Our Animal Haus: Destroyed

THE COMPLETE STORY FINALLY TOLD 7/9/10

2010-07-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I went through a horrible ordeal last year. Some of the details I disclosed on Facebook, but not all of them. I just could not bring myself to go through the whole thing on paper. I am now ready to tell my story...I feel safe where I am now...and I need to let it out.

On 9/9/09, Holly Cara Price, a journalist of some note and FB friend, published an article about me in the Huffington Post. She was trying to help get me some publicity so that our sanctuary might receive some worthwhile attention.

Enter Mr. Logan Neill, who covers Arts and Entertainment for the Hernando Times, a section of The St Pete Times. He called me in response to the Huff Post article, and wanted to come over to do a piece on us. He was in a hurry to write it, so he came to see us within 1 1/2 hours of hanging up the phone. The biggest mistake I have ever made in my life was to let him in.

I had told him on the phone that my lawn was very overgrown because we were short on help, and that our handyman who was an ex-con had robbed us last year. I preferred that he wait until the lawn could be mowed. I remember that he asked for the handyman's name, because he said he wanted to check up on him. I had said I would appreciate him being left out of it. I should have found this alone to be odd. Anyway, he pushed to see us that day, as he said that he had a space for our story in the weekend paper. I reluctantly complied as we needed some local publicity. (My hair was still wet in the photos he took, as I barely had time to take a shower.)

When he came onto the property, which was a very large partially wooded 12+ acre parcel, we took him to the barn which can be seen in the photos on this web site, although the grass was much higher at this time. He had a photographer with him, and he took some photos of my horses, and my son. He passed 4 dog runs and the cattery to get to the barn, but never went inside any of them. I showed him my lanai which had a huge atrium over it that had been shredded by the cats when I had used that area for a few of them last year. The screens had been demolished and now hung flapping in the wind, The photographer took pictures of this, until I asked him not to.

Mr. Neill did not seem to have any prepared questions, and wrote very little down. At the end of the interview, I gave him the name of one of the local Animal Control Officers (Patrick Pace), who had been helpful to us in the past, figuring he might enjoy reading his name in the paper. At this point I truly believed that AC was a friend to us. That was my second mistake, and a very crucial one.

When the article did not come out, I was worried, but then figured it had just been bumped because it was the weekend after 9/11. On 9/16, AC came to my house. Apparently Mr. Neill had used the contact I had given him to meddle in my affairs. He was inquiring into my history with Animal Control, and asked if there had been any past complaints. We had a reoccurring one made by an employee who had been fired in December of '08, and one complaint arising from a post for donations on Facebook. Animal Control had been out here each time, and had found nothing wrong. The last time they had visited us had been in mid-August. In fact, they had offered to help us to obtain free food, and commented that we were a "good rescue". Patrick Pace had also told a local charity "DayStar" that we were a good rescue, and had even called to give us the name of a woman who worked at the local Humane Society who was in charge of giving out free bags of dog food.

Although Mr Neiil said he did not make a complaint, it was very apparent that he had. He was lying. According to Patrick Pace whom I phoned on 9/16, Mr. Neill spoke of having seen feces and terrible conditions, although he was ONLY at the barn. His remarks, according to Pace, were meant to encourage them to take some sort of action against me. When I then confronted Mr. Neill as to why he would involve himself in such a fashion, his reply was that he was "skeptical".

On 9/16, when I was visited by AC, it was the first time I had met Officer Tassoni. He had been back on his job after a year's absence for only 10 minutes when he was handed our file by Patrick Pace, who now had been promoted to supervisor. He was told to check out Logan Neill's complaint.

Tassoni called at 11:30, from out front gate, and asked to be let in. He gave me only minutes to dress. I was in my house dress which if no one is coming, I usually wear all day! Anyway, we let him in, not aware of the fact that we did not have to if they don't have a warrant. I was to learn this later from an animal welfare group.

Tassoni came in...he was not at all friendly. He went everywhere, and took pictures of everything. The only issue he had was with the bird cages not having been cleaned, and I told him that we had lost our employee, the nephew of the woman who cares for out horses, because he had to go back to school. We were looking to hire someone else. He asked about the cyst on our donkey's leg, and we told him that our Vet had said not to worry about it because it was harmless sebaceous cyst. The Vet had seen the donkey the day he had arrived from another rescue. I gave Tassoni the Vet's business card if he had any questions about the donkey or the horses.

Tassoni, along with Pace and another Officer named D'Arco, came the next day, and they counted all of the animals. This had not been done before. I was next door at my mother's house because the phone company was coming to fix her line, and I wanted to make sure she heard the door to let them in. IT WAS ON THIS DAY THAT TASSONI GOT MY HUSBAND TO SIGN A DOCUMENT THAT WAS MADE OUT TO ME, AND ONLY ME, ALLOWING AC TO MAKE RANDOM INSPECTIONS AMONG OTHER THINGS, LIKE SAYING THAT BASIC CARE WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE ANIMALS. MY HUSBAND SIGNED IT BELIEVING IT WAS FOR HIS BENEFIT, THAT HE COULD KEEP THE ANIMALS IF HE SIGNED IT. HE WAS VERY STRESSED OUT AT THIS POINT. NOWHERE IN THIS "CONTRACT" DID HIS NAME APPEAR. THE DOCUMENT SAID THAT BY CAROLYNE MAS SIGNING IT, SHE IS AGREEING TO THESE TERMS. HOW IT WAS IN ANY WAY LEGAL FOR HIM TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT IS BEYOND ME AS HE DOES NOT AND NEVER DID HAVE POWER OF ATTORNEY OVER ME. On this day, AC also brought us some free hay from County Commissioner Atkins' barn.

The next day, 9/18, a subdued Tassoni arrived at around 11:30, and handed me a copy of the citation he had filed. He told me that Pace had wanted him not to file anything, but to give us a couple of weeks to get everything together, but it was too late - Tassoni had already filed paperwork, putting everything on a rapid time line. His issues were with the lawn, the bird cages, and the kennels in the garage which contained quarantined cats from a rescue in Georgia...they had to be unstacked. The horses' hooves also needed to be done by a ferrier, which we usually did anyway. We also had to have proof of vaccination for all of the dogs and cats. We had one week to address most of these things, and there would be no problem if it was perceived that we were making an effort. He also gave me a printed article about a rescue named "Caring Fields", a place that may be able to take some of the cats, perhaps the quarantined ones.

