You Can't Fix Stupid

Scars of your Love: Memphis Animal Shelter

2011-04-27T10:15:00.000-05:00

The dogs are alright: The Vick dogs make a comeback

2011-01-22T12:03:00.002-06:00

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-the-dogs-are-alright-the-vick-dogs-make-a-comeback/6676/

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Remembering Mr. Bishop

2011-01-06T11:55:00.001-06:00

Sheriff: 100 Pit Bulls Plus Chickens, Wild Boars, Guns, Drugs Found At Home

2010-09-02T13:03:00.003-05:00

www.wtov9.com

Posted: 6:54 pm EDT August 20, 2010
Updated: 12:27 pm EDT August 22, 2010

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio -- Jefferson County authorities initially converged on a home Friday afternoon as part of a drug investigation, but ended up finding an animal house at Sherman Bell’s home according to Sheriff Fred Abdalla.

"I've seen a lot, but this is one of the worst, the inside of that house certainly isn’t livable, I can tell you that," said Abdalla.

Humane officers counted more than 100 pit bulls at the home along County Road 23 near Bloomingdale. In addition they reported finding chickens, snakes wild boars and pet cockroaches. Abdalla said it appears many of the animals were neglected because waters bowls throughout the property for the animals were empty.

Abdalla said his biggest fear when he arrived at the scene was that the animals were being used in some sort of organized fighting. Bell said that isn’t the case. “I raise pit bulls, but they are not for fighting. That's why I'm so broke. If I sold them for fighting I'd have money." Bell went onto say that chickens are not used for fighting either.

Bell is in the Jefferson County Justice Center facing a slew of charges. His animals are being cared for by Humane officers, they will likely leave the animals on the property and care for them there, because there are just so many.

In additional to the large animal find the Jefferson County Drug Task Force reported finding 30 guns, sawed off shotguns, 80 marijuana plants and 20 grams of raw opium.

For a slideshow of the conditions, please visit

www.wtov9.com

To pull off the biggest pit bull fighting bust in U.S. history, investigators went deep undercover. So did their dogs.

2010-09-02T12:22:00.002-05:00

riverfronttimes.com

By Keegan Hamilton Wednesday, Sep 1 2010

The grainy footage shows two snarling pit bulls in a dimly lit barn, staring each other down through a haze of cigarette smoke. Walled in by a makeshift ring of three-foot-high plywood planks, the collarless dogs twitch and wag their tails, expending nervous energy like prizefighters shadowboxing in the ring in the moments before the opening bell.

Both dogs are males and have a tan coat and a white belly, which makes it difficult to tell them apart. They're about ten months old — young for fighters. This is their first taste of combat.

Each dog has a handler who grips it by the scruff of the neck and positions it opposite its foe in the corner of the sixteen-by-sixteen-foot ring. When they're released, the pit bulls collide with a dull thud. One dog lands on its back and the other pounces, grabbing hold with its jaws. The two animals spend the next several minutes growling and panting, locked in a ferocious struggle.

John Bacon, who owns the dog that's on top, bends at the waist and rests his hands on the knees of his baggy overalls, hovering close to the tangle of fur and flesh. He cajoles his pit bull to release its bite and improve its position. The dogs tumble over one another and Bacon jumps out of the way. "There you go!" he shouts. "That's where you want to be!"

The other dog is getting mauled. It emits a piercing squeal, followed by a whimper. Laughter ripples through the crowd. Joseph Addison, a spectator who wears his hair in a jumble of chin-length braids, suggests it's time to stop the match.

"This motherfucker through, man," he says to Bacon. "He's done."

Using a small, wedge-shaped piece of wood called a break stick, Bacon pries open his dog's jaws, releasing its opponent. The animals are separated and taken back to their respective corners to "scratch." If they charge again, the fight continues. If one dog refuses, it will be branded a "cur" — an almost certain death sentence.

At the moment of truth, the vanquished dog cowers while Bacon's dog attacks without hesitation, biting down and thrashing its powerful neck in order to inflict maximum damage. Again the handlers separate the dogs. The fight is over.

Someone in the crowd asks the losing dog's owners what they plan to do with it.

"I'll take 'im home," one says.

"Take him home?" comes the incredulous reply. "Look at this shit! You'll take him home?"

"Yeah," the man repeats, declining the offer to use an impromptu electric chair: an extension cord rigged with alligator clips attached to one end. "I'll take 'im home."

A year and a half later, Bacon describes the scrap in the East St. Louis barn as "just a little wrasslin' match." In dog-fighting parlance it's known as a "roll" — a brief sparring session used to gauge whether a pup has the fighting spirit known simply as "game."

"A contract fight is something you prepare for," Bacon explains. "A roll is just ten, maybe fifteen minutes. The dogs ain't gettin' hurt too much."

He's a carpenter by trade, but Bacon knows a lot about dogfighting. Still, there was one thing he didn't know on March 22, 2009.

He was unaware that his dog's opponent, Hammer, was property of the United States government.

The dog was purchased, trained and brought to the fight by Terry Mills and Jeff Heath, veteran Missouri State Highway Patrol officers who were conducting an extensive undercover investigation into the secretive and brutal world of organized pit bull fighting and breeding. Both men wore video- and audio-recording equipment concealed in their clothes.

Four months after the fight in the barn, a multiagency task force conducted a series of raids in eight states. Agents arrested 26 dogfighters, including Bacon, and seized more than 500 pit bulls — the largest dogfighting bust in American history. In order to make their case, investigators had spent a year and a half taking part in the same gruesome activities for which they would later make the arrests.

For the entire article, please visit riverfronttimes.com

For the Love of Pit: Many former fighting dogs find new lives as family pets

2010-09-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

riverfronttimes.com

By Keegan Hamilton Wednesday, Sep 1 2010

Gale Frey holds her 40-pound pit bull as if it were an infant, cradling the dog in her arms and rocking gently back and forth. The docile dog — Sir Reginald Farnsworth the Third — contentedly drops off to sleep.

Seated on a park bench across the street from the Humane Society of Missouri headquarters on Macklind Avenue in St. Louis, Frey explains that Sir Reginald wasn't always so friendly. He was one of more than 500 pit bulls seized by federal law enforcement officials on July 9, 2009. Scars on Sir Reginald's lips and front legs indicate he had a long career as a fighter before he joined the Frey household.

"The first time my husband started cheering on the Rams, he hit the floor," Frey says. "He thought the fights were about to begin. We had to let him know that no, there are no more fights."

Frey is the founder of Mutts-n-Stuff, a nonprofit organization based in St. Louis that serves as a halfway house for fighting dogs. The organization is part of the Pit Bull Rescue Alliance, five groups nationwide that rehabilitate and resettle dogs that were originally bred to attack other animals.

On the one-year anniversary of the 2009 raids, several dozen people who adopted rescued pit bulls gathered in St. Louis for a memorial service and reception. As their dogs munched on gourmet treats, the owners, many sporting T-shirts that read "Save the dogs, euthanize the men and women who fight them," discussed the personality quirks of their pets.

"She's basically the perfect dog," Beth Rastberger says of her small pit bull, Vienna. "She loves other dogs, she loves play. People freak her out though — she's kind of timid around them."

Frey says that with proper care and plenty of exercise, the pit bulls can make excellent companions. "They don't come out of the womb saying, 'I'm going to kick your ass,'" she notes. Still, reformed fighters aren't for everyone. Like the Humane Society of Missouri, Mutts-n-Stuff screens applicants seeking to adopt the dogs.

Frey says her group primarily assesses "the level of activity and energy of the home. Honestly, people who adopt abused dogs, I think, are a different classification. They are people who are willing to modify their life to accommodate the dog. If you have a household full of screaming children and people coming in and out constantly, you don't want to adopt a frightened, timid dog."

The groups screen the dogs as well. Undesirable behaviors are, whenever possible, addressed and eliminated, and potential adopters are warned of temperamental quirks.

Frey started her organization in 2000. Last year she took in 47 of the 500 pit bulls seized in the multistate raid. Five of those dogs remain available for adoption.

The Humane Society of Missouri found homes for about 250 of the 500 rescued pit bulls. Jeanne Jae, spokeswoman for the animal-welfare organization, says only two of the dogs they took in — Brownie and Bob — remain in their care. Both were born in the group's shelter in the months following the raids.

The Humane Society charges $110 to adopt a pit bull, Mutts-n-Stuff $150. The fee covers all vaccinations and a microchip, as well as neutering or spaying. For more information visit www.hsmo.org or www.muttsandstuff.com.

On the one-year anniversary of the 2009 raids, several dozen people who adopted rescued pit bulls gathered in St. Louis for a memorial service and reception. As their dogs munched on gourmet treats, the owners, many sporting T-shirts that read "Save the dogs, euthanize the men and women who fight them," discussed the personality quirks of their pets.

For the complete story of the 2009 dog-fighting busts, please see this week's feature, "Dog Beat Dog".

Pet Company Dogs Test Positive For Parasite That Can Spread to Humans

2010-07-09T16:02:00.002-05:00

WDEF.com

Submitted by Nordia Epps on July 7, 2010 - 8:52pm.

Well over half the dogs confiscated from the Pet Company at the Hamilton Place Mall test positive for a highly contagious parasite that can spread to humans.

That's according to the McKamey Animal Center who will care for the animals with Giardia.

And we learn of an outbreak of this same parasite at six Georgia Pet Company stores in 2006.

The test results bring worry for McKamey Animal center.

Director Karen Walsh reports 22 of the 32 dogs confiscated have Giardia.

The highly infectious parasite can be transmitted to other dogs and to people.

Karen Walsh, McKamey Animal Center, "It's a large percentage of the population. It certainly gives us grave concern as to where this population ends up and that they don't contaminate other people's pets or people themselves."

Giardia causes symptoms like diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea that often appear one to two weeks after infection.

It's caught through contaminated water, food, or poor hygiene practices.

Walsh suggests people who've purchased a puppy from the Pet Company have it tested.

Walsh, "They have been isolated here as a separate population from our dogs that come in but they are exposing themselves to each other and we know that there's dogs in that group that were on the sale floor that are positive."

The Attorney for the Pet Company has maintained his client followed federal regulations.

Andy Pippinger, Pet Company Attorney, "Our client took care of these animals... made sure they had plenty of water, plenty of food. They were well taken care of. They were provided vet care once every 7 days and they cleaned the kennels appropriately."

Judge Sherry Paty ordered the dogs that did not test positive for the parasite along with the rest of the pets to be returned to the Pet Company.

It will now house them at the Companion Animal Hospital in Chattanooga, instead of its Georgia store.

Walsh, "The Georgia state vet was not comfortable with them coming"

Back in 2006, six Pet Company stores in Metro Atlanta got quarantined after all but 13 of the 150 puppies tested were positive for giardia.

The company did not return our calls for comment.

Judge Paty will rule next Wednesday on what will ultimately happen to the animals and the Pet Company.

McKamey: Most Pet Company dogs tested positive for parasite

2010-07-09T15:58:00.001-05:00

WRCBtv.com

McKamey: Most Pet Company dogs tested positive for parasite

Posted: Jul 07, 2010 10:14 AM CDT

By Callie Starnes & WRCB Staff

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - More than half of the dogs seized in the June raid of the mall pet store have tested positive for a dangerous parasite, according to McKamey Animal Shelter.

McKamey was ordered by a judge to test the dogs taken from The Pet Company in Hamilton Place Mall last month for giardia.

Twenty dogs tested positive for the parasite that is transmissible to humans. Those dogs will remain under the care of McKamey officials where they will receive treatment.

Twelve dogs tested negative for giardia. Judge Sherry Paty ordered any dogs that tested negative be returned to The Pet Company and transported to another Pet Company location. The Pet Company has stores in Georgia and New Jersey.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture sent a letter to the Pet Company saying although the dogs did not test positive for giardia, they have been exposed to it. So, they are not allowed to cross the state line and be housed in Georgia.

The Pet Company instead will house the animals at the Companion Animal Hospital in Chattanooga. The center is the Pet Company's contracted veterinarian in the area and serves the community as well. The 12 dogs and all the "pocket pets" - hamsters, ferrets, rabbits- will all be taken to the Companion Animal Hospital under the care of Dr. Prince.

The arrangement will last at least until next Wednesday when the Pet Company and McKamey head back to court.

The Pet Company Gets to Keep Animals- Thursday, July 1

2010-07-01T11:17:00.003-05:00

timesfreepress.com.com

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Pet store keeps animal rights
By: Kate Harrison

A judge's ruling Wednesday in an animal welfare case leaves 82 pets in limbo.

The Pet Company will be given two weeks to fix the problems at its Hamilton Place store before being allowed to sell animals again, Chattanooga City Judge Sherry Paty ruled.

Judge Paty said the store must pass an inspection by officials from the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before animals can be returned and sales resume.

In the meantime, the animals seized June 15 from the store will be sent to other Pet Company stores, the judge ruled. The chain has 22 stores across the nation, with the nearest in Atlanta.

Before being trucked across state lines, all 82 animals must be checked for giardia, a contagious parasite found in four of the dogs seized two weeks ago. The cost of the tests and the health certificates will be footed by the McKamey Center, which is funded by tax dollars and donations.

"The judge has said the healthy animals can leave, but we now have the burden of determining whether they're healthy or not," McKamey Executive Director Karen Walsh said.

The Pet Company had faced 90 city code violations, including many tied to animal cruelty.

City and state officials were trying to get the store's license revoked, and Judge Paty still could do so if she determines that the store has not complied with conditions.

Judge Paty's ruling came after a four-day Chattanooga City Court trial, the longest in the court's history, Judge Paty said.

A hearing is scheduled for July 14 at 1 p.m.to evaluate whether the store has met the judge's conditions and who will pay fines and other animal care expenses.

"It doesn't sound like this store is actually running in compliance with what their manual calls for, let alone what the city code calls for," McKamey attorney Mark Litchford said Wednesday during closing arguments.

Andrew Pippenger, attorney for United Pet Supply, the parent of the Pet Company, argued that McKamey's actions were unjustified.

"The reality is their process was fundamentally unfair," he said. "They came out to take the animals without a hearing. They came out to revoke our license without a hearing. That shows they're biased."

Judge Paty said store employees' failure to follow their manual was "unacceptable." She also criticized the store for failing to fix its air conditioning system for three weeks and for unsanitary conditions.

After looking at photos of animals matted with urine and fecal matter, she said the store was currently unfit for business.

"A picture is worth a thousand words," she said.

Yet Judge Paty also noted that McKamey officials had failed to give adequate formal warnings to the company before resorting to the raid.

She also criticized a petition that a McKamey volunteer posted on the center's website, calling for signatures and donations to shut the Pet Company down. The petition made McKamey, which is a civic authority, look biased, she said.

Ms. Walsh said her priority now is to care for the animals while they are still in McKamey's care. She also said the organization would work with the Pet Company to ensure that the store meets the city's standards.

"That's our job," she said.

The Pet Company - June 30

2010-06-30T14:24:00.005-05:00

newschannel9,com

Pet Company Judge Gives Store 2 Weeks To Fix Problems

June 30, 2010 2:28 PM
Nathan Faulkner

The judge in the Pet Company hearing is giving the company two weeks to fix the problems at its Hamilton Place Mall store.

The judge's decision allows the animals that were seized from the Hamilton Place Mall store to go to other stores.

"I'm bound to reconcile the interests of these animals with the interests of the company," the judge said before issuing her decision.

But the judge also ruled that no sick dogs will be returned to Pet Company until they are healthy. The animals had been staying with McKamey.

Pet Company was accused of mistreating animals.

The store at Hamilton Place Mall was raided earlier this month. Officers for McKamey found unsanitary and unliveable conditions for pets.

Earlier Wednesday, the attorney for the Pet Company defended his client, saying the company runs a "top-notch organization."

The attorney for McKamey said the store had 90 violations, mostly for neglect. The attorney said there were dirty cages and that a manager had put a dead dog in the refrigerator with food. The attorney also said four dogs had parasites.

timesfreepress.com

Chattanooga: Pet Company can reopen if problems fixed, judge rules

By: Kate Harrison

The Pet Company has two weeks to fix the problems at its Hamilton Place store before it can sell animals again, a judge ruled today.

However, Chattanooga City Judge Sherry Paty ruled that the store must pass an inspection by officials from the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before sales can resume.

The 82 animals seized on June 15 from the store will not be returned to Hamilton Place but will be sent to other Pet Company stores, the judge ruled.

The store was hit with 90 City Code violations, including many tied to animal cruelty. City and state officials were trying to get the store’s license revoked.

For complete details, see tomorrow's Times Free Press.

WRCBtv.com

Posted: Jun 30, 2010 1:47 PM CDT

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB)-- Judge Sherry Paty is giving The Pet Company two weeks to take care of any issues raised before she makes a final ruling.

In her ruling, Judge Paty stated that the Pet Company could reopen, if it can take care of all the problems addressed in the hearing. The store will have to pass an inspection by McKamey Animal Shelter and the Department of Agriculture before it can reopen.

Judge Paty also stated that healthy dogs taken from the Hamilton Place location could be sent to other stores.

No unhealthy animals will be returned until they have received a clean bill of health.

All of the court costs and fines will be placed on hold until the case is reviewed on July 14th.

Customer: The Pet Company Doesn't Deserve A Second Chance

wdef.com

Submitted by Nordia Epps on June 30, 2010 - 8:35pm.

The Pet Company has two weeks to fix the conditions in its Hamilton Place Store.

McKamey Animal Center removed the store's animals a few weeks ago, and cited them with 90 violations of animal neglect and unsanitary conditions.

The Pet Company attorney disputed the claims saying there was no violation under federal law.

Judge Sherry Paty says many of the conditions were unacceptable, but they could be remedied.

The Pet Company gets to reclaim the healthy animals... but can't take them to the Chattanooga store.

McKamey Director Karen Walsh says their concern was always for the welfare of the animals.

McKamey Animal Center's Karen Walsh says, "Hopefully, wherever they end up there will be people that care enough to do follow up and to be sure that that's what happens."

Any sick animals remain under McKamey's care.

The judge postponed ruling on any fines or costs.

Walsh says a regular citizen would be required to pay back the more than 22-thousand-dollars used to lodge the animals.

The decision doesn't sit well with one customer of the Pet Company.

She bought a toy poodle there back in December and has already paid nearly 700 dollars trying to get him well.

And she says she won't be satisfied unless the the pet store is forced to close down.

"I love you. Yes I do. (laughter) This is my baby. I love him more than anything in this world."

For Linda Ramey, 9 month old Nathan is much more than a dog...he's a member of the family.

Ramey, "It is upsetting because I know what conditions he come out of and I just keep saying to him 'Baby, Mommy got you and God gave you to me and I got you out of that old mess,' and I did."

She got the toy poodle from The Pet Company inside Hamilton Place Mall on December 16th and she says he's been sick ever since.

"He has coughed, crouped, at some point you think he's going to choke to death. He's had congestion that he spit up," she says.

And nearly 700 dollars in vet bills later, Nathan is still not over what doctors diagnosed as a bronchial infection.

Ramey, "There's no telling how he was treated or where he came from. I just couldn't stand it. I'd cry every time I'd look at him and think about what he'd been put through. huh"

News earlier this month that the animals got removed from the Pet Company brought her joy.

Ramey, "When I think about somebody mistreating an animal oh hon, I really want to get desperate with them."

And her heart hurts for the animals with the thought of the pet store getting a second chance.

Ramey, "They're not going to do em right. They didn't do em right from the beginning. It don't make no difference what they promise them. They're not going to change their ways."

The lawyer and a representative for the Pet Company have disputed claims of unsanitary and unhealthy conditions at the Hamilton Place Mall store.

The Pet Company Case - Updates as of Tuesday 7/29/10

2010-06-29T17:07:00.003-05:00

WDEF.com

Submitted by Kristen Johnson on June 29, 2010 - 4:52pm

Testimony in the case against a mall pet store takes some twists and turns.

The manager of the Pet Company disputes claims of animal mistreatment and unsanitary conditions - but admits mistakes.

Dozens of pets were confiscated from The Pet Company earlier this month.

Store Manager Brandy Hallman testified Tuesday to defend practices and procedures carried out by her and the staff at the Pet Company in Hamilton Place Mall.

"The kennels are cleaned every morning, every evening and if we have to throughout the day," Hallman said.

Asked if it's one person's job to clean the cages, Hallman responded, "It's everyone's responsibility to clean cages throughout the day." And added she follows that responsibility "very strictly."

Hallman disputes claims of animals without water.

She says she did not throw a live hamster in a garbage disposal, as alleged by a former employee.

And says she worked twice as hard to care for the animals when the air conditioner broke a day before animals were confiscated by McKamey officers.

"It never went above 81 to my knowledge," Hallman testified.

But when pressed on whether Hallman or other employees followed a company handbook to a tee - Hallman admits they did not.

Asked if a proccedure in the manual was wrong, Hallman responded "I'm saying we don't do the checklist."

As to the claim a dead dog was put in a fridge with food, Hallman admited no one took the dog to the vet and said "obviously...because we didn't need to take it to the vet."

McKamey officials contend the store did not clean properly, had faulty cages, the wrong equipment to water pets and say temperatures reached dangerous levels for the animals.

The dogs, cats, gerbils and hamsters remain in McKamey's care until a judges decides whether or not the company can reclaim the animals.

Closing arguments begin Wednesday.

A decision from the judge could come shortly after.

timesfreepress.com

By: Kate Harrison

Chattanooga: Testimony finishes in Pet Company trial

A hamster was already dead when it was tossed into a trash compactor at The Pet Company store, the manager testified today.

Brandy Hallman, manager at the Hamilton Place store, said the hamster also had been partially eaten by another hamster.

On Monday, an employee of the store testified that the hamster was still alive when it was tossed into the compactor.

Ms. Hallman was testifying during the third day of a Chattanooga City Court trial in which city officials are fighting to put the store out of business.

Witnesses finished their testimony today and closing statements are scheduled to start Wednesday at 1 p.m.

On June 15, the store was raided by officials with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center. Eighty-two pets were seized and 90 City Code violations were filed against the store, including many tied to animal cruelty.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.

newschannel9.com

Pet Company Manager Admits Mistakes, Defends Practices

Manager: I Put Hamster In Compactor

A manager at the Pet Company admitted in court Tuesday that she made mistakes involving the handling of animals at the Hamilton Place store, but defended the store's overall practices.

The store was raided earlier this month after reports of unsanitary conditions and harsh treatment of animals.

Monday, former store employee Ashley Knight said she saw the store put a dead dog in a refrigerator where they store dog food.

The manager, Brandy Hallman, testified Tuesday that she put the dog's body in the refrigerator because she couldn’t get it to the veterinarian right away.

Knight also testified that the manager put a live hamster in a trash compactor. Tuesday, Hallman admitted putting the animal in the compactor, but said the hamster was already dead and had been partially eaten by its cage mates.

“There was nothing else for me to do,” Hallman testified.

But Hallman also defended her work at the store. She said she followed procedures as spelled out in the store’s manual.

McKamey officers testified they found animals living in filthy cages and that the store was using unsafe cleaning products. Hallman disagreed, saying they consistently used a bleach and water solution and at times, Lysol.

However, the day of the raid, Hallman admits the store had run out of bleach, and they were using anti-bacterial Fabuloso instead.

Another one of the main complaints was the heat inside a back isolation room. The air conditioning in the store was broken and the operations manager of Hamilton Place Mall testified Tuesday he never got a call from Pet Company about it. Defense lawyers pointed out that the store is not required to contact the mall operations manager, eventhough the manager says 90% of the stores do when problems like that arise.

Hallman testified the temperature in the store did not go above 81 degrees the day before the raid. She says they were constantly checking the animals dehydration, and did not see any animals panting the day before the raid.

The veterinarian technician who works at The Pet Company testified as well to the health of another hamster and a dog that went on to die. She says they consistently notify a vet whenever an animal's health is in imminent danger, but she didn't deem either situation necessary.

On cross examination earlier Tueday, defense lawyers challenged McKamey executive director Karen Walsh on their practices, questioning Walsh about several puppies that died in the back of an animal services vehicle, and about the outbreak of kennel cough earlier this year.

Defense attorneys also questioned McKamey's motivation for the raid and pointed to the website as an example. The day they confiscated the animals, Walsh said McKamey's number one priority was the well-being of the pets. However, defense lawyers said one day after the raid, a volunteer posted a link on McKamey's website to a petition telling people to sign it if they wanted to get the Pet Company shut down. The volunteer says that was her language alone and McKamey knew nothing about it.

Closing arugments will begin Wednesday at 1:00. Depend on us for updates here on www.newschannel9.com and on air.

For up to the minute updates, you can follow NewsChannel 9's Tanya Mendis inside the courtroom on twitter http://twitter.com/tanyamendis

Pet store scrutiny continues

2010-06-29T17:02:00.001-05:00

timesfreepress.com

By: Monica Mercer

A manager of The Pet Company at Hamilton Place mall threw a hamster in a trash compactor because of the animal's history of fighting with other hamsters.

The hamster was still alive, a former employee testified Monday during the second day of a Chattanooga City Court trial in which city officials are fighting to put the store out of business.

The detail about the hamster's life made Linda Eddlemon with the East Tennessee Animal Alliance squirm in her seat and silently gasp in horror.

She said after the proceeding ended for the day that such actions of store employees prove that the business had little regard for the well-being of the animals it was trying to sell.

Similar fears by city officials led officers with the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center to raid The Pet Company on June 15, seizing 82 pets and slapping it with 90 City Code violations, including many tied to animal cruelty.

McKamey officials said the store, among other things, operated without air conditioning, failed to properly water its dogs, let them wallow in feces and urine and didn't even follow its own guidelines outlining the proper care of the animals.

"We would really like to see this store shut down," said Ms. Eddlemon, who volunteers for the Animal Alliance, a local nonprofit organization that strives to educate people on the treatment of animals.

The Pet Company is fighting to get all of the animals back and is expected to present its side of the case today as the trial continues.

An inspector with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture already has recommended that the store's license to operate be suspended after a June 22 inspection found many of the same alleged violations still in place.

But lawyers for United Pet Supply, the New Jersey-based parent of The Pet Company, have argued from the beginning that the store follows federal guidelines concerning how pet stores should be run and therefore did not violate any local city codes.

As proof on Monday, Pet Company lawyer Andrew Pippenger succeeded in making McKamey Director of Operations Paula Hurn admit that the temperature never got above 85 degrees on the day she and her colleagues raided the store. According to Mr. Pippenger, federal law states a pet store's temperature must not go above 85 degrees for more than four consecutive hours if dogs are present.

Still, Ms. Hurn testified the store that day was "as hot as blue blazes" and seemed unfazed by Mr. Pippenger's suggestions that The Pet Company did things by the book.

Ms. Hurn's boss, McKamey Executive Director Karen Walsh, will be cross-examined by Mr. Pippenger today, but also did not waver Monday in her testimony about the store's conditions.

Ms. Walsh in particular testified about the way the store tried to water its dogs. Dogs must drink from a pool of water because of how their tongues help scoop the liquid into their mouths, Ms. Walsh testified. The Pet Company, however, tried to water its dogs with water bottles that required a sucking action on a tube.

Not only were the water bottles nonfunctional, Ms. Walsh said, but it was almost impossible for the dogs to get adequate hydration because of the anatomy of their mouths.

Ms. Walsh showed a video of a dog named "Cali" who she said "desperately" tried to get water from one of the water bottles for five minutes with no luck.

"All the dogs were dehydrated," Ms. Walsh testified.

Pet Store Manager Punished Hamster For Fighting By Dropping It Down Garbage Compactor While Alive, Former Employee Says

2010-06-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

chattanoogan.com

McKamey Director Says Lab Tests Showed Dogs Seized From Isolation Area Had Disease Transmittable To Humans

by Judy Frank
posted June 28, 2010

A former kennel worker at a Hamilton Place pet store took the stand in Chattanooga City Court Monday to describe the alleged systematic abuse and neglect of animals that she said led her to report her employer to officials at McKamey Animal Center.

In one case, Ashley Knight recalled, the manager of the store disposed of one of two hamsters involved in a fight by dropping the live animal down the garbage compactor.

Another time, she said, one of the dogs for sale at the store died. Workers responded by putting the body in a plastic bag and sticking it in the refrigerator where food was kept.

Her testimony came during the second day of a hearing before Judge Sherry Paty, who is charged with deciding whether to return the seized animals to the pet store as its owners have demanded.

The trial will resume Tuesday morning, and attorneys for the store are expected to begin presenting their rebuttal evidence later that day.

The young whistleblower, whose job at The Pet Company #29 began on April 10, testified that store officials learned the day after she went to McKamey early in June that she had done so.

"Why would you do that?" the store manager asked angrily, Ms. Knight recalled.

McKamey director Karen Walsh testified that Ms. Knight was "crying in my office" as she described the way animals at the store were treated.

She said the conditions Ms. Knight described to her were verified a few days later during a surprise joint inspection conducted by animal shelter officials and a representative of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

The findings included the discovery of several dogs suffering from Giardia, a highly contagious disease that affects humans as well as animals.

The inspection revealed a combination of 85+ degree temperatures, high ammonia levels (due to large amounts of feces and urine) and lack of accessible drinking water, it was testified.

The conditions to which the animals were subjected left many of them dehydrated, lethargic and stressed, Ms. Walsh said.

Conditions were particularly bad in a dirty, poorly ventilated isolation unit where sick animals were kept, she said, recalling one Shepherd standing miserably in a cage filled with "voluminous diarrhea."

"The stench in the room was awful," Ms. Walsh recalled. "I don't know what the ammonia level was . . . but it was burning my lungs . . . Sweat was rolling off us while we were back there."

Although she had not planned to seize any animals when she went to the store to conduct the inspection, she explained, she changed her mind after learning that the air conditioning was not working and would not be repaired that day.

"We found animals lying on their backs, panting, due to the heat," she said. "They were dehydrated, listless . . . and in danger (of dying)."

Lab tests done after the animals were seized and taken to McKamey revealed that the Shepherd and at least three other dogs all had Giardia, a highly contagious disease to which both people and animals are susceptible, it was stated.

She said the store was out of bleach, which its own employee manual instructs workers to use to disinfect water containers, cages and other surfaces.

Ms. Walsh and other witnesses said the manager of the Pet Store and some other employees were belligerent during the inspection, and objected vigorously when it was decided to remove the animals.

"They said we were removing their corporate assets," Ms. Walsh recalled. "They asked for the names of our employees so they could take legal action against them later."

McKamey: Pet Company Dogs "Infected"

2010-06-29T16:58:00.001-05:00

Story by Callie Starnes

Eyewitness News Reporter

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB)-- We still don't know what the future holds for the animals seized from a Chattanooga pet store.

Monday a former employee took the stand against the pet company and we learned how sick some of those pets were.

The former employee, and three McKamey officials all told similar stories.

All noted pets without water, broken cages, and extreme heat.

But for the first time we heard about infected pets that could pose a risk to people.

Two McKamey employees described the heat, dehydrated animals, and inadequate cleaning solution found inside the store June 15th.

"It was really, really hot. I noticed that there was a lot of waste still in with the animals. I noticed a lot of animals laying on their backs and panting," says Amy Nelson, adoption coordinator for McKamey.

Video taken inside the store shows how unresponsive the animals were when McKamey officials arrived.

One dog can be seen struggling to get water from a bottle for at least five minutes.

It's something former Pet Company employee Ashley Knight says she's seen before.

Knight called McKamey to report abuse, giving them enough evidence to go in and take dozens of dogs and pocket pets.

"A lot of the sales people wouldn't pick up the feces, and would let the dogs walk in it and they would always be sick," says Knight.

Knight described the body of a dog being put into a refrigerator where cat food was stored and the disposal of an injured hamster.

"One, I guess it had gotten in a fight with another hamster or something, and the manager put it in the compact machine, like the garbage compactor," says Knight.

But perhaps most alarming were test results. McKamey Executive Director Karen Walsh testified to four dogs testing positive for giardia, a parasite that is transferable to humans.

It's testimony City Councilman Jack Benson says confirms complaints he's received over the last decade.

"It's regrettable it took this long to do something about it, because a lot of people were calling me and telling me they came out of the store just sick thinking about the conditions being endured by the animals," says Benson.

Testimony will resume Tuesday morning.

Judge Paty is expected to decide if the pets will be returned.

That's not all Pet Company is fighting.

The State Agriculture Department served the Pet Company with an intent to suspend its dealer license last week.

The company has 10 days to respond.

[Read more about the first day of the hearing]

McKamey Animal Shelter, along with agents from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Chattanooga Police Department raided The Pet Company in Hamilton Place Mall, seizing nearly all of the animals in the store.

The raid took place after receiving numerous reports that the animals in the store were in unsanitary conditions and the pets being sold were sick.

Eyewitness News reporter Callie Starnes is in the courtroom. The latest information will be available on WRCBtv.com.

Former Pet Company Employee Testifies To "Sick" Animals At Store

2010-06-29T16:55:00.001-05:00

wdef.com

Submitted by Kristen Johnson on June 28, 2010 - 5:15pm

A whistle blower takes the stand in a case against a mall pet store.

