Rush was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail for keeping and neglecting dozens of animals after she failed to abide by the sentencing in a previous conviction.

"You and I had a conversation that I was not going to tolerate this," said Judge William Rogers of the Dayton Justice Court, referring to the previous case. "It didn't matter if you thought I was right or not, I ordered you to do certain things with animals and you ignored that."

Julia Rush, 51, pleaded guilty Dec. 23 to misdemeanor animal cruelty. In exchange for the guilty plea, citations for having too many dogs and failing to vaccinate and license them were dismissed.

Rogers suspended an additional 90 days in jail and placed Rush on probation. He also ordered she turn over to the court the locations of any animals she placed on her own between pleading to the charge and the sentencing on Wednesday.

"You absolutely are not to have any ownership, possession or care or any animals and are not to reside in any residence where animals are," he said.

Lyon County Animal Control Supervisor Ted Bolzle testified Rush's rental home at 1465 W. Badger Drive was filthy, with the rooms buried in feces and animals with no social skills being kept inside.

He said of 21 dogs removed on Jan. 3, only six pups and their mother could be salvaged. The remainder was euthanized.

"I believe with the condition these animals were in, it was at a minimum, severe neglect," said Deputy District Attorney Michael Bongard.

Rush's 15-year-old daughter testified that after her father left, the number of animals increased because they had "been dumped" there. She said she was teased at school by other children because of her mother's situation.

The bulk of the girl's statement was hard to understand because she broke down in tears as she pleaded for leniency for her mother.

Friend Val Braggs said she has known Rush for six years.

"I know Julia wouldn't have intentionally hurt any animal," she said. "She was doing the best she could with what she had. I think it overwhelmed her.

An estimated 50 dogs, 18 goats, horses with 16-inch hooves and dozens of cats and sheep were believed to be on the property when the citations were issued in September.

At that time Rush voluntarily surrendered 22 cats. They were later euthanized after being diagnosed with feline leukemia and AIDS.

Mary Champlin lived across the street from Rush. In her opinion the sentence was too light, she said.

"We saw those horses standing in their own manure for five years," she said. "There were sheep that hadn't been sheered in four years. What she did to those animals was just wrong."

Source: Nevada Appeal - Feb 3, 2005

The animals were removed Wednesday (Jan 5, 2005). Rush, 51, stayed inside the double-wide mobile home despite being served with an eviction notice at midnight. She declined media requests for a comment and would communicate only with a friend outside through a slight crack in the front door.

In sentencing Rush to probation, a judge told her she had 10 days to find homes for the remaining animals. If she hadn't by then, Animal Control was directed to take them.

On Sunday, Rush called Animal Control Supervisor Ted Bolzle and said she found homes in Reno for some dogs and was surrendering those that were left.

Tom Blomquist of the Lyon County Spay and Neuter Project volunteered to help in the removal.

"This was much worse than I imagined possible," he said Wednesday. "When I walked in I felt like I was walking into a concentration camp. The (feces) on the floor grew higher and higher and you were walking on what felt like the decomposing floor of a forest.

"The first thing I heard was (one of the officers) saying 'Oh my God,'" as he opened the door to the bedroom - that was where the mother and her pups were found," Blomquist said.

A feral dog had seven puppies nursing inside a tiny cage pushed against a wall. The floor of the room was an inch deep in excrement and debris.

Bolzle said several empty bags of dog food were found in the home but no dog dishes set out amid the furniture, which had been chewed to bits.

In the back yard, six feral dogs shared an 8-by-12 pen, he said.

Officers were forced to tranquilize all six to remove them from their excrement-covered dwelling.

They were eventually euthanized after it was determined they could never be domesticated.

Three other dogs were taken by officers along with the puppies and the mother. They will be offered for adoption from the Silver Springs shelter.

Animal Control Officer Nonie Higley said she was heartbroken to see the conditions in which the animals were living, but her department's power was minimal until a judge decided the situation. In this case, three months after the citation, the animals were finally removed.

Source: Nevada Appeal - Jan 6, 2005