Washingtonville-area owners admitted animal cruelty,
face $500 fines, according to officials
By LAURI SHEIBLEY Press Enterprise Writer DANVILLE - About 32 of 38 animals have been adopted after being rescued from a trailer near Washingtonville, and their four owners have pleaded guilty and face $500 fines, officials say. Many of the dogs and cats met their new owners at Adopt-A-Pet days near Bloomsburg on May 29-30. It was just a thrill seeing those dogs going out of there," said volunteer Jo Wright.
32 of 38 animals find homes
The animals were rescued from a trailer at Blue Springs Trailer Court on May 19. Their previous owners - Dottie English, Norman Roberts, Kay Hoyer and Randy Long - were cited for animal cruelty. Each of the four has pleaded guilty and been fined $500, said District Justice Marvin Shrawder.
The rescue was coordinated by the Animal Resource Center of Bloomsburg. Since the rescue, the animals were fed and treated by veterinarians, with bills picked up by the Resource Center. Wright said all of the dogs gained weight, and one extremely thin dog gained 20 pounds in just a week or two.
Of the 38 dogs and cats rescued from the trailer, 24 found new homes at the Adopt-A-Pet days, and others were adopted in days before the event, Wright said. Only about six animals from the trailer are left in foster homes, she said.
Animals from other rescue organizations were also adopted that weekend. The total number of adoptions for the event was 32.
An anonymous donor offered to pay to spay or neuter all 32 of the animals. Eileen Drummond donated free obedience courses for all the dogs. Sunlight Feed, site of the adoption days, gave free gifts to the lucky dogs and cats.
The event was so successful that the Animal Resource Center plans to hold another one Aug. 14-15.
Lauri Sheibley covers the Danville area for the Press Enterprise. She can be reached at 275-2104 or e-mailed at lauri@pressenterprise.net.
