Authorities seize 17 pets in abuse case
Man had served jail term for cruelty before
By BILL MURPHY Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle
A man convicted of animal abuse in the past was arrested Thursday after
officers found three dogs, 12 puppies and two cats with little or no food
and water in a southeast Houston house strewn with litter and feces.
The dogs and cats were kept fastened to chains as short as a foot, and the
chain on the puppies' mother was so short she could not stand, said Houston SPCA chief investigator Jim Boller.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will urge the Harris
district attorney's office to charge George Sterling, 53, with third-degree
felony animal abuse, which could lead to a sentence ranging from two to 10 years, Boller said.
Although SPCA investigators said they can't determine why Sterling hordes
pets, keeping a large number of animals in unsanitary conditions can be a
symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, Boller said.
Studies done by Boston University and Tufts University, he said, found
owners with the disorder take in pets in a quest for unconditional love.
Sterling would be one of the first statewide to be charged under a law that
went into effect Sept. 1 allowing repeat animal abuse offenders to be
charged with a third-degree felony.
He built up his latest horde of pets at home in the 7000 block of Winfree
after serving at least part of a 280-day jail sentence for animal cruelty
last year, Boller said.
Police found 21 mistreated dogs and nine cats on Sterling's land in
Brazoria County in March 2000, the SPCA said. Some of the dogs were starving, while others were suffering from mange. He had left collars, including ones made of electrical cord, on some of the dogs since they were puppies, and the cords were embedded in their skin. The cats, Boller said, were also suffering from his makeshift collars -- hose clamps and shower-curtain rings.
Another four dogs and six cats were found that month at Sterling's home on Winfree, Boller said.
While the SPCA will press for a prison term for Sterling, it will also urge
a judge to require him to undergo psychiatric treatment that may help him
overcome his desire to take in dozens of pets, Boller said.
District Attorney
Harris County District Attorney's Office
1201 Franklin Street
Suite 600
Houston, Texas 77002-1923
[email protected]
