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Dunlap animal rescue nets 60 dogs, six cats, a parrot and a goat
Approximately 60 dogs and other animals were rescued from atrocious conditions in Sequatchie County, Tennessee. The animals, many in need of urgent veterinary care, were living in absolute filth.
Geoffrey Peterson was charged with animal cruelty on December 19, after Sequatchie County law enforcement found more than 60 animals living in filthy conditions in his home. DUNLAP, Tenn. Tipped to suspected animal abuse at a Sequatchie County home, investigators worked for months to obtain enough evidence for a warrant.
On Friday, they raided the house at 240 Austin Road and found more than 60 animals inside in extreme conditions.
"These animals are living in absolute filth," said Leighann Lassiter, the Tennessee state director for the Humane Society of the United States. "They are trapped in rusty cages, lying in their own filth and urine and feces."
In all, more than 50 dogs of varying breeds were rescued, as well as six cats, a parrot and a goat. At least four dogs were found dead.
The animals that were still alive were in poor health, suffering from malnutrition, anemia, open wounds, and skin that had been burned from exposure to urine.
Despite their condition, the dogs still had spirit.
They wagged their tails as they were rescued, said Chief Deputy Randall Lockhart of the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Office, which worked with the Humane Society in the investigation.
Geoffrey Peterson, 55, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and was being held without bond at the Sequatchie County Jail. He is charged with four counts of aggravated animal cruelty, one count of animal cruelty and one count of possession of morphine. More charges are pending and he will appear in court on Tuesday for a bond hearing.
Lockhart believes that Peterson has been living with his parents in Hixson and visiting his property in Dunlap, where he kept the animals, at least a couple of times a week. He will appear for his initial hearing at the Sequatchie County Justice Center on Tuesday. He could face up to 60 separate counts of animal cruelty, according to Lockhart.
Peterson's neighbors were shocked to learn that he had been keeping so many animals, and Lockhart said he never received any calls of complaint.
Following the animals' discovery, Humane Society workers, veterinarians and other volunteers worked to document their conditions, put them in clean cages and take them to shelters in Chattanooga.
Lassiter said that McKamey Animal Center has agreed to take 12 dogs and that the Humane Educational Society will take 40 dogs and cats.
This is the third high-profile case this year of people illegally keeping large numbers of animals. In June, a Bradley County woman was arrested for having 250 dogs and operating a puppy mill. In September, authorities found more than 160 cats at a home in Walker County.
In the Sequatchie case, officials were tipped off by veterinary workers in the Chattanooga area who had treated Peterson's dogs in the past few years. A former employee of one clinic had photos of malnourished dogs, but they were too old to use to obtain a search warrant for Peterson's property, said Lassiter, who is based in Nashville.
So the Humane Society began collecting newer evidence, and eventually worked with the Sequatchie County Sheriff's Office to get a search warrant.
There are about a dozen cases of criminal animal hoarding every year in Tennessee, said Lassiter. But it's uncommon for the hoarder to seek medical attention for the animals.
"That's the wild card, unusual part of this case," Lassiter said.
Typically, hoarders keep between 40 and 200 animals, according to Lassiter.
Hoarders have more than the typical number of companion animals, fail to meet those animals' basic needs, and deny their inability to care for the animals, according to the Hoarding of Animal Research Consortium at Tufts University.
"It's a mental illness," Lassiter said. "They're almost blind to the suffering that they cause these animals."
Contact staff writer Mary Helen Miller at mhmiller@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6324.