I called "Caring Fields", and they said that they had no room for any animals at all, as things were the worse they had ever seen as far as the amount of pets being abandoned in this economy. They did, however, give me some suggestions on how to turn part of my mother's property into an outdoor cattery, which could be done quite cheaply...they offered to help me when I was ready to do it. I even called my fence guy who had done thousands of dollars of work for me over the years, and he said he would do it for cost, if I provided the labor. I called Tassoni, and told him all of this, figuring he would be pleased.

The days leading to AC's visit on 9/25 were very busy, and we managed to do everything on the list, including getting our backer to fund all of the vaccines. The Vet came out early in the morning, with a whole crew of people doing grooming and shots. It was videotaped at the backer's request. AC came out later, Pace, Tassoni, and Leanna Teague. They were extremely pleased as the place was spotless, and we told them that the ferrier appointment was on 10/02. We also said that we had hired a full-time live in employee who was coming on 10/27. We took a group photo (minus Tassoni), which can be seen at this page.

They said that they would be back in 2 weeks, but did not come. Three weeks later, they did.

On 10/16 at around 11 AM, AC arrived for a surprise visit that supposedly my husband had agreed to upon signing that paper on 9/17. They had let themselves in the gate. My husband met Pace, Tassoni, and a new woman, a trainee, in the garage. Pace said that they came to do an inspection, and asked him if he was okay with that, giving the indication that no was an option. Tassoni then reminded my husband that he had signed that paper, but according to my husband's recollection, Pace still gave the option to say no, but he wanted to check with his supervisor. Mt husband then went back inside briefly to continue working. AC knocked on the door, and Pace said that Teague had said that they didn't have to do the inspection. My husband let them look anyway (?) thinking that it was harmless to cooperate. Their inspection did not include the inside of the house, as it had on 9/16. My husband was inside the house, working, as they looked around. They knocked on the door again, saying that they were done. They made no suggestions, and did not mention any improvements. They left.

They came back about 1 1/2 hour later. This time, they came to pick up Ginger, our 30-year-old mare. It was then that my husband went next door to get me. I had been on my way to cash a check so that we could go to the feed store with our new employee. It was Friday. I went next door with our new employee, Nicholas.

When I arrived on the property, Tassoni was there with his trainee, At first I was very friendly. I said to Tassoni that if he perceived that there was any problem with the mare, why couldn't we just call out Vet to come on over and look at her. He asked if I could pay for that, and I said, of course.

Ginger was always thin, because she was old. She had been brought to us in 2007 in worse shape, and had been seen by Dr. Dillard on numerous occasions. Her condition had improved since being brought to us, but she was old, and never would be much heavier because she could not put that kind of weight/body fat on at her age. She was always put out to graze the pasture area of the property all day because of this, in addition to her feed, beet pulp, and hay.

I called Dillard, and left a message using our employee's (the one who cared for the horses) cell phone. I then asked Tassoni for the paperwork which allowed him to be on my property without my consent in the first place. It was at this point that he became angry, and decided not to allow the Vet to come after all. He then called for sheriff backup, as well as transport for the horse. I was being treated as a hostile person because I wanted to see documentation that allowed them to be on my property. I remained calm, and told him that I did not give him consent to take my horse, and until I could see some paperwork allowing them to be there, they were trespassing.

The police arrived, and I heard Tassoni talking to them. I heard him tell them that we had no money. Money, or my perceived lack of it, had been an issue with him from the beginning. Between my house which was in foreclosure, and the by then famous Facebook post requesting donations which had prompted a complaint from someone out-of-state when it was cross-posted by strangers (as happens on FB). Incidentally, my mortgage had been close to $5000 a month, and I had lost all $300,000 of equity on my home during the housing crash. I was looking to relocate the sanctuary next door, to my Mom's.

The police approached me, and seemed to become irritated when I would not engage with them. I told them that they were trespassing, and that as long as no one could produce paperwork saying that AC had the right to be on my property (I was the sole property owner, the only person on the title), then anyone coming at their request was also trespassing. Bear in mind that at this point, I had no knowledge of AC having been on the property that morning.

My employee, who knew a bit about the law, told me to ask to see all of the police men's badges, and said that I should ask them for their business cards as well. If they don't have them, then they are not in full uniform. One of the officers took this personally, and asked him what his name was, and my employee replied, "I am a private citizen, I don't have to tell you that, but you, however, are required to identify yourselves." This did not sit well with any of them.

At this time another sheriff arrived along with the horse trailer, along with the son of the County Commissioner, who was driving the horse trailer. At this point, Pace arrived and showed this sheriff some paperwork. I am assuming that it is a paper stating that they are allowed to be on my property, but it is a court order. I am informed that it does not matter whether or not I give my consent anymore, that if the cops think that an animal is in distress, they can do what they want. The papers, and this was 6 o'clock on a Friday, were a signed order by the judge to remove the mare.

The mare fought them as they forced her to get on the trailer, and kicked the inside walls once she was inside. It was horrible. Tassoni was extremely hostile to me, as were the police, even though I had never raised my voice, and had only asked for paperwork very politely.

Later that evening, my backer called me, because he had received an email from AC containing photos that were taken by Tassoni that morning, that were of Ginger, Sly, and an empty food trough (that is no longer used) as well as an empty bucket (which we also no longer use - we had an automated watering system installed a while back). These photos were meant to be incriminating, and I believe were meant to turn my backer away from me. I quickly sent the backer my own photos of filled food bins, water buckets, and hay. The photos of the horse were taken in such a way that was a gross misrepresentation of the horses' condition. Ginger was elderly, and granted, thin, but Sly was not thin at all. Neither were any of the other horses, for that matter. I paid an employee $12 an hour to feed them. She also kept a calendar of what she did each day. In September, Sly had a gash over his eye which she had treated with salve. All of this is on the calendar. Tassoni had remarked about it back then, but by now it was gone...not even a scar was left. Many rescues treat minor injuries like this one themselves, and they do not always require a Vet visit. I believe that this would remain an issue with Tassoni, long after the wound had healed.

I also called Dr. Pinero, who had given all of the vaccines on the 25th, and she said that she hated AC, and that they would most likely put Ginger down...they worked that way. She had warned me not to try and be friendly with them from the beginning, something that another rescue had tried to explain to my backer when he entered the picture, and tried to smooth things over with them by being open. Who knew? I was always, like many others, under the mistaken impression that AC is there to help you.

