44 dogs. The majority of the animals are being held in the Catawba County Animal Shelter.

Their owner, Joyce C. Jarrett, 66, was charged with animal cruelty.

Tuesday, District Court Judge Sherri Elliott deferred prosecution and ordered that, "The animals seized pursuant to court order are to be adopted out by Animal Services of Catawba County."

Veterinarians are evaluating the dogs and birds to determine whether they are suitable for adoption by members of the general public or whether they will require special care.

The birds range in size from parakeets to Amazon parrots. The dogs are small breeds — mainly chihuahuas and dachshunds.

Many of the birds may not be adoptable. Some are stressed, injured, or malnourished. Others have infections that may require expensive veterinary care.

"The average citizen does not know how to care for exotic birds," said Catawba County Animal Services Manager Jay Blatche.

"We'll be contacting some of the zoos in this state and other states," he said. "Exotic bird rescue groups and possibly foster rescue groups may take in some of the birds."

The dogs have a better chance of being adopted.

"Some are adoptable – some are not," Blatche said. "Some were sick. Some are pregnant."

Jarrett was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation and has been ordered to get mental health counseling.

She is allowed to have two dogs and two cats. All four must be spayed or neutered, according to the judge's order.

Jarrett is subject to inspections of her property during her probation and if she's found in possession of any birds or other animals, or more than two dogs and two cats, the charge of animal cruelty will be reinstated.

Jarrett said she has taken in dogs and birds since 1986 and rehabilitated them. Sometimes she gave the animals to adoptive owners. Sometimes she kept them herself.

Earlier this year she fell behind.

"I got sick and couldn't take care of them the way I should have," she said. "I know that I'm not able to take care of the ones I had."

"Nobody believed her to be a criminal and intending to harm these animals," said Sgt. Steve Boyd of the Newton Police Department. "She honestly thought she was doing the right thing. She just became overwhelmed."

Though authorities do not believe Jarrett was intentionally cruel to the animals, they were overwhelmed by what they found when they served a search warrant in response to an anonymous complaint about noise and smell at her home.

When Teri Sonmitz of Catawba County Animal Services searched Jarrett's home she found 23 dogs inside, along with about 12 birds in two cages and three newborn birds in an incubator.

Nineteen dogs were in the yard with four doghouses for shelter.

She went to the plastic-covered greenhouse and the court records document what she saw.

"This area has a very strong odor of feces and urine prior to entering the structure," according to court documents.

When Sonmitz went inside she found about 150 birds.

"Inside, many of the birds appear to be in need of medical attention," according to the search warrant. "All food and water was unsanitary and contaminated with feces. Some of the cages had no food or water. All cages have two to five inches of feces in them. The bars are covered with feces indicating that the cages and surrounding areas had not been cleaned or the birds given food or water recently."

The birds were loaded into a semi-enclosed horse trailer and driven to the Catawba County Animal Shelter.

"We did what needed to be done," Blatche said. "We did not lose a single bird."

All this has been a drain on the Catawba County Animal Services' resources.

"We have spent $3,000 on vet bills alone," Blatche said.

The shelter is overcrowded with animals and the influx of birds and dogs has made matters worse.

"The shelter is designed to hold 78 animals," Blatche said. "Right now we have 267. They are all housed inside."

He hopes to have the birds and dogs in long-term care at rescue facilities or adopted out within a month or two.

Jarrett misses her animals, but she said her main concern is that the birds and dogs that were taken from her be placed in good homes with people who have the knowledge and resources needed to care for them.

Though she is allowed to have two dogs and two cats, Jarrett said she doesn't plan to do so.

"I'm going to take a break because I'm not in shape to take care of them," she said.