It wasn’t the first time Kimberly Klein was found with too many animals in her Halethorpe home.

When Baltimore County officials showed up in February to remove 14 dogs, 21 birds, several reptiles and a cat, she was on probation for animal cruelty related to 82 animals found in her home, including two pigs in the basement, the year before. The terms of her probation limited her to four animals.

While Klein acknowledged hoarding in an email to The Banner after the latest raid, she also said she never intentionally harmed any animals.

So how did she end up with more animals again?

Animal advocates point to an unprecedented provision that allowed Klein to find new homes for the animals because the court considered them her property. They said it was no surprise that Klein took animals back to her home.

“I knew this was going to happen, that they were going to be returned to her care, one way or the other, because the justice system failed,” said Leah Biddinger, who runs Bring ’Em Home Animal Rescue & Trapping.

A hearing to consider modifying Klein’s sentence was scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, but a judge postponed it as the case proceeds through the courts.

Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said she wants to improve county laws and systems to avoid another case like Klein’s.

Here’s a look at what went wrong.

Baltimore County Animal Services lacks funds, power

Baltimore County Animal Services’ annual budget is $4.3 million, far lower than that in similarly sized counties. Anne Arundel County, with about 600,000 residents compared with Baltimore County’s 854,000, has an animal services budget of $4.9 million.

Baltimore County’s nine animal patrol officers are at the mercy of people’s cooperation. Many won’t open their doors, according to Director René Varela, so animal control officers leave a door hanger indicating concerns.

To raid a residence, animal control officers work with police and amass evidence, often from frustrated neighbors. That was the case with Klein, where multiple neighbors filed complaints over several years.

Boards overseeing animal welfare lack teeth

For many years, the Baltimore County Animal Services Advisory Commission counseled the agency on how to protect animals. The commission hasn’t met since September 2022. It disbanded over disagreements on making meetings public, among other issues, said Anne George, a former commission member.

A second board, the Animal Hearing Board, can terminate an owner’s rights to animals but usually only fines them, Varela said. Owners often appeal, which makes proving a case lengthy and difficult, he said.

“Our animal laws are extremely outdated,” said Jyoti Mohan, a member of the hearing board. “We know it is bad ownership that causes problems, but it is the pet that suffers.”

Lack of communication between animal services and prosecutors

Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lippy often handles animal abuse cases in Baltimore County. Animal advocates say he knows the law so well they invite him to testify for stronger laws before the Maryland General Assembly.

But Assistant State’s Attorney Alexander Walsh handled Klein’s case. He allowed Klein to take an Alford plea, in which she did not admit guilt but recognized the state had the evidence to convict her. Under state law, a conviction or guilty plea allows for termination of ownership rights. But under Klein’s agreement, the county would have to sue to terminate her rights.

Klein sought to get her animals back through a probation modification and a civil case, which is postponed pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

Also, at Klein’s request, the prosecutor allowed her to find new homes for the animals. Animal control officials approve fosters, but they had no control over where Klein’s animals went. When Klein’s family members and friends arrived to take several animals each, animal control couldn’t stop it.

“We have never heard of this happening before,” said Katie Flory, community care and advocacy director for the Maryland SPCA. “I have not talked to one person who does not believe this was an injustice on the animal’s side.”

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said his office reached a “reasonable conclusion” based on the information available. Now, he said, he’s working closely with his prosecutors to ensure that the court knows she violated her probation.

Confusion over hoarding

Walsh described Klein at her sentencing as a woman who had “simply more animals than one person can care for.”

He discussed helping her recoup the money she spent acquiring the animals, without mentioning the $408,000 the county spent caring for the animals they removed.

Walsh’s explanation misunderstands this type of hoarding, Varela said. The most common hoarders care too much and become overwhelmed. His staff works with them to reduce the number of animals and ensure proper care.

A less common type looks at animals as possessions to collect. Klein had two of each breed of dog, expensive tropical birds in too-small cages, and two pigs who belonged outdoors. That, he said, indicates a person who wanted the animals to comfort and serve her, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, Varela said, that form of hoarding has a high rate of recidivism.

Maryland law considers animals property

While Maryland has strengthened its animal protection laws, Flory said, the pets that many consider family remain property under the law. That means animals are in limbo while they await court decisions.

Varela felt that keenly in this case.

Shortly before the raid, he emailed fosters who had not yet returned Klein’s animals, requesting that they keep them until the agency sorted out next steps. Yet some of the fosters who’d already returned Klein’s animals couldn’t take them back again. One foster, who gave up a beloved bearded dragon, had already adopted a new one.

Fosters expressed frustration with the emotional push-and-pull. Shelter workers are frustrated, too. Animals they’d hoped to send to a home after the postponed hearing now must wait again.

The Klein case showed systemic flaws, Varela said. The tragedy will be compounded if the county doesn’t work to fix them.

“If we don’t learn anything from this situation,” he said, “then shame on us.”