TX: 220 dogs removed from filthy conditions
Authorities had tried to aid owner
By DALE LEZON
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Puppies were among the more than 200 small dogs seized from feces-strewn cages
at a breeding operation in rural San Jacinto County on Wednesday and taken to
the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter.
The dogs -- mostly Chihuahuas and Pomeranians -- were found in dirty pens on
private property near Coldspring. Although they appeared healthy and well fed,
they were living in dung, said Raymond Lofton, a San Jacinto County sheriff's
deputy who helped collect the 220 dogs. The owner breeds the dogs and sells them
on the Internet, Lofton said.
A rabbit and two parrots were also seized.
"This is the largest seizure of dogs we've had," said San Jacinto County Sheriff
Lacy Rogers.
The Houston SPCA and the sheriff's office have worked with the owner for two
years to improve the dogs' conditions, said Alice Sarmiento, the Houston SPCA's
director of development and community outreach. The owner complied with
animal-care requirements only temporarily before violating them again, she said.
Investigators found that the conditions had worsened recently, and sheriff's
deputies obtained a warrant to seize the animals.
The property owner has not been charged, Rogers said. If a justice of the peace
determines that animal cruelty took place, the owner could be charged with a
misdemeanor punishable by a fine and up to a year in jail.
The animals will be cared for at the Houston SPCA and, if no animal cruelty is
determined, returned to their owner.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistor...politan/2478995
|
http://www.southbaynews.com/news/2004/0407/Community_News/036.html
South Bay News, New York
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Assemblyman Bob Sweeney recently urged the governor to reconsider budget cuts
that would lead to the elimination of the annual inspection requirement for pet
dealers that sell more than 25 animals each year, as well as the complaint-based
inspections now mandated for smaller pet dealers.
"If we start ignoring animal abuse to save a few dollars, we're sending a
message that inhumane acts are acceptable," Sweeney said. "This is not the kind
of message we should be sending. I will work to make sure that laws ensuring the
humane treatment of all animals are enforced."
In 2000, the rising number of "backyard breeder" incidences that resulted in
animal cruelty cases in our state led to the passage of the "Pet Dealer Consumer
Protection and Animal Care Standards Act." The law requires annual licensing and
inspection for both pet stores and breeders who sell dogs and
cats to the public.
Sweeney noted that without inspections, this law, designed to protect puppies
and kittens sold as pets as well as the consumers who purchase them, will be
unenforceable. Elimination of the inspections could also threaten public
health, as animals can transmit some diseases to humans.
April 8, 2004
CHATTANOOGA (AP) -- Tennessee agriculture inspectors have started looking for
unscrupulous dog and cat breeders who operate puppy and kitty "mills."
An agriculture spokesman says that since inspections started in February, 12
breeders have been inspected and licensed and the department is receiving
applications from across the state.
The July 2002 law that started the inspections "does not apply to breeders who
do not sell to pet stores or to others for resale."
The Tennessee Dog and Cat Dealer Act requires breeders who buy or sell more than
25 animals a year or who sell animals to retailers for resale to be licensed
with the Department of Agriculture.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=1772933
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Reports on the Lancaster Amish Mills |
The following email had minimal editing/formatting