Former employee Ashley Knight testified against the Pet Company.

Knight says animals were sick and conditions too hot inside the store.

She went to McKamey with her complaints, who began an investigation.

Knight described several incidents involving mistreatment of animals including the disposal of a dead dog saying it was put inside a fridge were pet food was stored.

She also recounts an incident with a hamster.

"One got into a fight with another hamster and the manager put it down a garbage disposal."

Asked, "Was it dead or alive at that time it was put in the disposal?" Knight responded,"It was still alive."

McKamey officials showed the judge video inside the store.

They point to broken cages, dehydrated and dead animals.

A lawyer for the Pet Company disputes these claims.

The hearing resumes Tuesday.

Hamilton Place Pet Store Charged With Mistreatment Of Animals Graded “F” By Better Business Bureau - The Chattanoogan.com

2010-06-28T10:43:00.001-05:00

theChattanoogan.com

by Judy Frank
posted June 27, 2010

The Hamilton Place pet store, from which more than 80 animals were removed on June 15, received an F on its report card from the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga, according to BBB documents.

The Pet Company #29 “is not a BBB Accredited Business,” the consumer protection organization noted in an online report on the pet store, which is the subject of investigations by both the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and McKamey Animal Center of Chattanooga.

The failing grade given the pet store by BBB is unrelated to the recent investigations.

"BBB has no information regarding government actions at this time,” according to the online report.

However, the organization noted, Chattanooga’s BBB received two complaints involving the pet store over the past 36 month.

In one instance, the company did not even bother to respond, the local BBB reported.

According to the Better Business Bureau of New York, The Pet Company is one of several names under which the corporation United Pet Supply Inc. – headquartered in New Windsor, N.Y. – operates.

United Pet Supply, like its Chattanooga subsidiary, is not a BBB accredited business, the report out of New York indicates.

The corporation operates under a variety of names, it notes, including Docktor Pet Centers; Doctor Pet Centers (several locations); The Pet Company; and United Pet Supply.

Under those various names, United Pet Supply Inc. reportedly operates 27 pet and pet supply retail stores in the eastern United States, from New England to Atlanta.

Steve Zerilli, listed as president of the corporation, also is active in organizations such as the Pet Industry Joint Action Council, according to the publication “The Kennel Spotlight: An in-depth Look At The Heart of the Professional Kennel Industry.”

On Sept. 28, 2007, according to a Kennel Spotlight ad, Mr. Zerilli and PIJAC’s general counsel and executive vice president, Marshall Meyers, were scheduled to give a joint presentation to attendees at the Breeder Educational Conference.

Their topic: “Animal Care Guidelines for the Retail Pet Industry.”

Not in the audience, apparently, were the regulators and pet welfare representatives who have filed numerous complaints over the decades against Mr. Zerilli’s United Pet Supply Inc. and its subsidiaries, particularly for mistreatment of the animals they sell.

In 1993 one of those subsidiaries – Docktor Pet, which had 300 franchises just a few years earlier – filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or liquidation.

Docktor Pet’s financial woes grew out of nationwide bad publicity – including exposes by the television show 20/20, Life magazine and People magazine – featuring an investigation by the Companion Animal Protection Society into the retail chain’s ties to puppy mills and its widespread neglect and abuse of animals.

Docktor Pet’s parent organization, United Pet Supply Inc., has rebounded from that financial blow, however.

According to a report by BNET Industries, United Pet Supply has eight employees and did $15 million in sales during the latest fiscal year.

While United Pet Supply’s headquarters are in New Windsor, N.Y., “Our records show it was established in 1977 and incorporated in Delaware,” BNET noted.

Meanwhile, at Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, The Pet Company # 29 was the subject of one complaint to the local Better Business Bureau regarding sales practices.

The company addressed the complaint issues, BBB noted, but “The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.”

The bureau also received a complaint involving issues with refunds or exchanges at the pet store, its report said.

In that case, it noted, “Company failed to respond to BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues.”

Pet Company Tries to Get Seized Animals Back

2010-06-24T14:55:00.004-05:00

NewsChannel9.com

June 24, 2010 2:17 PM
John Madewell
Ten people are scheduled to testify in the Pet Company hearing in Judge Sherry Paty's court.

This is a direct response to the McKamey Animal Center removing its animals on June 15th.

The hearing started around 10:30 Thursday morning and is to determine what happens to the animals.

However due to the number of witnesses and time of testimony, Judge Paty limited testimony to three people. The hearing will resume next Monday morning at 11:30.

Executive Vice President of United Pet Supply Company, Incorporated, Chris Brooks flew down from New Jersey for this hearing.

An attorney for McKamey says on the day of removal, the temperature was 85 degrees or hotter in the isolation room.

Brooks acknowledged one of the two AC compressor's at the store wasn't working. He added he checked the temperature after he arrived a day after the animals were removed. Brooks says a thermometer read 79 degrees. On the 17th of June, Brooks said the air conditioning unit was repaired.

McKamey attorney Mark Litchford said in opening arguments that the AC not working for two weeks was one of five conditions meeting removal requirements.

Additional details in a live report on NewsChannel 9 at 5:00 and 6:00.

Chattanooga: Inspector suggests Pet Company's license be suspended by Todd Smith

timesfreepress.com

A Tennessee Department of Agriculture inspector has suggested that the license for The Pet Company store in Hamilton Place be suspended.

Inspector Joe Burns re-visited the store a week after more than 30 animals were removed due to unsafe conditions.

The store received 43 citations that contained 90 violations during a June 15 inspection in which the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center confiscated dogs and an assortment of rabbits and hamsters.

A hearing is taking place today in Chattanooga City Court to examine the violations and determine whether the animals should be returned to the store or stay with McKamey.

For further updates, return to www.timesfreepress.com throughout the day.

wrcbtv.com

UPDATE: Pet Company VP takes stand
CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) – An executive for the pet store raided by state and local officials over animal abuse allegation has taken the stand in his company's defense.

Chris Brooks, vice president for United Pet Supply Company, tells a Hamilton County judge that the air conditioning at The Pet Company in Hamilton Place Mall was not broken, but concedes that a compressor was down when the was raided on June 15th.

McKamey Animal Shelter alleges that the air conditioning had not worked in the store for more than two weeks.

Attorneys for McKamey Animal Shelter alleged that the animals at The Pet Company store were stored in hot conditions, the animals' fur was matted with feces and they had not been taken out to exercise.

Agents from the state agriculture department and McKamey Animal Shelter raided The Pet Company in Hamilton Place on June 15th and seized all of the animals in the store.

An emergency injunction attempt by The Pet Company last Tuesday failed and McKamey was able to keep the seized animals until today's hearing.

Eyewitness News has a crew in the courtroom and will have the latest as it becomes available on WRCBtv.com.

timesfreepress.com

Pet Company facing license suspension

By: Todd South
Since the June 15 removal of more than 82 pets from the Pet Company at Hamilton Place, a state inspector has recommended that the store's license be suspended.

During the first day of a Chattanooga City Court trial before Judge Sherry Paty, Tennessee Department of Agriculture inspector Joe Burns said he had gone back to the store on June 22 and found some of the previous 90 violations still evident.

"I suggest they start proceedings to suspend their license," Mr. Burns told the court.

Attorneys Harry Cash and Mark Litchford, representing McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center, pointed to a list of 43 citations, which contained 90 violations found by both Mr. Burns and Chattanooga animal services officer Marvin Nicholson.

Mr. Nicholson described an isolation room for sick animals as an 8-foot-by-10-foot closet that was hot with little or no water for the pets.

One German shepherd in the room had diarrhea, some animals had "matted feces" in their hair, according to witness statements. Multiple cages had broken cage bottoms with waste trays leaking urine, witnesses said.

Andrew Pippenger, attorney for United Pet Supply, the New Jersey-based parent company of Pet Company, argued that, since the store was inspected at 8 a.m., the staff had not had time to restock food and water nor do morning cleaning routines.

Christopher Brooks, a general vice president of United Pet Supply, told the court he arrived in Chattanooga the day after the pet removal to talk with the store's staff and evaluate perceived problems at the store.

Mr. Brooks said he first learned of many of the problems upon arrival but had known for "several weeks" that the air conditioning unit not operating fully.

"All that time you knew there were animals in the store didn't you?" asked Mr. Cash.

"Yes," Mr. Brooks replied.

The unit has two compressors, one of which hadn't worked for weeks leading up to the animal removal. Mr. Brooks said he'd signed paperwork to repair the unit but it had not been completed by June 15, the day of the animal removal.

On June 17, he said, the unit was repaired.

Animals removed:

* 32 dogs

* 6 rabbits

* 1 ferret

* 1 guinea pig

* 42 pocket pets -- hamsters, mice

Source: McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center
McKamey lawyers also asked about a Yorkshire terrier that had died within days of arriving at the store and a hamster that was found dead in a cage removed from the store.

Mr. Brooks told the court he did not learn of the dog's death until he arrived in Chattanooga.

The dog came to the store from a Kansas breeding organization on June 1, he confirmed in court. On June 3, the dog was deemed fit for sale by the store's contracted veterinarian and by June 7 the dog was dead, he said.

Mr. Pippenger focused much of his opening statement and other comments to federal guidelines that call for ventilation if animals are kept in an room at 85 degrees or higher for longer than four hours.

thechattanoogan.com

Hamilton Place Pet Store Not Subject To Chattanooga Animal Care Laws, Attorney Pippinger Tells Judge
by Judy Frank
posted June 24, 2010

Attorneys for a Hamilton Place Mall pet store did not bother to contest testimony that animals in the establishment were kept in cages stacked in piles, or that many of the containers designed to hold feces and urine in the cages were cracked and broken, enabling the waste from one cage to leak onto the animals in the cages below.

Likewise, they did not try to disprove allegations that The Pet Company also violated numerous other city regulations, including mandates that animals be supplied with food and water, kept in sanitary conditions and receive veterinary care when they are ill.

Rather, attorney Andy Pippinger argued on behalf of the store and its parent company, United Pet Supply Inc. of New Windsor, N.Y., it doesn’t matter how many Chattanooga regulations the store violates because those regulations do not apply to it.

It is the National Code of Animal Regulations that United Pet and its retail outlets must follow, Mr. Pippinger told City Judge Sherry Paty.

The attorney also gave short shrift to the recommendation of an animal health technician for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture – who frankly admitted that he is not familiar with the state codes he was hired to enforce – that the state revoke The Pet Company’s permit.

Arguing that state and local inspectors had proven no violations of the federal code, Mr. Pippinger demanded that the judge “summarily dismiss” the charges against his client and order the return of more than 30 animals seized by McKamey Animal Center during a June 15 raid.

“I’m going to deny the motion to dismiss,” Judge Paty said calmly.

Testimony in the lengthy hearing, which will resume Monday morning, indicated that McKamey has received numerous complaints regarding alleged abuse of animals at the pet store, and has repeatedly contacted the store’s manager about the necessity of providing better care.

None of the recommended changes was made, according to McKamey records.

The day concluded with testimony from United Pet Supply Corp. executive vice president Christopher Brooks, who said he regularly visits the firm’s 22 retail outlets in order to ensure they are following company policies.

He said he was informed June 15 that McKamey officials were at the Chattanooga store seizing animals, and began to make arrangements to travel here from his home in New Jersey.

When he arrived the following morning, he said, he discovered that the air conditioning unit in the store was not broken, as inspectors had claimed. One of the unit’s two compressors was out of order, he said, but has since been repaired.

He said United Pet Supply employees are expected to “self-train” in animal husbandry and care by reading a series of three manuals prepared by the company, and then taking the exams at the end of each manual.

There are ten questions at the end of both the first and second manuals, he said, and 15 at the end of the third.

Animal health technician Joe Burns of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, who said he has held his current job for four years and worked in animal husbandry for more than 35, testified that he accompanied McKamey employees to the store on June 15, when animals there were seized.

Although it was only 7 a.m. when they arrived at the facility, Mr. Burns said, “The thing that hit me immediately when we walked in was it was extremely hot in there.”

He said store employees explained that one of the compressors in the air conditioning unit had been out of operation for some time.

During his subsequent inspection, Mr. Burns said, he discovered a variety of violations including water bowls that were dirty and/or empty, animals with feces matted in their fur and numerous other unsanitary conditions.

Under cross examination, however, Attorney Pippinger made mincemeat of most of the testimony given by the Department of Agriculture employee, who had admitted casually on direct examination that he is not familiar with the state codes he was hired to enforce.

“What’s this mean?” Mr. Pippinger asked at one point, pointing to an abbreviation on the inspection sheet officer Burns said he fills out each time he inspects a facility.

“I don’t know,” the agriculture employee replied. “I’ve never used it.”

Mr. Burns remained unshaken, however, about the numerous violations he observed on June 15 and again during a follow-up visit to the store on June 22.

When he returned to his office on June 22, he said, he contacted the state department of agriculture office to make his report.

“I suggested that they start proceedings to suspend (The Pet Company’s) permit,” he said.

Please help Sally live!

2010-06-24T11:34:00.003-05:00

Sally was rescued by a friend of mine in Chattanooga, TN. She was saved with minutes to spare from a shelter, and has tested positive for heartworms. She was rescued by an individual that will be will be funding Sally's care on her own...Please read Sally's story and help if you can...no amount is too small, and any amount is greatly appreciated.

From Kelly-

When I first saw her she had less than 4 hours left to live. She had been in a high kill shelter in South Carolina for 10 days and her time was up. She ended up on my Face book news feed and had been cross posted by countless numbers of people I don’t even know that were pleading for someone to save her life. I get so many of these posts daily and it is so overwhelming and disheartening to me that I have on several occasions “hid” the groups and people that send them from my newsfeed. On this particular morning, against all odds, Moonshine appeared. Something about her really stirred me. She had such a sweet look about her and brindle shaped heart patch on her side. I immediately acted and offered to foster her if someone could pull her from the shelter.

Things got crazy fast at this point and a bit confusing. With the help of a few good friends in the Rescue world and many e-mails, phone calls, paperwork, tears & frustration we saved Moonshine with only 30 minutes to spare. The toughest 30 minutes of my life. At that moment all contact was lost and no calls or e-mails returned. My stomach was in knots with worry that we didn’t do all that was necessary to get her pulled to safety. My friend assured me it was a good sign that they were busy taking care of her & changing her status but my mind was going crazy thinking that wires got crossed and it was too late. When I finally got word she was alive & safe I bawled like a baby!

From that moment on we were connected. My husband had no clue what transpired that morning and neither of us knew what all we were in for but it didn’t matter to us we just wanted to get her out of that place. We took a Friday off of work and drove over 4 hours to pick her up. When they bought Moonshine out she saw us amongst all the other people there & made a bee line straight for us like we were old pals. When we were in the car trying to get her settled in for the 4 hour drive back home Eric Clapton was singing “Lay down Sally, rest here in my arms” at the exact moment I was coaxing her to lay down and telling her that everything was OK now. She has been called Sally from that point on and likes it rather well.

Sally has come a long way since being caught and sent to the po po for “free roaming”. Unfortunately, she has a long road ahead of her still. She was tested positive for Heart Worms and has to have treatments to save her life. So my question here is that cross posting saved her life once, can it save her again? We have pulled her from the shelter and been fostering her. She will undergo treatments in 6 more weeks. Our funds are exhausted and we are pleading for Sally’s life again. She deserves to live. She is such a sweet girl and has lots of LOVE to give. It is so evident on her by not just one large heart shaped patch but she is loaded with spots and many of which are heart shaped as well. If you can, please make a small donation to help her. If you can not please cross post this sweetheart. It saved her once and I know it can again.

Donations can be sent by check directly to the Vet’s office or credit card donations can be made by phone to them at:

Northgate Animal Hospital
1600 Hamill Road
Chattanooga, TN 37343
423-875-9033

Just tell them to pull the chart for Sally Andrews’ donation for heart worm treatments. Thank you so much in advance for you help!

Kelly & David Andrews

More on The Pet Company - Hamilton Place Mall- Chattanooga, TN

2010-06-20T20:39:00.011-05:00

I know from personal experience that this place is hell for the animals kept there- anyone with half a brain knows that.

For anyone who does not have half a brain- all you have to do is read about the recent happenings to know that this place did not care about the animals in their care- they kept their air conditioning off for three weeks IN TENNESSEE, IN JUNE for crying out loud! When asked about this by a concerned party, they actually had the stupidity to say that the animals GOT COLD AT NIGHT....hello.....can you say adjust the temperature?

I have seen pictures of dead puppies in the back room, pictures of sick puppies, heard numerous personal accounts of people who bought dogs from this place and the dogs were ridden with health problem after health problem- many dying at a young age. Some will say that's what they get for buying a dog from a pet shop, but not everyone knows where these dogs come from. Many don't know what a puppy broker is, they don't know these dogs are shipped in via tractor trailer from states and states away, bred by "high volume breeders." High volume breeders who are in it for the $$$$$ and the $$$ alone. I didn't know any of this when the first place opened at Hamilton Place Mall and I was still appalled at the conditions...three or four puppies in a cage together, eating feces, smearing it all over each other and all over the glass, not having a place to lie down in the cage without being covered in it...bloody, runny poop, gooey eyes, lethargic pups...anything but what a typical puppy should be...they sit in those cages until they are sold or get sick enough and die there- who knows if they ever even got to breathe fresh air after being unloaded from the truck.

I am perfectly aware of the fact that without breeders we will not have purebred dogs- but RESPONSIBLE breeders take care of their puppies- they don't sell them to a broker, or to the first Joe Blow with the money. Google the Hunte Corporation, or Lambriar...get a USDA inspection on where that puppy in the window really came from...you will get a rude awakening about that cute little puppy in the window.

I just read somewhere that "I should know better" about this situation- that this was the "typical all pet shops are bad" situation....I'm sorry, but conditions that could have "BAKED BRAINS"....... are you KIDDING me? I know from personal experience as I stated before that this place was NOT the kind of place anyone that even remotely cared about animals would want anything to do with, so I really don't think "I" am the one who should know better...anyone with half a brain should know better.

Pet Company Conditions Could Have "Baked Brains"

2010-06-20T20:35:00.002-05:00

newschannel9.com

June 15, 2010 10:59 PM
Jessica Oh

The Department of Agriculture and McKamey say the Pet Company had unlivable conditions for animals. The Department of Agriculture claims the animals were in 85 degree heat while in their cages.

Veterinarian at East Ridge Animal Hospital, Drew Smith says that can cause a condition called heat stress.

“It’s a sudden increase in body temperature above 104 degrees. It’s different than a fever. A fever, an animal can adjust to. But heat stress is a sudden increase so animals can’t adjust.”

And if animals can not adjust, that could mean serious damage.

“The symptoms that we see are neurological symptoms because it’s essentially baking the brain and dogs in particular can have bloody diarrhea and vomiting because it causes them to go into shock.”

In court, McKamey said bleach was used in a way that could have been hazardous.

“If an animal ingests bleach, it’s very corrosive. It can be irritating to the mouth and intestines.”

And overall sanitary conditions at the Pet Company were questioned as well. McKamey said some animals were found in broken or dirty cages.

“If the feces stays in the cage, it can be a source of reinfection and then urine can essentially scald the skin.”

Michelle Sipsy visited the Pet Company and she was so concerned with what she saw that she demanded the manager provide answers.

“I asked if they had ever been through an inspection and she said yes they passed all of it. So I asked for some evidence or some papers or something, and she said she didn’t have to show me that.”

Sipsy says she also asked the manager if the animals were ever let out of their cages. She says, both a manager and attendant said the animals were only let out while cleaning the cages.

“They were laying on the bottom of the cages and a few of them were whimpering and when you walked up and looked at them, you could just see they were miserable.”

Smith says if animals are left in a confined space for a days at a time, they can develop a symptom called, cage crazy.

“That’s when they circle around and around and actually become very aggressive. It can be detrimental if an animal stays in a cage for a long period of time.”

Companion Animal Hospital off Lee Highway works with the Pet Company and does the veterinary work for the pet store.

Earlier Newschannel9 went to the Companion Animal Hospital, workers there declined to do an on camera interview but said they had a good working relationship with the Pet Company and did not tend to any animals that seemed abused.

Pet Store Whistleblower Describes 'Pitiful' Dogs and Public Deception

2010-06-20T20:32:00.001-05:00

Newschannel9.com

June 16, 2010 6:32 PM
Tanya Mendis

What one former worker at The Pet Company saw still haunts her.

"I think it's so pitiful it makes me want to cry. No dog should have to live walking in its own fecal matter. It's disgusting and i'ts wrong," the young woman says.

She says her reason for coming forward is simple: If she didn't, no one else would. But because she's worried about compromising McKamey's case, we're hiding her identity until she testifies next week.

The former employee's love of dogs is what led her to start working at the store in Hamilton Place mall: It's also what led her to call McKamey after what she saw.

"They can't speak for themselves. They can't say help me or do anything. No one else was gonna help 'em."

She blew the whistle. Tuesday, McKamey animal services officers and the department of agriculture investigated and eventually removed 37 dogs and 26 rabbits, ferrets and gerbils. They recorded temperatures in the back room in excess of 85 degrees, and found dirty, empty water bowls and broken cages; something this worker says she saw every day, and worse.

When asked if she ever saw sick animals, she replied: "Oh yeah. Definitely.They were hidden so no one else could see, customer wise." Something she says, was misleading to the public. "People have told customers things that were so far beyond the truth."

NewsChannel 9 was there outside of city court as the executive director of McKamey, Karen Walsh, dropped off a heavy stack of citations against The Pet Company Wednesday.

It's been an overwhelming week for McKamey. On top of the Pet Company problems, McKamey took two dozen cats taken from a suspected animal hoarder earlier this week.

"It depletes us greatly," Walsh says.

But it's a cost that's much less than what could've happened, if this worker, didn't speak up.

"I was just trying to help. I'm not some huge hero or anything. I just did what I believed in, and i was trying to help them."

Animals housed, awaiting vet inspection (The Pet Company/McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center)

2010-06-17T10:59:00.003-05:00

timesfreepress.com

Staff photo by Tim Barber/Chattanooga Times Free Press
McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center employees unload animals taken from The Pet Company at Hamilton Place mall on Tuesday.

By: Todd South

Eighty-two animals removed Tuesday from a local pet store were cooling in the 72 degrees of McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center on Wednesday.

"They're all going to go through the process of our vet checking them," said McKamey Executive Director Karen Walsh.

The animals, a mixture of dogs, rabbits, a ferret and "pocket pets" such as hamsters and mice, were removed from The Pet Company at Hamilton Place mall Tuesday after state officials and center employees issued 40 citations over the health and safety of the animals.

The most severe problem noted was no air conditioning for more than three weeks.

Ms. Walsh and a Tennessee Department of Agriculture inspector went to The Pet Company at 7 a.m. Tuesday and started removing animals, but they were called to court Tuesday afternoon after attorney Andrew Pippenger, representing the pet store's parent company, filed an injunction to stop the removal. The request was denied, and McKamey employees returned to the store and worked until 10 p.m. to remove the animals and place them at McKamey, Ms. Walsh said.

Neither Mr. Pippenger nor United Pet Supply, the New Jersey-based company that owns the pet store, could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Local residents began a petition to close the store shortly after its 2004 opening and have gathered more than 4,200 signatures in support.

Ms. Walsh said McKamey has received complaints since December, and her staff members have visited the store seven times in six months.

Hamilton Place spokeswoman Catharine Wells said mall managers were "unaware of the recent conditions inside the store and are working closely with local authorities and The Pet Company to resolve the situation."

Citing tenant confidentiality agreements, Ms. Wells said she could not answer whether there had been previous complaints made to the mall about the store's conditions.

A judge in Chattanooga City Court will hear the case on June 24 at 9 a.m. At that time, McKamey will seek custody of the animals, Ms. Walsh said, and, if granted, they will be adopted out to qualified applicants.

"We've actually had a tremendous response of people who want to give these animals homes," she said.

Continue reading by following this link to a related story:

Article: Pet store animals taken to McKamey after months of complaints

The Pet Company- Hamilton Place Mall- Chattanooga, TN

2010-06-16T10:55:00.006-05:00

I posted links yesterday to various news stories on this subject, and the more I read about this, the madder it makes me that it took SO long for something to be done about this situation. Why is that? The news story on wrcbtv states

"For months Eyewitness News has been investigating this story. A pet store, accused of keeping animals in unfit conditions, and ignoring repeated warnings to clean up their act."

For months? Did wrcbtv forget the story they did in 2004? Yes, 2004 when the Pet Company first opened and concerned citizens tried to call attention to the conditions in this place.

This is an email I received in 2004 from wrcbtv-

WRCB - Channel 3
Assignment Desk
900 Whitehall Road
Chattanooga, TN 37405
(423) 267-5412
----- Original Message -----
From: WRCB Newsroom
To: mastiffsj@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 12:11 PM

JESSICA,

I AM WRITING IN REGARDS TO THE INFORMATION WE RECEIVED ABOUT THE PET STORE IN HAMILTON PLACE MALL. WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE ONE OF OUR REPORTERS SPEAK WITH YOU, BUT YOU DID NOT PLACE ANY CONTACT NUMBER ON THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDED. PLEASE CALL 423-266-5039 OR SEND A REPLY E-MAIL CONTAINING YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

WRCB - Channel 3
Assignment Desk

The petition mentioned in some of the stories was stared over FIVE years ago-

Close Pet Shop In Chattanooga Tn.

as of today it has 4282 signatures, maybe someone will pay attention now- at lease the right people with the authority to DO something about this.

CBL didn't pay attention in 2004- below is an email I received when I contacted them about the conditions-

From: Hamilton_Place%CBLPROPERTIES@cblproperties.com
[mailto:Hamilton_Place%CBLPROPERTIES@cblproperties.com]
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 1:15 PM

Ms. Huggins:

We always appreciate the comments from our shoppers and strive to
provide them avenues were they can express their concerns.

The person you need to talk with at The Pet Company is Steve Zerilli.

His phone number is 845-561-7770 ext. 204. Please feel free to give him a
call about your concerns with The Pet Company.

Thanks again for contacting us and shopping at Hamilton Place.

Jeff Odom
Marketing Director
Hamilton Place

This was my experience at The Pet Company on November 10, 2004-

November 10 2004

I was banned from going in the Pet Company due to taking a picture of the white Boxer. Heather Freeman told me she would have me arrested, and called Mall Security which included a Chattanooga City Police Officer, Officer J Kerns. It is not stated anywhere in the store or in the mall code of conduct that photography in the mall is prohibited. I have emailed and called the mall several times regarding this, no one has responded. I was told by the store manager that every time I visit the store “I cause her problems by calling Animal Services and the USDA. I have caused her SO many problems every week, am I not a member of PETA?” Officer Kerns told me “we all know why you are in there taking pictures, we all know these dogs come from puppy mills.”

(Just for the record I am not, have never been, and WILL NEVER BE a member of PETA).

After doing a little research on just exactly where these dogs were coming from, I found the following infomation on specific puppies at The Pet Company during my visits and their original "breeders."

Golden Retriever pup-Breeder-Carla Pederson USDA license number is 46-A-0037
Located in SD.

Inspected on 2/9/2004-According to USDA inspection reports-

Outside runs have packed snow and fecal matter in them. This could cause disease to 29 animals by micro-organisms.

Shredded paper and empty food bags are present, which could attract vermin, thus causing disease to 29 animals.

Previous inspection was 6/20/2001. That means this “breeder” went almost 3 years without being inspected by the USDA.

*Pug puppy-
Jonathan and Jean Adwell-breeders
43-A-2971 and 43-A-3630
MO

Inspection date-7/23/2004-

Rust noted in various areas of facility which does not allow for proper cleaning and sanitizing.
Three of eight weaned puppies in stack cages with their feet passing through the 1x1 wire mesh.

2/12/2003
Temperature was 21 degrees Fahrenheit inside the dog houses, dogs were without bedding which is violation of the Animal Welfare Act, due to the temp. Bedding needs to be added and kept clean and dry when temps are this low.

*Australian Shepard
Wilda Trusley
43-A-3555
MO

Inspection 2/25/04
No non compliances

Inspection 4/1/03- All the dog houses need wind and rain breaks added to protect animals from the direct rain. Affects 32 adult dogs.

3/12/02-Pre license inspection-No regulated activities until USDA license is issued.

*Pug puppy
Connie Love
73-A-1314
OKLAHOMA

5/14/03-Inspection
Attending veterinarian has not made annual inspection. This is in violation of the AWA. There is one dog with an ear injury that must be seen by veterinarian.

*Siberian Husky
Marsha Cox
43-A-01841
MISSOURI

8/9/04-Inspection
Flooring in building is rusting out and has missing parts; this could cause injury to two dogs.

Shepards can stick their heads through cattle panel in use. One pen is housing three Boxers, there needs to be a dog house added or one dog removed. There is not enough room currently in the dog house for all three. Pen holding three terriers requires 2x the amount of space dogs currently have.

7/9/04 Inspection

251 dogs-Last date of veterinarian visit was 2/24/03.

Adult dogs-251 Puppies-93 344 total Canine.

11/26/01- Veterinarian has not made visit in last 12 months. Boxers, Shelties, and Bassets have no shelter from the elements.

*Akita
Neil Hernan
42-A-0650
IOWA

7/26/04

Several kennels have excessive amounts of fecal matter, most have fuzz growing out of it. Under some of the raised runs there is 2 to 4 inches of build up. Approximately 35 dogs affected.

Under several outside kennels there is a drainage problem. Water and urine is building up. Algae is growing on water puddles present.

Several outdoor kennels don’t have enough dog houses. There are 3 young Shepards to only one dog house.

In 2006, The Pet Company ran into another bit of trouble, but in GA this time-

Ga. Stores Ordered to Stop Selling Puppies

State officials ordered six Atlanta-area pet stores to stop selling
dogs after more than 130 puppies tested positive for a parasite that
can be transmitted to humans.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said he will deal "very
harshly" with the stores' New York-based chain, probably with fines.

The six stores, all in malls, are part of The Pet Company, based in
New Windsor, N.Y. In three of those stores, every puppy tested was
infected with the parasite, officials said.

The Pet Company based in New Windsor, N.Y., declined to comment
Wednesday.

Officials learned of the problem after a Hiram resident bought a
puppy
for $800, then discovered it had a parasitic illness. The treatment
cost the woman about $900 in vet bills.

After she filed a complaint, Irvin's office found 138 of 151 puppies
tested at the six Pet Company stores were infected with Giardia, a
parasite that can be transmitted to humans. No human cases of Giardia
infection have been reported in connection with the sick puppies. The
symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea.

Agriculture officials said the six pet stores can continue selling
other animals, but all their dogs were ordered quarantined on Tuesday.

Again, WHY SO LONG??? This is NOT new news! This has been going on for YEARS!

More from the Chattanooga Times Free Press

By Todd South tsouth@timesfreepress.com
The Chattanooga Times Free Press
updated 6:22 a.m. CT, Wed., June 16, 2010
Chattanooga, Tenn. - An employee's complaint that brought a state inspector and local animal welfare officials to a mall pet store Tuesday could mean $20,000 in fines and possible closure for the store, according to state officials.

In Hamilton County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon, McKamey Animal Center Executive Director Karen Walsh said she had received more than seven complaints since December about the Pet Company in Hamilton Place mall. McKamey personnel had met with store staff six times over the last seven months to discuss the problems, she said.

In court, she read more than a dozen alleged violations of law at the store, including no air conditioning for more than three weeks, animal and human food stored together, an isolation room for sick animals that was 85 degrees and no water present for the animals.

On Tuesday, state officials and Chattanooga police helped McKamey workers remove 37 dogs and cats and 26 rodents from the store, Ms. Walsh said. She said birds and fish were left in the store because they were not severely affected by the current conditions.

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which oversees pet dealers, said several major violations were found during Tuesday's raid.

Ms. Walsh and Agriculture Department animal health technician Joe Burns were called to court after Andy Pippinger, attorney for United Pet Supply, a New Jersey-based company that owns the Pet Company location, filed a petition for a court order asking that the removal be stopped and the animals returned to the store.

Mr. Pippinger questioned details of Mr. Burns' report and whether conditions met the federal standard for animal removal, which requires that animals in temperatures higher than 85 degrees for more than four hours to have a working ventilation system.

Calls to United Pet Supply headquarters were not returned.

Circuit Court Judge Neil Thomas cited state code and local statutes that give McKamey the authority to remove animals and denied Mr. Pippinger's motion.

The office of state veterinarian Dr. Charles Hatcher is going to review the case information and make a decision about whether action should be taken against the store over the next few days, officials said. The Pet Company received 40 citations and is subject to a $500 fine per violation. It also could see its license to operate revoked, and the store will not be allowed to sell anything except pet supplies until a judge rules on any violations, officials said.

There have been other complaints about the Pet Company since it opened in 2004. An online petition with more than 4,230 signatures calls for the store to be closed down because the dogs being sold are purchased from puppy mills and kept with "no toys, no love, little if any vet work, cheap food, foul water and filthy conditions."

