House of Wiggle Goats owner facing over a dozen animal cruelty charges
"Emaciated" goats and pigs were found at a Pennsylvania farm before the farm's owner and her husband were charged with over a dozen animal cruelty offenses, court documents show.
Authorities said Erin Wiggle, the owner of House of Wiggle Goats, a Montgomery County-based animal rescue, is facing more than a dozen animal cruelty charges. She and her husband Michael Wiggle have been charged with four felony counts of torturing animals by failing to provide adequate food and water, and 10 misdemeanor counts of failing to provide necessary sustenance, water and veterinary care for animals.
Online court records show the accusations date back to May 30, which is two days after a fire destroyed the historic barn where the rescue was located.
At the time, Erin Wiggle claimed a mouse nest behind the electrical breaker box sparked the fire.
An affidavit of probable cause written by a PSPCA police officer details a visit to the farm after the fire. The officer claimed she had seen photos showing "very underweight animals with visible bones protruding."
"There were numerous animals that didn't die in the fire, that following the fire were observed to be injured, skinny and eating deceased animal remains. These conditions were not consistent with conditions resulting from a fire," according to the document.
The PSPCA officer and a Lieutenant then seized multiple goats and pigs on the property after becoming concerned the animals were lacking necessary veterinary care.
According to the document, the Wiggles told the Lieutenant they couldn't believe the allegation the animals were underweight, and demanded a public apology after the animals were taken to a veterinarian.
The animals were examined and found to have thin body conditions, with one goat being rated a 1 out of 5 on a scale where 1 means emaciated and 5 means obese. The affidavit says the goats and pigs' conditions are evidence that the treatment constituted torture by depriving them of needed nutrition without veterinary care.
CBS News Philadelphia called and texted Erin Wiggle's cellphone on Thursday morning, and she replied, saying she is consulting with an attorney before she can fully respond to us.