<< TAKE A MINUTE AND READ THIS PLEASE - REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE AMISH ARE DOING WITH DOGS !!!!! BIGGEST PUPPY MILL BREEDERS IN THE COUNTRY !!!!!! READ ABOUT THE WARRANTS ISSUED !!! GOOD RELIGOUS PEOPLE !!!! A ----------------- From: MinPins4All@egroups.com To: MinPins4All@egroups.com Subject: [MinPins4All] Digest Number 378 From NBC in Lancaster: (3 different reports---no pictures) GOOD EVENING, I'M DENNIS BUTERBAUGH. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. OUR TOP STORY. A REPORTED CASE OF ANIMAL CRUELTY IN LANCASTER COUNTY. POLICE IN MOUNT JOY TOWNSHIP SAY THEY SEIZED SIXTY DOGS THAT WERE ALLEGEDLY MISTREATED AT A KENNEL ALONG RISSER MILL ROAD IN THE TOWNSHIP. THE DOGS ARE BEING CARED FOR AT THE HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY TONIGHT. POLICE SAY THE KENNEL THEY RAIDED IS OWNED BY 56-YEAR-OLD CHARLES CARR AND 48-YEAR OLD VIRGINIA SWAYNE. THE HUMANE LEAGUE SAYS IT IS NOT ACCEPTING ANYMORE PETS FROM ANYONE UNTIL THE EMERGENCY WITH THE SEIZED DOGS IS TAKEN CARE OF +++++++++++++++ IN OTHER NEWS THIS MORNING.MOUNT JOY TOWNSHIP POLICE SEIZED SIXTY DOGS THAT WERE ALLEGEDLY MISTREATED AT A KENNEL ALONG RISSER MILL ROAD IN THE TOWNSHIP. THE DOGS WERE TAKEN TO THE HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY. POLICE SAY THE KENNEL IS OWNED BY 56-YEAR-OLD CHARLES CARR AND 48- YEAR OLD VIRGINIA SWAYNE. THE HUMANE LEAGUE IS NOT ACCEPTING ANY MORE DOGS UNTIL IT CAN HANDLE THE EMERGENCY WITH ALL THOSE DOGS. +++++++++++++++ GOOD EVENING, I'M JANELLE STELSON. DENNIS BUTERBAUGH IS OFF. TONIGHT'S TOP STORY: THE HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY IS IN EMERGENCY MODE. TREATING 60-DOGS SEIZED FROM A MOUNT JOY KENNEL. YESTERDAY WE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE SEIZURE. TODAY, THE VETERINARIANS GOT A LOOK ON THE BADLY NEGLECTED PUPPIES. NEWS 8'S ANNE SHANNON WAS AT THE HUMANE LEAGUE. FOR WHAT HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT DAY FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. ANNE? JANELLE -- THIS AFTERNOON I GOT A CHANCE TO SEE SOME OF THE ANIMALS WHO WERE SEIZED IN THAT RAID ON FRIDAY. RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THE NUMBERS AND THEIR SERIOUS CONDITION THEY ARE BEING HOUSED IN A SEPARATE FACILITY AT THE HUMANE LEAGUE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BREEDS -- AND WE SHOULD WARN YOU - THEIR CONDITIONS ARE NOT PRETTY. LEE WHEELER: THIS IS ONE OF THE DOGS TAKEN IN DURING THE FRIDAY RAID, SHE HAS MATS OVER 90-PERCENT OF HER BODY. UNDER SOME OF HER MATS ARE SOME FESTERING BLOODY WOUNDS. THE DOGS TELL THEIR OWN STORY. THESE ARE JUST TWO OF THE MORE THAN SIXTY DOGS RESCUED AND BROUGHT HERE TO THE HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER COUNTY. LEE WHEELER: MANY OF THE DOGS ARE IN THIS CONDITION, BULLDOGS WITH EYE CONDITIONS SOME BLIND, SOME THEIR SIGHT IS IMPAIRED IF NOT BLIND THE ANIMALS WERE ALLEDGEDLY NEGLECTED BY THEIR OWNERS -- CHARLES CARR AND VIRGINIA SWAYNE. THEY APPARENTLY LIVED IN THESE BARN-LIKE BUILDINGS IN MOUNT JOY TOWNSHIP. LEE WHEELER: THE VET HAS TERMED THIS NEGLECT, LONG TERM NEGLECT. ANNE SHANNON/NEWS 8: ONLY THOSE DOGS WHO WERE SICK AND IN NEED OF VETERNARY CARE WERE TAKEN. ACCORDING TO THE HUMANE LEAGUE, THERE ARE ABOUT 40 DOGS WHO ARE STILL INSIDE. LEE WHEELER: SO LAST NIGHT, AND TONIGHT WHEN IT'S COLD AND THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 50-DEGREES, THEY'LL BE COLD IN A BULDING WITH BROKEN WINDOWS. SINCE NEWS OF THE RAID GOT OUT, DOZENS OF VOLUNTEER AND RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE SHOWN UP AT THE HUMANE LEAGUE OFFICES. THEIR WORK IS MORE THAN WELCOME. MAGGIE WEIDINGER/HUMANE LEAGUE OF LANCASTER CO.: YEAH, A COUPLE OF GOOD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED. PEOPLE HAVE COME IN JUST TO CLEAN CAGES. NOW INSTEAD OF 60-DOGS WE HAVE 120 DOGS HERE IN THE SHELTER. WE DID GO TO THE DOG KENNELS AND ASKED TO SPEAK WITH CHARLES CARR AND VIRGINIA SWAYNE. THEY DID NOT WANT TO COMMENT AT THIS TIME. +++++++++++ From the Shelter As many of you know the Mt. Joy Township police served a search warrant last evening, here in Lancaster County, PA.As a result of visits to two dog breeding facilities , named in the warrant, 60 dogs were seized and the owners cited for cruelty. This is the second visit to these kennels in the last 2 weeks. 