"They are eating their own feces, feces is smeared on them and on the cages," the petition reads. "It is no wonder, because the cages are so small some puppies can hardly avoid lying in their own waste."

Inspectors were sent to the Pet Company location after the Department of Agriculture and McKamey received several complaints about animal treatment.

Pets including dogs, hamsters and birds were kept without air conditioning in extreme heat at the store for more than three weeks, state officials said. They said they also found dirty cages and chemicals being used for cleaning that were hazardous for animals.

"These were unhealthy conditions for the animals," said Tom Womack, spokesman for the agriculture department.

Ms. Walsh said cleaning chemicals were in unmarked bottles and no one at the store adequately could explain appropriate cleaning practices.

She told the court that when she explained her concerns, over the phone, to United Pet Supply company's vice president, the person told her that those practices were not company-approved cleaning guidelines.

The next scheduled court date is June 24, when a City Court judge will determine what happens to the two dozen animals removed from the store.

Ms. Walsh, visibly upset when talking with the media, said she couldn't predict what would happen in the upcoming court hearing but that, "if the judge charges them with neglect, they hopefully won't be selling puppies in Chattanooga."

Staff writer Joan Garrett contributed to this story.

The Pet Company- Chattanooga, TN - ALL Animals Being Removed

2010-06-15T11:55:00.003-05:00

Why in the hell it took so long for this to happen is beyond me, this place has somehow managed to stay in business after YEARS of complaints from concerned citizens/animal lovers...let's hope they are shut down FOR GOOD and the animals that were kept there are able to find new, loving homes.

From the Times Free Press

State officials and Chattanooga police are assisting the McKamey Animal Shelter in removing animals from The Pet Company at Hamilton Place mall.

The store has received “several warnings from McKamey beginning in January this year after receiving numerous complaints from employees and customers on the conditions in which the animals were being kept,” according to a Chattanooga police release.

A judge will determine what to do with the animals when store representatives are in court July 1.

From WRCB TVwrcbtv.com

Police, McKamey, Ag Dept. raid mall pet store

By WRCB Staff

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) – McKamey Animal Shelter crews and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture are conducting a raid on a mall pet shop at this time.

In an email to Channel 3 Eyewitness news, Chattanooga Police say they are aiding in a raid of The Pet Company, located inside Hamilton Place Mall. CPD says crews are removing all the animals from the shop.

According to the email, The Pet Company had received several warnings from McKamey after getting numerous complaints from employees and customers about the conditions the animals were being kept in.

The Pet Company will be in court two weeks from Thursday where a judge will determine what will be done with the animals.

Eyewitness News has a crew at the mall and will have an update later in the day.

wrcbtv.com

The Animal-Cruelty Syndrome by Charles Siebert

2010-06-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

By CHARLES SIEBERT
Published: June 7, 2010

On a late May afternoon last year in southwest Baltimore, a 2-year-old female pit bull terrier was doused in gasoline and set alight. A young city policewoman on her regular patrol of the neighborhood of boarded-up row houses and redbrick housing developments turned her squad car onto the 1600 block of Presbury Street and saw a cloud of black smoke rising from the burning dog. She hopped out, ran past idle onlookers and managed to put out the flames with her sweater. The dog, subsequently named Phoenix, survived for four days with burns over 95 percent of her body, but soon began to succumb to kidney failure and had to be euthanized.

It was only a matter of hours before the story, made vivid by harrowing video footage of the wounded dog, was disseminated nationwide in newspapers, TV and radio newscasts and countless Web sites. An initial $1,000 reward for the capture of the culprits would soon climb to $26,000 as people around the country followed Phoenix’s struggle for life. A gathering of people in Venice Beach, Calif., held a candlelight vigil for her. A month later, the mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, announced the creation of the Anti-Animal-Abuse Task Force to work in concert with city officials, local law enforcement and animal rights and animal-control groups to find ways to better prevent, investigate and prosecute such crimes.

The scale, speed and intensity of the response were striking. The subject of animal abuse, especially the abuse of pit bulls in dog-fighting activities, has achieved a higher profile after the 2007 arrest of the N.F.L. star Michael Vick for operating an illegal interstate dog-fighting operation in Surry County, Va. But the beleaguered pit bull is merely the most publicized victim of a phenomenon that a growing number of professionals — including police officers, prosecutors, psychologists, social workers, animal-control officers, veterinarians and dogcatchers — are now addressing with a newfound vigor: wanton cruelty toward animals. Before 1990, only six states had felony provisions in their animal-cruelty laws; now 46 do. Two years ago, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals formed the nation’s first Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit, a rolling veterinary hospital and forensic lab that travels around the country helping traditional law-enforcement agencies follow the evidentiary trails of wounded or dead animals back to their abusers.

In addition to a growing sensitivity to the rights of animals, another significant reason for the increased attention to animal cruelty is a mounting body of evidence about the link between such acts and serious crimes of more narrowly human concern, including illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking, gambling, spousal and child abuse, rape and homicide. In the world of law enforcement — and in the larger world that our laws were designed to shape — animal-cruelty issues were long considered a peripheral concern and the province of local A.S.P.C.A. and Humane Society organizations; offenses as removed and distinct from the work of enforcing the human penal code as we humans have deemed ourselves to be from animals. But that illusory distinction is rapidly fading.

“With traditional law enforcement,” Sgt. David Hunt, a dog-fighting expert with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Columbus, Ohio, told me, “the attitude has been that we have enough stuff on our plate, let the others worry about Fluffy and Muffy. But I’m starting to see a shift in that mentality now.” Hunt has traveled to 24 states around the country in order to teach law-enforcement personnel about the dog-fighting underworld, often stressing the link between activities like dog fighting and domestic violence. “You have to sell it to them in such a way that it’s not a Fluffy-Muffy issue,” he said of teaching police officers about animal-abuse issues. “It’s part of a larger nexus of crimes and the psyche behind them.”

The connection between animal abuse and other criminal behaviors was recognized, of course, long before the evolution of the social sciences and institutions with which we now address such behaviors. In his famous series of 1751 engravings, “The Four Stages of Cruelty,” William Hogarth traced the life path of the fictional Tom Nero: Stage 1 depicts Tom as a boy, torturing a dog; Stage 4 shows Tom’s body, fresh from the gallows where he was hanged for murder, being dissected in an anatomical theater. And animal cruelty has long been recognized as a signature pathology of the most serious violent offenders. As a boy, Jeffrey Dahmer impaled the heads of cats and dogs on sticks; Theodore Bundy, implicated in the murders of some three dozen people, told of watching his grandfather torture animals; David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam,” poisoned his mother’s parakeet.

But the intuitions that informed the narrative arc of Tom Nero are now being borne out by empirical research. A paper published in a psychiatry journal in 2004, “A Study of Firesetting and Animal Cruelty in Children: Family Influences and Adolescent Outcomes,” found that over a 10-year period, 6-to-12-year-old children who were described as being cruel to animals were more than twice as likely as other children in the study to be reported to juvenile authorities for a violent offense. In an October 2005 paper published in Journal of Community Health, a team of researchers conducting a study over seven years in 11 metropolitan areas determined that pet abuse was one of five factors that predicted who would begin other abusive behaviors. In a 1995 study, nearly a third of pet-owning victims of domestic abuse, meanwhile, reported that one or more of their children had killed or harmed a pet.

The link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence is becoming so well established that many U.S. communities now cross-train social-service and animal-control agencies in how to recognize signs of animal abuse as possible indicators of other abusive behaviors. In Illinois and several other states, new laws mandate that veterinarians notify the police if their suspicions are aroused by the condition of the animals they treat. The state of California recently added Humane Society and animal-control officers to the list of professionals bound by law to report suspected child abuse and is now considering a bill in the State Legislature that would list animal abusers on the same type of online registry as sex offenders and arsonists.

When I spoke recently with Stacy Wolf, vice president and chief legal counsel of the A.S.P.C.A.’s Humane Law Enforcement department, which focuses on the criminal investigation of animal-cruelty cases in New York City, she drew a comparison between the emerging mindfulness about animal cruelty and the changing attitudes toward domestic abuse in the 1980s. “It really has only been in recent years that there’s been more free and accurate reporting with respect to animal cruelty, just like 30 years ago domestic violence was not something that was commonly reported,” she said. “Clearly every act of violence committed against an animal is not a sign that somebody is going to hurt a person. But when there’s a pattern of abusive behavior in a family scenario, then everyone from animal-control to family advocates to the court system needs to consider all vulnerable victims, including animals, and understand that violence is violence.”

For the entire article, please visit The New York Times website.

The Post-Searchlight | Dog survives despite embedded cord

2010-06-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

The Post-Searchlight | Dog survives despite embedded cord

Shelter overloaded: Humane Society stops taking animals (MS)

2010-06-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

Posted: Jun 11, 2010 1:24 PM CDT Updated: Jun 11, 2010 8:08 PM CDT

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - The Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) will not accept animals into the shelter from the public and animal control officers– until further notice.

The move comes a day after authorities seized more than 100 dogs from a home in Saucier. The HSSM shelter is now caring for those animals. This is the first time in the 48 year history of HSSM it has closed its doors to animals.

"We are 100 animals over maximum capacity due to yesterday's seizure and I refuse to euthanize animals that are currently in our shelter just to make room for more to come in," said Tara High, Interim Executive Director of HSSM.

HSSM is appealing for emergency foster homes for some of its animals. Fostering a pet means taking it into your home on a temporary basis to help reduce the population at the shelter.

"We need a little time to get animals adopted, fostered, and transported," said Jode' Braxton-Hignight, Development Director for HSSM. "We apologize for any inconveniences but, we need to focus our attention to saving the animals lives that are here and we need to help them quickly."

Since 1952 HSSM has been an open admissions shelter that accepts all animals regardless of space and has never turned away animals due to maximum capacity. Average HSSM intake from the public and animal control averages approximately 40 pets per day. HSSM took in 153 pets yesterday, June 10, and no longer has the space or the resources to properly care for the current pet residents.

HSSM is requesting donations from our community so that medical treatment can be offered to the 90+ animals. Towels, sheets, and blankets are also needed as well.

Adoption and foster hours of operation are Monday thru Saturday from 10 to 6 PM.

So with no room at the Humane Society of South Mississippi now, what will animal control officers in coast cities do when they pick up stray animals? Biloxi Police Chief John Miller said he's not really sure.

"We're working on a contingency plan now," Miller told WLOX News. "We may have to keep some of the animals here. You know, we have some K9 pens that are for police dogs, and we may have to use those, but hopefully this isn't going to be a long term thing. I don't think it will be, but I understand the unbelievable task that the Humane Society has, I mean, getting 100 animals at one time."

The woman who willingly surrendered the 99 dogs to authorities was Veronica Quinn. She was charged with 99 counts of animal cruelty.

Three Men, Three Views of BP CEO Tony Hayward

2010-06-11T20:39:00.000-05:00

This commentary was written by CBSNews.com Editor-in-Chief Daniel Farber.

BP CEO Tony Hayward is in the hot seat.

Every day that more oil spills into the Gulf and reaches U.S. shores, his personal stock (not to mention his company's stock price) suffers. And he is clearly in President Obama's dog house.

But Hayward is not without friends in this country. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is in charge of the Unified Command dealing with the spill, don't appear to believe he is untrustworthy or worth shoving overboard.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows what its like to run a big company. The billionaire founded the financial information behemoth Bloomberg, which employs 10,000 people across 135 countries.

On his weekly radio show Friday, Bloomberg expressed some sympathy for Hayward. He said that the world should not rush to judge the BP, and that BP's leader "didn't exactly go down there and blow up the well." He advised focusing on how to fix the problem, and leveraging BP's expertise, and then figuring out who to blame.

Bloomberg goes too easy on the CEO. Hayward didn't intend for the well to rupture so catastrophically, but he was responsible as the man at the top of the oil company for the lax safety standards and response plans.

As for Adm. Allen, who has the last word when an issue comes up with BP's handling of the situation, he said in a press briefing Friday that he trusts the BP CEO.

...................

Visit cbsnews.com for the entire story

Proposed revamp of dog laws approved (OH)

2010-06-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

Article published June 10, 2010
Proposed revamp of dog laws approved
Warden says, 'My dogs are dying'
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A citizen-led committee yesterday endorsed a detailed recommendation for new and sweeping regulations for dogs and their owners in the city of Toledo.

Yet minutes after voting 9-2 to forward their plan to city officials for further review, committee members heard a plea for help from new Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle, who told how the county pound is being overrun with illnesses such as kennel cough.

"My dogs are dying," Ms. Lyle told the 13 members of Lucas County's Dog Warden Advisory Committee.

The warden described how the growing health problems stem in part from inadequate veterinary attention and cramped quarters. And staffing shortages are preventing dogs from being promptly vaccinated against illnesses, she said.

"We have a horrible sick ken-nel full of dogs," Ms. Lyle said. "I would say over half our dogs are ill … it's a mess right now."

The committee's "dog ordinance" proposal runs nine pages in length and would replace and significantly expand the policies that have existed in the city's "vicious-dogs law," which is four paragraphs long. Members said the overarching goal is to encourage responsible dog ownership that will prevent bites.

Members had worked since February to write the ordinance proposal at the request of Mayor Mike Bell, who sought a replacement for the existing dog law after a judge struck it down in January.

Toledo Municipal Court Judge Michael Goulding found the law's restrictions on "pit bulls" and "pit bull" mixes to be unconstitutional, including the one-only limit and requirement that "pit bulls" be leashed and muzzled when off owners' property.

The new proposal would apply a set of various restrictions to misbehaving dogs of any breed - not just "pit bulls." Ohio is the only state that deems "pit bulls" inherently vicious.

Larry Vasko, an alternate member of the committee for the Lucas County Health Department, cast one of the two opposing votes yesterday.

The deputy health commissioner said after the meeting that he couldn't support the ordinance because "pit bulls are the number one biter in the county," and those types of dogs should be specifically regulated for public safety.

In addition, Mr. Vasko said he disagreed with the new proposed restriction against chaining a dog and leaving it unattended for more than 15 minutes.

Other features of the proposal include:

•An escalating scale of fines for unprovoked dog bites.

Penalties would rise from $150 to $500 to $1,000, and could include mandatory pet ownership classes or community service with an animal welfare organization.

•New "level one" and "level two" threat classifications for naughty dogs.

•Restrictions against leaving a dog unattended for more than 24 hours.

•Mandatory spay or neuter surgery at owner's expense for dogs caught running at large more than once.

•The ability to seize the dogs of owners deemed reckless.

The group's recommendation will now go to the city's law department for review. A final proposal would require approval by Toledo City Council before it could become law.

Shortly after voting on the plan, committee members heard the dog warden's distressing report about illness running rampant.

"I'm just so shocked," said Deb Johnson, head veterinarian with the Toledo Area Humane Society.

Asked if volunteers could help her operation, Ms. Lyle replied that she has yet to receive the necessary permission from her department's employees' union.

"It's bad," Ms. Lyle said of conditions at the pound. "It's summer and so many dogs are coming in. They don't go outside; they just stand there and cough on each other."

Several members voiced criticism of the county's veterinary care contract with Dr. Roger Spiess of Wauseon. Dr. Spiess and his associate, Dr. Cindy Thurston, have provided veterinary services to the pound under a contract approved by county commissioners in January.

Ms. Lyle said the $24,000 contract allows for just 11 1/2 hours of billable vet care a week if the department is to make it through the year.

The vets are paid $40 an hour under the contract, and each visit must be billed as at least four hours even if it's just for 30 minutes, the warden said.

And because the county is billed for travel time, which could include the drive to and from Toledo from Wauseon, there is that much less time for the dogs.

Committee Chairman Steve Serchuk said he will speak with Lucas County commissioners about changes to the contract.

"I think we need to have a few people sit down with the commissioners on this one issue," Mr. Serchuk said.

Dr. Spiess did not return a message left yesterday on his personal cell phone.

Contact JC Reindl at:
jreindl@theblade.com
or 419-724-6065.

While advocates push for needed shelter reform, HSUS blames volunteers- A MUST READ!

2010-06-11T20:22:00.001-05:00

ver Memorial Day Weekend, the staff at the animal 'shelter' in Forrest City, AR left 14 dogs out in a run together for the entire weekend while they went on vacation. The dogs included both males and females, and two female dogs that were unaltered and in heat. The dogs were left there for at least 10 hours unsupervised and without water on a 91 degree day.

A volunteer that was near the shelter stopped by to check that the ACOs had put the dogs up for the night only to find multiple injured dogs. Because it was a holiday weekend, there was no veterinarian available and a Labrador retriever, named Bozo, went into shock and tragically died from his injuries.

Please visit KC Dog Blog for the entire story

Hundreds Of Healthy Animals Euthanized At Local Shelter (TN)

2010-06-11T20:19:00.002-05:00

Hundreds of healthy dogs and cats being put down every month, thousands of strays dying every year, and that's just at one Bradley County Shelter. That is leaidng to mounting frustrations for those trying to find animals new homes. Newschannel 9 has uncovered disturbing numbers when it comes to the death rate at local shelters.

More than five thousand five hundred animals are put down every year in Bradley County. It's a problem that animal control says can't be avoided. Animal Control Director Gene Smith says there's simply not enough room for the dogs and cats like these that are brought in. But animal rescuers say there has to be another way to keep healthy and adoptable animals alive.

Walking through the Cleveland Animal Shelter, it's hard to stomach the fact that more than 75 percent of the animals brought in will be put down.

Beth Foster works for the Dixie Per Undergraound Railroad. She says, "We would say they're killed, euthanasia usually means an act of mercy for sick or injured animal, but these are healthy animals, adoptable animals."

Rescue missions say they're frustrated with the situation. Foster and Betti Gravelle work for a nearby non-profit clinic and help find homes for abandoned pets, hoping they won't be euthanized before that time. Foster says, "Puppies wagging their tails, looking at them in the eyes as they have to be put down, it's a heart breaking situation."

Gravelle adds, "We are killing almost 7000 animals a year and hauling them off to the dump and it is not acceptable."

The shelter is owned and operated by the city of Cleveland, with additional funding from Bradley County. The records show that in March, 346 animals were euthanized, 292 in April, and in May, nearly 450.

Director Gene Smith doesn't deny the fact that healthy dogs and cats get the fatal injection every day. He says it's simple a matter of overcrowding. He says a stray has 3 days to be adopted, then on the fourth day, the animal can be put down. "Pretty much always full, but there will be some times when a cage is empty because there are times when they have put down an animal that morning, but at the end of the day you will walk through and see full cages."

But we did find some empty cages this afternoon. Gravelle questions why some are put down simply in anticipation of what could be brought in that day. "When I go in there and see an empty kennel I know an animal died that could be there and could have had one more day, just one more day, could have been adopted."

An average of 76 percent are euthanized at the Bradley County shelter. We wanted to compare that number to Chattanooga's shelter. The records for McKamey show that in a three month period, an average of 63 percent of the animals are euthanized.

Those documents, however do break down how many of those pets were adoptable versus those who were sick.

Cleveland Animal Control Division Petfinder Page

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/TN182.html

Forrest City, AR mayor investigating mauling at animal shelter

2010-06-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

Posted: Jun 02, 2010 4:45 PM CDT Updated: Jun 02, 2010 8:45 PM CDT

By Janice Broach - bio | email

FORREST CITY, AR (WMC-TV) - Authorities in Forrest City, Arkansas are investigating an animal shelter after the mauling of a dog was caught on camera over the weekend.

A video posted on YouTube shows bleeding dogs after a fight in an outside area at the Forrest City Animal Shelter. The dogs had been fighting over a female in another fenced area next to the one the male dogs were in.

Forrest City Mayor Gordon McCoy said one dog was mauled to death.

"They were competing over the female dog which was in heat," McCoy said. "I have an investigation going on within the scuffle. All the other dogs turned on one particular dog and they mauled him ... to death and unfortunately suffered some injuries he passed form."

The video shows volunteers locating a severely injured dog. They could not save the dog.

McCoy said the shelter employees did not realize the female was in heat. He said there needs to be more training.

"Now we're going to fix it," McCoy said. "We did wrong here, our guys. There was an oversight on our part and now we have to insure it doesn't happen again."

Ruth Ann Brown with the St. Francis County Humane Society said she doubts much will change.

"The problem is there is a lack of leadership and supervision all the way up the line to the mayor," Brown said.

Bowan said the shelter has made improvements and McCoy has hired a third employee.

Want to make a difference? The Fresh Air Fund Needs Hosts for the Summer of 2010

2010-04-13T12:48:00.002-05:00

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the summer of 2010.

More than 65% of all Fresh Air children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.
Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences.

Fresh Air Fund Host Families

"It is rewarding to see the smile on our Fresh Air child's face as she enjoys the simple things we take for granted..."

Friendly Town host families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities. Host families range in size, ethnicity and background, but share the desire to open their hearts and homes to give city children an experience they will never forget. Hosts say the Fresh Air experience is as enriching for their own families, as it is for the inner-city children. There are no financial requirements for hosting a child. Volunteers may request the age-group and gender of the Fresh Air youngster they would like to host. Stories about real Fresh Air host families and their New York City visitors are just a click away!

Click here to learn more about becoming a host or call (800) 367-0003!

Fresh Air Children
"We made s'mores and hot dogs over the fire. I've never cooked outside before!"
Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends.

The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.

Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of summer experiences in rural and suburban areas. Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program.

What do Fresh Air children enjoy?

Playing in the backyard

Laughing in the sunshine

Catching fireflies

Riding bicycles

Learning to swim

Running barefoot through the grass

Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights

Building sandcastles

Making new friends

Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city

Click here for more info on how you can help http://freshairfundhosts.com

I-Team: Pit Prints Pt. 2

2010-03-03T10:34:00.001-06:00

Imagine paying someone to care for a dog, not knowing that person had the dog put to sleep months earlier.

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Imagine paying someone to care for a dog, not knowing that person had the dog put to sleep months earlier.

Why would the president of a rescue group do that and then not tell the truth?

The official name of this group is Pit Prints Rescue and Rehabilitation.

Yet instead of helping these dogs fit into society, we found allegations of shakedowns and outright lies.

I-Team: Pit Prints

2010-03-02T12:38:00.001-06:00

I-Team: Pit Prints
Updated: Monday, 01 Mar 2010, 7:15 PM EST
Published : Monday, 01 Mar 2010, 7:15 PM EST

Reported By: Randy Travis | Edited By: Leigha Baugham

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Dogs have a special place in the heart of many Georgians, especially if it's a dog in need, but some accuse the president of a local dog rescue group of preying on that sympathy.

Rescue groups are non-profits set up to save dogs from being euthanized in area shelters, but is one Georgia group really rescuing dogs or simply lying to its well-meaning supporters?

The state has now suspended Pit Prints' rescue license until the investigation is finished.

Shelter head: Seized dogs in poor health

2010-01-25T20:55:00.001-06:00

By Becky Campbell
Press Staff Writer

While animal control authorities were shuttling eight rescue dogs seized from a local doggy day care to a vet, a woman who worked there was being arraigned Friday for filing a false police report saying she was attacked at the business when someone broke in and stole 14 other rescue dogs.

Ashli N. Thomas, 24, is charged with filing a false report and eight counts of animal cruelty in an alleged stabbing and dog-napping incident at Cool School for Dogs on West Market Street that has twisted and turned with each new piece of information.

Thomas’ aunt and uncle, Brad and Tammara Josselyn, who own Cool School for Dogs, are also charged with eight counts of animal cruelty due to the condition of some of the animals at the day care.

It appears that the 14 dogs actually are missing, but that Thomas lied about being attacked as they were taken.

In a court document, a Johnson City Police investigator wrote that Thomas’ last account of what happened indicated the cut she received on her side was from a metal dog kennel rather than being stabbed as she first reported.

She told police that she made up the story of being attacked because she had left the dogs unattended and had not taken care of them properly.

Thomas worked for her aunt and uncle at their doggy day care for five years. And while her address is listed on court records as Newbern Drive — at the Josselyns’ residence — Thomas was living in an apartment at the day care.

Part of her duties included being at the day care overnight, which was one of the aspects of the day care the Josselyns promoted to their clients because boarded dogs were never supposed to be left unattended.

Early Tuesday morning, Thomas called 911 to report a break-in at the business and that she had been cut with a knife by a man who stole 14 dogs, most which were rescue animals awaiting new homes. Two of the missing dogs belong to Thomas.

When police arrived to investigate, they apparently found more than an alleged burglary. After clearing the scene, an officer asked the Washington County/Johnson City Animal Control Center to investigate possible cruelty and neglect at the day care.

Debbie Dobbs, director of the Animal Control Center, said she was shocked at the conditions she found there — especially since she has worked with the Josselyns to help place dogs in forever homes.

What makes her the most upset is that Dobbs sent at least four dogs to the Josselyns from the shelter so they could find homes through the rescue organization, Canine Hope Rescue, that Tammara Josselyn founded.

“We found deplorable conditions, some animals very malnourished and not doing very well,” Dobbs said, in addition to a strong smell of feces.

She said the Josselyns turned 23 rescue animals over to Animal Control. Eight of the dogs are particularly in poor health, she said.

“They’re very malnourished, very thin. Three or four have whip worms,” she said. “Mainly they haven’t been fed. They have continuously eaten the whole time they’ve been (at the shelter).”

Dobbs said she doesn’t know “how a person can do this. But I feel they’re good people, their hearts were in the right place. I think they got overwhelmed with too many animals, trying to rescue and take care of too many animals,” she said. “It’s a type of hoarding.”

Dobbs said she doesn’t know if animals boarded or at Cool School for day care were subjected to the same treatment.

“Where these animals were located, (the day care animals) had to pass the animals in crates to go outside to play,” she said, but added there was a straight path from the stairs through a room and into the backyard.

“Those animals left there wouldn’t have had contact with the severe filthiness,” she said. Dobbs said animals left inside the facility “for very long would come home with that stench on their coats.”

Dobbs said Animal Control will be looking for homes for the animals, but not until after the Josselyns go to court next week.

“Give us a call on Wednesday if you’re interested in fostering or adopting any of these animals,” she said.

She hopes to find homes quickly because such a large seizure “crams our spaces. We’re not going to put animals to sleep to make space for something like this,” she said.

Thomas is free on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled for a hearing in General Sessions Court Feb. 16. The Josselyns are due in court on Tuesday.

Pit Bull Found Chained By Weights On Locked Patio

2010-01-25T20:35:00.001-06:00

Dog Found With 15 Pounds Of Barbells Chained Tightly To Neck

POSTED: 3:44 pm EST January 21, 2010
UPDATED: 12:47 pm EST January 22, 2010

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officers rescued a dog that was found chained by weights, WPBF 25 News' Terri Parker reported Thursday.

Animal Care and Control officers discovered the year-old pit bull with 15 pounds of barbells chained tightly to her neck.

"She could only lift her head up a certain amount off the ground in order to even attempt to stand," said Dianne Sauve, of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. "It took, you know, every bit of the muscle in her body."

Authorities found the dog after an anonymous tip that a dog was being beaten.

When officers arrived, they found the dog in a cage on a locked patio, barely able to breathe from the weight of the barbells.

"Our opinion, just on surface observation, is that this poor dog is absolutely terrified and appears to have been subjected to what we would consider torture," said Sauve.

Sauve said some pit bull owners have "this tendency to want to do whatever it takes to bulk up these dogs, to make them massively muscular."

Although the dog was somewhat emaciated and frightened, she wagged her tail and approached Parker, sniffing her through the bars of her new cage.

Animal Care and Control said the woman who lived at the property where the dog was found claimed she found the pit bull with the weights on her neck and initially took them off, but she put them back on when the dog tried to run away.

Animal Planet Adds to Lineup By Kristin Brzoznowski

2010-01-25T19:55:00.000-06:00

Published: January 15, 2010

PASADENA: Animal Planet has slated a new eight-part series, Last Chance Highway, about individuals on a mission to give stray dogs a chance at survival, along with renewing Pit Bulls and Parolees and River Monsters for second seasons.

Produced by Al Roker Entertainment, Last Chance Highway follows Shelly Bookwalter and Kyle Peterson, who are fighting to save soon-to-be-euthanized dogs. The two have organized a group of volunteers who lead a unique mobile adoption campaign, which results in finding homes for more than 150 dogs each week. The series will launch this summer on Animal Planet.

Pit Bulls and Parolees debuted this past fall on Animal Planet, introducing viewers to Tia Maria Torres, founder and owner of Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest pit bull shelter in the U.S. Torres works to save pit bulls and pairs them with ex-convicts on parole to give man and man's best friend a chance for redemption. Season two of the series will air in fall.

"With the new series Last Chance Highway and renewal of Pit Bulls and Parolees, we're making compelling entertainment that shines a light on the way the lives of both humans and dogs can be forever changed because of each other," said Marjorie Kaplan, the general manager and president of Animal Planet Media. "In pet adoption, people often fall in love with a dog just from a photo. Being there for the moment when they meet that new family member for the first time is a powerful experience and great television. We're excited to partner with Al Roker Entertainment to share Shelly and Kyle's incredible weekly journey."

River Monsters, in which extreme angler and biologist Jeremy Wade searches the world for legendary and flesh-eating freshwater fish, averaged more than a million households across seven premiere episodes in its first season. Seven new episodes are slated to kick off April 18 at 10 p.m.

"People want to believe there's something out there, lurking in the remote corners of the world, right on the muddy bottom of the lake where we swim or in our own backyards," added Kaplan. "The creatures Jeremy finds in River Monsters are so deeply satisfying— primordial nature incarnate. It's a quest for near-mythic creatures and a detective story with all the pleasures of a narrative. But it's even better because it's real. The monsters are real, and Jeremy Wade is an authentic guide."

The next dog warden

2010-01-25T19:41:00.000-06:00

THE retirement of Tom Skeldon gives Lucas County the best chance it has had in more than two decades to examine what sort of training and experience the county dog warden should have. Commissioner Ben Konop made a good start by suggesting that the next dog warden should at least have a college degree or significant training in an appropriate field.

The departure of Mr. Skeldon, whose policies toward so-called "pit-bull" breeds were archaic if not brutal, will mean little if he is not replaced by a warden who is committed to instituting policies more in line with 21st-century attitudes and knowledge about dogs. That means soliciting applications from candidates with formal training and relevant experience.

The ideal candidate would have a degree in animal or veterinary science and experience as a supervisor in animal care or control.

Failing that, a college degree in public or business administration would be acceptable - and useful in a county department with a multimillion dollar budget - as long as the candidate also has a significant work history in animal care.

A new dog warden, guided by the recommendations of the Lucas County Dog Warden Advisory Committee, will be empowered to end the senseless and indiscriminate killing of "pit-bull" breeds, cut the overall kill rate at the county dog pound, increase the number of dogs reunited with their owners, and increase adoptions, especially by working more closely with canine rescue groups.

This week, Dr. Bob Esplin, a veterinarian, brought together nine "pit bulls" and nearly three dozen adults and children for a "pittie party." The event offered a reminder that training, not breed, makes a dog vicious.

City, county, and state regulations and policies should reflect that truth. Hiring an appropriately educated and trained dog warden is a step in that direction.

Vick got "adrenaline rush" from killing dogs, documents say

2010-01-25T19:28:00.000-06:00

by Patrick Terpstra, 13News

Posted on January 8, 2010 at 5:35 PM

Updated Friday, Jan 8 at 8:21 PM

NORFOLK -- After almost three years, federal investigators are releasing the bulk of their investigation into Michael Vick's dogfighting ring.

The nearly 1,000 pages of documents come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and detail Vick's alleged killing of dogs and suggest others were involved who were never prosecuted.

The documents show that multiple informants told investigators that injured dogs would be cared for by Steven Gregory, an "amateur" veterinarian in Gates County, N.C., who would suture and staple wounded dogs.

Gregory died before the investigation was complete.

It also makes mention of another person reportedly involved in the Bad Newz Kennels ring.

An informant said the unidentified man also worked for Delta Airlines in Norfolk but was fired after the company discovered he reportedly was allowing Vick and two others to avoid security screening.

The documents also shed new light on Tony Taylor, the first member of Bad Newz Kennels to plead guilty and agree to work with prosecutors.

Taylor left the dogfighting ring in 2004, the same year he was kicked out of Vick's house after a falling out over a gold necklace valued at $10,000 to $15,000

The dogfighting ring operated from 2001 to 2007, but an informant told federal investigators he reported Vick and two others to Virginia Beach Police and Virginia State Police in 2004 or 2005, but said he did not know why police did not investigate.

Details emerge in the documents about exactly how Vick reportedly killed dogs.

Informants told investigators that Vick and two others strangled low performing dogs by hanging them from trees, drowning them in buckets of water -- one person holding the hind legs, another person holding the dog's head.

They said Vick and two others also killed dogs with a shovel, shot them and in at least one case slammed a dog to the ground until it was dead.

Vick and co-defendants Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips "seemed to get an adrenaline high when killing the dogs," an informant said.

The documents say all the murdered dogs were buried on Vick's property in Surry County, which he has since sold.

Investigators said Vick buried some of the dogs himself.

At one point investigators asked Vick whether he used steroids or human growth hormone.

An informant told investigators Vick was overheard at a 2006 Atlanta Falcons Christmas party saying he "liked his product."

