Animals Kept in Filth, Left to Die at Self-Proclaimed ‘Rescue’—PETA Calls For Charges

Published by Elena Waldman.
3 min read

After an undercover PETA investigation revealed that a self-proclaimed animal “rescue,” Isaiah 11 Ministry, was nothing more than a hoarding hellhole for dozens of cats, dogs, pigs, and others, local authorities removed all of them from the facility—with our help—and opened a criminal investigation into its owner, Linda Ozier.

cat held in filthy crate at hoarding dump called isaiah 11 ministry

She had left animals to suffer with open wounds, chronic illnesses, and severe infections without veterinary care, and the case is open-and-shut, but Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney J. Brad Voelz has yet to file charges.

PETA’s investigator found that animals at Isaiah 11 Ministry languished in feces-filled barn stalls, junk-strewn enclosures, and an ammonia-ridden trailer. Ozier repeatedly denied sick animals veterinary care, even when they were dying—including a calico cat named Pearl, who was suffering from parasitic, viral, and bacterial infections.

When Pearl was too weak to stand or even sit upright, cold to the touch, visibly shaking, emaciated, and critically ill, Ozier still refused to seek veterinary care for her and instead planned to leave her to die in a filthy crate.

calico cat named pearl who suffered from serious infections at sham rescue, Isaiah 11 Ministry
After Ozier agreed to let PETA’s investigator adopt Pearl (pictured above), they rushed her to an emergency veterinary clinic, but despite days of intensive round-the-clock care, a veterinarian determined that euthanasia was the most compassionate option for her.

Other animals denied treatment at the facility included a cat named Raven, who had large, open sores behind both ears; a thin potbellied pig, whose overgrown tusk had become imbedded in his cheek; and two turkeys with severe feather loss. One of the turkeys limped on a swollen foot, and the other was found dead just days later.

turkey with feather loss at sham sanctuary

PETA Found Dead Cats Rotting in Coolers

PETA secured placement at reputable sanctuaries for chickens, a duck, a turkey, pigs, and a goat, but only the animals who survived long enough were rescued from Ozier’s operation. Our eyewitnesses documented that several coolers contained the rotting remains of multiple cats and other animals’ skeletons.

bin with rotting animal remains at a sham sanctuary

YOU Can Help Animals at Hoarding Hellholes Like Isaiah 11 Ministry

In a letter to authorities, PETA pointed out that without adequate intervention and treatment, animal hoarders have a near 100% rate of hoarding again—but the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office merely “recommended” that Ozier take in no more animals and may have allowed her to keep eight animals at her home. The only way to protect animals from her deadly neglect is to legally and permanently bar her from possessing them.

About 25% of reported animal-hoarding complaints to law-enforcement agencies across the U.S. involve self-proclaimed animal “rescues” like Isaiah 11 Ministry. Multiple PETA investigations have exposed similar unregulated operations that hoarded dogs, cats, and other animals in dirty, crowded conditions for weeks, months, and even years on end. Learn more about how to spot an animal hoarder and how you can take action:

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