Once Dying, Burlington County Hoarder’s Dogs Are Now Thriving

NEW JERSEY — The scene in Shamong more than 3 years ago was unlike anything Nanci Urban of the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees had ever seen in her 25 years of working in an animal shelter.

“The house itself was in disrepair. There were cages and crates piled everywhere and it was not a very conducive environment for the number of animals that were there,” she told Patch. “The outside pens were also dirty and muddy. It wasn't a very habitable living environment for any type of animal to be in.”

The scene was olfactorily unpleasing too. The stench from Roberts’ home was said to have resembled a combination of animal feces and ammonia that was so overpowering some of the animal rescuers became dizzy and nauseous.

Ultimately, more than 150 dogs were taken from Roberts’ home — some of them dead and in freezers — that November 2018 day. More than 3 years of legal wrangling later, this past Friday Roberts pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 5 years probation — ordered to stay away from animals during that probation — 30 days of community service and pay several fines.

Below, read how some of the dogs rescued from Roberts’ home that day are doing and how their owners feel about the sentence Roberts received in a Burlington County courtroom last week.

‘Beautifully Broken’

Krista O’Connor of Evesham said she had put a dog of hers down about 2 months before the news broke that dogs were taken from the Roberts’ home and would need permanent homes.

Although she was still heartbroken over her dog’s passing, she said the moment she saw a dog needing adoption she knew she had to take her home, because it reminded her of another canine she had many years ago.

“There was something about her that made me think I want to take care of her,” O’Connor said.

The newer dog, named Munchkin, was not immediately comfortable in her new environment, she added.

“She was so scared. She was so afraid. She couldn't come near me,” O’Connor said. “But she wanted to. She was so curious. And I felt so badly for her.”

In time, and with lots of love, patience and hard work, Munchkin has made lots of improvement O’Connor said. Munchkin does not have as many accidents inside the home as she once did and she enjoys going for walks and is well-behaved on these walks.

Despite all Munchkin’s progress, she occasionally shows signs that indicate she is still emotionally impacted by what life was like before she moved in, her adopter said.

“She is very glued to me. I describe her as beautifully broken. She's very anxious, very insecure …very submissive. You can see she so desperately wants to trust … certain people get a tail wag now,” O’Connor said.

‘I Could Never Give Her Up’

Tracie Muir of Moorestown fostered a dog named SweetPea that was rescued from Roberts’ home. After a few families who tried taking SweetPea permanently changed their minds, Muir’s mother, Nancy Aretz, adopted SweetPea into her home in Vineland.

SweetPea had a physical ailment that needed attention upon rescuing, Muir recalled.

“When we rescued SweetPea she had a broken bottom jaw from advanced dental decay,” Muir said. “[Burlington County Animal Alliance] took her to a dental specialist who removed most of her teeth and now she has just a few molars left. Unfortunately, the jaw healed crooked and without most of her teeth, her tongue sticks out.”

SweetPea, like Munchkin, has not completely emotionally recovered from the Roberts’ ordeal, Aretz said, noting the dog appears comfortable around Aretz's three other small dogs, but “she's not as friendly towards [some] people as the others are.”

One person SweetPea did make a connection with was Aretz’s husband, who passed away at the family home last year. In some ways, some might say SweetPea helped her husband just as the family had helped her, Aretz noted.

“She would come over and lick his hand. She knew he was not well,” she said.

Her husband’s death provided newer memories for SweetPea, albeit ones that were likely sad and painful, Aretz added.

“My dogs took a long time to get over the fact that he wasn't here,” she said. “He used to walk out to the fishpond with them and let them run and they looked forward to that.”

Although SweetPea may have had multiple homes before settling with the Aretz family, she is now at her forever home.

“She is a sweetheart,” Aretz said. “I would never, I could never, give her up.”

Aretz said that she hoped someday Roberts realizes dogs “are little beings … with little hearts,” and added that what Roberts did is “terrible abuse [and] she should never ever have dogs [again].

Roberts ‘Getting Off Way Too Easy’

Heather Barber of Cherry Hill adopted Piper from a foster mom, and says her dog is “not afraid, just not interested” in most activities, although she does like long walks and her new family.