Vick told investigators the conversation never happened and that he never used steroids or any type of human growth hormone.

Three years later, Vick plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, works with the Humane Society and speaks to children about the perils of dogfighting.

"I did all the right things," Vick said at a September event in Philadelphia. "Did a great job in school, listened to my mom because she taught me right from wrong. But when I walked out that door I had another side to me and it was a dark side."

Informants: Vick shot, bludgeoned dogs

2010-01-25T19:20:00.001-06:00

Published: Jan. 10, 2010 at 5:33 PM

ATLANTA, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Informants say the NFL's Michael Vick -- formerly with Atlanta, now with Philadelphia -- drowned, shot and bludgeoned fighting dogs to death, documents show.

Summaries of interrogations of a member of the quarterback's dogfighting ring and with confidential informants conducted by federal investigators were released Friday to WSB-TV, Atlanta, through a Freedom of Information Act request. The broadcaster said they contained claims that Vick killed fighting dogs that didn't perform well by hitting them with shovels and that he got an "adrenaline high while killing the dogs."

Mississippi Animal Control Officer Fired For Animal Deaths

2010-01-25T19:08:00.000-06:00

Grenada, Mississippi (January 6, 2010) - On behalf of In Defense of Animals, an animal-protection organization with over 85,000 members, Debbie Young, a volunteer at IDA’s Project Hope Sanctuary in Grenada, Mississippi, is filing an affidavit for each animal shot to death by Canton and Madison County, Mississippi, animal control officer, Alonzo Esco. On Tuesday, January 5, the Board of Aldermen approved the decision to terminate Esco from his job for “improperly disposing of dogs,” according to Canton Police.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Ms. Young received a call from someone who knew a dog had been picked up by animal control and she was asked to pursue getting the dog so the caller could help place or even adopt the animal herself. When Mississippi Animal Rescue League, the private kennel where dogs are held for a five-day period, was contacted about this dog, it was learned that Canton’s animal control officer, Alonzo Esco, had not arrived at the shelter and had not been seen there for several months, which led to the question, “what is he doing with the dogs?”
Speculation was that Esco had been selling them as bait for dogfighting. But what became clear after an investigation by the Canton Police Department as a result of Debbie Young’s formal affidavit was that Esco had shot at least 100 dogs and dumped their bodies in a Canton waterway. The findings were turned over to the Canton City Council on Tuesday and Mr. Esco’s employment with the city was then terminated.

Because the crimes were not a felony, the case would have to be taken up in a lower court. And the Mayor of Canton said that because it was a misdemeanor, the city would not take up the case at all, leading Debbie Young to file multiple misdemeanor charges on behalf of IDA, which is also seeking the Department of Environmental Quality to file its own charges for an environmental hazard.

“We will not let go of this,” said Doll Stanley, director of IDA’s Project Hope. “It is absolutely appalling and disgusting that an animal control officer working for any municipality would take it upon himself to violate city policy by shooting animals entrusted to his care. We know this goes on in different communities in Mississippi, and we’re hoping that when these same communities see that Mr. Esco is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law that they will wake up and smell the coffee.”
Esco is facing at least 100 counts of animal cruelty for shooting the dogs. IDA is also looking into the fact that he used city property to act illegally.

Sources revealed that Esco was let go from the Canton Fire Department for stealing gasoline and “demoted” to animal control.

“What is very disconcerting is that a city employee would be demoted to animal control. It is really disturbing that an animal control position is not considered respectable. Sadly, here in the Mississippi, animal control is often viewed as a gateway to the police or fire department. As an auxiliary policeman, Esco did have a police weapon and this is the weapon he used to kill these animals.”

On Wednesday morning, WLBT, a local Mississippi TV and radio station, conducted a poll asking listeners what they thought about animal cruelty and should the state statutes be stronger. There was an 86 percent lead in favor of strengthening Mississippi state laws, which IDA’s Doll Stanley has vigorously dedicated herself to for years regarding legislation about animals.

Vick returns to scene of crimes

2010-01-25T19:07:00.001-06:00

Posted: Thursday January 21, 2010 10:02PM; Updated: Friday January 22, 2010 1:44PM

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/01/21/vick.show.ap/index.html?xid=si_nfl#ixzz0dfzRK0Fy

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Michael Vick returned to the site of his gruesome dogfighting crimes, looked at an empty dog bowl left behind in a dingy cage and wondered how he ever could have risked fame, freedom and fortune for "Bad Newz Kennels."

"This is hard to imagine myself doing this years ago, man," Vick says, cameras rolling.

His visit to the property he once owned in Surry County, Va., where he trained pitbulls for vicious fights and helped drown or hang dogs that didn't do well, is a teaser of what's ahead in his docu-series "The Michael Vick Project."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/01/21/vick.show.ap/index.html?xid=si_nfl#ixzz0dfzbG5cj

Seriously??!!??

Pit Bull Who Lost Lips to Dogfighting Dies, but Leaves Powerful Legacy

2010-01-02T18:05:00.002-06:00

She was one of hundreds of dogs rescued by authorities this past summer in an eight-state raid of dogfighters, the largest of its kind in U.S. history. But there was something striking about Fay the pit bull, who was found chained to a wooden box in Missouri: The 5-year-old dog was left with no lips and required serious medical attention.

Still, "she just loved people and that's just amazing to me after everything that's been done to her," Gale Frey, the woman who took the pit bull under her care, told PEOPLEPets.com as she fought back tears following the dog's death Dec. 28. "I call her my toothy girl. She just loved everyone that would pet her, come near her. We had her at a local fund-raiser here and she just had the time of her life. Her tail never stopped wagging."

Fay came to Frey through the St. Louis area rescue group Mutts-n-Stuff, which she had founded with her husband Dave Melot, after the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society of Missouri saved the dog. Fay then underwent the surgeries she needed to repair her facial damage — and because of her amazing journey and easy temperament, the disfigured pit bull became the face of a recent HSUS 2010 Animal Survivor's campaign.

Even on the day in July when she was rescued, dirty and chained to a box, Fay was as sweet-natured as ever. "Her teeth were showing and it dawned on them that her lips were gone, they cut her lips off," she says. But "her tail was wagging and eyes were smiling. She was like, 'Oh my gosh, you came to save me. Thank you. It's about time you got here.' "

And save her they did. When Frey first laid eyes on the dog at a secret holding location in July, where the rescued animals were being held as court evidence, she knew that Fay was special.

"She would just melt into your body when you would hold her," Frey recalls. "I knew I wanted to take her home to make a difference because she was a victim of dogfighting. And what the dog men did to her was just so cruel. I felt like we had to speak out. And I felt that she was the 'spokesdog' to do that."

The HSUS thought so, too, and funded $5,000 of Fay's surgeries. The dog's third and last surgery was successful, but afterward, as she was waking up, she suddenly went into cardiac arrest. A necropsy revealed it was caused by internal adhesions. "In her previous life, she probably took some blows to the gut, " Frey says. "The scar tissue started twisting her intestines."

Thankfully, Fay suffered no pain. "I was there, I wasn't more than two feet from her [when she died]," she says. "She was waking up and her new face … and then she was gone. I guess it was her time."

The Humane Society of Missouri also shared condolences. "We are proud to have been able to rescue her and are grateful for every wet toothy kiss she shared with us since her rescue," they said in a statement on their Web site. "We love her and we will miss her greatly!"

The HSUS took the moment to remember all dogs trapped in fighting lives. "Her circumstance is a reminder to all of us about how cruel and barbaric dog-fighting truly is," President and CEO Wayne Pacelle told PEOPLEPets.com in a statement. "I’ll think of Fay whenever I speak with a lawmaker about enacting stronger animal fighting laws or talk with at-risk young people about the horrors of dog-fighting, and I hope others are moved by her story, too."

Though her life was filled with much physical pain, which Frey says the dog never showed ("Her love for wanting to be held and kissed overpowered any pain she had"), Fay's quiet suffering will not be in vain. Frey is moving forward with a project she was planning to launch with Fay, called Phoenix House. It will serve as a halfway home for dogfighting survivors, where the rescued animals can be introduced to the normal comforts and activities of daily life in a house.

"When Fay came here, Fay never saw a television before. And the first time the washing machine went off, it scared the living daylights out of her. She ran and hid inside her crate and wouldn't come of her crate for two days," she recalls. "So the Phoenix House is a way for us to acclimate the dogs to indoor living and to kind of give them a head start on their new life."

For Fay, her second chance only lasted five months, but now cremated, she'll remain in a safe place: Her ashes will be placed in special box made by Frey's vet. "She'll be coming back home again," Frey says.

To donate to the Phoenix House project, click here.

Amy Jamieson

Clare Cassar: Rest In Peace....sweet, sweet Fay

2010-01-02T18:03:00.001-06:00

It came with great, great sadness today to learn that Fay, the rescued Pitbull from a dog fighting ring in Missouri lost her battle for a new life on Monday night (Dec. 28th) through complications of her former wounds.

For those of you not familiar with Fay's story. Fay was a fight bust dog who had her lips sliced off by a worthless scum dog-fighter. She was the topic of much discussion not only for her horrific man-inflicted injuries but also because she was the centerpiece of a HSUS fund-raising pitch to raise a million bucks for dogs “like” her, even though the national organization wasn’t paying a dime to care for her until bloggers pitched a bloody fit (more on this further down).

Fay along with 400 other fighting dogs were all rescued in a massive effort led by the wonderful staff and many volunteers of Humane Society of Missouri*. It was the largest ever raid in history on underground dog fighting. Pictures of Fay and this story spread far and wide and were even featured in Time Magazine: http://tinyurl.com/ya7ahjs

(*Not affliated with the HSUS)

I know Fay is in a much better place, free of pain and fear, and I am so happy she knew so much love and caring before she died. I cannot say enough about good people like Gale (founder of MuttsnStuff) her foster mum, and others who give so much of their time, money and heart to care for and heal all the broken animals among us, especially those like Fay who are victims of such horrific abuse.

For those that wish to send a THANK YOU note to Gale - her email is mrhydewoman@yahoo.com

Fay (incorrectly named 'Faye') was later used in a print and video advertising campaign by the HSUS to collect donations, but their words were very misleading as people believed that if they gave to HSUS they were actually helping Fay. When the internet world united, calling out the HSUS on this scandal, they eventually contacted Gale, apologized and sent a check for a mere $5,000 to cover Fay's medical needs. Never have they publically apologized for this - though they have garnished more than $2 million dollars since this campaign. Read more about this story here:

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=2318

After believing that this issue was resolved and Fay was no longer being used, the internet settled down, yet the HSUS sent out another revised request with Fay's picture again...

I personally sent an email to the HSUS about this and the response I received from HSUS's Sarah Barnett was:

"We spend thousands of dollars assisting in those raids, and had staff at those locations as well. As for what we do for animals – without the laws we passed Fay would still be in the cruel dog fighting life that she had before. I’m sure you do a lot for animals, as do I, we don’t need to get into what each of us does and who does more. I’m sorry you’re upset about the situation, we admitted we made a mistake, and are doing our part to make it right..."

Never have the HSUS publically admitted making a mistake.

I just can't believe that this has happened in the same month that Michael Vick has been awarded the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles, after the once-disgraced star quarterback returned to the league after spending 18 months in a federal prison for his own role in a dogfighting ring.

I am beginning to lose my faith in humans..... Rest In Peace sweet, sweet, Fay x

For those that wish to donate money in Fay memory, Mutts-n-Stuff are setting up a memorial fund to help other victims of rescue through Fay's Phoenix House a halfway home for the victims of dog fighting. Links to this can be found here:

http://muttsandstuff.com/muttsshirts.php

(From Gale):
"Right now....we are using our donate button on the front of our website. I been too upset to create something official...but want people to note it is in memory of Fay."

http://www.muttsandstuff.com/

"Phoenix was from the Stoddard County bust that was the prelude to the Big MO Bust. He is a blind victim that was fought for many years. He is blind from detached retinas, jaw broken in four places, and still a love bug with all humans. When Phoenix was released by the courts, I took on Phoenix. He is one of my eight dogs. Phoenix was my inspiration to take on Fay. Now that Fay is gone....I will take on another special needs pit from the bust"

Please sign this petition against the Ed Block "Courage" Award presented to Michael Vick -
http://www.change.org/actionsview/petition_against_awarding_michael_vick_the_ed_block_courage_award

Another Dog Wrongly Euthanized at Memphis Animal Shelter

2010-01-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

Reported by: Joyce Peterson
Email: jpeterson@myeyewitnessnews.com
Last Update: 12/30/2009 10:07 am

MEMPHIS, TN - Another heartbreaking and deadly mistake at the Memphis Animal Shelter. A Golden Retriever already chosen for adoption was put down by a shelter employee who violated new policies and procedures.

"What happened here is not right," says Rita Leone, "I'm sorry, but it's not right."

Tuesday morning, Leone showed up at the shelter to pick-up the dog she'd selected days earlier to adopt. But the dog was gone, wrongly euthanized, although shelter officials first told Leone the dog was put to sleep because it was sick.

"There is no reason for the dog to be put to sleep," says Leone, "when there is a person to adopt like I was. And there was no reason for me to believe the dog was sick."

Two weeks ago, myEyewitnessNews.com told you about another dog, a pitt bull, that was about to be adopted but was put down instead. Animal control workers gave conflicting stories as to why the dog was euthanized.

Lucy Shaw, the consultant hired by Mayor A C Wharton to get the shelter back into shape, refused comment to myEyewitnessNews.com when asked about this latest problem. As the current manager in charge of the shelter, any explanation of what went wrong would have to come from her.

As word spread to City Hall that another controversy surfaced at the shelter, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton paid a visit to the facility. He ordered the swift and immediate discipline of the employee who failed to follow proper policy and procedure.

A Wharton spokesperson says the Mayor is as sick and tired of the constant trouble at the shelter as the citizens of Memphis are. In fact, Wharton plans to name a new shelter director in one week's time.

"Let me tell you," says Wharton's Chief of Staff Bobby White, "we've had interest come in from South Carolina, North Carolina and Detroit, Michigan. From all over the country."

White says people from across the nation have expressed interest in the top job at the Memphis Animal Shelter. But finding the right person to right the wayward ship isn't easy.

"You know," says White, "the Mayor says finding a good animal shelter director is almost like finding a good medical examiner. It is difficult."

White also says interim manager Shaw didn't have time to take a reporter's questions Tuesday because she was busy disciplining the employee who killed the dog. She is also helping to narrow down the list of candidates for director down to five names.

"Ultimately," says White, "it's the Mayor's call."

And Mayor Wharton wants to fast track this hire to bring calm and order to the embattled shelter.

In addition to the dogs that keep losing their lives because of human error, there are three shelter employees, including a supervisor, who have been suspended since the the Shelby County Sheriff's Office raided the facility in October.

"We want to free those positions up," says White, "because one of the problems we're having at the shelter is, it's understaffed."

Those positions can't be freed up until the Sheriff's Office completes its' investigation. Steve Shular, spokesperson for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, tells myEyewitnessNews.com, "the detectives should finish up their work and submit their findings to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office sometime after the first of the year."

And the citizens of Memphis can expect Mayor Wharton to name a new director in just a matter of days.

"In seven days," says Bobby White, "you should hear something from the Mayor's office. The Mayor will make a decision on the director in one week."

Tennessee Suspends Veterinarian’s License Criminal probe opened into his use of heart shots for shelter euthanasia

2010-01-02T17:57:00.000-06:00

By Jessica Tremayne
For Veterinary Practice News

The Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has suspended a veterinarian’s medical license after viewing a secretly recorded video that showed him inhumanely restraining and euthanizing animals at a county shelter.

The board deemed William Baber, DVM, an “eminent threat to public safety” and will not allow him to practice pending the results of an additional hearing, at which his license to practice may be revoked.

Dr. Baber has a private practice in Gallatin, Tenn., and a contract with Sumner County Animal Control to perform euthanasias.

The board said it suspended Baber's license for:

* Engaging in gross malpractice or a pattern of continued or repeated malpractice, ignorance, negligence or incompetence in the course of practicing veterinary medicine;
.
* Unprofessional or unethical conduct or engaging in practices in connection with the practice of veterinary medicine that are in violation of the standards of professional conduct;
.
* Conduct reflecting unfavorably upon the profession of veterinary medicine;
.
* Professional incompetence;
.
* Leaving non-livestock animals unattended during euthanasia procedures and before death occurs, and not confirming death before the body is disposed of.

Baber had not returned calls seeking comment by press time after the Nov. 7 suspension.

He was ordered to appear at a hearing before the board Dec. 13, at which time board members will decide whether to suspend, revoke or impose other disciplinary action against Baber’s license or his private facility, the South Water Animal Hospital in Gallatin.

The county has opened a criminal investigation into his activities.

The euthanasias were performed by intracardiac injection at Sumner County Animal Control in Gallatin. The method is allowed only in certain situations and those conditions were not met, the board found.

Television station WSMV/4 of Nashville reported that Baber was paid $9 per euthanasia and that animals were taken to him as quickly as one a minute. “Video evidence showed Baber stepping on animals to restrain them and injecting them in the heart and abdomen,” says Diana Townsend, a euthanasia technician and founder of Safe Place for Animals, a non-profit animal shelter.

“Baber instructed jail trustee assistants to scruff dogs and hold them in the air while he injected euthanasia solution into their hearts.”

Philip Gordon, DVM, the assistant state veterinarian, says nearly all euthanasias follow American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines, which deem intracardiac injections unacceptable.

“Intracardiac euthanasia is allowed only if the animal is under sedation,” Dr. Gordon says. “Injecting an unsedated animal in the heart is not humane and is not a practice veterinarians should prefer to perform.”

Local television news stations reported that Baber said he was not aware that the method is illegal. But over his three-year stint contracting with the county, the law has been apparent to other veterinarians in Tennessee.

Andrea Turner, director of communications for the state health department’s Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, said no other hearings of this nature have taken place during her time with the board.

Townsend, the technician, says she notified Sumner County Executive Hank Thompson of her suspicions of abuse at the animal control facility more than six months before the video was shown on TV. She says she offered to euthanize animals as a volunteer.

“I was told ‘no, thank you’ by Mr. Thompson as far as performing all euthanasias, but I was permitted to come in on Fridays,” Townsend says.

“This is when I realized the euthanasia log was compromised,” she says. “Entries said IV euthanasias were performed, but only 18-gauge needles were in the sharps container. “Also, Baber’s actions were suspicious. Everything had to be locked up when he was performing euthanasias, and I was not permitted in the room when he was performing them.”

Thompson says he denied Townsend’s request because volunteers do not last long at performing euthanasias and he preferred to leave the job to a licensed veterinarian.

“The district attorney will be investigating Baber’s actions,” Thompson says. “The euthanasias at Sumner Animal Control will be carried out by a yet-to-be-determined qualified professional. Baber will not be performing euthanasias pending the finalization of the investigation.”

Baber’s actions came to light when a Sumner County Animal Control worker secretly videotaped Baber administering intracardiac injections to dogs and cats. The method is a direct violation of Tennessee law, which states this form of euthanasia is to be performed only after other methods are exhausted and only when the animal is under sedation, is anesthetized or is comatose.

“The undercover video was distributed to a local news station and the police,” Townsend told Veterinary Practice News. “The publicity has spurred PETA to become involved, locals are in an uproar and [because] death threats have been made to staff at the facility, the shelter has closed for safety purposes.”

Charges were brought against Baber in October 2004 in his private practice.

“Baber failed to apply for or receive a premises permit for his South Water Animal Hospital,” says Turner, the board communications director. “The board and Baber agreed a fine of $2,550 would be paid ($50 per month of operation without a premises permit), and the permit would be acquired.”

Townsend says she is concerned with Baber’s actions for more than his method of euthanasia.

“The brutality demonstrated by Baber is disturbing,” she says. “He rushed the assistants to get the next animal as if he couldn’t get through the euthanasias fast enough. The video shows dying animals staggering around the room as he moves on to euthanize the next one. “I think Dr. Baber’s license should be taken away from him. ... Someone who treats animals that way has real issues.”

Legal action doesn’t stop with the license suspension.

“Additional investigations will take place regarding Baber’s veterinary practices,” Turner says. “The information found will be used in his next hearing to determine if his license to practice veterinary medicine is revoked.”

Townsend says she will pursue an agreement with the county to perform euthanasias and to help increase adoptions at Sumner County Animal Control by having all adopted animals vaccinated, altered, microchipped and groomed before leaving the facility.

She says this can all be achieved using the county’s current operating budget.

A Symbol of Hope for Fighting Dogs Fay's caretaker tells her story

2010-01-02T17:55:00.001-06:00

December 10, 2009

So far in 2009, The Humane Society of the United States has rescued, or assisted in the rescue of, more than 9,700 animals—creatures spared the suffering of animal fighting, the neglect of hoarding situations, the endless miseries of puppy mills, and other rank cruelties.

One of those rescue missions occurred In July, when we joined federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and the Humane Society of Missouri in an eight‑state raid against dogfighters—the most sweeping crackdown of its kind in U.S. history. Hundreds of dogs were saved from the agonies of the fighting ring.

Among these survivors was a black pit bull named Fay, a dog whose face was mutilated by dogfighting, but a dog still willing to show affection toward humans.

For many people, Fay became emblematic of the horrors of dogfighting and, at the same time, a symbol of hope for countless Americans who have joined in the fight to abolish dogfighting.

The HSUS is hugely proud of the important role we served with our partners in this landmark sequence of raids, including our pioneering work to secure passage of the federal dogfighting law that made them possible—and our staff and supporters are among those who are deeply touched by Fay. The HSUS has paid $5,000 to assist with Fay's veterinary bills.

Below is a conversation with Fay's current caregiver, Gale Frey, founder of Mutts-n-Stuff, in St. Louis, Mo.—a woman who is as remarkable as the dogs she helps.

HSUS: Please tell us a little about your work on behalf of special-needs dogs.

Gale: Our group started in 2000 after my husband and I lost our Rottweiler to bone cancer. We went to an area shelter, and that's when we discovered the plight of the pit bull and the Rottweiler, and we decided to open a rescue. One of our first pit bulls was Miss Pitunia, and the other one's name was Sugarbear. Sugarbear was one of the first dogs we took back in 2000 who came from a fight bust. Sugarbear was treated for heartworms, and she now lives in a loving home. We fostered Miss Pitunia, who had a fractured leg, and decided to keep her as our own.

HSUS: Where did your big heart come from?

Gale: I've always had a large heart for animals. As a child, I suffered rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis, and my companions were my cats. I guess you could say I wasn't socialized properly, and my world was based on my animals. They were always there for me.

HSUS: Fay and her story of abuse, rescue and now rehabilitation, has touched the heart of so many people. Will you tell us about her treatment?

Gale: I started working at the bunker (where dogs rescued during the dogfighting raid by the Humane Society of Missouri and The HSUS were temporarily housed) in July. In there was Fay, and catty-corner from her was Tallulah, also a pit, who has three legs. My heart just went out to Fay when I saw what happened to her. Her lips were gone, and her muzzle was mangled.

When her group of dogs was released, no one showed an interest in Fay. I could tell she was special. Her eyes were so soft, so beautiful. I went to Pam Whitcraft with Humane Society of Missouri to ask about taking her. When HSMO learned I would take this special girl, tears were rolling down the cheeks of her caregivers. When I saw Fay, I thought, I can do this, and then I saw Tallulah and said again, I can do this. Suzanne, a volunteer for Mutts-n-Stuff who lives in Chicago, took Tallulah.

Fay's treatment is a pioneering effort. In the past, no one really took care of dogs like Fay—they were euthanized. This is our special project to rebuild her lips. I took Fay to our vet, Dr. Marcy Hammerle, and she researched the issue and received input from plastic surgeons for people.

One of the main problems in getting Fay's lips back is ensuring there is a blood source for the tissue that will become her new lips. To form the sides of her mouth, her skin was stretched, rolled, and then tacked. The next step will be her nose and her upper lip. We will have to let the sides heal before we can continue with reconstruction.

You can see in the pictures that she basically breathes through her mouth. When she breathes, there's almost a gurgling sound because she can't keep the saliva in her mouth. Fay's saliva was draining out of her mouth instead of keeping her teeth and gums bathed in moisture. Her dry mouth caused her teeth and jawbone to deteriorate. Her little front teeth, you can probably pick them off her gum. So far, we think we've slowed down the deterioration.

HSUS: In a video we took of Fay soon after her rescue, she showed great affection toward people despite the misery that had been inflicted on her. What can you tell us about her personality?

Gale: She just melts in your arms. She's like butter. In a video of her interacting with one of our volunteers, she just laid on her back and was kissing [the volunteer] underneath her chin. She's exceptional.

One of my dogs, Smiley King Elvis, a therapy pit bull, met [Fay] in a controlled situation. At first, Smiley looked at her as if he was unsure, and then they both softened and started rubbing up against each other. Smiley is a very soft dog. We have to teach Fay that other dogs won't hurt her anymore. Every interaction she has with another dog has to be positive; it has to be upbeat. You have to use your head. Both dogs will be on a leash.

HSUS: What is your hope for Fay?

Gale: Our goal for Fay is that we're going to fix her lips so she can have an enjoyable life. I also want her to receive her Canine Good Citizenship certificate.

And I want to have her certified as a therapy dog so she can visit veterans who have lost limbs, to inspire them with the thought that if Fay can keep on moving, so can they. The veterans have gone through hard times during the war, and when they come back, they have to adjust to society. The same thing happens to fighting American pit bull terriers. They go from the fighting pits and then into society. Our goal is to prepare the dogs for loving homes.

The spirit of the pit bull is also an inspiration for children with life-changing diseases. The childrens' faces light up when they see a dog who still has a loving spirit, even though they might be missing a limb or lips. Through Fay, we can show that dogs can make it out of the pits. She is the sad face of the victims of dogfighting.

Of course, we also want to find her a forever home. She's welcome to stay with me until then. It has to be someone who wants Fay for who she is and not because of the publicity she's received.

Rescued Fighting Dogs Await Adoption

2010-01-02T17:49:00.000-06:00

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,52925818001_1943278,00.html

After the largest raid in history on underground dog fighting, the Humane Society of Missouri seeks homes for hundreds of dogs and puppies

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,52925818001_1943278,00.html#ixzz0bVCvRoTc

Update: Savior Celebrates Christmas

2010-01-02T17:48:00.000-06:00

THANK YOU MARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FAST FACTS:

* Dog Thrown from Speeding Car
* Man Stops to Rescue the Dog
* Savior Now Well Enough to Celebrate Christmas

tom.powell@wreg.com
tompowell3 on Twitter

(Updated: December 28, 2009) WREG News Channel 3 featured a story on Christmas Day about Savior, the dog that was thrown from a speeding car earlier in the month. Doctors believe she was used in fights before she was dumped from a pickup truck.

Plenty of folks missed it because of the busy holiday, and have been emailing for an update.

First, let us tell you that Dr. Gregory Shaw did some amazing work. Savior was well enough to leave the clinic for a few hours to celebrate Christmas at the home of Kathy Solomon.

On the night Mario Chiozza rescued savior, he called Kathy who has been a long time friend and fellow animal advocated. She was there as Dr. Shaw first went to work trying to save the dog's life.

Savior's breathing was hard to listen to that night. She could hardly open her eyes, and seemed to be in extreme pain. Dr. Shaw said he was optimistic. Savior pulled through.

She's still suffering and eye problem, and has been diagnosed with heart-worms, but she's expected to make a full recovery. She'll be placed in a home with a couple that has experience dealing with animals who have suffered abuse.

Savior really got spoiled for Christmas. Kathy promised him a steak dinner the night she was brought to the clinic. That promise was fulfilled. The steak was served on a platter. Savior also received several bags of dog treats, food and even a new coat for the winter.

Savior has gotten emails, donations and gifts from all over the world. Kathy, Dr. Shaw, and Mario wanted to pass along their gratitute to everyone who has sent well-wishes.

(MEMPHIS December 7, 2009 9:06 PM) -- A Whitehaven Veterinarian is working to save a dog's life, after the dog was thrown from a speeding truck on I-40 during rush hour Monday.

Dr. Greg Shaw was cautiously optimistic late Monday night that the dog, nicknamed Savior, would survive. But Savior is certainly not out of the woods. She not only suffered injures from being thrown from the moving vehicle, she also appears to have bite marks from being used in fights.

Mario Chiozza was driving along I-40 East of Sycamore View when he saw someone throw the dog from a white pick-up truck. He says the dog was thrown in the middle lane, but she managed to run over to the side of the interstate.

Chiozza just so happens to be a strong animal advocate and rescue worker. He also happened to have a catch pole in his truck. He used it to catch Savior. Another driver, and off-duty deputy, stopped to help Chiozza load the dog into the back of his truck.

He knew he didn't have much time, so he rushed Savior to Pets Choice Animal Clinic on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven. Dr. Shaw immediately stated working to save her life.

Chiozza is hoping someone else may have witnessed the incident, and caught the license plate of the White Ford Pick-Up involved. "I know one thing, we're going to need help. This baby's going to need help," he says.

If you have info on the incident, call CrimeStoppers @ (901) 528-CASH.

If you would like to help with Savior's medical needs, you can call Pets Choice Animal Clinic at (901) 881-6212, or email shawvet@gmail.com.

A MUST READ- Betrayal & Deceit at the Humane Society of the United States

2010-01-02T17:41:00.001-06:00

December 6, 2009 by Nathan J. Winograd

The fundraising appeal from John Goodwin of the Humane Society of the United States was ambitious. The goal was to raise one million dollars by month’s end for dogs like “Faye,” an abused fighting dog rescued in the largest bust of a dog fighting ring in U.S. history. According to Goodwin, “Faye” is now safe, in a loving home, recovering thanks to HSUS.

But none of it was true: the fundraising appeal was deliberately designed to mislead donors. HSUS was not involved in caring for “Faye.” HSUS, in fact, predicted and suggested that dogs like “Faye” should be killed. In further fact, they could not even get her name right. And while Fay was being cared for, and needed surgery, the costs and care were being provided by someone else.

Kcdogblog.com was the first to break the story:

Here’s the rub. They’re not caring for the vast majority (or any?) of the dogs that were rescued from the dog fighting ring bust from this summer…

It appears as if HSUS is trying to use the publicity from the Time Magazine article which referred to [one of the groups involved] as “the Humane Society” to raise money for dogs that aren’t even in their care. This would not be the first time HSUS has pulled shenanigans in such a regard. Just two years ago, HSUS asked for money to care for the dogs rescued from Mike Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels—when they as an organization were lobbying to have all the dogs killed.

Petconnection.com detailed the deceit even further:

The HSUS hasn’t given one thin dime to help Fay (not Faye), according to her foster mom, who noted in the comments yesterday:

I am rather sad that HSUS has chosen to use Fay (not Faye) in their fund drive. Fay has never received a dime from HSUS. How do I know? Because I am the one that is fostering Fay. Fay is currently going through expensive surgeries to recreate medically need lips so her teeth do not fall out, her jaw bone stops deteriorating, and she can live a normal life. HSUS never contacted us regarding Fay. In the video John states she is in a loving home…really…thanks for the compliment but Fay is looking for her forever home.

Petconnection.com went on to say that the deceit was deliberate:

The HSUS knew. One figures they had a little pow-wow—lawyers, fund-raisers and accountants—and then did the math, figuring any howls of protest would be more than offset by the sight of a dog with her lips cut off by a dogfighter, and the number of people who’d click on that link and give, give, give.

In response to the criticism—on blogs, on twitter, including calls for a criminal investigation of HSUS—and with the memory of an investigation for fraud by the Louisiana and Mississippi Attorneys General for Hurricane Katrina fundraising still fresh, HSUS announced that they were going to give $5,000 for Fay’s surgery, ½ of 1% of what they hoped and expected to raise from the appeal. The effort was designed to quell some of the controversy, and while the money was needed, kcdogblog.com correctly condemned it as too little in an open letter to HSUS:

It is not enough to break up dog fighting rings and then leave the rehabilitation of the dogs to other organizations. The dogs need your help long after the fighting ring is broken up. And it is certainly not acceptable for you to raise money from people by making them think the money is going to the help “Animal Survivors” (it is even called the “Animal Survivor’s Fund”) when you’re not caring for the animals—and when other organizations really need that money to help them. It is not enough to give money to one dog from the fight bust when hundreds of others need help.

And certainly, the other 99.5% of the goal—the $995,000 they hope to raise off of “Faye”—should not go into HSUS coffers to pay for beachfront properties for HSUS executives, or any other historical HSUS spending patterns. But into the coffers of the nation’s richest humane organization and—according to Forbe’s Magazine—one of the nation’s wealthiest charities, it will go.

