Man Charged With 50 Counts of Animal Cruelty After Dozens of Dogs and Cats Seized

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Watertown Man Charged With 50 Counts of Animal Cruelty After Dozens of Pets Seized

A Watertown man has been charged with 50 counts of animal cruelty after authorities seized dozens of dogs and cats from his home. Police and animal control officers executed a search warrant on Cobb Street around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, following tips about animal hoarding and poor conditions inside the residence.

In total, 50 animals were removed, including 7 adult dogs, 18 puppies, and 25 cats and kittens. While the animals were generally at healthy weights, veterinarians are now providing care and ensuring they receive proper medical attention. Many are expected to become adoptable once fully evaluated.

Watertown Police Chief Joshua Bernegger explained that the situation was discovered after years of concerns with the same homeowner. “We’ve worked with this homeowner for several years, dealing with his animals there. We were certainly not aware of the volume of animals that were in the house until just recently,” Bernegger said.

The homeowner, 52-year-old Martin Oliver, admitted that he became overwhelmed when he failed to spay and neuter his pets, resulting in multiple litters over a short period of time. Oliver claimed he tried to keep up with the cleaning and care, spending hours each day tending to the animals, but acknowledged the situation got out of control. “Reach out, get help. Don’t let it get out of hand like it did for me,” Oliver said.

Neighbors watched as officers carried animals out of the house, many expressing shock and sadness at the scale of the hoarding case. “It’s actually pretty shocking to hear about something so sad of a situation,” said local resident Cassandra Nelson. Others wondered about the wellbeing of the animals and how they had been living inside such crowded conditions.

Oliver, who has a history with police—including a previous arrest for threatening a neighbor during a dispute about his roaming dogs—now faces 50 counts of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 14. The town ordinance allows no more than six pets in a single home, meaning Oliver exceeded the legal limit by a wide margin.

A young and sweet pit bull was found behind a warehouse in south Memphis with hundreds of bite marks and other severe injuries. Liam, as the rescuers named him, had been used as bait for dog fighting and his abusers are still at large.

Authorities emphasized that while many of the animals appeared in fair health, the sheer number made proper care impossible for one person. “I have just two cats in my house, and they’re a lot of work. I couldn’t imagine trying to clean up after 50. So, for a single resident at that home to manage that amount of care is probably impossible,” Chief Bernegger said.

For now, the seized dogs and cats are being housed in area shelters, and local officials are hopeful they will soon be placed in safe, permanent homes.

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