Animals found abused and abandoned receive help

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- More than 20 abused and starved animals that were rescued from an abandoned farm in South Florida are now getting some much-needed help.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rescued all the animals yesterday from a farm in Southwest Miami-Dade and are looking after eight horses, some of them up to 600 pounds underweight, six cows, two goats, one ram, a donkey and eight dogs and puppies. "We feed them, water them twice a day," said Jeanette Jordan. "We let them out into a green pasture where they graze and feed them again at night."

On Monday, authorities responded to a farm located in the 19400 block of Southwest 190th Street after neighbors called police complaining of a bad smell.

Officials found cows, horses, dogs, cats and roosters starved and abused. "The animals are in varying degrees of malnutrition," said Laurie Wagner of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Some are emaciated, some are in OK condition, but the owner said they can't afford to feed them. They have been cutting grass to try to feed them, so they willingly released them to the SPCA."

Officials say the owner will not face charges because he agreed to give up the animals to the SPCA.

The SPCA says it costs them $12,000 per month to run the organization and with only $9,000 in the bank and all of the recently rescued animals, they really need the public's help. "We don't get government funding," said Jordan. "We're not affiliated with any large organization. We are simply a local organization strictly serving the local community, and if we don't do it, there's absolutely nobody else."

The SPCA says all the animals will be OK and can be adopted.

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