Following the multi-state dog fighting bust in which Fay was rescued, I called on HSUS to cover the costs of the rescue, take over subsequent rehabilitation and care of the dogs, and ensure their subsequent placement. I suggested HSUS put out the following statement:

The Humane Society of the United States wants to assure everyone concerned over the fate of these dogs that we are doing everything in our power to provide unconditional love and the best care possible for the victims of these crimes. Their welfare is our utmost concern, and every action we take on their behalf will be guided by compassion for their plight, respect for the lives, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring we find them a safe, loving environment, in which to spend the rest of their lives. We know that rescue groups often have stretched resources. We know that shelters, like the Humane Society of Missouri, also have to care for the daily influx of dogs and cats in their shelter. So as the nation’s largest, richest and most powerful animal protection organization, we are stepping up to the plate. If any rescue groups have the capacity to help, we’ll welcome it. But rest assured: we will not allow a single one of these dogs to lose their lives. However long it takes, however much it costs, we will save all the puppies. We will save all the dogs. And if any are aggressive, we will undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation. That is our pledge to them. And that is our pledge to you.

That is what we all should have been told. That is what the dogs deserved. They didn’t say this, of course. And they didn’t do it. But they should have, instead of walking away. Instead of Pacelle saying what he did in fact say: that it was pretty clear most of the dogs should be killed. They did not go so far as they have in other cases, such as the Vick dogs and the Wilkes County, North Carolina massacre, in which HSUS lobbied the court to kill savable dogs. But after the initial publicity subsided, and except for some token efforts disproportionate to the need, HSUS walked away and left local groups in the lurch. To then turn around and try to raise $1,000,000 off of their work through an intentionally misleading fundraising campaign that followed Time Magazine’s coverage of the issue is, in my opinion, tantamount to fraud.

The Michael Vick Dog Fundraising Scam

hsus_clip

But the rabbit hole of deceit actually goes deeper, as kcdogblog reminded us over HSUS’ unconscionable fundraising by deceiving donors about the dogs abused by Michael Vick, even as Pacelle was lobbying the court to kill them all. Petconnection.com also suggested that HSUS knew this current incident would draw protests but could be mollified by a small payout to quell the unrest. This type of dubious cost-benefit analysis should come as no surprise to anyone. This is a part of Wayne Pacelle’s deliberate strategy to raise money for HSUS. And he has a long sordid history of high profile deceit of the public in order to separate them from their hard earned dollars.

As I reported in a blog, “Dubious Deals at the HSUS,” back in 2008:

There is perhaps no better example of this then the misleading tactics used by HSUS to fundraise off of the Michael Vick dog fighting case. Shortly after the case broke, HSUS contacted the U.S. Attorney prosecuting Vick and asked if they could be “involved” and see the dogs (then being held at six animal control shelters in Virginia). The U.S. Attorney agreed but only on condition that they take no photographs and not publicly talk about the dogs (citing fears of compromising the case, sensitivities involved in the prosecution, and issues surrounding rules of evidence). HSUS agreed and then promptly violated that agreement. HSUS staffers took photographs of the dogs with people wearing “HSUS” shirts to make it appear that HSUS was directly involved in the case and their care.

They then sent out an appeal for money containing a photograph of someone wearing an HSUS shirt with one of the dogs. In the appeal, HSUS asks for money “to help The Humane Society of the United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case” and promises to take the money and “put [it] to use right away to care for these dogs.” A caption underneath the photograph states: “This dog was one of 52 pit bulls seized from Michael Vick’s property—dogs now being cared for by The HSUS…”

Wayne Pacelle himself reiterated this in his July 18, 2007 blog in which he stated that HSUS was “working with federal authorities from the start, and assisting with the care of 52 dogs taken from Vick’s property.”

The only problem with the appeal is that it wasn’t really true. HSUS was not caring for the dogs as they claimed, they were not primarily looking for money to care for the dogs, and the money raised was not primarily going to be “put to use right away to care for these dogs.”

And while the Federal Mail Fraud Statute (the oldest federal consumer protection statute in the United States) defines fraud as a scheme which uses the U.S. mail to obtain money by means of false or fraudulent representations, HSUS was careful to avoid it. Beneath the photograph with the dog and a person wearing an HSUS shirt is the statement that the dogs were being cared for by HSUS “and other shelters.” In fact, it was “the other shelters” doing all the day-to-day caring.

The appeal also asked (twice) for money to help them care for the Vick dogs, but also “to support other… programs.” In fact, aside from a few thousand dollars given to the shelters caring for the dogs out of the large sum purportedly raised, the funds raised from this appeal went ostensibly to these “other” programs. The Vick dog photograph, the talk of the Vick dogs, the part about caring for the Vick dogs was all part of the elaborate distraction. In reality, it was the “other” programs part that was operative…

Taking people’s money under suspect pretenses is bad enough. Doing so at the expense of the dogs is simply unforgivable. Because HSUS violated the agreement with the U.S. Attorney, relations between the government agencies involved in the Vick prosecution and the humane movement were soured. According to humane participants in the case, HSUS’s actions made it more difficult to work with the federal agencies, which now had reason to distrust these organizations. The outcome could have been disastrous for the dogs had the government refused to work with all humane groups as a result.

No one—including Pacelle himself—would have likely lost any sleep over this because, in the end, HSUS itself lobbied the court to have all the dogs killed. According to Wayne Pacelle himself: “we have recommended to the [government], and believe, the [dogs] will be eventually put down.”

The Hurricane Gustav Fundraising Scam

As the “Faye” appeal, the Vick dog appeal was also not an isolated incident, but part of a recurring pattern designed to misrepresent the truth and raise money off of the work of others. In 2008, MuttShack Rescue completed a large-scale rescue of animals in New Orleans because of Hurricane Gustav. Instead of supporting the effort, HSUS claimed the rescue as their own. According to MuttShack:

[We] just completed the largest animal evacuation in the history of New Orleans. After its completion, HSUS drove their trucks up in front of the whole deal, shot some footage and has posted it [on their website] as their own rescue.

HSUS then sent out another deceitful fundraiser asking people to donate to them because of another organization’s rescue.

Keeping Donors in the Dark

Kcdogblog.com was insightful when suggesting that HSUS was trying to capitalize by raising $1,000,000 for a dog and dogs not even in their care after a Time Magazine article about the dogs hit newsstands, because the magazine referred to the local humane society simply as “the humane society.” In fact, that is exactly what HSUS does to divert money people intend to go to their local shelter to HSUS’ Washington D.C. coffers. (It is no coincidence that HSUS has chosen the name “humanesociety” rather than “HSUS” for their twitter name.) For a not insignificant fee, HSUS sells its donor list for one time use by shelters, but the list comes with caveats. In addition to others (such as not mailing it out until HSUS sent their appeal to those donors), the one primary stipulation is that:

In order to rent the list, you would need to submit the complete mail piece to the list owner for approval.

Over the years, the Nevada Humane Society has learned that people are often confused by fundraising appeals from HSUS. Local residents think they are donating to the local humane society when they give money to HSUS. In fact, NHS has been told by local residents that they have already donated to them, when in fact they gave to HSUS. This confusion goes beyond fundraising: NHS was publicly criticized for “embracing Michael Vick”—which they did not—because people thought HSUS (“the humane society”) was NHS. In order to clarify the confusion and to help raise funds for local programs, they tried to buy a list from HSUS to do so. And they submitted their proposed mailing for HSUS approval which included the statement that:

Nevada Humane Society is a nonprofit organization. We rely upon donations to make our lifesaving work possible. We do not receive funding from national groups or the government. Your contribution is tax-deductible. Please return this reply slip in the enclosed envelope to Nevada Humane Society. Thank you.

After doing so, HSUS denied the request, stating that unless NHS “remove[d] ‘national groups’ from this copy,” they could not use the list.

nhsfunding

In other words, HSUS did not want NHS informing these individuals that when they give to groups like HSUS, they are not giving money to local lifesaving efforts. Put simply, HSUS was committed to keeping its supporters in the dark as to where their money was going. Surprised, the leadership at NHS sent the following message to the HSUS representative:

Is HSUS really… deterring us from clarifying for donors how funds are used?

Does HSUS really wish to use the sale of their mailing list to control the messages of smaller humane organizations—those that are doing the work on the ground and struggling under the public misperception that if they give to a large national group that they are helping animals locally?

The answer was “yes.” Notwithstanding the take it or leave it response, NHS decided to remove the offending message and resubmit the fundraising appeal. But that was not enough. It did not matter if it was just on the appeal being used with the HSUS list, HSUS was insistent that this factually clarifying language had to be removed from all NHS mailings, even to those not involving HSUS mailing lists. Furthermore, NHS was told they had to agree to refrain from using it in any future communications to anybody, something NHS would not agree to do:

Are you are asking us not to mail factual information that we are not funded by large national organizations to our own supporters?

Once again, the answer was “yes.” Conferring with HSUS officials, the HSUS list manager replied that it did not matter if the appeal involved HSUS lists or not, of if the appeals were “going to our names or otherwise—because you are mailing language that we do not approve, [HSUS] will not approve you. For that reason, NVHS has been denied.”

The Truth about HSUS Doesn’t Sell

While HSUS raises the bulk of its donations on the backs of saving dogs and cats even though it does not operate shelters for dogs and cats or engage in rescue and placement of dogs and cats, it appears that it is willing to suggest to donors that it does and, as a condition for buying its mailing list, refuses to allow local organizations to clarify the misrepresentation. And they are not alone in suggesting this. The local humane society in Seattle cried foul when representatives of the ASPCA, a New York City-based organization, allegedly went door to door fundraising in their community with dogs wearing “adopt me” vests, designed to confuse people to think: the dogs were available for adoption and the ASPCA was involved in finding homes for dogs locally.

Why do they do this? In contrast to their own steadfast defense of killing and even while they work to undermine lifesaving efforts in local communities across the country, they know that these local groups are making a lifesaving difference for animals and that people love animals and would want to support it. And so they intentionally mislead the public into thinking that they are the ones saving these animals and, in the case of HSUS, they refuse to allow local shelters to clarify the misrepresentation. Because, in the end, if either Wayne Pacelle or Ed Sayres, the head of the ASPCA, had to rely on the truth: the needless killing of Oreo, the Wilkes County massacre, the embrace of the most notorious dog abuser of our generation, the opposition to No Kill in San Francisco, undermining reform activists in Austin, Texas, and other anti-animal practices, they would not be some of the wealthiest charities in the U.S.—the ASPCA also made the Forbe’s list—they would be destitute. And neither Pacelle nor Sayres is willing to be truthful at that cost.

Dog Thrown From Truck During Rush Hour

2009-12-08T21:37:00.001-06:00

Dog Thrown From Truck During Rush Hour

tom.powell@wreg.com
tompowell3 on Twitter

(MEMPHIS December 7, 2009 9:06 PM) -- A Whitehaven Veterinarian is working to save a dog's life, after the dog was thrown from a speeding truck on I-40 during rush hour Monday.

Dr. Greg Shaw was cautiously optimistic late Monday night that the dog, nicknamed Savior, would survive. But Savior is certainly not out of the woods. She not only suffered injures from being thrown from the moving vehicle, she also appears to have bite marks from being used in fights.

Mario Chiozza was driving along I-40 East of Sycamore View when he saw someone throw the dog from a white pick-up truck. He says the dog was thrown in the middle lane, but she managed to run over to the side of the interstate.

Chiozza just so happens to be a strong animal advocate and rescue worker. He also happened to have a catch pole in his truck. He used it to catch Savior. Another driver, and off-duty deputy, stopped to help Chiozza load the dog into the back of his truck.

He knew he didn't have much time, so he rushed Savior to Pets Choice Animal Clinic on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven. Dr. Shaw immediately stated working to save her life.

Chiozza is hoping someone else may have witnessed the incident, and caught the license plate of the White Ford Pick-Up involved. "I know one thing, we're going to need help. This baby's going to need help," he says.

If you have info on the incident, call CrimeStoppers @ (901) 528-CASH.

If you would like to help with Savior's medical needs, you can call Pets Choice Animal Clinic at (901) 881-6212, or email shawvet@gmail.com.

Tennessee lacks resources to fight animal abuse

2009-12-08T21:33:00.002-06:00

State leads nation in Humane Society rescues
By Anne Paine • THE TENNESSEAN • December 8, 2009

Tennessee has relied on The Humane Society of the United States over the last two years for nine rescue missions — more times than the nonprofit has been called in to assist in any other state in the country.

The cases included three puppy mills, one animal hoarder, three cockfighting operations, a farm with starving horses and a post-tornado animal rescue across a devastated community.

The group took on oversight of 1,203 animals — not counting the scores of fighting roosters that had to be dealt with.

During that time, California was second with five rescue assists, followed by Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana and North Carolina, with four each, according to the group's emergency services division.

"Tennessee just doesn't have the infrastructure to address animal cruelty," said Leighann McCollum of Nashville, the Tennessee director for The Humane Society of the United States.

Unlike in Virginia, for instance, 40 of 95 Tennessee counties have no government-funded animal control program. Many that do merely have dogcatchers who have no authority to investigate animal cruelty, she said.

Tennessee's numbers might be higher, also, because more law enforcement officials here may be finding out about the rescue group and are willing to call on it for help, she said.

The fate of mistreated animals drew a spotlight on Thanksgiving Day, when the group rescued 84 food-deprived horses and mules — many too weak to stand — from a Cannon County farm and moved them to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, where volunteers are still caring for them.

Seventeen emaciated dogs also are being sheltered there after they were abandoned for weeks, neighbors said, without food and water at a trailer in East Tennessee.

Locals aren't prepared
County sheriff's departments, often low-budget operations trying to deal with burglaries, car thefts and a host of other duties, tend to be ill-equipped for costly animal cases.

Dickson County Sheriff Tom Wall said his department got a call last August about dozens of neglected dogs, cats and horses on a woman's property.

"It's like, 'Oh boy, what do we do now?' " he said. "We can't put these animals in jail. We can't take them home with us."

Someone suggested calling The Humane Society of the United States' emergency services, which responded right away, taking charge of what turned out to be 75 animals, he said.

The group provided cages for each of the 50 dogs, for instance, had vehicles to transport the animals, made arrangements for veterinarians to check them out and placed them with shelter groups.

"They have all those resources we don't have," said a grateful Wall, who gave money as well as thanks. "After they came down here, I went on the Internet and joined, and set up an automatic deduction out of my paycheck for them," he said.

The group relies on donations to meet its yearly budget, which can exceed $2 million. The Cannon County horse rescue, which is expected to cost $3,000 per animal, could run to $250,000. The ill horses require more food, medication and care than smaller animals typically need.

Wall said he plans to have training sessions, which the group offers, for his officers to recognize and learn how to deal with animal abuse.

Horses, for instance, might appear nourished, when their bellies are actually full of worms, according to the Humane Society. And sometimes officers fail to notice starvation in dogs because long hair covers up their bony torsos.

Cannon County Sheriff Billy Nichols praised and thanked the group and volunteers for the Thanksgiving horse rescue, and Sumner County Sheriff Bob Barker called the staff "professional and very knowledgeable."

The group has helped with rescues in that county that included removing 108 border collies in September from squalid conditions on a Portland, Tenn., property.

"They really do a great job," he said, adding that the Humane Society has provided training sessions for officers in his department. The Humane Society has trained more than 200 law enforcement and animal control officers in the state.
(3 of 3)

Growth after Katrina
Hurricane Katrina, when many animals were abandoned, marked a turning point for the Humane Society, which then beefed up its emergency services for animals, not just in natural disasters but also in human-caused ones.

"Cruelty has no boundaries," said Scotlund Haisley, emergency services senior director of the Humane Society.

The group offers a $5,000 reward for tips, which can be anonymous, leading to arrest and conviction in animal fighting cases, of which Tennessee has had its share.

Just under a year ago, the group helped the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in a raid in the Nashville area that the DEA called the "largest ever" facility for cockfighting discovered in this country.

Related
Starving dogs join rescued horses at TN fairgrounds
Abused dogs will join rescued horses at TN State Fairgrounds
Starved horses get attention of lawmaker
Starving horses get help on Thanksgiving day
Owner of starving horses relinquishes them to rescue group
Starving horses will be cared for at state fairgrounds
Report on animal shelters in Tennessee

"Our weak misdemeanor penalties have invited the Mexican drug cartel to Tennessee," said McCollum, the Humane Society director in Tennessee.

Cockfighting is a misdemeanor rather than a felony here, which is the case in only 11 other states in the country, she said. Starving an animal to death — unless it's a dog or cat — also is a misdemeanor.

Bills have been proposed without success in the Tennessee legislature to change both situations.

State Rep. Janis Sontany said a bill is expected in the coming legislative session that would try again to make cockfighting a felony. Also, a bill was drafted last week that she intends to sponsor to make withholding food or water from any animal — including horses — a felony. "Cruelty is cruelty," she said.

Betrayal & Deceit at the Humane Society of the United States by Nathan J. Winograd

2009-12-08T21:29:00.001-06:00

The fundraising appeal from John Goodwin of the Humane Society of the United States was ambitious. The goal was to raise one million dollars by month’s end for dogs like “Faye,” an abused fighting dog rescued in the largest bust of a dog fighting ring in U.S. history. According to Goodwin, “Faye” is now safe, in a loving home, recovering thanks to HSUS.

But none of it was true: the fundraising appeal was deliberately designed to mislead donors. HSUS was not involved in caring for “Faye.” HSUS, in fact, predicted and suggested that dogs like “Faye” should be killed. In further fact, they could not even get her name right. And while Fay was being cared for, and needed surgery, the costs and care were being provided by someone else.

Kcdogblog.com was the first to break the story:

Here’s the rub. They’re not caring for the vast majority (or any?) of the dogs that were rescued from the dog fighting ring bust from this summer…

It appears as if HSUS is trying to use the publicity from the Time Magazine article which referred to [one of the groups involved] as “the Humane Society” to raise money for dogs that aren’t even in their care. This would not be the first time HSUS has pulled shenanigans in such a regard. Just two years ago, HSUS asked for money to care for the dogs rescued from Mike Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels—when they as an organization were lobbying to have all the dogs killed.

Petconnection.com detailed the deceit even further:

The HSUS hasn’t given one thin dime to help Fay (not Faye), according to her foster mom, who noted in the comments yesterday:

I am rather sad that HSUS has chosen to use Fay (not Faye) in their fund drive. Fay has never received a dime from HSUS. How do I know? Because I am the one that is fostering Fay. Fay is currently going through expensive surgeries to recreate medically need lips so her teeth do not fall out, her jaw bone stops deteriorating, and she can live a normal life. HSUS never contacted us regarding Fay. In the video John states she is in a loving home…really…thanks for the compliment but Fay is looking for her forever home.

Petconnection.com went on to say that the deceit was deliberate:

The HSUS knew. One figures they had a little pow-wow—lawyers, fund-raisers and accountants—and then did the math, figuring any howls of protest would be more than offset by the sight of a dog with her lips cut off by a dogfighter, and the number of people who’d click on that link and give, give, give.

In response to the criticism—on blogs, on twitter, including calls for a criminal investigation of HSUS—and with the memory of an investigation for fraud by the Louisiana and Mississippi Attorneys General for Hurricane Katrina fundraising still fresh, HSUS announced that they were going to give $5,000 for Fay’s surgery, ½ of 1% of what they hoped and expected to raise from the appeal. The effort was designed to quell some of the controversy, and while the money was needed, kcdogblog.com correctly condemned it as too little in an open letter to HSUS:

It is not enough to break up dog fighting rings and then leave the rehabilitation of the dogs to other organizations. The dogs need your help long after the fighting ring is broken up. And it is certainly not acceptable for you to raise money from people by making them think the money is going to the help “Animal Survivors” (it is even called the “Animal Survivor’s Fund”) when you’re not caring for the animals—and when other organizations really need that money to help them. It is not enough to give money to one dog from the fight bust when hundreds of others need help.

And certainly, the other 99.5% of the goal—the $995,000 they hope to raise off of “Faye”—should not go into HSUS coffers to pay for beachfront properties for HSUS executives, or any other historical HSUS spending patterns. But into the coffers of the nation’s richest humane organization and—according to Forbe’s Magazine—one of the nation’s wealthiest charities, it will go.

Following the multi-state dog fighting bust in which Fay was rescued, I called on HSUS to cover the costs of the rescue, take over subsequent rehabilitation and care of the dogs, and ensure their subsequent placement. I suggested HSUS put out the following statement:

The Humane Society of the United States wants to assure everyone concerned over the fate of these dogs that we are doing everything in our power to provide unconditional love and the best care possible for the victims of these crimes. Their welfare is our utmost concern, and every action we take on their behalf will be guided by compassion for their plight, respect for the lives, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring we find them a safe, loving environment, in which to spend the rest of their lives. We know that rescue groups often have stretched resources. We know that shelters, like the Humane Society of Missouri, also have to care for the daily influx of dogs and cats in their shelter. So as the nation’s largest, richest and most powerful animal protection organization, we are stepping up to the plate. If any rescue groups have the capacity to help, we’ll welcome it. But rest assured: we will not allow a single one of these dogs to lose their lives. However long it takes, however much it costs, we will save all the puppies. We will save all the dogs. And if any are aggressive, we will undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation. That is our pledge to them. And that is our pledge to you.

That is what we all should have been told. That is what the dogs deserved. They didn’t say this, of course. And they didn’t do it. But they should have, instead of walking away. Instead of Pacelle saying what he did in fact say: that it was pretty clear most of the dogs should be killed. They did not go so far as they have in other cases, such as the Vick dogs and the Wilkes County, North Carolina massacre, in which HSUS lobbied the court to kill savable dogs. But after the initial publicity subsided, and except for some token efforts disproportionate to the need, HSUS walked away and left local groups in the lurch. To then turn around and try to raise $1,000,000 off of their work through an intentionally misleading fundraising campaign that followed Time Magazine’s coverage of the issue is, in my opinion, tantamount to fraud.

But the rabbit hole of deceit actually goes deeper, as kcdogblog reminded us over HSUS’ unconscionable fundraising by deceiving donors about the dogs abused by Michael Vick, even as Pacelle was lobbying the court to kill them all. Petconnection.com also suggested that HSUS knew this current incident would draw protests but could be mollified by a small payout to quell the unrest. This type of dubious cost-benefit analysis should come as no surprise to anyone. This is a part of Wayne Pacelle’s deliberate strategy to raise money for HSUS. And he has a long sordid history of high profile deceit of the public in order to separate them from their hard earned dollars.

As I reported in a blog, “Dubious Deals at the HSUS,” back in 2008:

There is perhaps no better example of this then the misleading tactics used by HSUS to fundraise off of the Michael Vick dog fighting case. Shortly after the case broke, HSUS contacted the U.S. Attorney prosecuting Vick and asked if they could be “involved” and see the dogs (then being held at six animal control shelters in Virginia). The U.S. Attorney agreed but only on condition that they take no photographs and not publicly talk about the dogs (citing fears of compromising the case, sensitivities involved in the prosecution, and issues surrounding rules of evidence). HSUS agreed and then promptly violated that agreement. HSUS staffers took photographs of the dogs with people wearing “HSUS” shirts to make it appear that HSUS was directly involved in the case and their care.

They then sent out an appeal for money containing a photograph of someone wearing an HSUS shirt with one of the dogs. In the appeal, HSUS asks for money “to help The Humane Society of the United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case” and promises to take the money and “put [it] to use right away to care for these dogs.” A caption underneath the photograph states: “This dog was one of 52 pit bulls seized from Michael Vick’s property—dogs now being cared for by The HSUS…”

Wayne Pacelle himself reiterated this in his July 18, 2007 blog in which he stated that HSUS was “working with federal authorities from the start, and assisting with the care of 52 dogs taken from Vick’s property.”

The only problem with the appeal is that it wasn’t really true. HSUS was not caring for the dogs as they claimed, they were not primarily looking for money to care for the dogs, and the money raised was not primarily going to be “put to use right away to care for these dogs.”

And while the Federal Mail Fraud Statute (the oldest federal consumer protection statute in the United States) defines fraud as a scheme which uses the U.S. mail to obtain money by means of false or fraudulent representations, HSUS was careful to avoid it. Beneath the photograph with the dog and a person wearing an HSUS shirt is the statement that the dogs were being cared for by HSUS “and other shelters.” In fact, it was “the other shelters” doing all the day-to-day caring.

The appeal also asked (twice) for money to help them care for the Vick dogs, but also “to support other… programs.” In fact, aside from a few thousand dollars given to the shelters caring for the dogs out of the large sum purportedly raised, the funds raised from this appeal went ostensibly to these “other” programs. The Vick dog photograph, the talk of the Vick dogs, the part about caring for the Vick dogs was all part of the elaborate distraction. In reality, it was the “other” programs part that was operative…

Taking people’s money under suspect pretenses is bad enough. Doing so at the expense of the dogs is simply unforgivable. Because HSUS violated the agreement with the U.S. Attorney, relations between the government agencies involved in the Vick prosecution and the humane movement were soured. According to humane participants in the case, HSUS’s actions made it more difficult to work with the federal agencies, which now had reason to distrust these organizations. The outcome could have been disastrous for the dogs had the government refused to work with all humane groups as a result.

No one—including Pacelle himself—would have likely lost any sleep over this because, in the end, HSUS itself lobbied the court to have all the dogs killed. According to Wayne Pacelle himself: “we have recommended to the [government], and believe, the [dogs] will be eventually put down.”

The Hurricane Gustav Fundraising Scam

As the “Faye” appeal, the Vick dog appeal was also not an isolated incident, but part of a recurring pattern designed to misrepresent the truth and raise money off of the work of others. In 2008, MuttShack Rescue completed a large-scale rescue of animals in New Orleans because of Hurricane Gustav. Instead of supporting the effort, HSUS claimed the rescue as their own. According to MuttShack:

[We] just completed the largest animal evacuation in the history of New Orleans. After its completion, HSUS drove their trucks up in front of the whole deal, shot some footage and has posted it [on their website] as their own rescue.

HSUS then sent out another deceitful fundraiser asking people to donate to them because of another organization’s rescue.

Keeping Donors in the Dark

Kcdogblog.com was insightful when suggesting that HSUS was trying to capitalize by raising $1,000,000 for a dog and dogs not even in their care after a Time Magazine article about the dogs hit newsstands, because the magazine referred to the local humane society simply as “the humane society.” In fact, that is exactly what HSUS does to divert money people intend to go to their local shelter to HSUS’ Washington D.C. coffers. (It is no coincidence that HSUS has chosen the name “humanesociety” rather than “HSUS” for their twitter name.) For a not insignificant fee, HSUS sells its donor list for one time use by shelters, but the list comes with caveats. In addition to others (such as not mailing it out until HSUS sent their appeal to those donors), the one primary stipulation is that:

In order to rent the list, you would need to submit the complete mail piece to the list owner for approval.

Over the years, the Nevada Humane Society has learned that people are often confused by fundraising appeals from HSUS. Local residents think they are donating to the local humane society when they give money to HSUS. In fact, NHS has been told by local residents that they have already donated to them, when in fact they gave to HSUS. This confusion goes beyond fundraising: NHS was publicly criticized for “embracing Michael Vick”—which they did not—because people thought HSUS (”the humane society”) was NHS. In order to clarify the confusion and to help raise funds for local programs, they tried to buy a list from HSUS to do so. And they submitted their proposed mailing for HSUS approval which included the statement that:

Nevada Humane Society is a nonprofit organization. We rely upon donations to make our lifesaving work possible. We do not receive funding from national groups or the government. Your contribution is tax-deductible. Please return this reply slip in the enclosed envelope to Nevada Humane Society. Thank you.

After doing so, HSUS denied the request, stating that unless NHS “remove national groups’ from this copy,” they could not use the list.

In other words, HSUS did not want NHS informing these individuals that when they give to groups like HSUS, they are not giving money to local lifesaving efforts. Put simply, HSUS was committed to keeping its supporters in the dark as to where their money was going. Surprised, the leadership at NHS sent the following message to the HSUS representative:

Is HSUS really… deterring us from clarifying for donors how funds are used?

Does HSUS really wish to use the sale of their mailing list to control the messages of smaller humane organizations—those that are doing the work on the ground and struggling under the public misperception that if they give to a large national group that they are helping animals locally?

The answer was “yes.” Notwithstanding the take it or leave it response, NHS decided to remove the offending message and resubmit the fundraising appeal. But that was not enough. It did not matter if it was just on the appeal being used with the HSUS list, HSUS was insistent that this factually clarifying language had to be removed from all NHS mailings, even to those not involving HSUS mailing lists. Furthermore, NHS was told they had to agree to refrain from using it in any future communications to anybody, something NHS would not agree to do:

Are you are asking us not to mail factual information that we are not funded by large national organizations to our own supporters?

Once again, the answer was “yes.” Conferring with HSUS officials, the HSUS list manager replied that it did not matter if the appeal involved HSUS lists or not, of if the appeals were “going to our names or otherwise—because you are mailing language that we do not approve, [HSUS] will not approve you. For that reason, NVHS has been denied.”

The Truth about HSUS Doesn’t Sell

While HSUS raises the bulk of its donations on the backs of saving dogs and cats even though it does not operate shelters for dogs and cats or engage in rescue and placement of dogs and cats, it appears that it is willing to suggest to donors that it does and, as a condition for buying its mailing list, refuses to allow local organizations to clarify the misrepresentation. And they are not alone in suggesting this. The local humane society in Seattle cried foul when representatives of the ASPCA, a New York City-based organization, allegedly went door to door fundraising in their community with dogs wearing “adopt me” vests, designed to confuse people to think: the dogs were available for adoption and the ASPCA was involved in finding homes for dogs locally.

Why do they do this? In contrast to their own steadfast defense of killing and even while they work to undermine lifesaving efforts in local communities across the country, they know that these local groups are making a lifesaving difference for animals and that people love animals and would want to support it. And so they intentionally mislead the public into thinking that they are the ones saving these animals and, in the case of HSUS, they refuse to allow local shelters to clarify the misrepresentation. Because, in the end, if either Wayne Pacelle or Ed Sayres, the head of the ASPCA, had to rely on the truth: the needless killing of Oreo, the Wilkes County massacre, the embrace of the most notorious dog abuser of our generation, the opposition to No Kill in San Francisco, undermining reform activists in Austin, Texas, and other anti-animal practices, they would not be some of the wealthiest charities in the U.S.—the ASPCA also made the Forbe’s list—they would be destitute. And neither Pacelle nor Sayres is willing to be truthful at that cost.

HSUS fund-raising pitch raises hackles

2009-12-08T21:25:00.002-06:00

~better than i could have ever worded it...

By Gina Spadafori
December 4, 2009

Shameless. And shameful. Those are perhaps the most polite words that have landed in the PetConnection e-mail queue since the HSUS sent out this fund-raising pitch:

This is Faye. She survived because of you.

I’ll never forget Faye’s story. I bet you won’t, either.

Our team met her in Missouri, when The Humane Society of the United States helped rescue hundreds of animals from the horrors of dogfighting. She’d been wounded badly in a fight, and a dogfighter had mercilessly cut off her lips. She was in tough shape, but we found her in the nick of time.

Watch our moving video to see Faye’s happy ending — then become a Humane Hero with your monthly donation to our 2010 Animal Survivors Fund.

Faye’s a lucky survivor: She now sleeps in a warm bed in a safe place. To help save thousands of animals just like her in the new year, we’re doing something we’ve never done before, and it’s BIG: We’re hoping to raise a million dollars online by December 31 for our 2010 Animal Survivors Fund.

It’s ambitious — but so are our plans for saving animals next year. We’ll not only continue to help bust dogfighting rings, but we’ll also take on the individuals and industries that profit from animal suffering — from people who club baby seals to death, to those who confine animals in factory farms, to those who abuse dogs in puppy mills.

Your gift of $20.10 a month for 2010 — just 66 cents a day — can help thousands of animals like Faye not just survive, but thrive in the new year. Click here to watch Faye’s video and make your tax-deductible monthly donation today. Thank you for everything you do for animals.

Sincerely,
John Goodwin
Manager, Animal Fighting Campaign
The Humane Society of the United States

Problem? The HSUS hasn’t given one thin dime to help Fay (not Faye), according to her foster mom, who noted in the comments yesterday:

I am rather sad that HSUS has chosen to use Fay (not Faye)in their fund drive. Fay has never received a dime from HSUS. How do I know? Because I am the one that is fostering Fay. Fay is currently going through expensive surgeries to recreate medically need lips so her teeth do not fall out, her jaw bone stops deterioating, and she can live a normal life. HSUS never contacted us regarding Fay. In the video John states she is in a loving home…really…thanks for the compliment but Fay is LOOKING for her forever home.

BADRAP’s Donna Reynolds wasn’t quite so kind, noting acerbically that, “fight bust victims have become hot commodities. Who knew?”

The HSUS knew. One figures they had a little pow-wow — lawyers, fund-raisers and accountants — and then did the math, figuring any howls of protest would be more than offset by the sight of a dog with her lips cut off by a dogfighter, and the number of people who’d click on that link and give, give, give.

We’ve cut the HSUS a lot of slack here, justifiably so, and even noted what seems to be a change in the internal culture of the place and policies that seem to be shifting as a result. Some of this seems to be ideology — a move more to honest-to-goodness animal advocacy and away from the policies of the unapologetic animal-rights killersangels of death at PETA. The HSUS has made 180 degree turns in its policies on no-kill communities, on trap-neuter-release of feral cats, and on the rehoming of fight-bust dogs. They’ve even backed off their enthusiasm for forced spay-neuter — recognizing a difference between reputable, ethical breeders and puppy-milling scum – although we’ve yet to see the formal policy change said to be in the works last summer.

