Calls to close Hooves, Feathers, Claws animal shelter in Lowanna, Coffs Harbour as neighbours whinge
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Putrid smell emanating from animal shelter has next-door neighbors up in arms: ‘Shut it down’
- Residents of the northern New South Wales town are fighting an animal shelter.
- Locals say the shelter is unfit for animals and has a putrid smell.
- Shelter owner says she’s cleaning up the property
A group of angry neighbors in a sleepy rural town have banded together to try to shut down a local animal shelter, complaining about the distressing images and putrid odors emanating from the property.
A fierce dispute has broken out between the operator of the Hooves, Feathers and Claws animal shelter and its neighbors in Lowanna, inland from Coffs Harbour, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.
A group of Lowanna residents say they have serious concerns about the shelter and complain about foul odors emanating from the property.
A community group made up of Lowanna and Coffs Harbor locals said they “hoped to improve lives for animals” in the region, describing the refuge as “a mess.”
A group of angry neighbors are prepared to ‘fight to the end’ in their quest to shut down the Hooves, Feathers and Claws animal shelter (image of the shelter taken by a local resident and posted to Facebook)
Lowanna locals claim the shelter’s condition is substandard and have complained about putrid odors coming from the property (image of the shelter taken by a local resident and posted to Facebook)
‘This is not a quiet house, this is not a good thing. The animals are still loose in the yard,” the group wrote on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
‘Turn it off.’
The group of locals said they were prepared to “fight to the end” until the shelter ceased to exist.
Neighbors Scott Cordwell and Jessy Kumnen recounted yahoo news they were sick of the sounds of fighting dogs and howling dingoes coming from the property.
They also claimed that the smell of animal feces from the shelter forced them to keep the doors and windows closed.
“I wash some and hang some blankets, when I bring them back they smell disgusting,” said Ms Kumnen.
The neighborhood dispute culminated in a police call over the weekend.
NSW Police officers were called to the shelter on Saturday to investigate an alleged incident on the street.
“Officers… attended and established a crime scene, which was forensically examined by specialist police officers,” NSW Police confirmed.
Locals had been threatening to protest the shelter on Saturday, however it was canceled on the advice of the police.
Angry neighborhood group wants Hooves, Feathers and Claws animal shelter closed
Rachel Press, owner and operator of Hooves, Feathers and Claws, responded to her cranky neighbors on Monday.
“I am extremely distraught that members of this vigilante group intentionally put the animals in a position where they could be harmed or stressed,” she said.
“If anyone has any information about these incidents, please contact Coffs Harbor Police.”
Lowanna is a small town inland in Coffs Harbor in northern New South Wales (file image pictured)
Ms Press thanked the locals who helped her reduce “the number of rescue animals” at the shelter and helped “clean and maintain the property.”
“I have handed over a number of rescue animals to the RSPCA so I can focus on my own animals and complete yard maintenance to ensure the animals are safe, healthy and protected,” he said.
Ms Press said she was unable to comment further due to “ongoing investigations”.
Both the RSPCA and Coffs Harbor Council are investigating, however no findings have been made.
The council confirmed that it was “investigating allegations of an unauthorized business operation” as well as “compliance with the Companion Animal Act for animals on the premises.”
“We have previously visited the facility in connection with suspected dog attacks and roaming issues, which have been resolved,” a council spokesman said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the RSPCA NSW and Hooves, Feathers and Claws for comment.