Monday 10/19, the police (3) arrived on my property at 24419 Lanark Road looking for my son, because there had been a complaint that a child was being kept that no one sees, and there were diseased animals and no one had any money to care for anyone. My husband politely said that there was no chid there, and he asked them politely to leave. They did so.

These are notes I took at the time regarding that conversation:

My husband: Sirs, I am not obligated to answer any of your questions and there is no child here.

One of the officers: We know what happened over the weekend. Threats were made [against an officer on 10/16] and we received a memo. We don't know anything about it, we didn't even work that shift.
We are only here to help the lady from DFS to see the child.

My husband: There is no child here. Would you please be so kind as to leave.

Shortly after that, Animal Control arrived with a sheriff (plus 2 deputies) at my mother's house, asking for my husband. The sheriff asked if I was his mother (!). Teddy came to the door. I told him to let them go and have a look, feeling very intimidated by the previous Friday's actions. My employee went with them. As they were walking over he asked them for ID, to which the sheriff replied, "I'm the sheriff here, and these are my deputies, and they don't have to give you ID, but here is my ID. They have nothing to say to you. My deputies told me about you, that you were causing trouble [on Friday]."

It was also on this visit that Tassoni said in a flippant manner that he saw Sly...the blind horse...limping...this is patently false, but he was planting a seed.

On this visit (AC) went directly to the freezer in the garage...they said they had a report of animals being kept in a freezer. The sheriff actually let them only open one freezer, but stopped them from continuing their search of the other freezers in the garage. It was at that point that he sheriff called the judge who would not allow it either. This is where several animals were found in that one freezer that we had been wanting to bury until we knew that we had someplace where we knew we would be living for a while...like at my mom's. There was the body of one cat, which had just died that week, a couple of sugar gliders, 2 parakeets, and a fish. Nicholas (whom we hired to work full time in exchange for room and board) had already buried my older cat who had just died, and whom Dr Pinero had seen a few days earlier and treated..we were just about to bury the others at my mother's property next door because we knew that we would end up there, and we wanted a grave we could visit.

It was on the evening of 10/19 that I learned that Ginger had been euthanized. I was on the phone with my backer (James Robinson) when he received the call. At that point, he had been supporting my efforts to deal with AC as a liaison. He was noticeably shocked when he delivered this news to me. It was at this point, that AC stopped returning his calls and that an attorney (Ms. Erica Moore) became involved. I knew instinctively at this point that Ginger's death was going to be used to build a case against me, however far fetched it seemed to James.

That night, he sent me their Vet's assessment if Ginger. Oddly enough, it came from someone at Dr. Davenport's office, where my Vet, Dr. Dillard used to work...the same office that had Ginger's records still, with her DOB as 8/21/79. This Vet was trying to say that the horse was 18, and was so malnourished that she could not stand, so euthanization was recommended. Was that the same horse who fought AC as they tried to force her into a trailer on 10/16?

I called Dr.Dillard, and told him what happened. He was shocked. He said that you cannot always tell a horse's age by her teeth. He also said that as far as her care, we were square with him. He knew we took good care of her, and he had seen both Sly and Ginger when they had arrived on my property in August of 2007. They were at that time skin and bones, having actually been starved by their owner. Two of my former employees had known the previous owner, and had talked her into giving them to me. Ginger, was Sly's eyes. He has Uveitis which had gone untreated. He had at one point belonged to a sheriff in Pasco County. When she was injured in the line of duty, she had sold him. She had even visited Sly here, at our place.

Tuesday, 10/20, close to 12:30 PM, my husband called and said that the police...lots of them...were back, and I could hear them in the background being very forceful, and asking if he had any firearms...it sounded like a Waco thing, to be honest. It was then that I sent Nicholas Powell, 27, over there with my video camera to tape everything.

It was my birthday, so I wanted to get away from everything for a minute...just to have a minute of peace, and I thought to go with my son to the beach, and while getting gas, I called home to tell my mom something and a policeman answered. They were looking for my son. Apparently by this time my husband had given them the number to where we were at (they actually had seen me with my son on the porch of my mother's house so it is a mystery as to why they pretended not to know this), and it took them no time to trace it to the house next door. Anyway, the police officer said to me that he just needed to see the boy, so I agreed to meet him in the paring lot of Tractor Supply, on the way to the beach.

When I arrived at the parking lot, I was met by 2 patrol cars, one with a man standing outside the car in a swat-team-like confrontational position, as if trouble was expected. My vehicle was quickly approached by another officer, the one whom I had spoken to on the phone, and a woman from DFS. She took my son out of the car, and I was directed to follow them to the courthouse.

Their cars traveled swiftly, and I lost them quickly. At one point, I could not be certain at all where my son was, or if they had lied to me.

Our time at the courthouse was brief, and we then returned to my mother's house. She then did a home inspection, which of course did not find me in any kind of violation. The police were still next door at my house, and this woman, who was very nice, as was this particular officer, asked about the events next door, and about the animals and the house. They took the name and birthday of our employee Nicholas, as well as information (social security numbers, birth dates) of myself, my husband, and my mother.

It was nearly 6 PM when they left.

I called home....my husband told me that he had been handcuffed for hours by the police, and slammed against the wall. They had said to him that they did not need a warrant to search the house. He heard and saw Nicholas being arrested, cuffed, and put into a patrol car, but they did their best to separate them from seeing each other. My husband wept uncontrollably from the stress as numerous officers repeatedly asking him where our son was. They opened all the freezers, and searched the entire house for hours, while he stayed in hand cuffs. They threatened him with loss of parental rights. He told me later that he had seen them take the camera, on the grounds that it may have incriminating information.

It was at this time that my husband and I realized that Nick was nowhere to be found, and since he hadn't seen him be taken away, he couldn't be sure what happened. It was me that called the jail, and sure enough, he was there. He had been charged with obstruction of justice, and peacefully resisting arrest. According to Teddy, all he heard him say was, "I am a private citizen, and do not have to answer any of your questions."

I went to his appearance in court, and prior to this, the bailiff asked if this was all connected to the paperwork from yesterday, same judge, and I said yes.

