Different agencies deal with different smells. Can you be more specific?

Please contact the Air Management Services Unit at (215) 685-7580. Thank you. (mb)

It smells like strong dog feces. The owners have dogs, never see them go out for walks

That sounds like the same thing that was happening on Earp St. Residents complained to dozens of agencies for years before the house was finally raided and they recovered 85+ dogs from the home. PSPCA won't be able to get a search warrant unless there is eyewitness witness of abuse which is impossible if the dogs are never allowed out. News article detailing the neighbors' fight for years to get the house checked out:
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/Nightmare-on-Earp-Street-99353039.html

I found out about Earp St on this site and I immediately starting blogging and sending out hundreds of e-mails and calling everyone I could think of. The house got raided 2 days later. If the same thing that happened on Earp St. is happening on your block I would like to help.

Ultimately the power would fall with L&I to serve an administrative warrant on the home, but sometimes they need a kick in the butt before they do anything. Air Management isn't going to do squat, they were contacted for years by people on Earp St complaining about the same thing and nothing happened. On this site when people on Earp St were complaining about a feces odor, philly 311 issued a ticket which they sent to L&I...it wasn't until 6+ months later that anyone from the L&I went out there and that was after the PSPCA raided the house.

Its going to take an eyewitness account for PSPCA to go in, or for L&I to get an administrative warrant. Oftentimes they are lazy but if they have the media hounding them and people calling their phones about it non-stop they usually act. Please follow through on this, it sounds like there are some animals that may be suffering and we have a responsibility to help innocent creatures who cannot help themselves. Let me know what's going on, I'll help you get the word out to the right people.
leilathegoodrat@yahoo.com

Please try to go on PAWS website to submit a complaint. Hopefully, the more complaints the better. Good luck. Here is their website- http://www.phillypaws.org/Contact/default.asp (mb)

Hey 311. PAWS is a great organization but they don't have a humane law enforcement team or any legal power to enter a home and seize animals. PAWS mainly deals with placing stray/abandoned/seized animals in adoptive homes. They were contacted multiple times from people complaining about the house on Earp St that stunk like feces and sounded like barking all of the time, but every time anyone called PAWS, they told them to call the PSPCA. The PSPCA went out a bunch of times but the owner wouldn't let them in without a search warrant.

I know a lot about the Earp St fiasco as well as Philadelphia's hoarding/animal cruelty statutes and have been blogging about everything since pre-raid. I have given interviews to various newspapers and will be doing a radio interview this week on the city's response to complaints dealing with odorous homes and animal abuse allegations. I am just saying this to make clear that I'm not some random know-it-all who goes around seeclickfix telling people what to do; I really do know a lot about this topic and have been doing a ton of work and trying to generate publicity of complaints such as this one that can go ignored by the city.

Prior to the smelly home on Earp St being raided, which netted 85-100 animals (depending on your source) the following was posted on seeclickfix by a concerned neighbor who had been fighting for years to have the city come out and determine the source of the odor. Look at all the agencies contacted, some complaints going back to 2003:

- The address of the house is 739 Earp St. From our (neighbors, concerned citizens) best guesses, there are at LEAST 12 dogs and 6 cats. There were birds at one time, which also died. I have no idea if there are any more animals in the house, but the animals literally
never go outside, and use the house as their bathroom. You can hear them constantly yelping, barking, whining, crying, with the woman constantly screaming at them.

UPDATE: The animals use the top floors of the house as their bathroom. Franny and Richard cannot reach the top floors (I belive they have health issues). Apparently Richard is somewhat reasonable and knows that they need help; he frequently sleeps outside or in his truck to escape the smell.

- They have not paid taxes on the house in years. I just found out the number to report them to: 215-686-6600
- The house reeks of urine. That is putting it mildly. You can smell the urine and feces from a block away. No one can open their windows, use their patios, go outside, nothing. If you Google "739 Earp St." you will get other reports of people saying the exact same thing. It
really does smell like animals have died in the house and are rotting. There have been reports of the house being rat infested, and it's spreading to other houses. The house is literally falling apart - the back wall has almost completely separated from the house, to the point where you can see the sheetrock.

UPDATE: They have now sheetrocked over their windows and no light gets in anymore. You can't see anything.
- The owners are hoarders - they hoard everything, from animals to trash.
- The woman used to be a breeder - she specialized in Chihuahuas.
Apparently, there is no license for animal breeding or standards that breeders have to follow, or so says the PSPCA.
- They will not let anyone in the house. L&I has tried to enter many times, as has the PSPCA. The woman will not even open the front door.She'll only speak to you through the window.