But no doubt the change is also driven by the realities of a changing attitude among animal lovers: That no-kill communities are the wave of the future, that exterminating community cats isn’t kinder than trap-neuter-release and colony management – and that fight-bust dogs “saved” by humane groups are not deserving of the needle just because they were once owned by twisted sociopaths like Michael Vick.

Oh yes, Michael Vick. The HSUS could simply have not handled that particular hot potato worse. As with Fay, they fund-raised on the backs of dogs they didn’t have and weren’t helping. In the Vick case, they advocated for the deaths of the seized dogs, in keeping with their long-held policy that fight-bust dogs were too mentally unstable, too potentially dangerous to ever be trustworthy members of human society.

And then, they watched, no doubt in wide-eyed amazement, as BADRAP and other groups took Vick’s dogs and proved everyone wrong. The HSUS surely yearned for the warm, basking glow other groups enjoyed when Sports Illustrated put out a cover story on the saved dogs. Oh, such missed opportunities!

Did they figure that if the dogs could be a generator of positive publicity — and donations — that Michael Vick could be, too? It’s hard to imagine any other motive for laundering the dirtbag, cleaning him up and making him acceptable to the NFL and at least one morally-challenged franchise, the Philadelphia Eagles. The HSUS trots him out at regular intervals, to mumble half-hearted “don’t get caughtdon’t be like me” talks to at-risk youngsters who learn more by meeting his victims than the sociopath himself.

No, the HSUS doesn’t get the Vick thing, even though everyone and her sister has tried to clue them in. And they apparently don’t get that it’s downright sleazy to fund-raise on the backs of fight-bust dogs the organization isn’t actually helping. Not even with the vague promise of possibly helping others in the future.

I suppose we should be pleased that the HSUS is no longer raising money on one side of the office while advocating the needle on the other.

But it’s not enough.

Having thrown themselves into this situation, the HSUS should use the money it already has to pick up every penny of the cost of Fay’s medical and mental rehabilitation. That’s right, every damn penny. And every penny of the cost of the other dogs seized with her.

Going forward, HSUS leadership — hello Mr. Pacelle — needs to shake up the fund-raising staff, and stop misleading people.

Until both of those things happen — and happen publicly, with a statement of wrong-doing and a pledge to animal-lovers going forward, I would encourage animal-lovers to give to the HSUS not one thin dime. Which is exactly the amount they have given to help Fay, their fund-raising poster dog.

Instead, from Gale, Fay’s foster mom:

If you really want to help Fay, please go to our website, http://www.muttsandstuff.com and click on the donate now button. If you want to help the other 35 dogs we took with their own health issues….please donate. We are a small group that can use the help.

I’ve long believed that any massive national group cannot be as effective as a small-community-based charity. This has not changed my view, and in fact has reinforced it. Think globally, give locally. Or rather: Think big, and give small — not small amounts, but to small groups that really do the job the big guys claim the credit for.

Update 3:47 p.m. PT: As noted in the comments, the HSUS has now said on Twitter that they will be picking up the tab for Fay (not Faye)’s surgery. The decision is the right one, and I’m glad they’ve stepped up. Now they just have to tell Mutts-n-Stuff to update their Web site, which as of a few minutes ago was still asking for help in paying for the dog’s care (home page at right, detail below).

.

Be very clear about this: Unlike the “H$U$” haters who routinely rag on the organization for not operating any shelters, I don’t have any problem with them raising money to be an advocacy group. None whatsoever. A powerful animal advocacy group is very much needed, as is an organization that can go in with trained teams to assist local groups when they’re faced with major fight bust, puppy-mill shut-down or a crisis like Hurricane Katrina.

But the HSUS has to be clear about its role and honest with its donors. In this case, they weren’t. I’m glad they’re jumping in now to help after they were called out, but their fund-raising pitches need to change going forward. If they aren’t going to help small rescue and shelters after the high-profile bust, they need to stop suggesting that they do.

Better yet: Give those little groups some money.

Share and Enjoy:
Filed under: Why is anyone still listening to PETA?, animal charities, animals: pets — Gina Spadafori @ 6:45 am
Comments (82)
82 Comments »
The leopard doesn’t change its spots.

Comment by YesBiscuit — December 4, 2009 @ 8:46 am

preach it, sister!

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 8:53 am

Wow. Yeah, it’s amazing what a large advertising budget can do. I’ve read your stuff for years Gina at The Sunday Paper, good work.

Comment by Trey — December 4, 2009 @ 8:57 am

Thanks so much for this post. What a truly shameless and shameful campaign.

Comment by Sarah — December 4, 2009 @ 9:17 am

Slam dunk on this blog! Wooohoo! I also wanted to mention, that along with Mutts N Stuff (the keepers and carers of Fay), please consider donating to the other groups who ACTUALLY HAVE IN THEIR POSSESSION and are caring for the dogs HSUS is trying to make money off of, including (but not limited to):

Our Pack, Inc ( http://www.ourpack.org )

and

New Hope Pit Bull Rescue ( http://www.nhpbr.org )

Comment by MaryH — December 4, 2009 @ 9:20 am

So, bloggers now have to reveal if they got a free mp3 player to review, but non profits can keep lying about their work to raise money? Hire telemarketers at an 80% commission?

Comment by Erich Riesenberg — December 4, 2009 @ 9:27 am

Good for you, Gina! Please keep educating the public.

Comment by Janet — December 4, 2009 @ 9:39 am

Thank you so much Gina for telling it like it is - shame on HSUS - what they are doing should be “criminal” - maybe it is - fund raising under false and downright misleading ads(not even half truths but lies) to turn an easy buck. I am simply appalled. Wish there was some way to sue them and make them help all the animals they falsely claim to be helping.

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 9:41 am

another way to help the small local groups is to donate to Pit Bull Rescue Central’s special fund: http://www.pbrc.net/scf.html

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 10:16 am

How unbelievable sleazy. I hope at least some people will see this and support Fay’s real foster mom instead of the pathetic liars that make HSUS.

Comment by Gini — December 4, 2009 @ 10:16 am

another link for info: http://www.hsmo.org/m_aboutus/.....gazine.pdf

This is the Humane Soc. of Mo (NO relation to HSUS) magazine report on the bust and rescue efforts. There’s a list of the organizations that participated on p. 13

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 10:31 am

I read the HSUS fundraising letter yesterday and felt such sorrow for that poor dog. I was fed up with HSUS fundraising tactics a while back.

This makes me sick. If they are going to beg money for specific animals, those animals, those funds should be spent on those specific animals. To do otherwise is fraud. Isn’t there some way to force them to do right by these animals?

Comment by Jan — December 4, 2009 @ 10:35 am

Finally the TRUTH! Thank you Gina!

Comment by jessiM — December 4, 2009 @ 10:36 am

In all fairness, it looks like HSMO gave this project their blessing by providing footage of the dog and an HSMO staffer for the fundraising video. It’s possible that their duo-intent was to raise money for HSMO, but of course things get -ahem - ‘shifted’ as they go through the various channels.

For the record, some of the lower level HSUS people worked hard not only to make sure dogs outside of the STL media blitz were not forgotten, but to secure a small* amount of financial assistance for the vetcare for some of the more hard luck cases we took in from this bust.

Upper (HSUS) management later vetoed our request for funds to cover expenses incurred with evaluating, organizing rescue efforts, travel and transport of the dogs to safe havens, citing the fact that they “didn’t want to set a precedent.” Maybe they’ve decided to change the precedent? If so, the rescue community needs to be notified in advance of a big precedent-changing fundraising campaign.

We are deeply indebted to the dog community that sees thru the hype and supports smaller orgs so we can make sure the dogs don’t get lost in the fuzz. Ten years ago, I never NEVER would’ve guessed that we’d be in a place where bust dogs were prompting turf wars and fancy fundraising blitzes.

Ha! It seriously tickles me.

Comment by Donna — December 4, 2009 @ 10:42 am

I guess the HSUS doesn’t have their own stories about helping dogs like Fay because they haven’t actually helped any dogs like Fay. Maybe that’s why they have to steal stories.

Comment by Gini — December 4, 2009 @ 10:58 am

I’d like to hear what Jennifer Fearing has to say about her employer regarding this?

Comment by Nathan Winograd — December 4, 2009 @ 11:22 am

I recall a time (about three years ago) when the lights of the television cameras were nowhere to be seen. People in the animal advocacy world had no idea who Michael Vick was and the largest no kill animal sanctuary in our country Best Friends Animal Society’s policy was to refuse refuge for Pit Bulls. This is a fact because I worked there. When I asked why this was the case, I was told by the former manager of “Dogs” that the reason was because it was to difficult to get pit bulls adopted and because they do not do well in the cold. Flash forward- Lights- Action- Camera = Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I am thrilled that they stepped up to the plate to save the Vick dogs (whatever the reason) but saddened by the many who were turned away, left with no other option while the cameras WEREN’T rolling.

Sad but True

Comment by What About Best Friends? — December 4, 2009 @ 11:30 am

First and foremost, thank you Gina for educating people about this unethical attempt on the part of HSUS to collect money using the story and image of a dog I know and love named Fay. It upsets me that HSUS has the nerve to use her image to fundraise, but yet, if HSUS had its way, Fay and all dogs like her, would be euthanized. Go ahead people, educate yourselves and learn how HSUS feels about the APBT and other bully breeds.

Comment by Melissa — December 4, 2009 @ 11:34 am

[I]f HSUS had its way, Fay and all dogs like her, would be euthanized.

Comment by Melissa — December 4, 2009

Melissa, that’s not true. The issue is fund-raising. There is a huge disconnect between the program side at HSUS and the fund-raising side, and I’m calling them out on it.

What About Best Friends?, your charges would be much more credible if you attached your name to them. Just sayin’.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

Am I wrong in thinking that the HSUS doesn’t really help specific animals but just makes money off their plight? Millions and Millions?

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 12:28 pm

Just sent this reply to their fundraising email.

Dear HSUS,

As I understand from this blog post at Pet Connection, http://www.petconnection.com/b.....s-hackles/ , you haven’t done a single thing to help the dog you’re using below to raise money.

That’s just… shameless.

I support your objectives, but I can’t support this kind of lie. Let me know when you issue an apology to the foster mom who IS saving Fay (not Faye) without a single dime of help from you. Better yet, the least you could do is pick up the bill. After all, you’re the ones making money off her plight.

Comment by LauraL — December 4, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

Why don’t they show their own videos of dogs they have in their possession they’re caring for like we do? Here’s Belind from the MO bust being greeted by my welcoming committee -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDEy1pAFJW0

Or how about how the help these dogs regain their canine social skills?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30oYdkf9ncE

Comment by Our Pack — December 4, 2009 @ 12:39 pm

To file a complaint with the IRS against a non-profit.

http://www.nonprofitexpert.com/faq/q24.htm

Comment by MichelleD — December 4, 2009 @ 1:03 pm

“If HSUS had its way, Fay and all dogs like her, would be euthanized. “

While not the issue at hand, until VERY recently this was their policy that was only changed due to public outcry. With out the public outcry I’m sure this would still be their policy.

Comment by MichelleD — December 4, 2009 @ 1:06 pm

“I’d like to hear what Jennifer Fearing has to say about her employer regarding this?”

Comment by Nathan Winograd — December 4, 2009 @ 11:22 am

Pass the popcorn. I can’t wait for her backpedaling, duck and cover spin on this, either!

Comment by Anne T — December 4, 2009 @ 1:10 pm

It would seem to me the people within the organization who need to be commenting would include Wayne Pacelle, John Goodwin or their national spokespeople. Jennifer Fearing is their top dog in California, and this is an issue coming out of their national office.

Jennifer Fearing and I talk regularly, as regular readers are aware. But I don’t expect her to comment on issues beyond California, which is her area of responsibility.

In other words, this heat doesn’t belong in her kitchen — it belongs in Wayne Pacelle’s.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 1:16 pm

WHen will people stop listening or believing in HSUS or PETA for that matter - they all need to be criminally charged for the outrageous lies they tell and the NON help they give. People contribute so they can live in great homes and drive great cars and have great bank accounts while they feed off the backs of grassroots rescues who really care about the dogs. MOney is all they care about not the dogs. Five years ago they slammed us for workign with mill dogs - now look at them after the hard work of grassroots they go in take a few and claim they are the first to make a scene about it. They all need to be thwon out and the HSUS disbanded for it is nothing but a bunch of thieves staling funds that are needed to those that really do the work - and why not show dogs in their possession - I almsot laughed when I read that - do they have any? I know one of their old empoyees who was an exec there = the horror stories he tells makes one shiver in disgust

Comment by palena dorsey — December 4, 2009 @ 1:20 pm

While not the issue at hand, until VERY recently this was their policy that was only changed due to public outcry. With out the public outcry I’m sure this would still be their policy.

Comment by MichelleD — December 4, 2009

I’m hoping public outcry will likewise change some of their fund-raising tactics. But do know this: Some of the change at the HSUS isn’t just in response to external pressure: There are internal voices for change, as well.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 1:22 pm

Actually they promise never to help Fay(e)-but the implication is they are helping her - but I imagine HSUS will take the moral(not) high ground - poor Fay(e) is their maimed Poster Child.

“To help save thousands of animals like Faye, we’re hoping to raise $1 million dollars online by December 31 for our 2010 Animal Survivors Fund.” From the HSUS website.

I’d like to know how this Animal Survivors Fund is used to help like animals - ex-fighting dogs recover from maiming? Where are they sending their millions to help these dogs?

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 2:02 pm

I posted this question on the HSUS dedicated Wayane Pacells - A Human Nation typead site but it is being held for moderation and may never appear.

Are you financially supporting Fay(e)’s surgeries or recovery through her Foster Mom? Please tell me (us) how this “Animal Survivors Fund” is going to be distributed to help like animals - list the organizations that will benefit as I find no information on your web site. Thank you.

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 2:26 pm

If this tweet(http://twitter.com/HumaneSociety/status/6350817375) is to be believed, they will be paying for the lip surgery.

Comment by Dodo — December 4, 2009 @ 3:52 pm

That was posted an hour ago. Good to know, though!

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 4:21 pm

Why is Muttsandstuff saying they need…

“Fay needs your help. We are trying to raise money to correct the damage done to this girl. Fay is a sweet girl who is a victim of dog fighting.
Our goal is $5,000 and so far we are at the 1,500 mark.”

if the HSUS is paying for her surgery (and she has had one already) then why this request on their web site?

I donated today to Muttsandstuff and now I am a bit confused as to what is going on……? But I am glad money is being raised to help her and I don’t understand why HSUS is not more up front about the good help they are giving Fay if in fact they are doing so. Now that would be a great story, before and after photos not just a tweet line.

I am very moved by Fay’s story and need - the poor sweet girl.

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 4:30 pm

I received this e-mail from HSUS - from the comment question I put up:

Hi Linda,
We’ve gotten so many emails about Fay, that I’m helping in responding to them as well.
The short answer on Fay specifically is yes, we will be paying for her surgery, and are in touch with her foster mom Gale. We are really grateful to Gale, who is dedicated pit bull rehabber and the founder of a Missouri rescue group. (She also sent word that Fay’s name is spelled without an “e” so we are fixing that!)

The idea of the survivors fund, is to sustain and to expand our efforts to transform animal victims from sufferers into survivors. This work unites us with our 11.5 million supporters, with legions of volunteers, with scores of animal welfare groups, and with kind-hearted Americans across the country. So far in 2009, The Humane Society of the United States has rescued, or assisted in the rescue, of more than 9,700 animals – and spared them the suffering of animal fighting, the neglect of hoarding situations, the endless miseries of puppy mills, and other rank cruelties.

As occurred in Missouri in the raids that gave Fay a second chance, we respond at the request of local humane organizations or law enforcement agencies across the nation – bringing skill, animal handling know-how, specialized equipment, veterinarians, investigative and evidence experts and other staff. We are hugely proud of the emergency response work we undertake, and it is important to note that we do not charge for these services. These are paid for by the support of our members who expect us to work tirelessly to end cruelty. Some of the rescues we lead simply could not happen without us because they would outstrip the capacity of local agencies.

In those intervals when we are not engaged in hands-on rescue, we are assisting local agencies in building their emergency animal-rescue skills and capacity. Our work does not stop there. We maintain national tip lines so that Americans can report suspected animal fighting and puppy mill crimes. We offer rewards in the worst abuse cases to bring the guilty to justice. We assist in the training of law enforcement officers and civic leaders.

We are excited to tell our supporters and the public about this vital work — and the happy endings that can come from it. Stories like Fay’s both educate and energize our supporters and those of our partners, in Fay’s case The Humane Society of Missouri. The same will be true of other survivor stories that we will be telling in the days ahead.

Survivors like Fay symbolize the very reason for our nonstop efforts to strengthen laws against animal fighting and cruelty. In fact, Faye’s rescue would not have happened if it weren’t for the laws we had worked so hard to get passed over the years making dogfighting a serious federal crime.

Fay is a particularly remarkable dog among the thousands we help rescue every year. Because of her special needs, and the fact that she has touched so many lives – from those special souls who have cared for her along the way, to those who have never met her but have been so touched by her story — The HSUS will pay $5,000 to cover Faye’s veterinary expenses. And a special thanks to Gale, who has cared for Fay and will continue to do so. The Mutts and Stuff rescue website is http://www.muttsandstuff.com/detail.php?aid=620 incase you are interested in checking it out as well.

Best
Sarah

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 4:42 pm

I think this is called locking the barn door after the horse got out. When Gale emails PetConnection that she has the check from HSUS in hand, then I will believe this PR nonsense. Pass the popcorn, please.

Comment by Anne T — December 4, 2009 @ 4:50 pm

I wish for Fay’s sake the present position of HSUS has some substance and is more than hot air damage control. This organization (HSUS) truly is accountable and their fund raising reputation is at stake.

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 4, 2009 @ 4:56 pm

Sarah can bail pretty darn fast. It would be nice if that response sounded more like a real human had written it rather than one of their PR flacks.
Gag me with a Milkbone.

Comment by Susan Fox — December 4, 2009 @ 5:26 pm

HSUS needs to do more than just be honest with their donors. The need to change some of their policies and the actions that result from their policies. While there’s some tiny indication that they may have changed their views on MSN, they need to make that clear and public. They must not only stop supporting new MSN legislation they must actively oppose it. Further they must help to overturn the MSN legislation they have already helped pass. They are partly responsible for the mess MSN laws have created. They need to help clean up. Until then, I will not believe anything they say or support them in any way.

Comment by Grahund — December 4, 2009 @ 5:30 pm

oh I’m sure HSUS will come up with the $5k and it’s certainly better than nothing. If anyone believes they would have done this without the public uproar… well as they say, I have a bridge…

And that still leaves the care for hundreds of other dogs from this bust solely on the shoulders, and purses, of small local groups.

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 5:31 pm

And also: considering MnS is a small organization and hasn’t seen one dime from HSUS, it’s perfectly proper for them still to have requests for help up on their website, so I’m baffled that some people are jumping on their case for not changing it yet. Whereas some are cutting HSUS a degree of slack they have no-way earned. I don’t see any changes in Pacelle’s blog on this subject, and he’s certainly got staff members who could do it in an instance. And when I hear about a new email from HSUS correcting their previous one which deliberately, and falsely, gives the impression that it was involved in the care for these dogs, then I’ll believe this is some kind of change. Which of course it isn’t, it’s just a cheap way to cover their butts and calm the bloggers (who aren’t their supporters, anyway). They’re not raising money to help for the care of dogs, but for more publicity grabbing stunts which “rescue” some animals only to dump them on local groups to care for. They aren’t going to change their fundraising pitches. They don’t even understand why this email was so egregiously bad.

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 5:59 pm

You miss my point, Emily, which is that the HSUS Twitter announcement came AFTER all the criticism of their fund-raising pitch. The HSUS didn’t acknowledge a problem with that pitch, and they sure aren’t saying that they screwed up — although their actions suggest they now think so, too.

THAT’S why I pointed to the MnS Web site, to point out that the HSUS decision to help with Fay (not Faye) is apparently news to the people who actually HAVE BEEN helping her.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 6:19 pm

NESR is facing some rather daunting vet bills for Operation New Beginnings dogs who are in foster — some of whom haven’t been adopted in part because of their need for expensive orthopedic surgery, some of it directly related to their abuse.

“Rescue” is not rolling in with trucks and catch-poles and teevee cameras and removing animals. That’s a seizure. It’s a law enforcement action, and the animals are evidence.

Rescue is the months and years of hard work every single day, after the cameras leave, to rehabilitate every animal and give him a normal life. Rescue is the entire process of making the animal whole and giving him a normal life.

HSUS was right there on seizure day.

They did provide one transport of ten dogs to Missouri.

Now?

HSUS, how about showing some love for Copper and Charlie and Tracker and …

Or is the fundraising largesse only for fight bust dogs who are currently leading the headlines?

Comment by H. Houlahan — December 4, 2009 @ 6:56 pm

I do not know who Donna is but she is wrong. That is NOT footage by HSMo, it was not blessed by HSMo and please get your facts correct before stating falsehoods. The footage by HSUS, not HSMo. As you remember, HSUS was showing pictures of the dogs BEFORE the dogs were released.

Excuse me, but I have not received one dime from HSUS. So yes, I am still fundraising for Fay until I actually see money. Besides, her two surgeries cost 5,000. We have more surgery to go. I guess you all know something that I do not.

Besides, who is going to foot the bill for the babesia dogs? Heartworm treatment? Hip repair that Our Pack will have to foot the bill? I believe that Our Pack, New Hope Pit Bull Rescue and many other wonderful groups would love to have assistance too while helping the bust dogs.

Please keep in mind I just talked to HSUS at work today and I am not changing my website while at work because of a promise of money. Sigh. Please at least let me have money in hand before I make that type of change. All of the donations go to the dogs. We do not have paid staff like HSUS, HSMO or Bad Rap or other organizations. We are all volunteers and try to do the best we can for the dogs. It is about the dogs and our mission is to give each dog from the bust we take the best care possible. Is this a crime?.

Comment by Gale — December 4, 2009 @ 7:05 pm

“All of the donations go to the dogs.”

HEAR, HEAR, Gale! Bravo.

Comment by Glenye Oakford — December 4, 2009 @ 7:10 pm

ok Gina, I did miss your point, because it sounded like you were criticizing MnS for not moving fast enough as opposed to criticizing HSUS for not informing MnS first.

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009 @ 7:11 pm

ok Gina, I did miss your point, because it sounded like you were criticizing MnS for not moving fast enough as opposed to criticizing HSUS for not informing MnS first.

Comment by EmilyS — December 4, 2009

I was pointing out that the HSUS was engaged in some rather hasty ass-covering, and I was grabbing the screen shots before they stopped tripping over their pants.

Gale … please keep us posted. :)

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 7:20 pm

I would say, cynic that I am—wait for the check to clear. Talk is cheap.

Snoopys Friend, Muttsandstuff is asking for donations for dogs they are actually taking care of, and have actually already spent a lot of money on. HSUS has been doing a lot of fundraising on the backs of these dogs, and in particular Fay (and didn’t even get her name right), and is only now promising to cough up $5000.00. I don’t know why you would expect Muttsandstuff to stop asking for donations for Fay and the rest of the dogs at all—much less do so before they even have the HSUS money in hand.

Comment by Lis — December 4, 2009 @ 7:23 pm

I’m with you Lis. Good Luck Gale and Fay. I’m with a group with our own recent local collection of fight-bust dogs and their potential medical bills are staggering. We have asked for help from the big names…and got nothing. Our local HS has been AMAZING and overwhelming in their care and work with these dogs for hte last several months…but they got no special funding either. Think Global give local…and make sure you choose rescues and non-profits you can trust to use the money for what you meant it for. We don’t pay our people either, it’s a labor of love with few tangible rewards. But seeing a dog you have sweated cried and laughed over going out and being successful in a forever home keeps us slogging through.

Comment by Juli — December 4, 2009 @ 7:28 pm

Does anyone here believe HSUS would be putting up a single damn penny for this dog if they hadn’t been caught in a lie?

Thanks, Gina!

Comment by LauraL — December 4, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

KCDogBlog, too. Actually, B wrote about it yesterday, but I didn’t notice until I’d posted this morning.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 4, 2009 @ 7:44 pm

Thank you everyone for your support and understanding of the situation. We are a small group and we try very hard to make a difference for pit bulls and right now my focus in on the bust dogs.

I have spent every weekend at the secret location since July. I feel lucky to have met wonderful volunteers from organizations across our nation who came to help our Missouri/Illinois dogs. I feel lucky to have met such wonderful dogs and been deeply touched by the resilience of this wonderful breed after suffering such horrors by mankind.

I met several very special dogs that took away my breath, cried seeing the horrors they went through, and then there was Fay. I see she has also captured the heart of people across the US who met her through the internet. My intentions are pure and my goal is to give Fay the vet care she needs and eventually find her her forever home.

Comment by Gale — December 4, 2009 @ 8:04 pm

I’m normally pretty good at math, but I have to admit that, I’m pretty much stumped by this one: $20.10 (66 cents a day, as they say) will help “thousands of animals like Faye not just survive, but thrive in the new year”. Now, I know that kind of financial magic just isn’t possible, so they must mean that the $1M goal will help “thousands of animals like Faye…” Fay needs $5000 in surgery alone, not counting other expenses like food, toys, training, etc. When I divide $1M by $5000, I get 200, not “thousands”. Maybe these “thousands” aren’t as badly injured as her, and are therefore less costly to save and not glamorous enough for a snazzy fundraiser, but I’m still left wondering where and who they are. I’m also left thinking that HSUS owes MnS a good bit more than five grand.

Comment by Valerie — December 4, 2009 @ 9:26 pm

Ok, so H$U$ pays $5,000 for Fay. Are they going to return all donations after five grand? That’s not gonna happen. So where is the rest of the money going that Fay raised for them?

Comment by Paula — December 4, 2009 @ 10:15 pm

Gina, your point was well taken in consideration and I did update our site. My apologies for not staying on top of things but wow…its been one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Gina, I agree, that HSUS was very helpful in assisting HSMO with the bust of over 400 dogs. What an undertaking and to see to organization joining for one common cause was awesome. HSUS also assisted in the first four weeks helping HSMO to take care of the dogs, setting up the temporary shelter, and afterward, their volunteers came on their own time and helped care for the dogs.

Sad regarding the Fay issue. I will never know the true reason behind the fundraiser but I do know how I felt. I was sad, angry, and just beside myself. I give credit to HSUS for contacting me today to work out an agreement.

Lets leave this on a positive and hope one day we can all work together to save the animals. They need us to change our species so they are no longer abused.

Comment by Gale — December 4, 2009 @ 10:43 pm

Had a nice Twitter convo w/ @SarahHSUS - they’re not ready to admit they should’ve been in touch before now (Fay was rescued in July), but say they apologized to Gale today and will be in touch to cover costs for her surgeries. So, good.

Comment by LauraL — December 4, 2009 @ 11:14 pm

HSUS did apologize to me by three different people. I look upon that as a positive step for change and encouragement that HSUS is stepping the the right direction. We will always have differences with large organizations and the bloggers will be their watch dogs.

Thanks everyone for watching out for Fay.

Comment by gale — December 5, 2009 @ 6:54 am

If they had not been caught out on their lies, Fay would not be getting help. This is still a sleazy organization based on lies and double-talk. They may ‘say’ they don’t advocate mandatory spay/neuter, but that is still required for their agenda to remove our pets from our ownership and use. I don’t believe anything they say. Wonder how much money they ALREADY made on their plea. I would bet it is much more than what poor Fay needs. They cannot be trusted. Maybe if we challenged them more often, the animals might get real help.

Comment by Mary — December 5, 2009 @ 7:37 am

They may ‘say’ they don’t advocate mandatory spay/neuter, but that is still required for their agenda to remove our pets from our ownership and use.

Comment by Mary — December 5, 2009

And your proof of this is?

The HSUS is NOT a supporter of current proposed legislation on forced spay-neuter in California. No matter what you’ve been told, it’s a matter of fact. The previous bill, they were a co-sponsor and a financial supporter of the primary group advocating for it. That’s a change of agenda.

They have changed position on countless policies in recent years, some of which are detailed in the above post. In fact, this disingenuous fund-raising piece on Fay (not Faye) is proof of one such change: They used to recommend fight-bust dogs all be killed. Period.

I don’t think the HSUS is “evil” and I don’t think they’re PETA. I know a lot of good people who work for them. But I do think they do a lot of things wrong, and their fund-raising is surely one of those things. That’s why they got called out.

I’m glad they’re now going to help with Fay’s expenses, but it’s not enough: They need to put their experts to work developing model programs to rehab and rehome fight bust and puppy-mill bust dogs. And then, they need to pony up the bucks to help local shelters implement these model programs.

They’ve been a long-time leader in establishing model programs for the shelter industry — programs that were revolutionary at a time when “pounds” routinely drowned, gassed or shot pets in their care.

These once-lauded improvements in the humane handling of pound animals are now institutionalized reality in the shelter industry, and as such are in the way of the building of no-kill communities. The HSUS is reluctantly realizing this, and changing course slowly.

I see the potential for more change, but the HSUS is a big organization, and big organizations change very slowly. They’re especially loathe to change things that work when it comes to generating income, which is why gaffes like this fund-raiser are still status quo.

But things have been changing, and will continue to change there. Of this, I have no doubt.

I also have no doubt that had a ruckus not been raised, Fay would never have seen one thin dime of the money.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 5, 2009 @ 8:30 am

http://yesbiscuit.blogspot.com.....moral.html

HSUS is not going to change their fundraising pitch. They don’t have a clue why it’s wrong. They’re going to continue to defraud the public into believing that donations will go to the care of actual dogs.

I shudder at your comment, Gina: “They need to put their experts to work developing model programs to rehab and rehome fight bust and puppy-mill bust dogs.” GOD NO. Please keep them a zillion miles away from fightbust dogs. They have NO record of accomplishment with such dogs, and their recent history is to want to kill them (and they’ve never actually disavowed their past.. just disappeared it when they signed on to the new policy. Funny, we’re demanding more of Vick in the way of apology than we are from HSUS).

We already have several models, including BadRap, OurPack, Best Friends and of course the older rescuers like Villalobos and Spindletop who have been saving pit bulls for 15-20 years. At bottom, these dogs are no different from any other abused/badly socialized dogs. What they need is not HSUS but help for people willing to understand and treat them as the dogs they are.

I do however agree with this: “they need to pony up the bucks to help local shelters”.

HSUS OWES IT to the hundreds of innocent victims whose deaths they have advocated for to prove that they have changed. Prove the change first, with money they have already fraudulently raised.

Right now it looks like they’re going to get away with their current fraud for a measly $5k donation for the care for just one of hundreds of the Missouri bust dogs.

Comment by EmilyS — December 5, 2009 @ 8:49 am

Gina, your blog was seen by HSUS and they responded. The reason they contacted me regarding Fay and want to assist is because of you. Thank you from Fay Big wet toothy kisses coming your way

Comment by gale — December 5, 2009 @ 12:48 pm

http://www.hsus.org/press_and_.....73008.html
They think Mandatory Spay/Neuter is not mandatory if they allow exemptions. Really, what chance does a person who just says I don’t WANT to put my dog under anesthesia and surgery have of getting that exemption? If you have to come up with an excuse for not having to do it, it is still MANDATORY!

Comment by Mary — December 5, 2009 @ 2:51 pm

Mary, that press release is dated July 30, 2008. More than a year old. HSUS did support the Chicago ordinance. They are not supporting the current MSN proposed legislation in California.

Their position has changed, not enough, but it has changed.

Comment by Lis — December 5, 2009 @ 3:13 pm

Well, two cheers for Gina Spadafori…she still thinks that HSUS ix capable of doing good deeds! She thinks there is a need for “animal advocacy” groups such as HSUS. She may think that it’s okay for HSUS top use professional fundraising groups that turn over as little as 10% to 20% of the monies raised to the group in whose name it was raised.

HSUS has now bee goaded into raising money to “send $5,000” to the group paying for Fay. If $10,000 is raised, or $100,000 or a %1,000,000 or more, will it all go to Mutts and Stuff, or only the $5,000 estimated to be needed for plastic surgery for Fay?

Comment by Sheila in NJ — December 5, 2009 @ 3:16 pm

We are against forced spay-neuter here, unequivocally so. (Search the blog if you don’t believe us.)

But that’s not the point. The point is that the HSUS has backed off its support of these measures. Lis is right: “Not supporting” is not the same as “opposed.” But it’s a start.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 5, 2009 @ 3:53 pm

She may think that it’s okay for HSUS top use professional fundraising groups that turn over as little as 10% to 20% of the monies raised to the group in whose name it was raised.

