13 dogs seized from onancock home for alleged mistreatment

Thirteen dogs were seized by Accomack deputies from an Onancock home on Bayside Drive on Tuesday.

One of them was reportedly already dead.

“It made me very happy and I slept a lot better knowing they were not out tied to a tree with subzero temperatures,” says Matt Hart, an Onley resident. “I guess it took a dog dying in order for something to be done.”

Hart says he visited the house a year ago after hearing about allegations of abuse, and found the dogs left outside, without water, appearing very malnourished. He says he contacted PETA and animal control, and was eventually told they were handling it. However, it was not until a disturbing video surfaced on Facebook, which shows proof of a deceased dog, that animal control showed up to take the dogs away.

“I was disturbed with what I saw,” says Hart. “This is exactly what I wanted, I wanted to see something happen here.”

Still, Hart and other residents say they are not blaming the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s just so many people don’t want to take care of their dogs and they send them loose,” says an Onancock resident who wanted to remain anonymous.

One area of concern is where a Parksley man’s Chihuahua was taken off his porch and euthanized by two PETA workers when he was not home. While residents protested on the side of the dog’s owner, they’re hoping the loss of another dog will bring the county the help it needs but not through euthanizing.

“It would be nice if we could get some additional funding in that area of our county to take care of this problem,” says Hart. “It would be nice if people could come together and grab these dogs and give them a nice warm home.”

The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is continuing, but would not identify the homeowner. The dogs are reportedly now at the Eastern Shore Regional Animal Control Facility.