UPDATE: L&I has actually taken them to court years ago because they refused to clean up their home. Franny and Richard will pay whatever fee they have to to keep the police and L&I out of their home. It doesn't stop them from abusing animals.
- (one of the neighbors) spends thousands of dollars a year to keep roaches out of her home and buy deoderizers because of the smell. We've met and she's told me some really horrifying stories. Some include:
- Seeing puppies covered in sores and fleas
- Having a smell like rotting bodies - she brought it up with Franny, and Franny apparently had a dog (s) die in a closet and forgot that they were there.
- Constantly hearing Franny scream at the dogs, taunt them, etc.
Unfortunately, because this was years ago, the PSPCA cannot get a warrant. The woman is more than willing to talk to anyone about her experiences and she lets L&I people in her house regularly to smell/hear what she has to deal with.
- Richard and Franny installed a ventilation system that shoots hot urined soaked air into their yard and the yards of those living within close proximity to them.

Here's what we've done so far.
- I have called the PSPCA many, many times. There have been dozens of complaints in the past 2 weeks. I spoke with Officer Betty Sorrell at the PSPCA, as she is in charge of the case. She said that there is nothing she can do about it, even though she knows that something
wrong is going on, because there is no visual proof of the dog's living conditions or physical condition. This is impossible to get because the dogs are locked in the house all of the time. She said that the urine smell is not enough, crying is not enough, hearing her scream at the dogs and them yelping afterward is not enough. The woman that lives there will not let Officer Sorrell in the house (or anyone else). You can reach Officer Sorrell at 215-426-6300

UPDATE: Officer Sorrell said that if you call her within 48 hours of seeing animal abuse, she will get a warrant and go in there. However, she works strange hours and you need to call and get her work schedule before so you can make sure that she's able to get a warrent. She has been to the house many times.
- I have called the police in the 3rd district, and spoke with Officer Butterline and Officer Gore. They told me there is absolutely nothing they can do, unless there is a crime at the house.
- I called PCA (Philadelphia Corporation for Aging) since the couple that lives there, to my best approximation/research, is over 60. They
gave no promises, but said they would look into it. I have not heard anything from them.
- I called Barbara Paul, a Philadelphia ADA. She called the PSPCA and asked for someone to look into the matter. That is when I spoke to Betty Sorrell, and have heard nothing since. She really wants to help, but without an eyewitness, her hands are tied.
- I called the Women's Humane Society and filed a report. I never heard back from anyone.
- I called PETA. They called several times for information, and I haven't heard back since.
- I called L&I many, many times. I have spoke to Jeff and Denise, who marked the case as urgent. The house currently has 2 open violations for matters within the house, and the exterior. The owners have done
nothing to clean up at all. I have asked the L&I investigator assigned to the case to call me and let me know the status of the report, and I have never received a call (even when I continue to call them every
few days). You can contact Jeff at 215-686-3002.. He
has been working on this case. Many reports have been filed by many people - not just myself.

UPDATE: L&I issued citations on May 26th. The owners had 1 month to clean it up, which they didn't. They were issued a court date with the city June 2. You can figure out exactly when this is by calling 215-683-7004
- I called ACCT. They told me that this was not their problem, and to call the PSPCA.
- I called the Streets and Sanitation department about the very strong urine smell, and they told me that this was not their problem - they only dealt with commercial issues.
- I called the Department of Human Services, and was told that this is not their problem.
- I even called 911, and told them I smelled something rotting. After much convincing, they finally sent someone out (or so they said).
- I have several contacts at PAWS and have tried to get them to help out, but this really isn't their line of work. They referred me to PSPCA.
- I called Philadelphia Weekly, CityPaper, Fox News, CBS, ABC, NBC, et cetera. They all called me back and seemed interested, but can't get in the house.
- I called (councilman) DiCicco's office, and they said he's received numerous complaints. I've heard that he's friends with Franny and Richard and will look over the issue.
- I called the community liason - I think his name is Ace something, but nothing was ever accomplished.

Air management was also contacted numerous times. In December 2009 Philly 311 posted on seeclickfix that they had forwarded ticket #426837 to L&I regarding numerous complaints about the smell. The home was not raided until July 15, 2010.

After the home was finally raided, the mainstream media reported on the two agencies that are responsible for calls such as these:
*PSPCA which can come out to the home and ask to enter but have to leave if the homeowner refuses entry
*L&I can obtain an administrative warrant to enter premises with obvious violations

City Paper:
"Why L&I didn't obtain an administrative warrant allowing it to inspect 739 Earp St. — which it can do — is anyone's guess, and since no one at that agency will get back to us, we'll just attribute their ineptitude to an inherent character flaw they simply can't help."