Comment by Sheila in NJ — December 5, 2009

She doesn’t. But thanks for asking.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 5, 2009 @ 3:58 pm

The HSUS has made a bad habit of taking credit for the hard work of smaller rescue groups. When I was in Oakland, I recall reading a San Francisco Chronicle article wherein Wayne Pacelle promoted his pro-Vick stance. He used a photo of Teddles, a Vick dog rescued and fostered by Bad Rap, with absolutely no mention of Bad Rap anywhere. I just figure out whose doing the real rescue work, and give my $$ to them. HSUS never gets a cent from me.

Comment by Kirsten — December 5, 2009 @ 5:18 pm

I find it interesting that Our Pack, Best Friends and other groups have Vick dogs…and only Bad Rap is mentioned. Please, other groups have done wonders with the Vick dogs. Leo and Ray are CGC….Leo is also a therapy dog. Please include these groups in future posts….it is not all about Bad Rap

Comment by gale — December 5, 2009 @ 9:17 pm

Why does it ALWAYS take a public outcry to make HSUS do the “right” thing? I do not believe for one minute that they are truly changing any of their philosophical viewpoints or how they want to do business. If they were sincere, then they would not continue to do this kind of crap over and over and over again, then saying, “Oh gee gosh, we REALLY MEANT to do the right thing, really, honest….” Yeah, right? They will never convince me that they don’t have as their ultimate goal the elimination of pets. They don’t show any remorse for anything unless someone calls them on the carpet. Sorry, they are no better than a two bit crook who is only sorry he got caught, not sorry for what he did.

Comment by dogsofcourse — December 5, 2009 @ 10:26 pm

Gale, we mention Our Pack and BF here all the time, as well as Bad Rap. Check out our pit bull category.

Comment by Christie Keith — December 6, 2009 @ 12:16 am

Ouch .. Ohh.. Ouch.. the words heard from Wayne Pacellis lips ( at least he has some) as he is FORCED to give up $5,000 of his coffers of gold to remedy his “Oh shi* caught again.. thought you little old ladies might not notice.”shameless campaign for dollars for deception campaign…
JP Goodwin as an “expert” on dog fighting bust dogs??? surely you cannot support this..he has called for the KILLING of thousands of dogs in his tenure at the HSUS and he has been listened to.. hence the KILLING of PUPPIES as young as six weeks old.. because the “expert” thought they might grow up to be “killers”.. that’s JP Goodwin folks… “expert on dog fighting for the HSUS
Friends Don’t Let Friends Donate a SINGLE DIME to the HSUS

Comment by bestuvall — December 6, 2009 @ 12:35 am

“For the record, some of the lower level HSUS people worked hard not only to make sure dogs outside of the STL media blitz were not forgotten, but to secure a small* amount of financial assistance for the vetcare for some of the more hard luck cases we took in from this bust.

Upper (HSUS) management later vetoed our request for funds to cover expenses incurred with evaluating, organizing rescue efforts, travel and transport of the dogs to safe havens, citing the fact that they “didn’t want to set a precedent.” precedent-changing fund raising campaign.”

I would rather STARVE than work for an organization like this…

Comment by bestuvall — December 6, 2009 @ 12:40 am

if you cannot stand your employers HEAT.. get out of their kitchen and thir paycheck….. if I sold Fords and they had a brake failure or some other wildly mismanaged agenda. should I say.. well I am only concerned with the Fords sold in California.. come on Gina.. let Fearing speak…if she has anything to say….

Comment by bestuvall — December 6, 2009 @ 12:53 am

I’m not stopping anyone from speaking, aside from the trolls.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 6, 2009 @ 7:36 am

undoubtedly one of the most shudder-inducing aspect of the HSUS pitch is the touting of Goodwin as a fight dog expert. Indeed, as bestuvall notes, Goodwin’s expertise is confined to demanding that they be killed. Has he ever trained, owned, rehabilitated a single pit bull?

We demanded apologies from Vick; we demanded that he understand the nature of his crime. When he refuses, we picket his place of business and call for boycotts.

Goodwin killed more dogs than Vick ever did (though not with his own hands… does that make him clean?) .. he owes them at least as much as Vick does.

HSUS is changing? How can it, when the SAME PEOPLE are running their programs.

Comment by EmilyS — December 6, 2009 @ 8:54 am

This is yet one more example of the HSUS using misleading advertising tactics. They could care less about the $5000 they’ll have to give up; they probably generated a thousand times that. They never do the right thing unless they are FORCED TO. Why should ANYONE support a group that has to be forced to do the right thing? Aren’t there enough other groups out there that do the right thing without having to be told what that is??

Comment by LisaS — December 6, 2009 @ 11:38 am

Nathan Winograd weighs in this matter on his blog: A must-read post.

Comment by Gina Spadafori — December 6, 2009 @ 3:13 pm

I was unaware of the depth of the fund-raising deceit practiced by the HSUS. I am appalled.

Until I see clear evidence of changed fund-raising policies - specifically, transparency into: who the money actually benefits, what activities the HSUS actually performed, and clear delineation between HSUS and local shelter and rescue organizations - the HSUS will not be getting any further funding from me.

Comment by A.C. — December 6, 2009 @ 6:35 pm

If the leopard of HSUS really wanted to change it’s spots and work to better the lives of the animals it alleges to rescue, it would make both Wayne Pacelle and J.P. Goodwin redundant as the Brits say. While the bloggers here may believe that the HSUS organization is undergoing a change from within, I see it only as camouflage. Whatever is expedient works if it defrays the outrage of the monkeys in the trees. I lie quietly in the leaf litter, blending in with my spots, and then they’ll forget I’m here along with my agenda.

Comment by Anne T — December 6, 2009 @ 8:58 pm

The HSUS should be paying for the “entire” cost to rehab Fay - if the HSUS is going to use Fay (and the other three dogs) in their fund raising campaign, then the HSUS is morally responsible to foot the entire rehab of this (these) dogs.

The practice by the HSUS of raising money with sad stories and sending out e-mails patting themselves on the back is not good enough - while they profit from Fay’s plight and do little to truly help that (those) poor dog(s).

If $5,000 help by HSUS to Gail will not cover Fay’s medical expenses - then the HSUS needs to offer more money - whatever it takes to make Fay better.

Comment by Snoopys Friend — December 7, 2009 @ 10:33 am

RE: #78 Comment by Anne T - “I lie quietly in the leaf litter, blending in with my spots, and then they’ll forget I’m here along with my agenda”

That says it all from my perspective…and thanks for the excellent reporting Gina.

Comment by mary frances — December 7, 2009 @ 12:27 pm

HSUS is evil, they lie and they are greedy. Can’t cut them any slack they claim they are representing the animal community. They do not speak for me !!! They do however cause me to use up much of my limited time trying to contradict their lies, greedy actions and their lobbying and legislatiion done in my name. They have over the years taken so much money from other animal concerns it is a sin. Them tryimg to steal from
Gale, Fay and Muttss-n-Suff is just business as usual for them they just got caught at it for once and called on the carpet. How dishonest of them. They do the same things with others work product as well.
They are a very un-forward thinking org but are very happy to co-op others efforts. Phissssssssssss !!!!

Comment by Mean HeadKitty — December 7, 2009 @ 2:57 pm

In 2008, HSUS ran a multi-state telemarketing campaign that grossed $1,950,521. Their for-profit fundraising consultant, which made the calls, kept 94.7% of those contributions (Source: Pennies for Charity 2009, NYS Attorney General). What utter contempt the HSUS has for its donors.
The evil Faye scam is even worse than it appears, since the ($1 million by the end of 2009) fundraising goal is just the beginning. JP Goodwin’s pitch seeks MONTHLY donations of $20.10. The letter went out to their entire e-mail list of well over a million people so the scheme will pour money into HSUS (and siphon off a fortune from the legitimate animal welfare community) indefinitely.

Comment by sara — December 8, 2009 @ 5:25 pm

AR Animal Shelter Accused of Abuse

2009-12-08T21:21:00.001-06:00

Updated: Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009, 9:25 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009, 9:25 PM CDT

Melissa
Scheffler

Forrest City, Ark. - A disturbing You Tube video shows sad conditions and sick dogs at an animal shelter in Forrest City, Arkansas. The local Humane Society says it’s behind the video.

Forrest City Humane Society volunteer Gay Schwartz is one of the video’s producers. She says volunteers shot it inside the city animal shelter this summer, “It was to document and enable us to present to the public what we’re seeing here.”

Volunteer Janie Hicks says the conditions and sick dogs just scratch the surface, “There are maggots in the video where the dogs were thrown without being bagged.”

The Humane Society Volunteers say the city isn’t doing its job at the shelter.

When Fox 13 stopped by on Tuesday, volunteers showed us rodent droppings that even covered a fax machine. Many dogs had empty water bowls. Animal Control Director Roy Hamilton showed up and filled the bowls.

Mayor Gordon McCoy also paid a visit while our crew was inside. He had watched the video too, “That’s what it’s designed for, to stir up emotion in people. I tell people, come and see for yourself.”

The Mayor supports the Animal Control Director and the job he’s doing in the shelter, but doesn’t stand behind the awkward relationship with the Humane Society.

The city shelter was built on land donated to the Humane Society, so both are staking claim in the facility. Mayor McCoy says, “It’s a bad marriage and we have to separate ourselves at some point in time.” In the event of a separation, a judge will decided who owns what.

Some city council members say that if a judge decides that the city owns everything, they will ask the Humane Society to leave the facility.

http://www.fcahumane.org/

Michael Vick says he wants another dog, denies having electrocuted pit bulls at Bad Newz Kennels

2009-12-08T21:19:00.001-06:00

December 1, 2009

-- Lindsay Barnett

At a speaking engagement at a Boys and Girls Club in Newark, N.J., NFL star and convicted dogfighter Michael Vick said he wished he could have a dog again "more than anything in the world."

According to NBC New York, Vick told the assembled school-age children that he hopes to one day own another dog -- he's currently legally prohibited from doing so -- but that whether he'll be able to is "up to my judge at his discretion."

Interestingly, Vick declined an offer by BAD RAP, the Oakland-based rescue group that has worked to rehabilitate 10 of the dogs seized from his Bad Newz Kennels, to see the dogs when his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, played the Oakland Raiders in October.

During the Boys and Girls Club appearance -- which was arranged by the Humane Society of the United States, the group with which Vick has formed an unorthodox partnership on its anti-dogfighting campaign -- Vick also answered questions from the children about the Bad Newz operation and his part in it, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports.

"Everything you read and everything you heard was true -- except for the electrocution," he said, referring to the widely repeated accusation that he electrocuted dogs that didn't perform well as fighters. "That never happened." (He didn't attempt to discredit reports of his involvement in other instances of animal cruelty at Bad Newz.)

When the partnership between Vick and the Humane Society was announced in May, even Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle said he couldn't be certain that the NFL star had noble intentions in working to combat dogfighting after his release from prison.

"I sat with the man, but I still don’t know what’s in his heart," Pacelle wrote on his blog. "He told me he did terrible things to dogs. He said he grew up with dogfighting as a boy, and that he never sufficiently questioned it as he grew into manhood.... He said this experience has been a trauma, and he’s changed forever. And he said he wants to show the American public that he is committed to helping combat this problem. He asked for an opportunity to help. I want to give him that opportunity."

Since his release from prison, Vick has made a number of appearances alongside Pacelle, advising young people to make good choices and avoid the pitfalls of peer pressure. Though he's referred to himself as "an animal rights advocate," the dogs he abused have rarely received more than a passing mention.

Marion advances animal shelter

2009-11-28T21:27:00.000-06:00

By Ryan Lewis

Correspondent

JASPER, Tenn. -- The process has begun for the creation of an animal shelter in Marion County.

County commissioners this week approved a resolution that would allow the county to create an animal shelter to provide for the collection and care of stray animals.

The facility will be contained within a donated chicken coop.

According to the resolution, the Marion County Sheriff's Office would handle the management of the facility, while the county would be responsible for utilities and any improvements needed for the existing building.

The shelter will be funded almost totally through donations, and the sheriff's office would manage the donated funds for the facility and equipment.

"We've had all kinds of people who say they'll make donations to it if we get it started," Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnett said. "This resolution will get the process started, so we can start getting in contact with some of those people."

Sponsors hope the shelter would help end problems with stray and abandoned animals in Marion County.

Commissioners moved cautiously before voting on the issue. They were concerned that the project would result in another financial drain on the county.

"I don't want to spend a whole bunch of money and it not be successful," Commissioner Thomas Thompson said. "I don't want to pour water on the project, but I don't want to get shot in the foot either."

Other than utilities and minor upgrades, the resolution stipulates that the county will not be liable for any other problems that may occur.

"We hope to raise enough money to hire someone part-time to look after it," Sheriff Burnett said. "But we're on the ground floor right now. We're just getting this started."

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.

Puppies’ worst nightmare over The Butte Humane Society has taken in 11 pit bulls rescued from the largest dog-fighting raid in U.S. history

2009-11-20T21:12:00.001-06:00

By Meredith J. Cooper
meredithc@newsreview.com

Pit bulls are a strange breed. On the one hand, they can be loving, loyal family pets. On the other, they can be vicious, fighting machines. So how can you tell the difference? According to Heather Schoeppach, executive director of the Butte Humane Society, it’s mostly about responsible owners.

BHS recently took in 11 pit-bull terriers from the Humane Society of Missouri, which was holding nearly 500 of the dogs retrieved in the largest dog-fighting raid in United States history. All of those rescued went through thorough temperament testing, Schoeppach said. Eight of the 11 the BHS received are puppies, ages 3 to 5 months. The others are 11 months to 2 years old.

Watching Schoeppach hold and play with Blueberry, a 3-month-old blue pit bull she’s taken into foster care, the pit bull seems like any other puppy. Her arms are gangly, she offers big licks readily and is in the process of being potty trained. Blueberry actually was born after the raid, which occurred at the beginning of July. Others, like 5-month-old Orbit, show signs of abuse.

“We think Orbit was a bait dog because of her scars,” Schoeppach said. She would have been barely a month old when the raid occurred.

Many of the dogs seized in the raids were badly maimed, some of them missing noses, eyes, even limbs. Others suffered severe infections due to lack of medical care. There were also stories of unfit fighters being shot in the head and burned in trash cans. The raid spanned five states and resulted in at least 26 arrests. Many of those indicted have pleaded guilty.

About 100 puppies were born between July and last week, when the Missouri shelter started shipping dogs to various rescue spots across the United States.

Currently the local shelter has placed each of the pit bulls in a foster home. Blueberry is Schoeppach’s foster baby, and she expects her boyfriend will adopt him after the mandatory six-week foster program.

“The foster period is aimed to allow them to acclimate to living in a household,” Schoeppach said from her office.

Schoeppach, who at 29 is young for an executive director, is hopeful that this unfortunate event—the raid—will bring more awareness not only of dog-fighting rings and the abuse that occurs there, but also to the pit-bull breed.

“We want to encourage people to begin understanding pit bulls and not be afraid of them,” she said. “It’s true pit bulls have certain tendencies—they’re strong and can be overwhelming to smaller animals or children. But they also used to be known as ‘nanny dogs’ because they were good at taking care of little kids.”

As Schoeppach spoke passionately about Blueberry and her compatriots, it was hard not to notice the impressively upgraded office she was sitting in. During previous visits to the Fair Street shelter, interviews had been held in a trailer, which she shared with other BHS workers.

“We moved here in September,” she said. The office, which includes space for other employees as well as a meeting room and break room, are located just across the street from the crowded shelter. It’s Schoeppach’s wish that the entire operation will someday move to where the old Grocery Outlet building stands on East Park Avenue, just a hop, skip and a jump from where the shelter now stands.

At the moment, however, BHS doesn’t have the cash to buy the place. What could work—and it would be up to the city, she stressed—is if Waste Management, which has been eyeing the shelter’s current location, fronts them the money and then in a sort of trade gets the Fair Street lot, which is adjacent to its own facility.

In the meantime, the shelter also is looking into taking over the space vacated by the emergency veterinary clinic on Skyway to open up a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.

“The startup is the hard part,” Schoeppach said. “But it would directly impact the number of animals we have here. Plus, it would benefit us as well as we wouldn’t have to contract out for those services.”

The money the shelter won from the Zootoo contest is essentially gone, she said. It went mostly into upgrading equipment, from buying new industrial washers and dryers to repairing the vans to getting walkie-talkies so staff can communicate from one end of the shelter to the other.

As for the shelter’s newest inhabitants—actually, they won’t be on site for another five weeks—Schoeppach fully expects all of them to be adoptable and desirable pets. When it comes down to it, it’s all about the owner, she emphasized. These dogs are playful but strong, and knowing how to train and deal with pit bulls is an important part of owning one.

The idea that pit bulls are inherently dangerous miffs Schoeppach, but data from Animal People magazine do show that pit bulls are the “deadliest dogs,” responsible for 50 percent of attacks on humans, 46 percent of maimings and 41 percent of dog-attack-related deaths between 1982 and 2006.

“Pit bulls seem to differ behaviorally from other dogs in having far less inhibition about attacking people who are larger than they are,” the report reads. “They are also notorious for attacking seemingly without warning.”

One of the shelter’s staff members is working on training people who come in to adopt, to show them how to handle the responsibilities of pet ownership. This can be especially crucial to those who adopt pit bulls, as the aforementioned data show. Whoever does adopt the pit bulls from the Missouri rescue will be required, by federal law, to offer updates on the dogs’ statuses for up to two years.

“They want to show that they turned out fine,” Schoeppach said, stroking Blueberry’s back as she slept in her arms.

Skeldon says he will step down Dec. 31, but Konop wants him dismissed immediately.........WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-20T20:12:00.001-06:00

Article published November 19, 2009
EMBATTLED LUCAS COUNTY DOG WARDEN

BLADE STAFF

Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Jan. 31, but Commissioner Ben Konop wants the warden to leave his office immediately.

"I am not comfortable with him as our dog warden for even another day," Mr. Konop announced at a Thursday afternoon news conference.

The commissioner, a vocal critic of the warden, commended Mr. Skeldon for "having the courage" to step aside but said he plans to introduce a motion at Tuesday's commissioners' meeting for his immediate dismissal.

If that motion fails, Mr. Konop said he will then seek the warden's suspension until his retirement date.

Mr. Konop's news conference came in response to an early morning announcement from Pete Gerken, president of the Lucas County Board of Commissioners, who said Mr. Skeldon intends to take advantage of his accrued vacation time, making Dec. 31 his last day in the office.

Mr. Gerken also said he will ask the county's administration to appoint Bonnie Mitchell, the current dog pound manager, as the interim dog warden while a search takes place.

Mr. Konop objected to both ideas.

"I don't think Mr. Gerken has earned the right to dictate the terms of replacing Mr. Skeldon, as it was he and Tina Skeldon Wozniak — Mr. Skeldon's first cousin — who consistently stood in the way of real change in the dog warden's office."

News of Mr. Skeldon's resignation spread fast through animal control and rescue circles. Barb Knapp, president of the president of the Ohio County Dog Wardens' Association, said she and dog wardens across the state were saddened to learn of Mr. Skeldon's unexpected departure.

"It's a sad day for the dog warden's profession in Ohio," said Ms. Knapp, who is dog warden of Erie County. "We lost a very valued and experienced person who succumbed to the pressure of the media and personal vendettas."

From previous editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com

Skeldon to retire Jan. 31, 2010

Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Jan. 31, Pete Gerken, president of the Lucas County Board of Commissioners announced Thursday morning.

Commissioner Gerken shared the letter with his colleagues Thursday morning.

According to Mr. Gerken, Skeldon intends to take advantage of his accrued vacation time, making Dec. 31 his last day in the office.

"I'd like to publicly recognize Tom Skeldon's 20+ years as dog warden," Mr. Gerken said in a statement. "He has served over 10 different commissioners in a very difficult position and I wish him well in his retirement."

RELATED CONTENT
VIEW: Tom Skeldon's resignation letter: Nov. 19, 2009

Mr. Gerken said he will propose to his colleagues that a search committee be formed to find the next leader for this important county office.

"Each commissioner will have the opportunity to appoint one member to this search committee, which will be supported by the commissioners' Human Resources department," said Mr. Gerken.

Mr. Gerken also said he will ask the county's administration to appoint Bonnie Mitchell, the current dog pound manager, as the interim dog warden while a search takes place.

The story as it appeared in earlier editions of The Blade and toledoblade.com:

Skeldon stops puppy kills; warden won't halt euthanizing pit bulls
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon claims to have stopped killing all but the sickest puppies in his pound, but will continue to put down “pit bulls,” young and old, a member of the warden oversight committee said yesterday.

“No puppies, other than pit bulls, are being put down without consultation from a veterinarian,” said Dale Emch of the county's 11-seat Dog Warden Advisory Committee, who spoke with the warden yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Skeldon's moratorium marks a change from his practices, which according to a records review announced yesterday by Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, resulted in the killings of 183 apparently healthy and “non-pit bull” puppies from January, 2007, through the end of last month.

A time-out from killing healthy puppies under 3 months of age was one of three endorsed recommendations made last week by the dog warden committee. While the county commissioners have not formally received or acted on those suggestions, two committee members met with Mr. Skeldon on Friday to discuss the measures.

Mr. Skeldon, who did not return a message seeking comment yesterday, has said he tries to adopt out every dog of good temperament and health that his staff deems adoptable.

Rob Ludeman, a Toledo City Councilman-elect and a member of the dog-warden committee, said that when he and committee chairman Steve Serchuk met last week with Mr. Skeldon, the warden emphasized that “we do kill puppies here who are very, very sick,” and explained that “to not euthanize would not be humane,” to those animals.

RELATED CONTENT
Read: Link to dog pound log: Nov. 19, 2009
But records reviewed by The Blade show the pound killed scores of healthy puppies that weren't “pit bulls” in recent years, raising questions about theseriousness of the warden's adoption pledge.

“The list is plentiful,” Mr. Konop said of the puppies killed at the pound since 2007. “There are dogs in here who had names already. There are dogs who are described as loving and kind and cute — and they were all killed at the Lucas County dog warden.”

Mr. Konop said it was unacceptable for Mr. Skeldon to put down those 183 pups instead of adopting them out. Such actions, he said, lend support to his calls for dismissing Mr. Skeldon from the job.

“It's become clearer and clearer that this is a community embarrassment — it doesn't reflect well on our citizens,” Mr. Konop said. “It really is an issue of decency, frankly, of human decency, and how we treat God's creatures.”

The moratorium recommended by the dog-warden committee would prevent the killing of all puppies that aren't seriously ill or injured, including the “pit bull” breeds of dogs considered inherently vicious under Ohio law.

However, Mr. Skeldon's current moratorium would not protect “pit bulls” from euthanasia. The warden refuses to adopt out any “pit bulls” to people or rescue groups.

John Dinon, executive director of the Toledo Area Humane Society, said the society is willing to take in all healthy puppies Mr. Skeldon gives them. The humane society is the only “all-breed” group the warden will work with, he said.

“We don't have a problem finding homes for puppies — those are the easiest animals to adopt,” Mr. Dinon said. “We don't even temperament-test puppies. … I've not seen a vicious puppy; I've seen a lot of playful puppies.”

As an example of the adoption demand, Mr. Dinon said he went on local television Saturday morning with two Australian Shepherd puppies from a litter of nine.

By the end of the weekend, all nine pups had new homes.

Commissioner Konop said he plans again to raise the issue of reforming the dog warden's office at the commissioners' next meeting on Tuesday. Mr. Konop's motion last week to fire Mr. Skeldon was voted down 2-1 by fellow commissioners Pete Gerken and Tina Skeldon Wozniak.

Ms. Wozniak yesterday reiterated her support for increasing the number of dogs adopted out of the pound and for the work of the advisory committee.

“We believe that more could be done to ensure that all adoptable dogs can find a home,” Ms. Wozniak, a first cousin to the dog warden, said.

“We continue to be very committed on that subject.”

Mr. Gerken did not return a message seeking comment.

Mr. Emch is a Toledo lawyer who writes a monthly legal advice column in The Blade.

Contact JC Reindl at:jreindl@theblade.comor 419-724-6065.

ASPCA Defends Its Handling of Oreo

2009-11-20T20:05:00.000-06:00

posted by: Samer R. 1 day ago

by Ed Sayres

Ed Sayres is the President and CEO of the ASPCA. In this post, he defends the organization's handling of Oreo:

A great deal of misinformation regarding Oreo's euthanasia has been passed around on the Internet -- everything from what time Oreo was euthanized (it was 3 p.m.) to Pets Alive's credentials (they are NOT a member of the Mayor's Alliance). In addition, critics have seized on Oreo's plight as an opportunity to discredit the ASPCA -- which is interesting when you consider that one of our most ardent critics, Camille Hankins, the Director of Win Animal Rights, was convicted of animal cruelty in 1995 when nearly 100 animals were found stuffed into a tiny, filthy trailer that she rented.

While I certainly think all of these issues merit rebuttal, I believe it is critical that we address the questions and concerns regarding our decision not to send Oreo to a sanctuary.

It is first vital to consider the very definition of "animal sanctuary." The mission of animal sanctuaries is generally to be safe havens, where the resident animals are given the opportunity to behave as naturally as possible in a protective environment. Due to the extreme emotional and physical strain Oreo suffered, her living conditions at a sanctuary would have been anything but "natural," and her quality of life would have been poor at best. She would have been forced to live a life of isolation with extremely limited human contact and virtually no animal contact. For an animal that is distinguished by sophisticated social cognition and communication, such an existence could hardly be defined by the word "sanctuary."

Many groups like Pets Alive dispute that this would have been Oreo's fate. But how can that be anything but empty rhetoric when these groups had no access to Oreo or her evaluations? We had our own professional behaviorists, as well as an independent veterinary behaviorist, conduct numerous evaluations, and in our experience, the findings were not consistent with sanctuary placement. We spent five months with Oreo -- day in and day out -- not only evaluating her behavior but trying to rehabilitate her. This is central to the ASPCA's mission. Just since 2003, when I joined the ASPCA, we have rehabilitated over 1,200 animal cruelty victims at a cost of over 5 million dollars. Why would Oreo be any different?

The fact is... she wasn't. Despite the sensational nature of her injuries, she was treated with the same love and respect -- and given the greatest of care and rehabilitation -- that we afford all of our animals. But at the end of the day, and more often than the animal welfare community discusses, we made the most humane decision we could.

There is no "Oreo conspiracy," as some have claimed. This is simply, and tragically, the case of a heartbreaking decision made all the more difficult by the ignorance and hypocrisy of a few.

NDP MPP wants Ontario pit bull ban overturned

2009-11-20T20:03:00.001-06:00

Updated: Wed Nov. 18 2009 3:38:31 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

An NDP MPP has introduced a private member's bill that seeks to repeal the provincial ban on pit bulls.

Cheri DiNovo had some pit bull owners show up at Queen's Park with their muzzled dogs on Wednesday to show support for her effort.

"It's the deed, not the breed," DiNovo told reporters.

Lawyer Clayton Ruby, who has argued unsuccessfully in court against the law, added: "The craziness is in thinking how you can judge a dog's dangerousness by how he looks."

Premier Dalton McGuinty disagreed, saying, "It's about public safety. We got the best advice we could, and put in place legislation which we think upholds public safety. "

In a news release issued Tuesday, DiNovo said: "In the four years since the legislation passed, fatal dog attacks have gone up in Ontario although they're still extremely rare.

"In none of the reported cases have there been attacks involving pit bulls," she added.

DiNovo didn't give specific numbers.

Breed-specific legislation has been repealed in countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden, she said.

In an October 2008 decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld the province's Dog Owners' Liability Act, passed in 2005, that banned the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls.

"The total ban on pit bulls is not `arbitrary' or `grossly disproportionate' in light of the evidence that pit bulls have a tendency to be unpredictable and that even apparently docile pit bulls may attack without warning or provocation," the judges said in their decision.

"This evidence of unpredictability provided the legislature with a sufficient basis to conclude that the protection of public safety required no less drastic measures than a total ban on pit bulls."

Ruby wanted to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, but the court refused to hear the case.

With the Liberals holding the majority of seats in Ontario's legislature, DiNovo's bill is unlikely to pass.

Tommy, the dog found in the trash, is now a 'fat little man'

2009-11-20T19:58:00.002-06:00

BY MARIA BARAN - News-Democrat

Contact reporter Maria Baran at mbaran@bnd.com or 239-2460.

He's gained 17 pounds, he loves to jump up on visitors and he chews through three toys a day. Soon, he'll move to a new home.

Tommy, a young pit bull that was rescued from the trash last month in Cahokia, continues to recover at Club Paws doggy day care in Alton.

"He's a fat little man, now," said Jackie Spiker, of Hope Animal Rescues Inc., a no-kill shelter in Madison County.

The abused puppy has come a long way since Oct. 29 when a trash collector found him emaciated and injured in a trash can. The dog had an electrical cord embedded in his neck, his body was covered with bruises and burns and he weighed only 30 pounds -- 15 to 20 pounds less than a healthy dog his size.

Tommy's former owner Tracia Johnson was charged with three misdemeanors for cruel treatment to animals and violating animal owner's duties. The 34-year-old, of 503 Mildred Ave. in Cahokia, is scheduled for a court appearance Jan. 20.

After Tommy's rescue and a surgery to remove the cord from his neck, 47 people applied to adopt the dog.

The field has been narrowed to one home that Tommy may move into next month: A Lenzburg couple who live on five acres and offer their two other pooches doggy-door access to a half-acre, fenced yard.

"They have a beautiful home, set up geared toward their pets," Spiker said. "They are a childless couple and their dogs are their kids. That would be a perfect home for him."

Before he can be adopted, Tommy faces one more possible surgery to make sure the skin on his neck heals properly.

Rescuers first thought Tommy was a 1-year-old mix between a pit bull and a lab. Now, they think he may be a 9- to 10-month-old pit bull.

Despite the abuse he suffered, Tommy is able to play with other dogs and loves attention. "He is a little rambunctious because he doesn't know how to play, and he is a puppy," Spiker said.

Tommy often pounces on other dogs at the doggy day care. "And they get a little mad at him and he has to go into time out. He is a brat," she said of the playful pup.

"He does know what a toy is now. He has several," she said.

Donations from the community provided for Tommy's toys, veterinarian and grooming bills, food, leash, harness and bed. Plus, the shelter was able to purchase toys for all of the other dogs.

Cahokia Police Lt. James Jones, who helped rescue Tommy, offered to visit the homes of potential owners to help the puppy find the right fit.

"I know the dog has been through a lot of trauma and is looking for a happy home," Jones said. "An animal like that, with such abuse, the end result is to make sure he's comfortable."

The Faces of a Denver Dog Death

2009-11-17T15:36:00.001-06:00

A little boy's BSL Poem- FUzupf

2009-11-17T15:22:00.001-06:00

Colleen Lynn

2009-11-17T15:18:00.000-06:00

Guest commentary: A cruel fate awaits pooches that wind up in city shelters

2009-11-17T15:04:00.004-06:00

By Kevan Cleary

Tuesday, November 17th 2009, 11:02 AM

Kevan Cleary is a Brooklyn lawyer who volunteers walking shelter dogs.

On the morning of Nov. 3, 2009, Madison died at the Animal Shelter on E. 110th St. in Manhattan. A needless death. A pity for a small pitty. Yes, Madison was born a so-called pit bull, although she never saw a fighting pit and never bullied even a fly.

She committed the doggie crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The victim of a drive-by bite from another dog. A small bite, leaving only two small puncture wounds in the fatty part of her neck. But, sadly for Madison, the bite was lethal. No, not for medical reasons - she had no ill effects from the bite - but for "social" reasons.

She died at the New York City Animal Care and Control Shelter because a city agency, the Health Department, requires that dogs that are victims of bites be observed for a period of time to rule out rabies. But bed and board cost money, and the CACC does not have it. Nor does it make any effort to determine if the money can be raised from animal rescue groups or just ordinary animal lovers. When I learned that Madison was "on the list" to be euthanized that day, I began e-mailing the director of the shelter and the head of CACC, asking for a stay of execution while I worked the problem. My e-mails went unanswered by CACC.

A few hours later, I learned she was dead, a victim of a city that is indifferent to the needs of its smallest creatures. Man's best friend, indeed. In the case of Madison, it was unrequited love.

As a volunteer dog walker at the East Side shelter, I can tell you that the conditions are poor. The cages are small and there is no adequate exercise yard. What is worse is that the dogs, especially the harder-to-place large breeds, stand very little chance of survival at the shelter for more than a few days.

The recession has impacted the city's dogs hard. They are put out on the street by the city's poor, who can no longer afford to care for them. They are swept up by animal control and after that, their end usually comes quickly - euthanized by shelter staff.

If it were just the very old and infirm dogs - whose salad days of tail wagging, running, playing and begging for tidbits to eat are long gone - it could be justified. But every week, many dogs are put down who are, like Madison, mere puppies, a danger to no one.

The New York City Housing Authority ban on large dogs and certain breeds has had a deleterious effect. Lost jobs have had an impact.

Negative attitudes about certain breeds are a factor too. The pit bull was once celebrated in American popular culture - who can forget Petey the white pitty with a black patch around his eye? Petey was the pet dog of a gang of poor kids, known as Our Gang. Pit bulls were featured on war bond posters during the first world war - a symbol of stubborn defense of the nation by the armed forces. Loyal to the death. Semper Fi. The United States Marine Corps still has a pit bull mascot who, bless their hearts, was rescued from a shelter.

