Animal Legal Defense Fund Settles Lawsuit Against Raleigh Animal Hoarder, Rescuing 100+ Dogs

Swift Settlement Protects Severely Neglected Toy Poodles and Birds Seized in October from AKC Champion Breeder

Raleigh, N.C.– The Animal Legal Defense Fund, Wake County, and a county animal cruelty investigator filed a settlement in Wake County District Court today against Janie Conyers, 77, of Raleigh, for keeping more than 100 dogs and several birds in filthy conditions and depriving them of all veterinary care. Terms of the settlement include Conyers’ relinquishing custody of all animals, never being allowed to own or work with animals in the future, and allowing animal control officers to visit her home to make sure she is in compliance with these terms. As Conyers ran a boarding and breeding operation, ALDF is evaluating outside claims on ownership to some of the animals, and some dogs have already been returned to their rightful owners. Other dogs have been placed with local foster families.

The animals were seized from the home of the AKC champion breeder on October 19, when animal control officers, a county cruelty investigator, and a uniformed police officer responded to a report of severe cruelty and neglect in what they suspected might be a hoarding situation. Inside the home they found 106 dogs, primarily toy poodles and other small breeds, and 9 birds living in horrific conditions. The sworn testimony of all involved is that the dogs were covered in excrement, many of the dogs dripping wet with urine. Broken jaws, severe and extremely painful dental disease, corneal ulcers, cataracts, and urine/fecal scalding were found in a large number of the animals. The measured ammonia level in the house was ten times the USDA’s maximum recommended ammonia level for large swine operations.

Despite the clichéd image of animal hoarders being simply eccentric old ladies, hoarding--defined as keeping far more animals than one can care for, and denying the suffering of the animals--is an extreme form of animal cruelty. In his sworn testimony, the director of the Wake County Animal Control noted that upon entering Conyers’ home, he was hit with the stench of ammonia and feces and immediately saw small dogs everywhere, "too many to count." He was stunned to see that "[o]ne dog in particular was obviously blind and could barely stand up. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth, and I later learned that his jaw had almost disintegrated. He was caged by himself in the basement, and sat in his cage, shaking. He had some substance stuck to the underside of his fur; it was evident that he could not stand up to use the bathroom and had consequently soiled himself repeatedly." The lawsuit was filed under the state’s Civil Remedy for Protection for Animals statute (Chapter 19A), a North Carolina law that allows a private citizen or organization to file suit to stop animal cruelty.

"We can think of no greater holiday gift than knowing that these animals will never be returned to the home where they suffered, hidden away, in unspeakable misery," says ALDF Executive Director Stephen Wells. "Because the rate of recidivism for animal hoarders is close to 100 percent, the fact that the settlement terms prohibit Janie Conyers from ever owning another animal is an important safeguard to protect other animals in the years to come."