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May 15, 2006 6:10 pm US/Central
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Shelter Needs Help After Rescuing 75 Animals
HOBART (CBS) ―
A local animal shelter rescued 75 neglected pets from one man's home.
Now, the shelter itself needs rescuing.
CBS 2 Northwest Indiana Bureau Chief Pamela Jones explains how animal lovers can help out until the pets are adopted into new homes.
Dogs, birds, cats and even a turtle are among the 73 animals still crowded into the Hobart Humane Society after being confiscated a couple of weeks ago.
"All our employees, there's only like 8 of us, we all have to come in at like 6 a.m., 7 a.m. to get the cleaning done before we open to the public," said Brenda Slavik.
Two of the dogs had to be put to sleep. Others were dehydrated, and some were covered in feces and had open sores.
Now, Lake Station resident Bob Zubik could face dozens of charges of animal neglect and abandonment. His house stands condemned.
Friends say he brought the animals home after his pet store in Portage closed.
Neighbors are helping him clean up the home and took CBS 2 inside. They say the animals were cared for and that kicking Zubik out is unfair.
"Can you imagine from a store, being moved into a house here? And of course it looked bad when you went inside, but it was because the pet store was closed and what was he supposed to do with his stuff?" a neighbor said.
The Hobart Humane Society said their entire room is filled with animals taken from the home May 1. Now that they've been cleaned, they'll need a lot of care to recover from their trauma.
But right now, the court handling the case says the animals can't be officially adopted for several days, and that locks up any hope for relief for a humane society filled to capacity.
Zubik is staying with friends right now and wants his animals back. In the meantime, the Hobart Humane Society is looking for any help they can get. Contact the Humane Society at 219-942-0103.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. If you know of stories happening in this region, contact us.