Barber said her dog was spared the brunt of what some of the other dogs in Roberts’ home and on Roberts’ property went through.

“Piper came to us looking much better than most of the rescued dogs,” Barber said. “Her skin had an infection, but the foster mom cleared that up. The only things that looked bad were her stomach and rear from overbreeding her. Piper’s toes were also further apart from being in a crate with wires, so they were spread out more because of that.”

Barber said she felt the punishment Roberts received was not nearly enough for what Roberts did.

“I have followed the case of that monster and believe she is getting off way too easy and have nothing kind to say about her,” Barber said.

She also expressed concern regarding what might happen to dogs that Roberts comes into contact with after she serves her jail time and probation.

“It’s really lousy the punishment that the monster is getting,” she said. “In 5 years, she will be able to own animals? Terrible stuff.”

Roberts having to serve more jail time, pay restitution, undergo random checks of her property and “absolutely never being able to own an animal again,” would be a more appropriate punishment,” Barber said.

Roberts ‘Should Never Be Allowed To Own Another Pet Again’

Crystal Watkins, who declined to say where she lives in Monmouth County, already had several pets when she learned that some 100 dogs from a home in Shamong needed a home.

“We were definitely not looking for another dog,” she said. “We already have two at home. And Nanci [Urban of the Animal Welfare Association] was texting me saying ‘I need 30 fosters ASAP. Can I count on you?’ And I'm like, ‘God, I've never fostered a dog.’”

Urban convinced Watkins she could do it, and thus, Roxy came into the Watkins’ lives.

“You could see that she had been through a lot already,” Watkins said. She was very, very scared.”

Roxy was also apparently very underfed – she only weighed about 11 pounds when Watkins brought her home some 3 years ago. At that point, Roxy was also very unfamiliar with what dogs are supposed to do, according to Watkins.

“I took her outside to let her go to the bathroom on the grass and she fell over. She had never touched grass before … and is sensory deprived. I don’t think she ever played with toys,” Watkins said.

“Not to be disgusting, but she was eating a lot of poop, which goes with the [hoarding] situation, you eat to survive,” she said. “If I walked the yard, she would walk right next to me, and although she would get used to it, but she'd still be shaking the entire time walking.”

Eventually, Roxy’s status within the Watkins household changed from foster dog to adoptee.

Over time, she has grown to a much healthier 29 pounds and seems to have a greater understanding of what is expected of canines, Watkins said, adding that an affectionate nickname from Roxy’s early days with the Watkins family, Velcro Dog, however, has stuck around.

“From the moment I walk in the door until the moment I leave, if she could she'd be Velcro to me,” according to Watkins. “She has to lick my hand to fall asleep.”

Like Barber, she thinks Roberts’ punishment is inadequate.

“That doesn't even seem like much time for the amount of lives that were affected,” Watkins said. “Dogs are helpless without us. They're so forgiving to us. To do something to a creature that's helpless they should never be allowed to own another pet again, because they'll just do it again.”

‘If You Suspect Something, Say Something’

Urban, who works at the Animal Welfare Association, said the Roberts case reminded her first and foremost, of how much most people are compassionate and try to help out as best they can.

“People are amazingly generous when they hear of cases like this,” she said. “There was a huge outpouring of people that wanted to adopt, but also people that just wanted to help the animals. That’s a positive to take away from the story that [the dogs] did, ultimately find their forever home that, you know, they can be cared for, in the best way possible.”

The second thing Urban takes away from Roberts’ case is the people on the opposite end of the spectrum, those who refuse to come forward when they think something is wrong.

“I remember reading a lot of reports from neighbors in her area, that there were people that heard barking for months and months and months, figured it was a nuisance type thing and never took it a step further,” Urban said.

Moving forward, she hoped that more people would speak up in similar circumstances.

“If you suspect something, say something,” Urban continued. “There is cruelty and neglect that goes on – maybe not to the magnitude [of Roberts’ case] – but doesn't get reported because either people don't know where to report it or they're afraid of the repercussions.”

People should call animal shelters and police departments when they suspect animal abuse or neglect, according to Urban.

“There's no harm in contacting [authorities] … to have them do a wellness check,” she said.

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