COLUMBUS, Ind. — The city of Columbus is seeking the clean up or demolition of a home where Columbus Animal Care Services had to remove more than 40 dogs.
The Columbus Board of Works voted Tuesday to condemn 1033 Central Avenue at the request of code enforcement officer Fred Barnett. According to the county’s GIS system, the home is owned by Ashley and Benji Smith.
Barnett requested that the board approve his emergency condemnation of the property, which was done on Oct. 13, and that the city take legal action to demolish the property if it is not brought into compliance or demolished by the owner by Nov. 3. He wrote in a letter to the property owners that Columbus Animal Care Services (CACS) removed 41 dogs from the home.
CACS officer Cortnie Law said the house is “one of the worst that I’ve been in.”
“I was called to 1033 Central Ave. due to the conditions of the animals and the filth they were living in,” she said. “When we got there, we spoke to the owner, Ashley Smith. We originally had thought there was only 13 animals in the home. After getting in there, looking around and seeing the piles of — you were just walking on feces and urine. There was clutter everywhere inside the home, you could barely move. We actually ended up pulling 42 animals out of the home, total.”
The animals, which were in poor condition, were mostly Chihuahuas, and there was also one pit bull. Issues included mange, fleas, cockroaches and possibly bedbugs as well, Law said.
“Big thanks, then, to animal care, because they’ve had a number of, well, 41, 42 dogs they’re trying to place and desperately trying to find homes for,” said Director of Administration and Community Development Mary Ferdon.
Law said it is her understanding that all but two have been sent to a rescue. The pit bull, which was living in the basement, will likely have to be euthanized. She believes that the dog, who is not socialized, had no other human contact aside from the owner.
She added that they later learned there were still some cats at the site, so they planned to return and talk with the owner about setting traps.
Barnett wrote in a letter to the owners that there are also a number of city and state code violations at the home, including nuisance, unsafe building conditions, outdoor open storage, and abandoned, unlicensed or inoperable vehicles on site.
“The decision was made by Animal Care and Code Enforcement that all the dogs and cats were to be removed from the property and turned over to Animal Care to adopt out,” he said. “Code Enforcement agreed with the property owner to order the property Condemned as unsafe for human habitation.”
He told the board that Department of Child Services (DCS) and the Columbus Police Department have also been involved with the situation.
“What our code enforcement is requesting is that we condemn your house and give you a couple weeks, I think it’s November 3, to get it back into shape,” Ferdon told Ashley Smith. “And looking at pictures, that’s going to be really difficult.”
Smith replied that she knows someone who may be interested in buying the home and paying for the demolition. She added that she agrees with the condemnation order and is grateful for Barnett’s help.