Shortly after I returned, the police came, along with animal control to my mother's house. The same officers as 10/16, and yesterday 10/20 ( 3 police cars), with an Affidavit for inspection warrant, as well as an inspection warrant with my mother's name on it. She had just woken up, and this was very upsetting for her as the police were at her home the day before Part of the warrant stated, "Carolyn Mas is the owner and caretaker of animals and has been neglecting said animals by failing to provide proper nutrition, medical care, and confining them in area without wholesome exchanges of air."

Officer Tassoni took photos of my mother's animals, and they searched the entire property. At one point they returned to search the mobile home which is used for storage next door, but for which we have lost the keys...it contains stuff from my mother's huge house before she moved here, as well as things from my late Aunt. I told them they were welcome to look there, if they could find an open window to get in.

When they left, they told me that everything was in order, and they wished to go next door. I called Teddy...they searched the entire house, and took the animals from the freezer. The also took a horse named Sly, whom Tassoni had alleged was limping 2 days earlier. He did this because I had not called a Vet. My husband, myself, and our employee of 1 1/2 years who is a horse expert and who works for one of our Vets who lives near by, had found nothing wrong with Sly on the evening of 10/19 after AC had left, and we had determined that there was no need to call a Vet. We had also felt that Tossoni had been deliberately saying this to cause trouble. This ended up being true, as he was most certainly counting on us not calling a Vet which would then give him grounds to take the horse. They also took 7 cats, saying that they were in distress.

(According to Anne Zessin, an NAIA member who was asked by the NAIA to obtain partial records of my case from AC, these cats were then vaccinated (for what?) by AC, and one subsequently died. The question raised by Anne was, if the cats were not healthy, then why were they vaccinated? It is not customary to vaccinate unhealthy cats as it can be deadly. There is also a receipt for the cost of these vaccinations ($350?), which of course, was at my cost.)

Back to the events of 10/21. In a private conversation between AC Officer Pace and my husband, Pace recommend that we take photos before Friday (the fitness hearing) in our defense. To this day I do not understand why he said this, as he was to lie in court just 2 days later. On this day, Animal Control told Teddy that their investigation was over.

On the 22nd, Logan Nell's article did come out...only it was a hit piece on us, with my picture smack dab on the front page of the Hernando Times. There was also a picture of Ginger, but the caption said that the horse was an 18-year-old Paso Fino. We did indeed have a Paso, but he was a younger male gelding.

At the hearing on the 10/23, I asked for a continuance. I thought that I would be turning around at that point to go home, but Ms. Moore began to present evidence. Luckily, I had a briefcase full of photos and paperwork which I had printed the evening before. This included letters from my backer to AC, him to me, and to other people he was trying to get backing from. He was trying to get me under another 501(c)3, because it was quicker than to file myself. I also had around 50 photos of my property and my animals. I had financial statements from March 'till October. I had Vet records for all of the shots from the day that AC was there on 9/25. Perhaps most incriminating of all, I had the photo of AC, the Vet, her assistants, and us, all smiling on the afternoon of the 25th.

I tried my best to counter everything which they said, and I began to notice that they were fabricating a story around what they had done, to justify euthanizing the horse, to justify their extreme actions of the previous week. Leanne Teague had been on vacation all that week...all of these things happened in her absence, and I feel that they needed to build a case out of lies in order to justify their actions, which were all mistakes.

Suddenly they were claiming that I had a history of non-compliance with them...that I had refused to get the free food they had offered, that I had refused to unstack kennels in the garage repeatedly. If you recall, Tassoni was the only one to ask us to do this on 9/16, and by their return visit on the 25th, it had been taken care of. Where are the photos that Tassoni took on tthe 25th? They also stated that Logan Neill had complained to them about us.

I could not believe what I was hearing. I could also not believe that Logan Neill was there along with his photographer, documenting all of this. He sat with AC beforehand, as well as afterward.

I am not an attorney, so I was confused as to what I was supposed to do...I assumed you give the papers that prove your case to the other attorney, which I did, so that they can see that their client is wrong. I did give the pictures to the judge, including the one from the 25th. I also told the judge that I had the vet records for Ginger stating her true age, and raised up the newspaper article for him to see, where Ginger could be seen grazing behind me, happily, standing perfectly strong and on her own. If the Vet AC hired had said that Ginger could barely stand, it must have been on THEIR watch, not mine. Somehow, I thought that all of this evidence would matter.

After about an hour of proceedings (?!?!) I was given a continuance date for the following Thursday, and that was supposed to give me enough time to get an attorney. I also asked a woman who was sitting in an area next to the judge's bench, if I could get a transcription of the hearing, and she said that I could pay for one afterward. I remember from my employee's first appearance just 2 days earlier, that when the blue icon in front of the judge was on, the session is being recorded. I did not see this light on, but I trusted his assistant to know what she was talking about.

Whe I returned home, I called Dr. Pinero, as I thought I did a good job presenting my evidence, and she said to me that I should have been a lawyer. I actually was proud of myself. I was controlled, organized, and articulate.

When I phoned around the following Monday, I couldn't find anyone who could tell me where to go and get a copy of the transcript. I didn't realize it was because there was none.

Tassoni and Pace stopped by to count the animals again that week, which day, I am not certain. Pace even joked with my husband that they'd probably end up being friends and exchanging Christmas cards. This was not funny to my husband...in fact, it was bizarre behavior, quite Sociopathic.

I tried to find an attorney quickly who would take this kind of case. I could not. So, when I appeared in court the following Thursday, I was looked at as if I had made a choice not to have one. I began to see that I was being railroaded (and once again repeatedly photographed), as I heard Patrick Pace spout lie after lie about my supposed non-compliance. I began to see that no matter what evidence I was presenting, it was not going to change a thing. It was a done deal. Pace repeatedly lied under oath. I actually asked him if he still wanted that Christmas card, to which he bowed his head. They were now trying to say that I was starving all of my animals. Ms. Moore stated that I owed them over $5000 for almost a year-long investigation. She proposed that I be allowed to keep 10 birds. Ms. Moore even asked me if I was sure that my employee was feeding the horses. I replied, "Why would my employee single out 2 horses to starve, while the rest are fat?" They also then told me that me employee no longer worked for me, that they had called her. I was shocked. They also presented a paper signed by the same Vet who had vaccinated the dogs and cats, stating the the cats that had been seized be put down, that the county could not pat for treating them...that they had feline herpes, and it would cost them $100 per cat to treat. These were the same cats that had been seen by the same vet on the 25th...I felt as if they were trying to everyone against me.

