More than 30 dogs were taken from a home in Oroville where they had been left in very poor living conditions.
On Wednesday, July 23, the Oroville Police Department (OPD) arrived at the 3000 block of Fallbrook Avenue after receiving a report about the well-being of multiple dogs residing there. The officer who went to the property for a welfare inspection was met by the tenant, Brandi Jacobs, 42, from Oroville, and immediately detected a strong smell and observed troubling conditions inside the house. He then went inside, where the circumstances were even more severe.
Inside, the home was covered in piles of garbage, animal waste, tar, and bugs. The image below illustrates the state of the house:
The officer discovered numerous dogs, with some wandering around the backyard, others packed into kennels, and many piled up to the ceiling, residing in their own waste. He also discovered a dead puppy inside a crate in Jacobs’ bedroom. OPD stated they promptly reached out to the Northwest SPCA and the City of Oroville Code Enforcement Department. Code Enforcement started evaluating the house for health and safety issues while the SPCA initiated the dog rescue. In total, they found 38 dogs, and the rescue operation took over five hours to finish.
The following day, Jacobs was taken into custody and placed in the Butte County Jail. According to Oroville authorities, he faces 78 felony charges of animal cruelty or abuse and five misdemeanor charges of animal torture.
On Thursday night, OPD reported that a second individual has been arrested in relation to the event. Jose B. Martinez, aged 42, was taken into custody and processed at the Butte County Jail due to his role in the case.
Because of the high volume of animals that have been saved, the Northwest SPCA’s kennels are now completely full. To address this, they have eliminated all adoption charges for pets at the shelter on Thursday, aiming to help find caring homes for the animals currently staying there and to create room for newly rescued ones.
—
