The fate of 69 dogs and four cats seized from two houses in Harford County will hang in the balance for the next several weeks after their owner filed to regain custody.
County animal-control authorities “unlawfully and wrongly took and removed an undetermined amount of dogs and four cats from my property,” Donna L. Bell complained in court papers filed Tuesday. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for June 23.
Until the question is resolved, the Humane Society of Harford County can?t move forward with finding good homes through adoption for the 74 animals rescued from allegedly deplorable conditions in Bell?s homes.
“It?s not in the best interest of the animals,” said Tammy Zaluzney, executive director of the Humane Society of Harford County.
Bell, 59, of the 2900 block of Whiteford Road, did not return phone calls Wednesday.
She will have the opportunity to tell a judge why the animals were unlawfully taken from her property during a show cause hearing scheduled for June 23. The judge will be able to decide at thehearing if Bell?s complaint is legitimate and warrants a trial, or the judge can dismiss the complaint. Should a judge decide Bell?s complaint has merit, a trial date has been set for July 28.
Bell?s filing not only leaves the dogs and cat in limbo, but also leaves the Humane Society in the position where it will have to care for the animals for weeks instead of days.
Though concerned with this, Zaluzney said the outpouring of support from the community has been so great ? in terms of donations of money and supplies and the time of hundreds of volunteers ? that she believes as long as people keep coming forward to help, the conditions of the rescued animals will continue to improve.