At the end of the hearing, the judge said they he thought that I had not done anything deliberate, but had merely been overwhelmed, but still ordered the animals to be removed from our property...all except for a few. Afterwards, Ms. Moore came up to me, after what appeared to be a negotiation with AC, and said that I would be allowed to keep my son's pony, my pig, 2 cats, and 2 birds. She said that the rest would be sold to pay my debt to AC. I said, "Well, then I guess I will be getting back the difference." I was in total shock and it all seemed so absurd. If I was so evil, why was I being allowed to keep anyone? Moore said that I would be receiving some expedited documents containing the details of this deal, and I needed to sign and then return them. The animals were to be removed the following day.

I should mention at this point that NEITHER hearing had been recorded by a court reporter...which means that I could never prove that AC had perjured themselves in any future appeal. How is anyone supposed to file an appeal if the original hearing is not recorded in any way, and why aren't the Plaintiffs told of this before? Does this seem like Amerika to you yet?

That evening, a supporter of our cause called, and then came over. She photographed all of the animals. Her photos are the ones that are seen on my Web site. These are the only photos I have of many of our animals.

I could not sleep. I went over to the house at 7 AM to say goodbye to my animals. I picked up one cat to move him from the kitchen to then den. He purred at my touch. I will never forget this. He is now dead. At this point, after being treated like a criminal, I committed my only criminal act to date...I took a small conure that I have had since my birthday of 2001, put him in a carrier, and took him with me. I told my husband to tell them that he escaped out the food cup while he was feeding them, if they asked about the empty cage.

As I was leaving, I could see the horse trailers lining up outside my gate. The hit was to be at 9AM.

Sometime later, there was a knock at my door. I opened it, and saw several press people. I quickly closed the door. I heard them talking through the door. One of them said, "Is it true that AC is taking healthy animals? If this is so, we can help you." I opened the door. There were at least 3 different media people there including Mr. Neill's photographer. He actually told me that Mr. Neill had not made a complaint, that he was there...whatever that meant...he surely wasn't with Neill when he called them...maybe he was. I told my story to the camera, and the journalists seemed genuinely concerned and sympathetic. Especially one man whom I was told by my husband was from the Huffington Post, although no article that I know of ever came out there. Mr. Neill's photographer was peeved because my husband had asked him to leave, and he thought that I owed him the right to take pictures of what was going on since I used one of his photos as evidence in court. I had not been aware that holding up a newspaper with a photo was any kind of copyright infringement, or that I indeed owed this guy anything, but I consented and let them all go over...because they were taking healthy animals and I wanted the world to see. I actually thought that my story might make it out there, through all of Neill's yellow journalism. In fact, the man from the Tampa Trib that Neill had violated journalistic ethics by complaining, and interfering. One is not allowed to interfere unless there is an animal being beaten, or killed.

Later on, maybe by 5, my husband called. You could hear the birds screaming in the background, like they were being killed. It was horrible. He said that one of the birds had gotten out, and that they were having trouble getting him back in the cage, and that Pace had said, "I don't care if we get him or not." I told him to videotape it with the phone, but he could not get it to work as we never use this feature. The police still had my videocam.

I took my mother to the bank. On the way back, we passed the last load of birds...being transported in an open horse trailer, something that I would have been arrested for doing. According to my husband, they also used a pickup truck. I was horrified.

It took me weeks to be able to go to the house. AC had taken all of my cages, even empty ones, and al of the bird toys. They had taken all of out available kennels to transport the dogs and cats.

Enter the wonderful bird women who eventually found me an attorney. A woman named Mona was sent by Laurella Desborough (AFA NAIA, http://eclectusbreeder.com/about.htm) to look at out property after everything happened, and to check us out. What they found was a beautiful facility, that although it may have had some minor shortcomings which could have easily been remedied, it certainly should have not been completely destroyed. It was at this time I learned about the hundreds of confiscations that occur throughout the US, that are just like mine. The animals that are not valuable to AC, are routinely euthanized, and the ones that can be sold for a handsome profit, are sold immediately.

I was introduced at this time to a woman named Anne (who investigates for NAIA) actually visited AC, and obtained some of the records, and has real problems with AC's accounting of events. She also did not like Tassoni. She also stated that my animals, what was left of them, were being kept in deplorable conditions...tall grass and rats for the horses and the cow (who was picked up just 2 weeks before from my mother's property, and not during the initial confiscation). The birds were in partial darkness. They were all being fed finch food.The dogs that were left, instead of being in huge 70 x 40 dog runs at home, were being kept in small cement cells. She could not understand how that could be an improvement. When she asked about the abundance of horse manure and the hundreds of flies around the horses, the girl working there replied, "I'm only one person doing all of this." Hmmm...AC thought that WE had been overwhelmed.

Here is my employees account of the events which led up to his arrest on 10/20, in his own words:

"As an employee for Carol Mas and Esteban Agustinho at 24419 Lanark Road, Brooksville FL, I was asked by Carol Mas to take her camera to their property (at the time we were at Carol Mas's mother's house) and film her property.

I saw three sheriff vehicles parked outside the gate, one of the vehicles was running but nobody was inside. I started filming as soon as I hopped the dummy locked gate. I walked about 10 feet and passed a person wearing a white shirt and black pants. It looked like he was leaving so I didn't say anything to him. He walked passed me too without saying anything at first.

Then a couple of seconds later he shouted something and I turned around with the camera filming and asked him to repeat what he said. He then snatched the camera out of my hands and quickly turned it off and said something to the effect that the camera was evidence. He did not identify himself as a police officer. I told him if he takes that camera, it is considered stealing.

He demanded me to walk with him up the drive-way where I was confronted by at least 5 guys wearing the same white t-shirts and pants. I noticed the shirts said "Sheriff" on the back and saw a couple of badges hanging on the belts of some of the men's pants. The guy who took the camera out of my hands told the other guys "He was filming evidence for us" and they laughed. I was confronted by a man in a yellowish-tan shirt, his badge was sticking out but he didn't identify himself as a police officer. He said "Identify yourself." and told him (assuming he was an officer) "I didn't break the law or any statute and since I have not broken any laws or statues, I do not have to identify myself." He said "Where is your ID, do have ID on you?" I told him "I am not obliged to have ID at this point, I am a private individual." He said in a loud and threatening voice "Okay MR. Private Individual, how would you like to be arrested?" He then told one of the officers standing behind me to arrest me. I said, "You need my consent for that and I don't consent." He proceeded to handcuff me, I didn't resist. The arresting officer then proceeded to put me into a near-by police vehicle that was already on the private property. I asked "Are you going to read me my rights?" He said "At this point you have no rights." I asked "What am I being arrested for?" He said "For not identifying yourself." I proceeded to explain that there is no law or statue that states one must identify who they are if they didn't break the law, but he ignored me and slammed the door behind him.

