‘Horrible neglect’: Arrest warrant reveals ‘deplorable’ conditions for 91 dogs and cats in pet sanctuary at Delaware townhouse

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Delaware animal control officers were more than familiar with the filth and potential danger to animals at a townhouse property in New Castle that doubled as a pet sanctuary.

Officers had been called there several times this year and, according to court records, they found that many of the nearly 100 dogs and cats there lived in “unsafe and unsanitary conditions.”

Dogs appeared stuffed into tiny crates, without room to stand up and turn around as required by law. Trash littered rooms inside the three-story home located in a quiet cul-de-sac.

But in late September, after New Castle County code enforcement officials declared the 457 Southbridge Blvd. unfit for human habitation, state officials returned to the property, conducted an in-depth inspection and finally took enforcement action.

Using a search warrant, animal welfare agents documented what they called the “deplorable’’ state of the 39-year-old Mark Ptomey’s home and nonprofit Pet and Wildlife Sanctuary Inc., also known as PAWS, whose website said it opened in December 2023 and had already “helped more than 300 animals.”

When officers entered the home, they were nearly sickened by a “strong overpowering smell of ammonia,” one agent wrote. Downstairs, trash and clutter littered rooms. Several cats ran around loose. Several crates holding dogs filled the family room.

While several of the 49 dogs and 42 cats had spacious housing with sanitary conditions and plenty of water, that was just a fraction of what officers discovered, as detailed in a 40-page arrest affidavit and charge summary for Ptomey that WHYY News obtained through a state Freedom of Information Act request:

• A crate atop the refrigerator held a cream-colored cat that was not moving and appeared to be dead. When an agent touched the animal, it lifted its head but didn’t try to move its body. The cat was taken to an emergency veterinary center but died before arriving.
• A dog and cat whose conditions were not described were also rushed to emergency care but were later euthanized.
• The second-floor steps were “caked in feces” and the walls “appeared to have feces smeared on them.” Three bedrooms on that floor were “filled with clutter” that was covered with feces, and a cat roamed around one of the bedrooms.
• One tank held five adult rats and several dead newborn rats. The tank’s walls were so dirty the officer “could barely see the inside” but saw that bedding was soiled and there was no food or water.
• Outside, where most of the animals were kept, agents found the backyard “in a complete state of disarray,” the agent wrote, with trash, cat carriers, unused dog kennels, metal dog bowls, wooden pallets and other items posing a risk to animals that roamed around.
• One male pit bull–type dog wearing a dog tag that identified him as Benji had a bowl filled with filthy water. Several piles of feces covered a dog bed next to his doghouse and the kennel itself. There was also wire inside that could have injured Benji.
• Two other pit bull–type dogs, Rubble and Buddy, shared a doghouse and had no water.
• The floor of one cat enclosure with two gray and white cats had several pools of liquid diarrhea, and the animals had no water.

Ptomey was home when agents arrived, and walked outside with Boris, a male cattle dog mix who had free roam of the house.

Ptomey could only provide proof of rabies shots and licenses for 10 of the dogs and none of the cats, court records showed.

The Office of Animal Welfare decided at the scene to close down what they considered an inhumane operation and to seize all the animals.

Officers also threw the book at Ptomey, charging him with 64 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, with each charge punishable by up to one year in prison.

Ptomey also was cited for 167 civil violations.

A total of 72 citations alleged inadequate housing: not providing adequate shelter against rain, snow and the elements, not removing excrement and food waste from cages, not providing enough water or clean water and not maintaining or repairing enclosures. Ptomey also was cited for having dog containers with wire flooring, and enclosures that were too small or poorly constructed.

Authorities also ticketed Ptomey for 26 dog licensing violations and 68 citations for failing to provide proof of rabies inoculation.

“This individual betrayed the community and the animals that he claimed to protect,” Mark Tobin, a former county police officer who heads Delaware Animal Services, the law enforcement arm of the Office of Animal Welfare, said in a written statement after the raid, animal removal and arrest.

“Instead of providing a sanctuary for vulnerable pets, they were subjected to horrible neglect. We will work to hold him accountable so he cannot harm animals again,” Tobin wrote.

After taking the animals, Tobin’s office asked members of the public who are concerned about an animal’s welfare and suspect cruelty or neglect to contact his office at 302-255-4646 or file a report online.

Tobin would not agree to an interview about the case or to answer questions about why his office, part of the Division of Public Health, didn’t pursue a criminal or civil case earlier this year when officials documented dangerous and filthy conditions at Ptomey’s operation.

Instead, Tobin responded by email that the sanctuary “did not have this number of animals during our initial visits. Over time the number of animals grew, and Mr. Ptomey could not maintain proper care.”

Ptomey was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court and released on $231 unsecured bail. A trial is scheduled for December in the Court of Common Pleas, which handles nonfelony criminal cases.

When a WHYY News reporter visited Ptomey’s home Friday, Ptomey was leaving in a red pickup truck that had an animal cage in the rear bed. He would not speak about the case, except to say he was prepared to contest the criminal and civil charges.

‘It’s an overwhelming task to take care of that many animals’

The dogs, cats, rats and two guinea pigs were sent to Brandywine Valley SPCA for medical evaluation and treatment, as well as nutritional and other needs.

Brandywine, the state’s contracted animal shelter provider, has five so-called adoption centers in Delaware. Most of the pets taken from Ptomey’s home are now at the SPCA’s animal rescue center in Georgetown, said Brandywine spokesperson Sara Smith.

Some animals have already been adopted, put in foster care or been reunited with their owners, according to Smith, who said it appeared Ptomey also used his home for long-term boarding. Many more animals are in need of new homes, she said.

Smith said that receiving so many animals, many in need of serious care, has been a challenge even for an organization like Brandywine, which has several locations in Delaware and elsewhere nearby with full-time staff and volunteers. Other area rescue groups have stepped in to provide assistance, she said.

“This was almost an entire shelter full of animals that were brought in at once,” Smith said. “And this is what we do every single day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was a lot for our staff to take in. It’s an overwhelming task to take care of that many animals.”

Smith said Brandywine aimed to provide “a soft place to land’’ for animals that had a wide range of needs.

“We have animals who were very, very sick, some that didn’t make it because of that,” Smith said. “Some had ear infections, eye infections, they needed grooming, they needed their nails clipped, maybe some were underweight. Some of them needed to be spayed and neutered or updated on their vaccine. These are all things that we’re able to provide.”

“We also have very healthy animals,” Smith said. “They just needed a good bath and better conditions to live in and better food to eat and now they’re doing great.”

While Smith would not comment on the allegations against Ptomey, she spoke about the complex task of running a big animal sanctuary.

Asked if perhaps Ptomey has good intentions but simply took in far more animals than he could care for in the townhouse where he lived and its small backyard, Smith said a pet sanctuary needs significant “financial resources.”

She said it also requires a staff that’s equipped and committed to “making sure that they’re getting the food, the litter, then also the manpower you need to make sure that they get the enrichment that they need, that they get out, that they get to run around.”

“Those are all things that are needed whenever you’re caring for animals,” Smith said. “And even our organization, this was a lot for us. Even if your heart’s in the right place, you need to have the right resources.”

Further resources

• How to help: Volunteer | Foster | Donate
• Animals available for adoption: Dogs | Cats | Small animals
• Other resources: Pet owners in need | Lost pets | Pet surrenders