43 Animals Impounded From Lemon Grove Home

Concerned about sanitary conditions, San Diego Humane Society on Wednesday impounded 13 cats, 19 kittens, 5 dogs and 6 birds taken from a Lemon Grove house.

The animals were “living in their own excrement,” said Larry Boersma, a spokesman for the society. Neighbors had complained about the smell, he said.

Despite the conditions, Boersma said, most of the animals were “not suffering too badly” and appeared to be in fair health.

Many Complaints

There had been many complaints about the home, Boersma said, and the society had talked with the animals’ owner, Phillis Delong, 43, before a search warrant was issued. Joe Burnett, who lives next door, in the 6000 block of San Miguel Avenue, said the smell was overpowering.

“You can’t have family get-togethers because of the smell,” he said.

He said the animals looked well-fed, but he felt that living “in that mess can’t be good.” Burnett, who said he had never been inside the house, said the dogs were always barking. He said he complained to Delong but that the problem continued.

However, June Matyas, a neighbor across the street, said she had never noticed the smell or been bothered by the animals.

Boersma said the Humane Society officer who conducted the search, J. P. Baker, reported “unbelievable, appalling filth” in the house and the body of a decaying cat lying in the driveway.

‘See It to Believe It’

“You have to see it to believe it,” Boersma said. “It (the smell) was gagging people. Animal excrement was everywhere, and there was a strong urine smell.”

The case will be presented to the San Diego County district attorney with a recommendation that Delong be charged with animal neglect, a misdemeanor, Boersma said.

“We try to educate owners, and probably 95% of the cases are resolved by educating the owners about animals,” he said.

In general, California law requires owners to provide food, water, veterinary care, proper shelter and sanitary conditions for animals, he said.

The owner was providing all of the requisites except sanitation, he said.

“Sanitation has to be provided,” he said. “You don’t ask your animal to live in its own excrement.”

The animals will be kept by the society until the matter is decided in court, which might take months.