After 3 hours of sitting in the vehicle, a new officer who I didn't see before, opened the car door and identified who he was as an officer and first name. We talked for a bit and he convinced me to give him my first name, middle name, last name, birthday, and birthplace.

About 30 minutes later he said he could identify who I was with the information he had and couldn't let me go with just a ticket like he said he could do.

About 15 minutes later I was driven to the jail by the arresting officer and his partner.

Once we arrived. The arresting officer told the lady at the counter that he had a problem identifying me. She asked me "What is your name?" and he said "He will not talk". I interrupt him and said "I will talk, my name is Nicholas Powell." She said the officer "Well what is the problem here?" He said, "I can't confirm that he is that person." I said "You can confirm it through my birthday which is 4/3/82 and I also have my finger prints in the system already so you can confirm me that way." Ignoring my statement, the arresting officer booked me as a John Doe and wrote an affidavit as such. I asked the lady "Do you see anything wrong with this?" She said "It's at the officers discretion. Maybe you pissed him off, you should be more cooperative next time."

When the arresting officer came back with the completed paperwork, he said "There is no bond with this one (pointing at me)." I asked the lady "Why no jail-bond?" She said "because you are being entered as John Doe and as a John Doe you can't have bail until we can identify you. You have to talk to the judge to identify yourself now because the arresting officer already filled the affidavit as John Doe."

YouTube video of the camera incident.

On December 18th, just before Christmas, I received an email from Logan Neill.

Dear Ms. Mas:

Asst. State Attorney Jason Smith has informed me that two charges of criminal misdemeanor animal cruelty are being brought against you and your husband in regard to Our Animal Haus. As I have no current phone number for you, I am sending this message in the event that you may wish to respond publicly about the charges. You or you attorney may do so either by email or by phone. My direct line is (352) 848-1435. FYI: This story is for tomorrow's paper, so I'll need to hear from you by 4 p.m. today.

Thank you,
Logan Neill

I was shocked that Mr. Neill had managed to insert himself into my business to the extent of which he was privy to information like this. By sheer coincidence, I had been on the phone earlier that day with the attorney that Mona had spoken with on my behalf. I called him back in a state of panic. He said that he would make a phone call that would prevent us from being arrested, so that we could be served with a subpoena instead.

It was shortly after this, that I was told by the attorney that AC was going to come after me for $27,000. This was supposed to be the bill for what it cost them to care for my animals from the time when they were picked up, until the time they were either killed or sold.

Back when Anne had gone to AC in November, she had been told by a gloating Tassoni that my house was up for auction on the courtroom steps as they spoke, something she found to be unbelievably callous, and also wondered how he knew this. I was sure he was wrong, as four months earlier, we had paid an attorney nearly $3000 to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy for us, which would delay the foreclosure and buy us time to set up the sanctuary at my mother's property. She was going to file the paperwork the minute the house appeared on the court docket, but she forgot to do this, so by Christmas, we were now not only forced to move immediately from our old house, but we were faced the new and completely bogus charges. How could things possible be worse?

We eventually were to learn that all of our cats were killed. This was devastating because some of them we had for 12 years, and they had a right to live out the rest of their lives in peace. The older dogs were killed, and the rest adopted for a fee at a public fair, and given vaccines again so that they could charge people for them. At this fair, which was advertised in the paper, we were mentioned as being the past abusive owners, and that these poor animals needed good homes as they had come from such a bad situation. I cannot tell you how hard it was to read this. The birds, horses, the donkey, and the cow were sold at an online auction. I don't know what happened to the sugar gliders and ferrets. I heard later that the Prairie Dog was safe. Each of the buyers of the animals online, had to sign an agreement allowing random inspections, meaning that the animals could end up at AC again. AC made $7000, which if you remember they had said I owed them $5000 for their "investigation"...what happened to the rest of the money was never explained to me. I was never given the opportunity to pay this bill in some other way. They had taken it upon themselves to seize perfectly healthy animals and sell them. Along with my animals, they took expensive bird cages and dog crates...all of which was illegal. The law did not matter in Hernando County.

What ultimately made me leave Florida, was the last incident, when AC arrived at my mother's home for a surprise inspection in January (?) of this year. AC was allowed to do this even though my mother had never been involved in the proceedings...her name had been on the earlier search warrants merely because her property was next door to mine, and my attorney had tried to remove her name in a lower court with no success. Because I was now living with her, she was forced to endure these visits as well, and subject her own dogs to inspections and photographs.

On this day, they came with 2 sheriffs, one of who was the one I had asked for ID back on October 16th, and who had been pissed off because I was demanding my Constitutional rights. When my husband let them in, I was in the bathroom. The sheriff made me get out of the bathroom where I had been relieving myself, saying that he thought he "heard something in there" and had to inspect. This was humiliating.

They searched every inch of the house, even going into my mother's bedroom where she was in bed and in her pajamas because they needed to see her cat.

It was on this visit, that they left a plastic bottle with the ashes of the animals who had been murdered by them...exactly which animals, I will never know. The ashes were put inside of a bird food container, most likely this very container had been used to feed my birds after they stole them from me.

Tassoni made one subsequent visit where he attempted to shake my husband's hand, almost cornering him to do so. He then lay his hand on our son's head. That was it for me. After that day, I began to make arrangements for us to move out of state.

So that is my story. I did not spell check or proof read much of this, so there may be errors. I am a lousy typist, and it was hard enough just to get this done.

The Auction: 11/19/09

2009-11-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today, my birds, horses, ponies, and donkey were sold at an online auction which ended at around 9 AM this morning. I asked a friend of mine who had been monitoring everything not to tell me the web address, because I knew that it would be too much for me to witness. She was merciful enough to comply with my wishes.