1 dead dog and several sick dogs were removed on that prior visit. The dogs that were seized were transported to the Lancaster County Humane League, since we are the only shelter in the County. This transportation effort was achieved with the help of very dedicated volunteers that dropped everything and left work on Friday afternoon. We have just completed the task of identifying and documenting all of the problems these animals,for the prosecution of these charges. Tomorrow we have 2 vets, Dr. Gula and Dr. Price , who are giving up their one day off, to treat these sick animals. We have arranged for volunteers to help with the ferrying of animals for the vets. We home at this time to do some grooming and start most of the medical care. The conditions of these animals are horrendous, several had to have their collars cut off with bold cutters, they had grown into their skin. It seems that several are blind, some have obvious tumors and terrible skin conditions. The breeds that were removed were: English Bulldogs, Pugs, Cocker Spaniels, Shih Tzu, Cock- a-Poos, Chihuahua (short & long haired) , Brussells Griffon, Boxer, Dogues de Bordeaux, Yorkie. I would ask that you forward this e-mail to any of the dog rescue groups that you may be affiliated with. These dogs must be kept in foster care while this case is pending, as evidence. We are currently housing these dogs in our Education Center in crates that we purchased today. We hope to begin moving them into foster care tomorrow, and to have them completely housed by Wednesday. I believe it's important to have people that understand the issues that go along with Puppy Mill dogs, and also ideally they would be knowledgeable in the breed. The English Bulldogs have lots of eye, ear and skin problems that will need to be dealt with. This has been a learning experience for all of us. As usual though these animals have been patient and understanding as we've muddled our way through it. I desperately need this to be a success. We have 231 licensed kennels in Lancaster County, countless more unlicensed. Mt. Joy township police have been absolutely wonderful in enforcing the law, and have made a huge leap of faith that the "dog people" will come through for them and support their effort. We are now a integral chain in the "chain of evidence" of these cruelty complaints. If we can prove that we are willing and more importantly able to respond and find homes for the dogs, I beleive that we will see these type of seizures of sick animals grow. What you can do to help .. Cleaning We were somewhat caught off guard by the numbers of animals coming in, but purchased about 50 crates today . These animals are coming in on top of a full kennel. If you could help keep their crates clean, until we can get them into foster that would be great. Fostering We need to keep these animals safe and secure, we need to be able to know where they are at all times. Don't be offended when we ask the questions that we do, we need to know that they are going to good homes. If you are interested in fostering, please send me an e-mail. (I'll check my e-mail before I go to the shelter tomorrow) You can try getting in touch with me tomorrow at the shelter. (717-393-6551) Funds I'm awful at asking for money, but the purchase of the crates was several thousand dollars alone. If you are able to help out with the expenses please earmark the funds for "Puppy Mill" and it'll go to this cause specifically. The medical bills of some of these guys could get pretty steep. But their lives have been such hell that I'd really like to do all that we can for everyone of them. Adopting I hope that eventually all of these animals will be available for adoption. If you're interested we'll get your info to the Foster families. Plus don't forget we've got a full kennel of great dogs too. (www.humaneleague.com) Thanks Yous-- A last but most importantly please send a thank you to Officer Ken Henry of the Mount Joy Township Police (I'll post his address below) He made this happen. He originally went to this site because someone complained about not getting thier AKC papers. He could have pretended not to see what he did. Instead he did what he could do leagally to stop the cruelty in these places. Dr. Sue Gula, who looked at each and every dog , animal by animal in a dark dank barn, and who constintley give %150 for the animals of Lancaster County. And Lee Wheeler, without her knowledge and understanding of Puppy Mills dogs we would have failed already. She has provided the animals of Lancaster County with one of their first "legal" voices. She fights tirelessly for their rights at every level, from local , to state and federal. But still spent over 20 hours in the last two days, transporting dogs, cleaning kennels, soothing desperate scared animals.
