Neighbors shed new light on animal abuse case

TYASKIN, Md. – The woman charged with close to 80 counts of animal abuse in Tyaskin may have had good intentions at the start.

That’s at least according to Billy West and his son Austin, who live next door.

West says that Madison Schultz, who was arrested Saturday, Aug. 31st, and Hannah Bowes seemingly let things get out of control.

“I think they had good intentions. They wanted to try to rescue the dogs, but they didn’t have an area for the dogs or funding for that many dogs,” West said.

According to charging documents, when Wicomico County Sheriff deputies found Schultz and the 12 dogs,  along with cats and reptiles all living in feces, urine,  trash, and fleas with no food or water.

They also found two dogs dead and rotting in the backyard, who according to Schultz had been killed by another dog in the house. Schultz herself was covered in flea bites and her toes and bottoms of her feet covered in dog feces.

“I’m told it takes your breath away, the odor, the overwhelming odor it’s the smell of nothing but feces and urine in that house,” said Lt. Tim Robinson.

As for Bowes, West shared that her husband apparently fed up with dirty conditions left with their two kids in early spring.

That’s when Bowes and Schultz began taking in more dogs.

But according to charging documents, Schultz told police that taking care of the dogs got to be too much and that Bowes had stopped helping before allegedly leaving for Virginia a week and a half ago.