'Good Samaritan' Defends Houseful Of Pets

BROOKSVILLE - Debra Harmon doesn't consider sheltering unwanted dogs a criminal act.

She says it was generosity, not neglect, that led that to the accumulation of 22 dogs, three cats and a Burmese python in her house at 24514 Audubon Road.

Authorities disagree.

On Thursday, deputies were serving two unrelated arrest warrants at Harmon's house when they said they uncovered deplorable conditions.

According to the sheriff's office, there was urine and feces scattered around the floor and the snake was without water.

Animal Control was called in to seize the animals for evaluation by a veterinarian.

When Harmon came home, the silence was deafening.

"I couldn't be home last night so I stayed with my mother," she said, her voice shaky with emotion over the phone. "I kept thinking about the little dogs."

The animals come from all over. Some are donated and others, like her pit bull, are picked up off the road. That dog was promptly spayed so that no one would use her to breed puppies for fighting, according to Harmon.

"They were rejects. No one wanted them," she said.

Most of the dogs will eventually be advertised in the newspaper and given to a new home, though she has a handful of keepers.

She says the staff at her veterinarian's office can vouch for the care she provides for her animals.

Yes, her dogs occasionally get mange, but Harmon claims that the dogs are shaved and shampooed regularly to treat that.

As for the alleged filthy environment, Harmon said she pays John Arthur Stansfield $15 a day to clean up the mess while she's away at work and he didn't do his job on Thursday.

Stansfield was served with two warrants Thursday, one for dealing in stolen property, and the other for grand theft.

The dogs are kept inside while she's working - which is only three days a week - but the rest of the time they're free to roam in the yard.

Between installing that fence especially for the dogs, the medication and brand-name dog food, Harmon argues that her pets are well provided for.

"If I didn't care about my animals I wouldn't shell out that kind of money," she said.