Animals Taken In Hoarding Case Starting To Reunite With Oklahoma Owners

<p>So far, 34 of them have been matched with their families, and some of them are waiting to be reunited.</p>

Thursday, February 22nd 2018, 4:58 pm

By: Amy Avery

Animals Taken In Hoarding Case Starting To Reunite With Oklahoma Owners

It's been one week since over 100 animals were carried out of a Tulsa County home after the sheriff's office received reports of an animal hoarding situation.

Marj Satterfield was arrested on 123 complaints on animal cruelty but has since bonded out.

More than 100 dogs were taken from Satterfield's home last Thursday in Skiatook. All of them were brought to the Humane Society of Tulsa.

So far, 34 of them have been matched with their families, and some of them are waiting to be reunited.

Bonnie Jameson went to the Humane Society of Tulsa Thursday morning to be reunited with her service dog, Thor.

“I am really worried he won’t remember me,” said Jameson.

Thor was staying at Satterfield's Skiatook home until last Thursday when the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office arrested her for animal cruelty.

“You can feel his ribs and everything,” said Jameson. “He’s in bad shape. He’s so skinny.”

Jameson said she took Thor there for training when he was six months old and said she feels terrible that she did.

“It’s been almost a year since she's seen him,” said Bonnie’s daughter, Jeanette.

But all Bonnie wanted to say to Thor was that she was sorry for sending him there.

“She had a lot of good reviews,” said Bonnie. “She said she wanted to have him with her for 24/7 training and I figured she was only working with 10 or 12 dogs.”

Thor is just one of the animals that were carried out of Satterfield's home.

Since Tuesday, 31 of the 34 dogs matched have been able to be reunited with their families, but many more are just waiting to have a day like Thor.

“When families started picking them up on Tuesday night, we were walking around with tears in our eyes because to see these animals go home is very reassuring,” said Evan Fadem, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Tulsa.

Fadem said they've been working countless hours checking microchip information, vet records and family photos, but not all of them are matched up yet.

“Our email box was being flooded over the weekend. We also had people who had lost pets who thought maybe their pet ended up there,” said Fadem. “This is not a typical hoarding situation, this is not someone who goes and picks up every dog off the street. People were paying her thousands and thousands of dollars to train these dogs.”

Fadem said they’ve received a lot of emails, and if they haven’t gotten back to you yet, she apologizes and asks that you send another email.

Right now, they aren’t allowed to release any more of the animals because they are evidence in the investigation, but they want to continue to match them with their owners.

“We are still trying to confirm ownership on some of the animals as they are emailing in so we can pass that information along to the District Attorney's Office,” said Fadem.

But Fadem said seeing moments like Bonnie and Thor reunite make it all worth it.

“It’s so rewarding and it’s so reassuring to know that the hard work and the long hours are worth it because these animals are going back to the homes that they belong in,” said Fadem.

None of the dogs that were taken from the home are up for adoption, but there are plenty of other adoptable dogs at the Humane Society of Tulsa, and, if you can't adopt you can donate. The Humane Society of Tulsa is looking for wire dog crates, dog bowls, leashes, food and blankets. They also will accept financial donations.

They have had to pay a lot of vet fees for some of the animals so they would really appreciate anything you can give so they can continue to help more animals across Green Country.