I am utterly devastated, and to be very honest with you, the only thing keeping me alive at the moment...is my son. The pain is unbearable, it is like having lost a thousand children. I watched the hour of 9 AM go by on my clock, and felt as if the life had been ripped out of my soul.

I looked in the mirror when I got up, and it was like staring into a black hole. How do I pick up the pieces of my life? I will tell you one thing: The people who committed this evil act this will not get away with it. I intend to fight tooth and nail to hold them accountable for the destruction they have caused to the lives of myself, my family, and my animals.

It is unlikely that I will ever see my animals again because of the way this case was fast-tracked, but maybe I can stop these people from doing this again to someone else. The only thing preventing me from retaining an attorney at this point is money. That is why I am asking you to please donate anything you can right here or at www.ouranimalhaus.org, and help me get the justice that the animals you see in these pictures so well deserve...that my shattered family deserves...that the spirit of Ginger and the many others who were needlessly euthanized, deserve.

I thank you for listening...Carolyne

DONATE

2009-10-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

ABOUT

2009-10-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

For 13 years I ran a non-profit sanctuary called "Our Animal Haus", that housed unwanted, abused, elderly, and special needs animals. 45 dogs, 80 cats, 8 horses, one donkey, 50 birds, 2 ferrets, 3 bunnies, a few sugar-gliders, 2 cows, one pig, and one prairie dog, a little less than 200 animals who were very much like a big family. This family was to be obliterated in a few short days by Animal Control in Brooksville, Florida.

Why? It started with a horse named Ginger, who was saved by "Our Animal Haus" from starving to death by the previous owner. Ginger was 30 years old, which is comparable to an 80-90 year old elderly human. She was one of our success stories, and she quickly grew strong enough to graze freely on our 22 acre parcel, socializing with the other horses. Despite being cared for and fed everyday for 2 years by my husband and a long time employee, she never did gain weight much in the way some elderly people are unable to gain weight because of such a low percentage of body fat. According to other owners of elderly mares whom I have spoken with, this is not at all uncommon.

Yet Animal Control took her based upon perceived neglect because of her weight, disregarding completely her care, which had been well-documented.

While Ginger was in custody, the veterinarian for Animal Control mistakenly identified Ginger as being an 18 year old horse. Based on the wrong age, the veterinarian determined Ginger had suffered from malnutrition. Ginger was then euthanized (or murdered if you like) as a result of this incorrect diagnosis. To compound this, Animal Control had taken pictures of unused food and water bins to complete the illusion of a horse having been starved, although the barn was filled with food, and there were automatic water buckets in plain view. A calendar kept by my employee hung on the wall detailing the care of the horses. These were conveniently not photographed.

Had Ginger been an 18 year old horse, she would have certainly gained weight with the amount of care she received, and the records provided by our Vet proved that she was 30 years old. Even this did not hold up in court. These facts presented to the judge, along with photographs taken by my husband, went unnoticed, as if they did not exist.

Our sweet mare was used as the king pin in what would become an outright assault on "Our Animal Haus", that would lead to the removal of nearly all of our animals, and we fear that because of their age they will be destroyed like Ginger.

I would love to hear from people who have had similar experiences with Animal Control. Apparently, as I am finding out, they are not that uncommon. With the right attorney, I would like to stop these people from being able to use their power in a such fierce and abusive manner. It is the only way in which I can make sense of Ginger's untimely death, and honor her most precious memory.

Thanx for your support.

Carolyne Mas

2009-10-30T18:21:00.001-07:00

Insert Story Here...

THE ANIMALS

2009-10-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Most of these animals were not sold because they were special needs, elderly, abused, and utterly unwanted...nearly all were mixed breeds. Because they could not be profited from, they were all killed with the exception of a few small pure-bred dogs. However, the exotic birds...Macaws, Cockatoos, Conures...and the horses and ponies, and my bull, were all auctioned for over $7,000 dollars. From what I understand, a few of the smaller birds are still at AC, in relative darkness. Along with the birds, my cages worth thousands of dollars were also taken by AC, and sold with the birds! Other animals like sugar gliders, ferrets, and bunnies, were also taken in my cages, as were several dog crates and pet carriers that belonged to me.

Looking back on it now, it feels as if Ginger's deliberate and cold-blooded murder (read the about page for more information) was used as the king pin in order to create a situation which would allow Animal Control to ruthlessly seize the rest of the animals in an effort to collect revenue and a handsome profit for the state.

All of these pictures were taken on October 29, 2009. A day before animal control took the animals.

Julio, aged 12, euthanized by AC, named after my husband's late father, whom we rescued on the streets of Nashville as a pup. He most recently survived and recovered completely from a crippling illness which took months of rehabilitation, treatments from multiple Vets, and the perseverance of my husband, Teddy.

Sally, aged 3, euthanized by AC, a happy resident of "Our Animal Haus", was rescued from a gas chamber death in 2007 at the hands of Animal Control in Barrow County, Georgia.

Red Dog, 7, euthanized, also a rescue from certain death by Animal Control in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2006. He and Julio are best friends, but are now, sadly, separated.

Bailey, 4, auctioned for profit by AC, was rescued in 2005, from a pet store in Largo where he was being improperly hand fed by an employee. At the request of an employee who discovered him in distress with a hardened crop, I purchased him over the phone, where upon he was immediately taken to a Vet for evaluation and care. He is missed very much.

Sunny, also 4, auctioned for profit by AC, was brought to me at the same time as Baily. Her former owner was not educated by the breeder who sold her, and he quickly discovered that Macaws were a noisy and demanding bird to own, not a wise choice for a first bird. She and Baily were pals.

Tutta....pretty Tutta...6, auctioned for profit by AC, was kept in a garage with another bird in a small cage, and rescued in 2005 by the woman who used to be an employee of mine, and who runs a mobile bird services business.

Yaki, auctioned for profit by AC...what can I say about this bird that does not break my heart? Yaki was in the window of Arigato, a Japanese restaurant in Clearwater for 12 years. I used to go there with my parents just to sit near her. The first time I saw her was in the early nineties. At some point, she was taken from the restaurant in 2004 because of a health violation. She would be in darkness all day until the restaurant opened at 5 PM. She has eye problems because of this. She had no climbing bars, so she developed arthritis in her feet. I know how this feels. Somehow we found our way towards each other in 2005, the same day that a dear friend of mine died. She is an older bird, 28, and needs special attention. Moving her from her home where she at last felt safe and cared for was cruel, and uncalled for.

