...those damn pine trees is covered in fleas

That's what Barbara Erickson says of the hundreds of mange and insect-infested dogs seized from her property and car. This same woman faced the same sort of charges in 1996. The county she lived in has a thick file detailing the abuses the 300+ dogs suffered while under her "care".

Erickson had her day in court, 539 misdemeanor charges of animal neglect and a felony charge of criminal mischief.

(That reminds me: where the heck did the term criminal mischief come from? Mischief sounds more like short-sheeting a bed, loosening the lids of salt shakers at the diner, or putting itch powder in someone's Rebocks, you know? Legal phraseology certainly has its mysteries.)

Those of you who know me know that we have three of the most spoiled dogs in the US. Cats, too. So, these kinds of cases always get me. Hundreds of dogs! Hundreds! Where were the neighbors? Were they, like so many of us, afraid to make waves and risk their next-door neighbor's dislike? Did they just refer to her as "that crazy old dog lady?" and roll their eyes? *sigh*