Animal services removes dozens of animals from Douglasville home

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — Douglas County Animal Services officers removed dozens of animals from a Douglasville home after neighbors complained of a stench coming from the house on Brown Street.
 
Officers pulled cages with 27 exotic birds along with 15 dogs, six cats and a ferret out of the home.
 
Animal Services Director Bill Peacock said after they got a warrant, they went to the house to investigate.
 
"We drove up to the property, and immediately, the smell of ammonia was overwhelming," said Peacock.  "We entered the residence, and what we found were cats and dogs roaming freely in the house."
 
Peacock said the homeowners did not live at that address.  Instead, he said, they used that house exclusively for the animals.
 
"The conditions were deplorable," Peacock said.  "There were feces and urine all throughout the house.  The animals were not being allowed outside, so they were being kept inside 24 hours a day."
 
Peacock said the animals were fed and watered twice a day and appeared to be in good health, but the conditions in which they were kept prompted the seizure. 
 
He believes the homeowners were breeding the exotic birds since investigators found a nest with eggs inside one of the cages.
 
Peacock did not release the names of the animal owners because they had not yet been charged, but he believes they will face animal cruelty charges. 
 
Right now, it may just be misdemeanor charges, but he added they're looking into the possibility of charging them with a felony.

WSBTV