Lubbock Dog Owner Loses Custody Battle

[TribalRats]

Lubbock Dog Owner Loses Custody Battle


Dozens of dogs seized by Lubbock Animal Services will remain in city custody. Lubbock Municipal Judge Robert Doty made that decision late Thursday afternoon.

It comes 17 days after animal services took 45 dogs from a home in south Lubbock. Owners, Todd and Jeannie Marshall had 49 dogs at the time. That violates city code, which says city residents can only have four dogs. The Marshalls did keep four of their animals. The rest remain at the Lubbock Animal Shelter.

The ruling says that Lubbock Animal Services has to make all reasonable efforts to adopt the dogs out of the shelter. First, they must make sure the dogs are healthy and socialized for adoption. Owner Todd Marshall's worst fear is that some of the dogs may have to be put to sleep.

Marshall says, "I'd have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed in the ruling, but not entirely surprised." The Marshall's have been dealing with this dog dilemma for a while.

Animal Services Director Kevin Overstreet says, "Our animal control officers had been working with Mr. Marshall for a long time to try to come to a resolution that was beneficial for everyone."

According to court records, the Marshall's have been issued approximately 100 violations since 2002. Those records also show the city offered free services to spay and neuter the dogs, also to assist in find them new homes. Todd Marshall tells us he tried to come into compliance but the dogs continued to breed. Marshall says, "In 2002, we had the population down to five dogs on the outside, and even through our efforts, we weren't quite able to get them spayed and neutered fast enough."

In July of 2006, complaints of noise and odor led Lubbock Animal Services to declare the Marshall's home a public nuisance. The Marshall's still did not come into compliance, and animal services seized 45 dogs on January 23, 2006.

Marshall questioned some of the testimony given at Thursday's hearing, but says, "I couldn't give 45 dogs the love they needed."

Now, he hopes that people on the South Plains will give, what he calls his babies, a new home. Marshall says, "I definitely want my dogs to be adopted out. I want people to know they're very loving dogs and intelligent. These have been my house babies, some of them since they've been born."

Marshall tells us the female dog he has now is spayed, and that he will have the male dogs neutered. We did learn one of the seized dogs died at the animal shelter. Apparently two of Marshall's dogs got into a fight and one killed the other one. But again, Lubbock Animal services will make sure only dogs that are safe will be adopted out.

[trainingrixie]

49 dogs is too many! having multiple dogs is fine, but you need to be able to devote INDIVIDUAL love and attention, and with 49 dogs that is just impossible....hopefully the puppers will be adopted out