Philadelphia Weekly:
"Then there’s L&I. Residents claim they filed complaints with L&I as far back as 2003. Though L&I had open violations against the house as recently as June 22, for overgrown weeds, trash, the infestation of insects and rats and “pet odor,” L&I Commissioner Frances Burns’ office did not return the full case history requested by PW, or explain how the house had violations for “the interior” (as stated in the report) if no one had ever entered the interior."
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What I would do if I were you, Robosushi:
1. Have as many neighbors as possible call the PSPCA cruelty line 1866-601-SPCA or e-mail at cruelty@pspca.org. Tell them that you think a situation similar to what happened on Earp St. is happening on your block. PSPCA will come out and ask the homeowner if they can enter; if he/she says no then there is nothing they can do unless someone gives them an eyewitness account of animal abuse which occurred in the past 48 hrs.
2. Have as many neighbors as possible call L&I, tell them that there is strong feces & ammonia odors coming from the home which you believe may be a health hazard. You can reach them by dialing 311.

If that doesn't do any good then I'd like to speak with you (anonymously) re: how long this has been going on/ agencies contacted/ etc. I have connections in the Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Examiner.com that I think would gladly call L&I on your behalf- this agency does not need another Earp St scandal and if they're smart, they will handle these complaints quickly once the media gets involved.

Your district councilman is Frank DiCicco who is also the councilman for Earp St in South Philly. He has been under fire by the press lately for not responding to years of complaints regarding the house on Earp St. This may actually work in your favor as he would have a chance to somewhat redeem himself if he actually acted in this case. His number is 215-686-3458.

There are also tons of animal rights groups that will get involved on your behalf. Had the home on Earp St not been raided immediately after my crew got involved, there were plans for a large scale protest either outside the home on Earp St, L&I headquarters and/or outside DiCicco's home!

You CAN fix this, and in the process possibly be a HERO to the animals that are suffering inside this house. You just have to not give up after making a phone call or sending an e-mail and think that is enough; in many cases it is not. Oftentimes problems in the city do not get solved until these agencies are contacted by the media or someone connected.

I implore you to keep up on this. For 7+ years, hundreds of dogs lived and died in the squalid South Philly rowhome which had feces and dead animal carcasses piled 2-3 feet high in every room. When rescued, many of the dogs were unsocialized, flea and parasite infested, covered in infectious sores, and in need of medical treatment. Of the 4 cats seized, 2 had to be put down because they were so ill from the conditions in the home. These animals suffered needlessly for years because of city ineptitude and the neighbors' unawareness of how to work the system.
Please e-mail me leilathegoodrat@yahoo.com, anyone I put you in contact with will respect your anonymity and your neighbors never have to know that you were the one who complained. We need to get this house checked out, and I have a whole squad on-call who'll be more than happy to help you get this done in a legal and efficient manner.

Update for watchers: I tracked down the poster and also several people from the area who were aware of the problem and confirmed the o.p.'s allegations. This home is in an obvious state of disrepair, with a rotting pigeon carcass on their step and a feces odor that can be smelled from down the block. The woman living there is in a deep depression and is all over the net talking about what a failure she is at life. I tried to find her mental help but it is going to take one of her immediate family members getting involved before she can be involuntarily committed.

Just like what happened on Earp St for seven years, L&I is refusing to help and is telling the neighbors that they do not deal with smells. This is despite the Philadelphia Health Department Web page, who on under the "Animal Management" section of their site say: "For complaints of unsanitary conditions in vacant or occupied residential dwellings, contact the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L & I) or call 311 24 hours, 7 days a week."
http://www.phila.gov/Health/AnimalControl/AnimalManag.html

Do not forget that it was posted HERE on seeclickfix's page re: Earp St that Philly311 forwarded the ticket to L&I pertaining to complaints of pet odor. Also Jeff and Denise at L&I had promised to make Earp St a priority for L&I but after a year they had still not been out. L&I DOES have the power to obtain administrative search warrants based on these complaints, but they are not doing their jobs and are telling people who call that it is not their problem.

Several organizations have been made aware of this problem and are helping, I will keep you all updated about what happens, and trust me something will happen soon. In the meantime, I ask other concerned citizens to think of ways you can assist in reforming L&I- our tax dollars are paying these people's salaries but they are not doing their jobs and in the meantime animals (and humans) are suffering.

If anyone would like more information I encourage you to e-mail me leilathegoodrat@yahoo.com and hopefully we can work together towards forcing this city into taking these complaints seriously. I will be doing a radio interview re: these issues next week, so if anyone has similar stories I would be happy to include them in my interview. My goal is to push for reforms of L&I, and to increase awareness of hoarding, which is barely addressed in the current statutes.

Still no word from L&I. I did make a complaint to them at least on the issues with overgrown weeds... and the dead pigeon (which is still on the porch after a week now).
SPCA said they would call me back after the weekend.. but havent heard a thing

solved???

one year later, this house still smells

It sounds like Health Department needs to be involved here

finally had at least the pspca visit and enter the house!!! not sure what has happened since then, but neighbors have seen the owners leave with the dogs out of the house after the visit... and maybe start cleaning the house?