WELLINGTON, Ohio — An animal rescue started by a survivor of abuse is facing scrutiny. This week, humane agents removed more than 3 dozen animals from Unleashed Animal Rescue in Wellington.
The rescue is operated by Lily Rose Lee. Formerly known as Michelle Knight, Lee is one of three women who escaped a home on Cleveland’s Seymour Ave after a decade of captivity.
RELATED: 10 years after being rescued from Seymour Avenue, Lillian Lee now rescues animals
Friday, Lee showed News 5 several empty cages in her home.
“My blue and gold macaw - I had to take him out of here,” she said, gesturing to a large birdcage.
19 animals, including several parakeets, a chameleon, dogs and largers barn animals remain at the property. They’re a fraction of what was in the rescue’s care earlier in the week.
“I miss them. I miss them and I don’t know what to do,” Lee said.
Wednesday, the Friendship Animal Protective League executed a search warrant prompted by complaints against the rescue for animal neglect.
“I was angry, I was frustrated, I didn’t understand what was going on,” recalled Lee.
The APL impounded a dozen animals and the rescue surrendered another 25 voluntarily. Photos show what the agency said were undernourished animals and unsanitary conditions.
“Most of it just had to do with conditions - the conditions and the environment. It just felt like the person in this case had gotten very overwhelmed,” said Friendship APL executive director Gregory Willey.
Lee disputes the conditions were unsanitary or unsafe for the animals. She told News 5 the rescue was shorthanded this week after a volunteer needed a day off and she was catching up on cleaning when the APL arrived.
Lee also said some of the animals arrived to the rescue in poor shape and were awaiting veterinarian care. Others were awaiting potential adopters.
“I am sorry they had to go through this because this is not what my intentions were,” she said of the animals’ removal.
Lee said she planned to help animals after witnessing and enduring years of abuse. In 2013, she, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped a decade of captivity in a Cleveland home. During that time, Lee said her captor tortured both the women and animals, including her beloved dog.
“I told myself that if I ever got a chance after I got out of the house and I made it that I would open up a rescue in honor of my Lobo that got killed in that house by the hands of a monster,” she said tearfully.
The APL said all of the animals removed from the rescue are receiving specialized care. Willey told News 5 his team was acting in the animals’ best interest.
“I would never take away someone’s personal feelings on a situation or try to assess those feelings. We try to be as professional as we possibly can, mostly for the humane treatment and the humane care of the animals,” he said. “That has to be our focus.”
A court will determine whether charges will be filed or if any of the animals can be returned to the rescue.
Lee said she’s planning to share her perspective and she hopes to replace the confiscated cages and recruit more volunteers to keep the rescue running.
“I hope they’re reunited with me and I’m hoping that I get a second chance to show the people out there that they’re missing out on a great rescue,” she said.
A rescue fundraiser already planned for Saturday will also accept donations to help replace cages, supplies and other items.
That is happening from 11am-4pm on November 23 at Unleashed Animal Rescue at 43938 State Route 18 in Wellington.
