Overcrowding in Ga. animal shelter due to lack of court cases being solved, group says

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — State authorities tell Channel 2 Action News they have lifted the order that temporarily banned the DeKalb Animal Shelter from accepting new animals because it was overcrowded.

But a group that monitors the shelter says cruelty and neglect cases are backed up in court, which keeps some animals in the shelter far too long.

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The state Department of Agriculture lifted the intake ban five days ago after LifeLine, the private company managing DeKalb’s shelter, was able to reduce the overcrowding that concerned DOA inspectors in April.

The shelter is only five years old, but inspectors ordered the ban because the number of dogs had soared well over the capacity of 471 in April. LifeLine told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Richard Belcher the population was down to 398 Monday.

Volunteers who track the ups and downs of the shelter argue more attention should be focused on the slow pace of prosecuting cruelty and neglect cases.

Maxie Campbell and her husband are fostering two dogs at their home in Decatur.

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Campbell told Channel 2 she’s following that case in particular, and the public should understand how the animals held for court cases are treated.

“They’re being treated no differently than a piece of evidence sitting on a shelf somewhere, and this can go on for months or years. The owner of my animals has not shown up for four of the five court dates that have been set for them, for her,” Campbell said outside the Magistrate Court Monday.

Records provided to Channel 2 show that as of June 24, the shelter was holding 95 dogs as evidence in pending criminal cases, of which 30 had been held for longer than six months.

One has been in shelter custody for three years and nine months.

In court Monday afternoon, the no-show problem was obvious. In the first three cases the judge called, the defendants weren’t present, which means the cases are continued, and the dogs remain in the shelter or with a foster family.

One of the defendants arrived late and agreed to plead guilty and pay $750 in a fine and court costs. He has to surrender his dog and will not be allowed to own a dog in DeKalb County for five years.

Sonali Saindane, a member of the DeKalb Animal Shelter Advisory Board, told Channel 2 she is pleased the defendant in that case won’t be allowed to keep the dog or legally own another for five years, but she’s frustrated at what she sees in court.

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“This is what happens practically every Monday for animal trials: defendants just don’t show up, and cases get reset and reset and reset.” She says that means the animals “stay where they are.”

The DeKalb Solicitor’s Office, which prosecutes the county’s animal neglect and abuses cases, sent a statement that “Covid-19 has caused a significant backlog in all cases...including those involving animals. Since the opening of the court in February, we have successfully resolved several cases involving animals. However, there are cases that remain open, and we are working to resolve those as well.”

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