Poppy, auctioned for profit by AC....has spradle feet, a birth defect which makes it hard for him to perch on your hand, so he uses his beak to climb onto you. We think that previous owners, of which there were 4, might have mistaken that for biting, which is why he has had multiple owners. He also has a potty mouth, and has been known to shock people with what he says...but hey, I am from New York! Will someone else be as understanding and aware of his birth defect? He was with us since 2005. He had been returned to the neighborhood pet store multiple times. The owner begged me to buy him.

Alma, auctioned for profit by AC, which means soul in Spanish, was 4, and was not a rescue, but family pet. She was a loving bird....and still is, wherever she may be. She is sorely missed.

Stoshi, auctioned for profit by AC, was purchased at a pet store in 2004. She was hand fed in the store, but never hand tamed. Her neighbor Elvis, below, and she had become good friends as their cages were placed next to one another in the store. She never learned to relate to people even after much work, but sure loved Elvis. They are now separated. I am sad and afraid for them both. Birds are so super sensitive to changes in surroundings, and can develop behavioral problems when they are moved around too much, often resulting in a lifetime of multiple owners. Sad.

Elvis, a small Macaw, so very affectionate...auctioned for profit by AC.

Chico, auctioned for profit by AC...used to give me kisses, and hated being put back into his cage. He was 6, and was liberated from a very bad pet store as a pre-owned bird in 2005.

Sunshine, auctioned for profit by AC, as he was named by a pet store employee in 2003, was one of the birds that never was purchased, and faced a long life in a pet store because he just could not be sold. Before the employee, an elderly man, relocated to Hawaii, he begged me to buy this bird and give him the good home that he so richly deserved. He was a real clown, and fluttered his wings every time he saw me.

Parakeets....

Love birds....

Bonita, 10, auctioned for profit by AC...a yellow-naped Amazon. Shewas purchased from the same pat store as Elvis, Poppy, and Stoshi...a pet store who had them in cages without toys.

Earl, age 8, auctioned for profit by AC...small potatoes for them. I wonder what will become of his mate Pearl. They were so sweet together, and were always chattering during morning coffee.

Ziggy, 4, auctioned for profit by AC. He arrived at my home 2 years ago, the victim of a very bad divorce. His best friend Ozzy, was in the cage next to him. I am sure they will be separated. How tragic.

Paco, the donkey, was rescued from a man who was dying of cancer. In the foreground are Truffles and Clyde, my son's ponies. I bought them for him in 2004...all were auctioned for profit by AC.

Sweet little Truffles. I will never forget her.

Picasso...somehow they "let" me keep him as a reward for being compliant...

...along with Baby, whom I have had for 8 years.

These cats are all deceased...murdered.

...and these. All euthanized.

Sweet Johnny...he did not have to die.

Sweet Samantha, my son's favorite. How can I explain her unnecessary death to him? He cries about her and the other dead animals...or the stolen ones...his ponies, and his donkey, whom he had nicknamed "Herman"? I do not think he will ever understand or recover from this needless, senseless crime.

From what I understand, all of the people who purchased these animals via the online auctions set up by Animal Control, had to sign a contract allowing Animal Control to make routine surprise inspections for the period of one year. This will make them subject to the same kind of illegal confiscation that happened to me, especially if they own other exotic birds, or other animals that carry a large price tag. Potentially, these animals of mine could be bounced around and sold for profit once again by Animal Control. It is their own special way of spreading the damage.

I encourage you to write to me at samlorac@aol.com if you know of similar animal confiscations of healthy animals in your area, especially if you live in the state of Florida.

These photos were taken by my husband on the 22 of October, 2009.

Ladybug, our Haflinger...auctioned off for profit. My son, who is 7, loved her and was supposed to have been able to grow up riding her.

Crazy Boy, a cute mixed-breed with big ears...euthanized.

Randolph, and elderly hound dog, euthanized. He has been rescued from death at the hands of Barrow County GA Animal Control, only to find the same fate at the hands of Animal Control in Hernando County. He deserved the dignity of living out his life with love, and in peace. Behind him, are some of our huge dog runs, many as big as 30' x 70'. We did fall behind on the mowing, but had just hired a full-time-live-in-man, who had started working on September 27th, 2 days after Animal Control's happy visit which is documented by the photo at the top of this page. He had begun that day, clearing many of the kennels by hand with a weed-whacker. Hard and time-consuming work.

Our beautiful barn.

Ladybug and Sly (seized on 10/21...I don't know what happened to him...he was blind.) This photo was taken 10/18, 2 days after they seized Ginger

The cattery. It was roomy and clean, and cost me $35,000 to have built. The outside wrap around chain link area was added by my lovely fence guy Ray, who did some work for the Humane Assoc. building just this sort of fencing. He did all of our farm fencing, coral fencing, and dog runs. No doubt, we were his best customers.

The cattery on the inside...all of these cats are dead.

These cats were QUARANTINED from the rest, until a separate outdoor cattery could be built. I had tried to get another rescue named Caring Fields to take them, whose name I got from Officer Tassoni from Animal Control, but when I called them, they told me that they just had no space...things were worse than ever in this economy. They did, however put me in touch with someone who could help me design an outdoor area similar to theirs. Ray, our fence man, was going to do it for cost, and my new employee was going to supply the much needed manpower. I had a backer who was in the process of arranging a grant for us. I was never given a chance to do this. My husband cleaned these kennels every night, without fail. Today, these cats are dead.

We gave up our huge 700+ square feet living room with huge windows and vaulted ceilings to 16 indoor cats. They even had a spiral staircase which they loved to rule, and a 200 gallon fish tank to gaze at. They were all euthanized, and combined with the very cats they had been separated from with such care for so long.

Puck was declawed, and my mother's favorite. I should have given him to her while I could. It would have saved his life. I just never thought that this ruthless invasion into our home and their home would ever happen. Now I know better. It could happen to anyone.

Where's Milo, the Prairie Dog? God only knows what they did with him...he was very happy with his other animal friends. This is the only photo I have of him, from 2 years ago. Somehow, they "let" me keep Buttons, the Royal Dandie pig (along with 2 birds, 2 cats, and a pony - a most painful choice), as part of the "deal", even though it had been determined by the court that I am unfit to own any animals in Hernando County for the next 3 years. Does that make any sense to you, even if you are not on my side?