Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Lyon County Animal Control officer Nonie Higley removes two cats Wednesday from Julia Rush's rental property in Silver Springs. Rush pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for failing to care for up to 150 animals living in and outside her double-wide mobile home. Of the 25 cats removed by animal control officers, 22 have been euthanized for various feline illnesses.
SILVER SPRINGS - For neighbor Frank Grant, the removal of neglected animals from Julia Rush's rental property Wednesday was a sight for sore eyes.
"She has consistently maltreated and mistreated those animals," said the outspoken Grant as he watched Animal Control officers round up feral cats at 1945 W. Badger St. "She's an animal collector. We've been trying to get rid of her for five years."
In that time, he said, he watched Rush's yard and home fill with animals. "At one time she had some 70 dogs."
Rush, 51, stayed inside the double-wide mobile home despite being served with an eviction notice at midnight. She declined media requests for a comment and would communicate only with a friend outside through a slight crack in the front door.
She pleaded guilty Dec. 23 to misdemeanor animal cruelty. In exchange for the guilty plea, citations for having too many dogs and failing to vaccinate and license them were dismissed. By Nevada law, animal cruelty citations increase with frequency. This was Rush's second conviction. A third would result in a felony charge.
An estimated 50 dogs, 18 goats, horses with 16-inch hooves and untold numbers of cats and sheep were believed to be on the property when the citations were issued in September. At that time Rush voluntarily surrendered 22 cats. They were later euthanized after being diagnosed with feline leukemia and AIDS.
In sentencing Rush to probation, a judge told her she had 10 days to find homes for the remaining animals. If she hadn't by then, Animal Control was directed to take them.
On Sunday, Rush called Animal Control Supervisor Ted Bolzle and said she found homes in Reno for some dogs and was surrendering those that were left.
Tom Blomquist of the Lyon County Spay and Neuter Project volunteered to help in the removal.
"This was much worse than I imagined possible," he said Wednesday. "When I walked in I felt like I was walking into a concentration camp. The (feces) on the floor grew higher and higher and you were walking on what felt like the decomposing floor of a forest.
"The first thing I heard was (one of the officers) saying 'Oh my God,'" as he opened the door to the bedroom - that was where the mother and her pups were found," Blomquist said.
A feral dog had seven puppies nursing inside a tiny cage pushed against a wall. The floor of the room was an inch deep in excrement and debris.
Bolzle said several empty bags of dog food were found in the home but no dog dishes set out amid the furniture, which had been chewed to bits.
In the back yard, six feral dogs shared an 8-by-12 pen, he said.
Officers were forced to tranquilize all six to remove them from their excrement-covered dwelling.
They were eventually euthanized after it was determined they could never be domesticated.
Three other dogs were taken by officers along with the puppies and the mother. They will be offered for adoption from the Silver Springs shelter.
Animal Control Officer Nonie Higley said she was heartbroken to see the conditions in which the animals were living, but her department's power was minimal until a judge decided the situation. In this case, three months after the citation, the animals were finally removed.
Neighbor Grant said he sympathized with the animal control officers.
"They're hands are tied because they're a toothless tiger in this community," he said. "This is something that has needed doing for a long time."
Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.