Puppy mill - 100 carcasses, 29
animals siezed - (Lumberton, NC - US)
Crime Date: 04/26/2004 Case Status: Alleged Case Photos: Available - GRAPHIC http://www.pet-abuse.com/database/case_photos.php?case_id=2261 Accused Abuser(s): Mary Meekins Animal cruelty investigators seized 23 dog and other animals from a kennel in Lumberton on Monday, where they also discovered the remains of 100 dogs and two birds in the yard. The owner of the kennel, Mary Meekins, is being charged with 100 level 2 misdemeanors for failure to dispose of the carcasses, punishable by $500 and up to 6 months in jail for each offense, and 23 counts of animal cruelty, in addition to charges for failure to vaccinate against rabies. Seized were: 23 dogs (English Bull Mastiffs, English Bulldogs, English Boxers, 2 white boxers, a Rottweiler, a Great Dane, and a mixed breed house dog.) The great dane that was seized was weak and extremely malnourished, weighing only 55lbs, making it about 80 lbs underweight. One of the English Bull Mastiffs seized weighed only about 70 pounds. (Adult English Bull Mastiffs normally weigh between 160-190 lbs). The examining vet states that it had "enough hookworm to kill a cow", and had mostly dirt and sand in its bowels, indicating the dog's diet. The dog also suffered from what the vet determined to be burn wounds over a large portion of its body and a large wound on its side. Additionally, investigators seized a red-tailed boa which is reported to be dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from respiratory problems, as well as two cats, a bearded dragon, a horse, and a cockatiel that had been spray-painted blue. The two cats and the bearded dragon were reportedly in good condition and appeared healthy. Katharine Floyd, one of the animal cruelty investigators on the scene expressed deep appreciation for the tremendous outpouring of support from the rehab and rescue community. Because the city does not have the vehicles and equipment necessary to handle a seizure of this size, a distress call had been put out this past weekend to rescuers and rehabilitation organizations, pleading for assistance in the form of equipment and manpower. Ms. Floyd states that rehab and rescue people from as far away as 200-300 miles traveled to the site to assist, and that people from as far away as New York and California has contacted her to see how they could help. "There is no way this could have been done without them," Ms. Floyd said. Meekins has run the kennel/breeding facility for years under the names Big M Kennels and Big Dog Kennels located on Tom M. Road in Rowland, and is listed in the local yellow pages as a pet shop. Meekins has been investigated in the past for selling dogs with fraudulent pedigree papers. She used to own 2 monkeys. When questioned last year regarding their whereabouts, she claimed that she had sold them, however vet records indicate that she had brought one to her veterinarian just this past spring, claiming that she didn't know why it had died. A test reportedly confirmed that the monkey had died from malnutrition. Her bond was set at $2000 and she was released within 2 hours. Meekins is scheduled to appear at the Robeson County courthouse for her first appearance on May 14, 2004. Court begins at 9AM. We are asking that concerned animal advocates write a polite letter to the prosecuting attorney and chief judge, urging that these crimes be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, that Meekins be required to undergo psychological counseling, and that she never be permitted to own animals again. Additionally, if anyone in the NC area can attend her court date on the 14th, it will help send a message to the court system that this case should be taken seriously. Prosecuting Attorney: Johnson Britt Chief Judge: Hon. Stan Carmichael Address: Robeson County Courthouse 500 N. Elm St. P.O. Box 1084 Lumberton, NC 28359-1084 References Robeson County Animal Control WWAY-TV
http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/2261/
Brandy Ralston _____________________________________________________________________________________
Last Update: 05/01/2004 9:32:06 AM
Wednesday, May 12, 2004 |