More Than 200 Dogs Dead In Animal Hoarding Case Buried Tuesday

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- Victims in a gruesome case of animal hoarding in Montgomery County were laid to rest Tuesday.

Jessica Kartalija explains.

More than 200 dogs were buried at a pet cemetery in Baltimore County.

At the Baltimore Humane Society's Nicodemus Memorial Park, the cremated remains of hundreds of dogs are laid to rest. They were abuse victims taken in by Judy Cahill, a Rockville woman found guilty of animal neglect for hoarding dogs who needed homes.

"We believe thousands. She had been on that property for 30 years and seems to have handled hundreds of dogs per year," said Shelley Janasheck.

"We are remembering today not only the pets in this case but in hoarding cases around the world, as they never had a chance at a good life and were forced to live in situations out of their control," said Necodemus Memorial Park Director Andrew Mazan.

Unfortunately, animal cruelty cases are not uncommon. There are 3,500 new cases reported every year.

"Hoarding is a complex mental illness, one that doctors still find a mystery," said Jen Swanson, Baltimore Humane Society.

Hoarders have an atypical number of animals in the home, are unable to provide even the minimum standard of care and are in denial about the impact the conditions are having on the animals.

In all, 240 dogs were laid to rest.

Anyone with more than four dogs are required to have a license.

Following a guilty verdict in Montgomery County District Court citing animal neglect, a Rockville woman was ordered to not have an animal for 10 years.