By Debby Schamber

The News staff writer

VIDOR — The fate of 54 dogs seized by officials was decided in court Thursday morning with an order signed prohibiting Jack Houseman, of Have A Heart Refuge, from having any animals on his property.

Houseman, 59, of Vidor, arrived at JP Court ready to relinquish custody of the animals. However, he was allowed to retain two dogs that are kept in his house but “they are subject to reasonable observation by the sheriff’s office.” Houseman claims they are to help his handicapped wife.

“I positively agree to leave them in custody with the SPCA (Houston Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals),” Houseman said eagerly before Precinct 4 Judge Rodney Price. “I am positively ready to relinquish all my rights of the animals.”

It will be up to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to determine if Class A misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals will be filed against Houseman.

Officials from the SPCA and Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrived Wednesday afternoon at Houseman’s residence located on FM 1131 to discover the dogs in an unhealthy environment. Houseman who said he was desperate for food, fed the dogs carcasses of cattle, sheep, goats and hogs.

There are not many rules against feeding slaughter house by- products to dogs except they cannot be fed the spinal cord, brain or tonsils, according to Dr. Johnson, of Meat Safety Assurance Unit with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The dogs, while kept in kennels, stood in cesspools of up to two feet of rotting carcasses. Some were seen gnawing on the spoiled flesh. Others were caged and laying in moldy ant-infested piles of uneaten dog food.

“I do not believe he meant to hurt these animals, but in all my 30 years of law enforcement I have never seen anything like this,” Captain David Peck of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

The dogs fought to be restrained as they were taken into the SPCA’s trailer.

“They start the road to recovery now,” said Charles Jantzen, Chief Cruelty Investigator with the SPCA, while he was in the process of retrieving the dogs.

The dogs were transported to the SPCA facility in Houston. They will be assessed medically and behaviorally. Those who cannot be placed for adoption will be euthanized.

Dogs could be ready for adoption as early as next week. People wanting to adopt the dogs can contact the Houston SPCA at 713-869-7722 or check their website at www.houstonspca.org.

Members of the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet were at the scene filming the event for a documentary. The show will show at an unknown future date.