Neglected dog looking for new home after owner convicted of animal cruelty
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Red has justice. Now all the 9-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix needs is a new loving home.
Red’s health and disposition have improved dramatically since the canine was removed nearly a year ago from a Daytona Beach home where she was being kept in dreadful conditions. When the 9-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix was rescued by Volusia County Animal Services, Red was chained up inside the house – with one end of the chain tied to her collar with a padlock and the other end attached to a couch. She was lean, living in unsanitary conditions and suffering from a variety of sores and parasites. On Thursday, her former owner, Todd Nordman, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for one count each of cruelty to animals and unlawful confinement.
Nordman pled no contest earlier this week to the charges, both 1st-degree misdemeanors.
Nordman and Red had been living at a residence on Derbyshire Road, but after the owner died, a relative came there on Feb. 4, 2019 to take possession of the home. A Sheriff’s deputy who responded to the scene to assist with the eviction contacted Animal Services out of concern for a dog that was inside the house. The deputy hadn’t entered the residence and didn’t know the conditions inside.
But after Animal Services arrived and obtained a search warrant, they found an awful mess – Red chained up in a house piled high with garbage, broken furniture and other assorted debris. The Animal Services staff reported that the stench of feces and ammonia inside the house was overwhelming and walls were covered with a brown residue and sticky to the touch. Red was covered with fleas and the house was infested with rats, insects and rotting food inside a refrigerator and freezers that didn’t work. The debris was stacked so high that officers were unable to enter some of the rooms.
Dr. Jennifer Green, the veterinary services director at Halifax Humane Society – where Red was taken to be examined and cared for – wrote in her report: “By knowingly allowing Red to go without treatment for multiple issues and housing her in substandard conditions, she suffered unnecessarily and was neglected.”
Nordman took the stand during Thursday’s sentencing hearing at the Daytona Beach Courthouse Annex, saying he did the best he could to care for Red and didn’t intentionally harm her. But County Judge Belle Schumann wasn’t persuaded to let him off without jail time. “The dog’s condition would indicate that it was being neglected,” the judge told Nordman. “I do believe that you cared for this dog. But it did get out of hand.”
As part of Thursday’s sentencing, Nordman was prohibited from owning another dog for five years.
Volusia County’s animal services director, Adam Leath, said he was pleased that the criminal justice system worked to help protect Red from any further harm. “Volusia County Animal Services would like to thank the 7th
Judicial Circuit of the State Attorney’s Office for its relentless pursuit of justice for the dog in this case,” said Leath.
Resilient as ever, Red is being fostered, is doing well and is now a candidate for adoption. “She has overcome a lot,” said Leath. “She’s really looking forward to a forever home.”
Anyone interested in adopting Red should call the Humane Society at 386-274-4703. Anyone who sees a pet in need or suspects abuse or neglect is occurring is asked to call Volusia County Animal Services at 386-248-1790.