Finally, it is most unfortunate that dogs got a swift kick from the trustees of Leona Helmsley's estate - all $8billion of it. The queen of mean had a soft spot after all - for her dog, Trouble.

As is legendary, she left him plenty of bucks for the rest of his life. But she also indicated that the rest should go for dogs. The trustees of the estate have discretion over the disbursement of the rest of the estate to various charities. But so far, they have given only $10,000 - barely enough for some dog biscuits, to the ASPCA.

Some of the Helmsley fortune could fund a new shelter with large enclosures, a grassy exercise area, better veterinary care. And finally, what most of the dogs in the shelter need - a good bath.

The recession has impacted the city's dogs hard. They are put out on the street.

Kevan Cleary is a Brooklyn lawyer who volunteers walking shelter dogs.

Rescued Pit Bulls Transferred to Butte Humane from Largest U.S. Dog-fighting Ring

2009-11-17T14:46:00.001-06:00

Reported by: Britt Carlson
Email: bcarlson@khsltv.com
Last Update: 11/16 11:05 pm

More than five months after the largest dog-fighting bust in America, the survivors are now starting to be placed in homes.

Nearly 500 dogs were rescued from dog-fighting rings spanning five states.

Action News was there when the animals arrived Tuesday at the Butte Humane society in Chico.

After a long trip from St. Louis to Chico, 11 rescued pit bulls have finally made it to the Butte Humane Society.

These dogs are just a small fraction of the 500 rescued by the Missouri Humane Society in the largest dog-fighting raid in US history.

Executive Director of the Butte Humane Society Heather Schoeppach says, “It's not known how much they were fighting, one has a few little scars you can see where some hair has grown back.”

The dogs were seized in July following several raids spanning Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas and Oklahoma.

500 dogs and only one emergency shelter, the Missouri Humane Society reached out.

Schoeppach says, “Because of our past background in animal rescue and pit bull advocacy, they were aware of our work here.”

That's how three adults and eight puppies, ended up in Chico with foster families ready to take them in.

Many of the mothers didn't give birth until they were rescued.

Schoeppach says, “We thought it was important for people to see these aren't dogs to be feared, they make great family dogs when given the right home.”

It's clear these dogs have been through a lot, so it's common for families to wonder, ‘Will this be the right addition to our home?’ The Butte Humane Society says since the rescue, each dog’s behavior has been seriously monitored and they're fit for adoption.”

Schoeppach adds, “It's our job to keep them for six weeks, do our own behavior and medical evaluations and they'll be up for adoption.”

Through the long journey and the pain many of the pit bulls have endured, there's still a glimmer of life and love in their eyes.

And for the caretakers, just hope that these dog-fighting victims will one day belong to a loving home.

Schoeppach says, “I'm glad we have the opportunity, foster families and support to take in dogs like this, because all they've known is a life of abuse and neglect.”
Most of the dogs have had all their vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered.

Man charged after dog attack**Not a pit bull....a "vicious" GERMAN SHEPARD

2009-11-17T14:39:00.002-06:00

Hey Craven, whatcha think about this?

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - November 16, 2009 (WPVI) -- A man from Plymouth Meeting, Pa. is facing a number of charges after his dog allegedly attacked a five-year-old girl.

Police say Gary McKeown's dog, Max, was known to be vicious but was allowed to roam free.

The attack last month sent the girl into surgery for five hours with severly damaged vocal cords and a punctured larynx. She recently returned home after six weeks in the hospital..

Investigators say McKeown owned a produce farm, and the girl, Miabella Delaney-Lipshutz, was there to pick pumpkins with her mother.

The family's lawyer said at first the dog appeared friendly, but it then attacked the child for no apparent reason.

"He had his jaws clenched around her throat, her mother watched the whole thing," said attorney Matthew Casey. "The mother actually had to grab the dog's jaws and pull them apart.

Authorities say the dog has severely attacked at least three other people in the past, in cases dating back nine years. Montomery County officials had long since ordered McKeown to keep his dog away from customers.

"This was a pure accident, and that dog was not supposed to be around children," said Tomas Egan, McKeown's attorney. "He knew that and took some steps to make sure that wouldn't happen, even that day."

The dog has since been put down.

McKeown was arraigned Monday morning and released on $50,000 dollar bond. He could face up to seven years is prison.

Pit bull, hell hound or loving pet?

2009-11-17T14:31:00.000-06:00

November 15, Denver Progressive Examiner Chris Steele

On Saturday November 15, a woman was attacked by two pit bulls in Weld County. The women suffered wounds to her leg but was treated at the scene. One of the pit bulls had to be tranquilized and both are now in the humane society.

More often than not the pit bull is blamed for being a violent breed of canine. The pit bull has the notorious history of being a fighting dog. It has a bad boy image and is the victim of a myth that it's jaw can lock in place. Statistically, the pit bull has no more of a temper than any other dog. Pit bulls are good with children and show no sign of being a temperamental breed of dog that is dangerous to humans. With that being said like any animal under the right circumstances they can be provoked to bite.

Veterinarians and dog experts agree that breed has nothing to do with determining if a dog is dangerous. The way a dog was raised and treated determines its mental well-being. Dogs that are not socialized with children and other dogs can be more aggressive. Stray dogs, dogs that were abused and dogs that are tethered in a garage can also be more temperamental.

Currently, it is illegal to own a pit bull in the county of Denver. Many feel that pit bulls are the victims of the media over exaggerating and saturating the news with negative stories. There is not much evidence that supports a pit bull is any more dangerous than a poodle. In fact, according to a recent study, the poodle shows slightly more aggression than the pit bull. Possibly in the future, with more education on the breed, pit bulls will be legal to own in Denver County once again.

Happy tales for some former fighting dogs

2009-11-14T19:10:00.001-06:00

By CHERYL WITTENAUER

ST. LOUIS — Dozens of American pit bull terriers netted in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history are finding homes despite some who predicted aggression or trauma would make them unsuitable as pets.

More than 120 of the animals have been placed in foster homes or are headed there this week through the efforts of pit bull rescue groups throughout the U.S. An additional 117, like the scarred but smiling Tulip, await their turn.

"They are not a vicious animal. They are the victims of abuse," said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. "That face and their eyes tell the story. They only want to be in someone's home, on a couch, or sleeping at someone's feet, maybe chew up a rug or two for entertainment. They're learning for the first time how to be a dog."

In the days leading up to the July 8 raid, the Humane Society secured a cavernous industrial warehouse in St. Louis that it transformed into an emergency shelter for the hundreds of dogs seized in Missouri and Illinois. About 100 dogs seized in other states were taken by rescue groups elsewhere.

Once at the Missouri shelter, dogs were tested by a national team of certified animal behaviorists, taken on walks and allowed to chew on bowling balls stuffed with peanut butter. Some finicky eaters were treated to home-cooked chicken breasts to supplement meals of dog food.

The Humane Society offered The Associated Press first access to the site Tuesday. During the tour, puppies born since the raid took turns playing tug of war with a chew toy in a play room. Humane Society staff members pulled a catering cart down a long row of dog cages, calling animals by name as they slid them bowls of food.

Some, like Pacific, were shy, quivering in fear of new visitors. Others were extroverts, springing on hind legs to say hello.

The foster homes will acclimate the dogs to the noises and rules of a household, and teach them basic manners.

Animal behaviorist Pamela Reid, who was part of the team that evaluated the dogs, said a surprising two-thirds tested well for nonaggression and adoptability. She's fostering one puppy, although one of her favorite dogs had to be euthanized because he showed aggression toward men.

Hill said 160 dogs were put down because of injuries, illness or behavior. None of the puppies showed aggression, Reid said.

Tim Rickey, who heads the Humane Society's anticruelty task force, said the raids proved the underground dogfighting industry is pervasive.

"We scratched the surface," Rickey said. "We could have done several of these (raids) in Missouri alone."
On the Net:

* Humane Society of Missouri: http://www.hsmo.org/

Miracle dog that survived being thrown from sixth-floor roof is put down by animal welfare group for being 'too aggressive'

2009-11-14T19:05:00.003-06:00

A dog hat survived being thrown off the sixth-floor roof of a building in New York has been put down because of her aggressive behaviour.

Oreo, a one-year-old pit bull, suffered two broken legs and a fractured rib when she was beaten and thrown off a roof in Brooklyn in June.

After months of working to rehabilitate her, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals determined that she was unpredictably aggressive, and could never live among humans or other dogs.

Oreo's plight stirred emotions among animal lovers, and the ASPCA's decision to euthanise her led many to flood the organisation with hundreds of calls, e-mails and Twitter messages.

We're saddened by the outcome,' said ASPCA spokesman Andy Izquierdo on Friday afternoon after the organisation announced Oreo's death.

'But we truly feel it's the most humane decision for Oreo.'

Earlier, Izquierdo said the agency had received well over 200 calls and e-mail messages, as well as at least two death threats.

'People don't know the behavioral piece,' Izquierdo said. 'We could fix her physically, but we couldn't do anything with her psychologically.'

Protesters rallied outside the building Friday morning. And at least one pet sanctuary offered to take in the dog.

'The aggression thing is a dumb excuse because all dogs can be worked with,' said Emily Danks, a self-described animal rescuer who said she was escorted out of the ASPCA's building on the Upper East Side after trying to convince staff members to let her take Oreo.

She said she had planned to take the dog to Pets Alive, a sanctuary in Middletown, New York, north of New York City.

Matt DeAngelis, executive director of Pets Alive, said his organisation had left phone messages for the ASPCA with an offer to take in Oreo.

But he said they had not heard anything, and he was perplexed at why the ASPCA didn't accept the group's offer.

In an e-mail, Stephen Zawistowski, one of the ASPCA's lead animal behaviour experts who had worked with Oreo, said the organisation didn't believe that sanctuary placement was 'good for her welfare'.

'We made this decision having the experience of working with a number of well-known sanctuaries and rescue groups,' he said, adding that the ASPCA was unfamiliar with Pets Alive.

Fabian Henderson, a 19-year-old who lived at the housing complex in Brooklyn's Red Hook section, where officers found Oreo badly injured, was arrested on felony charges.

He has pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals, and is to be sentenced December 1.

There was no phone listing for Henderson at the Brooklyn building. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Rogues or rescuers? Depends who you ask

2009-11-14T18:57:00.001-06:00

BY PATRICK WHITTLE

patrick.whittle@newsday.com

Critics say the group shows up uninvited at places where abuse is suspected, and uses intimidation in dealing with people Rescue Ink members believe might be animal abusers.

Rescue Ink is a media-hungry nuisance group that plays to the cameras of its reality TV show and interferes with those in the business of protecting animals, says Roy Gross, chief of Suffolk County's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Rescue Ink is a bunch of tough guys with hearts of gold, says Wendy Culkin, president and founder of Center Moriches-based Katie's Critters Small Animal Rescue.

Conflicting opinions about Rescue Ink - back in the news last week after sparking a shouting match by co-opting an SPCA news conference to accuse the agency of dropping the ball on a high-profile case of alleged dog abuse in Selden - are echoed by other animal rights groups, law enforcement agencies and pet owners who have encountered the brawny, tattooed animal lovers.

Critics say the group shows up uninvited at places where abuse is suspected, and then intimidates those it thinks might be animal abusers.

Rescue Ink's Joe Panzarella does not dispute the characterization.

"These are the things that rescue groups do," he said in an interview early last week, adding, "We're street guys."

Culkin said the group is good-hearted and unfailingly helpful. Rescue Ink helped Katie's Critters in early 2008, she said, by publicizing a request for donated cages she needed to house dozens of guinea pigs seized by authorities from a Syosset home.
connections

"Did we ever need help, and they offered us assistance," she said. "I've never had a bad experience with them at all."

Rescue Ink has received accolades for recovering lost pets and intervening on behalf of animals living in substandard conditions, such as at a Moriches house where the group helped remove 180 cats in January.

But some law enforcement groups think Rescue Ink ought to leave animal rescue work to the professionals. Last year, when Rescue Ink was in the news for its work on dog-snatching cases, Suffolk police spokesman Tim Motz told Newsday that police "don't encourage people to take the law into their own hands" and that "doing so could lead to charges against yourself."

Motz's advice: "Let the proper authorities handle" animal abuse situations.

Panzarella said Rescue Ink is more concerned with results than perceptions. The group's work puts pressure on law enforcement to be more aggressive about animal abuse, he said, and not get bogged down in bureaucracy before acting.

"We're actually forcing them, fighting with them to do their jobs," he said. "We would not be needed if everybody did their job."

The group's actions sometimes create run-ins with law enforcement. Suffolk SPCA officials called police last Monday after Rescue Ink members interrupted an SPCA news conference to accuse the agency of mishandling the Selden case. A shouting match ensued between Panzarella and Michelle Curtin of Farmingville-based Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, all captured by the TV show's cameras.

Curtin was furious. The group's members turn a routine animal seizure into a "media stunt," she said, and are as interested in publicizing themselves as saving animals.

Suffolk police escorted Rescue Ink out of the pet store hosting the event, though no one was arrested.

Rescue Ink members can be aggressive, said Roseann Trezza, director of a Newark, N.J., humane society chapter. But she said she has viewed the group favorably since a year ago, when Rescue Ink passed on a tip about a neglected pit bull living in a Newark backyard. Now, she said, she refers cases to them regularly.

"It seems they have an imposing figure and get to the bottom of it," Trezza said. "If they get the job done, I'm happy."

Shelter Crisis Tests Wharton’s Mettle Immediately

2009-11-07T22:39:00.000-06:00

ANDY MEEK | The Daily News

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr.’s first full day on the job began with a major crisis before the sun came up.

It started with a 5:15 a.m. raid of the Memphis Animal Shelter by Shelby County sheriff’s deputies. By the end of the day, the facility was closed to the public. And some shelter employees had been put on leave with pay while an investigation into alleged animal abuse and cruelty continued.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Shular said the shelter could reopen as soon as this morning.

Deputies took control of the shelter and shut it down Tuesday morning at the request of Shelby County Dist. Atty. Bill Gibbons’ office. A tip had been called in alleging a variety of problems, and prosecutors decided it warranted an investigation.

Asst. Dist. Atty. Bill Bright declined to provide details about the tip. But Gibbons released a statement suggesting one or more people may face criminal charges once the investigation wraps up.
Body of evidence

When deputies arrived at the animal shelter near Memphis International Airport, they found extreme conditions that corroborated information from Gibbons’ tipster. Animals starved to the point of requiring euthanasia were among the things they encountered.

Wharton already had brought Memphis City Council members up to speed on everything he knew and could share with them by mid-day Tuesday, the day after his swearing-in. Mayoral aide Robert White would not identify the shelter employees put on leave, but they reportedly include city animal services administrator Ernest Alexander.

The raid was expected to leave the shelter closed for a few days while law enforcement and animal investigators – some of whom had sterling credentials and were brought in from out of town – sorted out the problems.

“At the request of law enforcement, I have directed Janet Hooks, director of the Division of Public Services and Neighborhoods, to work with Human Resources in taking necessary steps to ensure investigators have free access to all sources covered by the search and warrant,” Wharton wrote in his e-mail to council members. “These actions will include placing certain supervisory employees on ‘leave with pay’ to guard against any appearance that their presence might impede the investigation.

“I should note that at this point ‘leave with pay’ is the action taken, given that no one has been charged and no indictments or criminal complaints are currently in place.”
Under the microscope

Investigators from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and emergency responders from the American Humane Association were on hand Tuesday helping deputies.

Part of the team included two women involved in the dog-fighting investigation that ended in NFL player Michael Vick’s 2007 indictment: Catherine Desteza, an ASPCA animal investigator, and Dr. Melinda Merck, senior director of veterinary forensic services for the ASPCA.

Merck, a consultant on animal cruelty cases, is routinely is tapped as an expert witness.

The ASPCA also brought its Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit to the shelter to help collect and process evidence. The unit includes state-of-the-art forensics tools and has medical equipment for animals that need care.

Law enforcement officials combed through the shelter a month after Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery and other city leaders broke ground on what will become a new animal shelter near Bartlett. That facility is being built at 2350 Appling City Cove.

The $7.6 million facility will include extra cage and kennel capacity and is scheduled to open by the middle of 2011, according to information from the city. The current shelter holds 341 cages and kennels, and the new shelter will have 546 cages and kennels.
Not new news

Meanwhile, meeting minutes of the animal shelter advisory board over the past few months reflect a belief by some board members that lingering problems with basic animal care have plagued the existing facility.

In response to an e-mailed complaint from someone who adopted a shelter dog last month that had to be euthanized after showing signs of distemper, shelter advisory board member Cindy Sanders said she sympathized with the loss.

“Unfortunately, your story is not unusual,” Sanders wrote to Barbara Standing, who had adopted a puppy named Carmen. “I am a newly appointed member of the Shelter Advisory Board and receive at least an e-mail every week or so regarding the poor medical condition of adopted shelter animals.”

The correspondence proved somewhat prophetic, as it came a week before the shelter closure Tuesday.

Standing’s e-mail to shelter officials cited several problems at the facility.

“It is doubtful that the ‘new shelter’ will solve many of the current problems, such as inadequate ventilation, as well as several additional problems inherent in poorly funded shelter situations, including poorly trained employees, insufficient protocol and a lack of post-adoption follow up,” she wrote.

At the shelter advisory board’s Aug. 11 meeting, board member Michelle Buckalew said overcrowding remains a problem and some “smaller, less aggressive dogs” are being held in cages without food and water until they are euthanized.

Keenon McCloy, Hooks’ predecessor as interim director of the city’s Division of Public Services and Neighborhoods, was asked at that August meeting about the possibility of combining the city’s animal services with Shelby County’s.

“The city favors this, as it makes financial sense, but the county only wants to contribute, not consolidate,” the minutes read.

Meeting minutes from previous months depict an animal shelter whose resources are stretched thin. Alexander said at the board’s July meeting that “55-75 dogs are being destroyed every day.”

After animals are held at the shelter for a minimum of 72 hours, they become the property of the city of Memphis, according to the Web site of Friends of Memphis Animal Services, www.petfinder.com/shelters/memphisanimalservices.html.

Animal abuser sentenced. But was justice served for Katrina dogs?

2009-11-07T22:21:00.000-06:00

November 6, 2:37 PMNew Orleans Pet Rescue Scene ExaminerTeresa Rowell

Tammy Hanson was sentenced in Arkansas' Baxter County District Court on November 4, 2009 for 20 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. The judge imposed a 1-year sentence in the county jail and $10,000 in fines.

So who is Tammy Hanson and what significance does she have to Louisiana?

The name tracks back five years to animal rescuers of Hurricane Katrina.

Hanson's Arkansas property, where she operated Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH) animal sanctuary, was raided by the Baxter County Sheriff's Department in 2005.

400 to 500 dogs were found in deplorable conditions; some that had been rescued during Hurricane Katrina and transported there only to be left in the cages they arrived in for days covered in urine and feces.

Some dogs were found dead in the pens as pictured above. (Source: For Pit's Sake)

Hanson and her husband, William, were convicted of animal cruelty and released on bond.

Tammy Hanson then fled authorities but was found in Vermont in September of 2009 using another name.

Checking on the history of this abuse case revealed the following.

In a story written on the For Pits' Sake website, founder Kris Crawford says she was contacted on October 5, 2005 and asked to take in the remaining 300 rescued pit bulls left at Lamar Dixon in Gonzales, Louisiana where animals were being housed during rescue efforts.

When Crawford responded that she did not have the facility to properly handle them, she was told that she would receive a "significant amount of money to build a sanctuary."

Due to the time factor involved in finding property and building a shelter, Crawford asked Christine Penrod, the caller who was organizing charter flights out for the rescues, if Crawford could, instead, contact her colleagues in pit rescue to try to relocate them to already established places.

The next day, Penrod called Crawford back and said that Tammy Hanson, supposedly a pit bull expert who operated Every Dog Needs A Home (EDNAH) in Gamaliel, Arkansas, would accept the dogs.

Not recognizing EDNAH, Crawford made a call to Tammy Hanson, introduced herself, offered her help and asked Hanson for references. To which Hanson replied, "I don't give a f... who you are, I am getting a million dollars to take these dogs and I don't have to answer to you or anyone" and promptly hung up the phone.

Crawford's web site says some dogs were sent to EDNAH before she and others could complete their investigation in to conditions there.

According to a 2005 news article, Pasado's Safe Haven, with annual revenues of over 2 million dollars according to www.charitynavigator.org, also sent 50 dogs to EDNAH before even checking to see if it was a reputable shelter.

Questions still remain as to whether Hanson received money from animal welfare groups for taking in these animals.

Can we say that animal welfare groups "saved" these rescued animals by bringing them to EDNAH?

Was the sentencing just and fair?

The whereabouts of the animals from the property has not be discovered as yet.

Memphis, TN shelter raided after dogs reportedly starved to death

2009-11-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

On October 27, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies executed a search warrant at the Memphis animal shelter. On Tuesday, the Sheriffs' department released a search warrant and photos detailing the extent of the cruelty and starvation.

The photos were taken by an employee whistle-blower. Volunteers had also sent "numerous" e-mails to officials who are no longer employed by the city.

According to the Commercial Appeal, ten shelter employees and an Animal Services administrator were relieved of duty. It is unclear whether or not these same employees returned to their jobs when the shelter re-opened. Possible charges include: Aggravated cruelty to animals, official misconduct and tampering with or fabricating evidence.

The Pit Bull puppy shown in photos released to the news media was to be held for a court case, but died of starvation after being impounded at the shelter for three weeks. Pit Bulls seized on suspicion of dogfighting simply disappeared prior to hearings.

The Commercial Appeal reports that death rates of animals being kept at the shelter have risen sharply, from 75 in 2006 to 119 in 2007 to 193 in 2008.

Today, Mayor AC Wharton halted all euthanizations at the shelter until the investigation has been completed.

For more information see Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Suspected Macon Dogfighting Ring Busted

2009-09-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

* Tacoma Newsome
* Edited By: Leigha Baugham | myfoxatlanta.com

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ga. (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Montgomery County police said Wednesday that they broke up a dogfighting ring near Macon. Investigators said dogs that were living and fighting in deplorable conditions were safe and recovering at a shelter.

Police said they suspect the dogs were used in a dogfighting ring near Macon. When police and private investigators found the animals, they were chained in a wooded area.

In police video, the dogs are seen with scars and injuries consistent with being used to fight other pit bulls.

The chains used to hold the dogs weighed more than 20 pounds.

"They've been chained there a long time, so long that as they made a circle around the tree that they had worn the ground down about five inches around each tree they were chained to," said Charles Simmons of Norrad & Associates, INC.

On Tuesday, Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies and Norrad & Associates, a private investigation firm, removed 16 dogs and six puppies from the property.

"One of them had severe should wounds on his back and shoulders with maggots in them, [they had] gotten in the gum and was infected," said Simmons.

One dog had a swollen leg, and several dogs were infested with fleas.

Forty-six-year-old Kenneth Jordan and 26-year-year-old Terrill Adams were charged with various crimes in the case, including cruelty against animals.

The dogs were taken to a Jackson County rescue shelter for treatment.

"No sign of aggression with humans. They seem to be very happy to be out of the conditions," said Kathy Motter, of the Grover Run Rescue.

Although the dogs took well to humans, the dogs will have to be separated from other dogs.

Investigators and caregivers said that not all of the dogs will survive. Some of the injuries and aggression may be too great. Of the dogs that do survive, they might not ever recover from their injuries.

"People who say, 'I love my dogs, they're like my family.' Who treats their family like that? Who chains 16 dogs in the woods to logging chains and then says, 'I love my dogs?' What fool would believe that?" said Simmons.

Jordan and Adams were also charged with failure to inoculate animals against rabies, dogfighting, criminal trespassing and criminal damage to property.

2nd Montgomery Man Charged With Dogfighting

2009-09-16T21:57:00.001-05:00

A second Montgomery County man now faces dog fighting charges.

Sheriff Clarance Sanders says Terrill Adams was arrested Tuesday afternoon and 18 dogs were seized from his property. He is also charged with cruelty to animals.

This happened about a mile away from where authorities arrested 45-year-old Kenneth Jordan and rescued nearly two dozen dogs Tuesday.

Sheriff's deputies say Jordan was charged with trespassing, cruelty to animals and dogfighting after the raid in rural Higgston.

Sixteen adult dogs and six puppies were chained to trees in woods across the road from a trailer park.

Many had scars and gashes and appeared emaciated. No food or water was found in the area.

Deputies said Jordan was charged with trespassing because he didn't own the property where the dogs were kept.

"I love my dogs. I don't fight my dogs," said Jordan.

Jordan told 13WMAZ that he fed the dogs every day and took good care of them. He said some were injured because he lent them to a friend, but took them back when he heard they were being used for dogfighting.

The Atlanta Humane Society and the Georgia SPCA treated the dogs at the scene. They said the dogs would be held at an undisclosed location until Jordan's case is resolved.

The raid was based on tips to Norrel & Associates, an Atlanta firm that investigates dogfighting complaints, according to a news release from the company.

Norrel says that anyone who has information about dogfighting can call their anonymous-tip line at 1-877-215-2250.

Two Raids on Suspected Dog Fighting Operations

2009-09-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

Jerry Carnes

MONTGOMERY CO., Ga. -- Authorities in Montgomery County, Georgia, were busy seizing animals in one raid on a suspected dog fighting operation, when they got a tip about another one.

It's an area of Georgia where they grow sweet Vidalia onions. Now, 45-year-old Kenneth Jordan of the town of Higgston is accused of cultivating cruelty.

Investigators found twenty-two pit bulls in the woods off of a dirt road. They confiscated the animals, including a mom and her nine pups, one of them near death.

Some of the animals are malnourished, dehydrated, and carry the scars of a fighter.

In addition to the dogs, authorities found what look to be about a dozen graves.

"He (Jordan) says he loves his dogs and never fought them," says Chuck Simmons of Norred and Associates, the private security firm that checked out a tip about the dogs. "Look at this place. Who has a pet with a 40-pound logging chain? Who has dogs chained in the woods, emaciated and dehydrated?"

The howling of the animals could be heard through the woods at a nearby trailer park.

"Pine trees is all it looks like," says neighbor Michael Helms. "You have to look hard to see. It's pretty gruesome."

It's the first time Sheriff Clarence Sanders has seen anything like it. He suspects it's going on in other parts of his county.

"I suspect some are less than five miles from here," says Sanders.

Less than two hours after saying that, someone tips the sheriff to another possible dog fighting operation. A half-mile away, authorities find eighteen more dogs. Sheriff Sanders is looking for the owner.

It's at least the fourth time in two months that authorities in Georgia have raided suspected dog fighting operations. Chuck Simmons says the number of tips to their toll free tip line is increasing.

The hotline number is 1-877-215-2250.

Kenneth Jordan faces multiple counts of dog fighting and cruelty to animals. There's been no arrest in the second raid.

Rescued pit bull diagnosed with heartworms: Mendocino County a high-risk area for pets

2009-09-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

By CAROLE BRODSKY
Updated: 09/14/2009 12:00:20 AM PDT

For the Daily Journal

The saga continues for pit bull Zena, one of two dogs transferred to the Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County in July. Zena and Jett were two of hundreds of pit bulls rescued from a Missouri dog fighting ring and have been recuperating from their ordeal.

"When Zena and Jett were spayed they were tested for heartworms. Zena came up positive," explains Leslie Dodds, Humane Society volunteer. Dodds has been working extensively with the dogs in preparation for their adoption.

Heartworms, according to Dr. Katy Sommers of Mendocino Animal Hospital, are a life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes and affecting both dogs and cats.

"They can affect any animal at any age that is bitten by mosquitoes carrying heartworm larvae," explains Sommers.

Mendocino, Lake and areas of Sacramento County are high-incidence areas for the disease. What is most unfortunate, according to Sommers, is that simple prevention can save lives and eliminate the enormous treatment costs once a pet is infected.

"Mosquitoes travel up to three miles, so you don't have to live near a water source to be in an infectious area," says Sommers. The disease - which affects dogs and cats very differently, is often not noticed by pet guardians until permanent or even fatal damage occurs.

"Severe symptoms may be the first symptom you notice," explains Sommers. "Cats have breathing problems resembling an acute asthma attack, which can become fatal very quickly.
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In cats it presents as an acute respiratory disease." In dogs, a pet owner may notice coughing, weight loss and lethargy, all of which can lead to heart failure.

The heartworm larvae take six months to grow to adulthood, and the 6- to 10-inch long worms can live for many years in an animal before dying a natural death. Once an animal like Zena is infected, treatment will be long and expensive.

"With dogs, we give a series of intramuscular injections in their back over several months," said Sommers. The medication will kill off the worms, but it must be administered gradually, according to Sommers, so that deadly embolisms are not formed.

Dogs are easily tested for heartworms, and Dr. Sommers recommends that pets be tested annually, along with providing monthly heartworm prevention medication. Cats, which are sensitive to very small heartworm infestations, often have false or inconclusive test results, so Sommers encourages cat guardians err on the side of caution and provide preventive medication.

"Oral and topical therapies are available for dogs and cats," says Sommers. The medication is administered monthly and in some cases is included in topical flea treatments. The medication must be used every month, or else the animal runs the risk of becoming infected during the lapse.

Sage Mountainfire, adoptions coordinator for the county's animal control division, recently adopted out a dog that the shelter successfully treated for heartworms. "You can have a wonderful dog with no symptoms, but that doesn't mean the worms aren't there," she said.

Every dog at the shelter is tested prior to adoptions.

"This is done as part of a whole evaluation process for our shelter dogs," explains Mountainfire. She stresses that all treatment costs are taken out of a private donation fund, at no cost to taxpayers.

"We really try to educate people about the need to do heartworm prevention. We encourage adoptive families to buy their prevention medication at their free exam," she said.

Mountainfire uses the heartworm problem to illustrate the hidden costs of accepting a "free" dog from a friend or family member.

"Free dogs aren't really free," says Mountainfire, particularly if a dog becomes stricken with a life-threatening disease, which is expensive to treat and could have been prevented.

Zena begins treatment Sept. 15, and will be lying low for about 60 days, to reduce the possibility of complications. Dodds encourages volunteers to come to the Humane Society and spend time with Zena while she is recovering. The Society will bear the brunt of the treatment costs, which may be as much as $600 to $800.

"We always appreciate support to help with the costs of maintaining our animals," says Dodds, who points out the Society's kennels and the county shelter are near capacity.

As pet owners struggle with the stagnant economy, Dr. Sommers encourages families to speak with their vet about reducing costs while providing the best possible care. She stresses the importance of providing Heartworm prevention, as well as scheduling annual exams.

"Wellness checks are important in maintaining pet health," says Sommers. "Talk to your vet about individualizing vaccine protocols. Not all animals need every vaccination, so together you can base vaccine choices on individual risks."

Like their human families, Sommers emphasizes exercise, maintaining a lean body weight and providing pets with the highest quality nutrition families can afford.

Happily, according to Dodds, it looks like Jett has found a real home at last. Dodds is working closely with the adoptive family to make certain it is a solid match, but she is very confident. Zena is available for adoption consideration, and Dodds hopes the perfect family will find a place for Zena in their home and hearts.

For information for the Humane Society, visit www.humanesocietyimc.org or phone 485-0123.

To contact the Mendocino County Animal Care and Control, call 463-4427.

For the Mendocino Animal Hospital, visit http://mendocinoanimalhospital.net or phone 462-8833.

Eldon Man Pleads Guilty to Dog Fighting

2009-09-16T21:22:00.001-05:00

By KSPR News

Story Created: Sep 14, 2009 at 9:15 PM CDT

The ASPCA in New York says four men from Missouri have pleaded guilty to federal dog fighting charges. The men were arrested during the nation's largest dog fighting raid in U.S history in July.
Jack Ruppel of Eldon pleaded guilty earlier this month
He was one of 26 people arrested in eight states when rescuers seized more than 400 dogs.

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Four Missouri Residents Plead Guilty to Federal Dogfighting Charges; ASPCA Responders Remain in St. Louis Caring for Seized Dogs

NEW YORK—The ASPCA(The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has confirmed, through the Humane Society of Missouri, that four defendants in Missouri pled guilty today to federal dog fighting charges stemming from the largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history, which took place last July 8.

Four eastern Missouri men--Robert Hackman of Foley, Teddy Kiriakidis of Leasburg, Ronald Creach of Leslie and Michael Morgan of Hannibal--pled guilty today in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges connected to the dog fighting raid. Another man arrested in connection with the raid, Jack Ruppel of Eldon, pled guilty to charges on September 4 in federal court in Jefferson City.

The ASPCA assisted the Humane Society of Missouri and federal and state agencies in conducting the raid, which resulted in the rescue of over 400 dogs and the arrests of 26 people accused of organizing dog fighting rings. Arrests were made in eight states, including Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi.

Dogs rescued from the properties associated with the persons who pled guilty exhibited numerous wounds and scars; one was missing lips; another was missing a leg. Many had internal parasites, ear infections and broken, worn or missing teeth.

“The ASPCA is determined to protect its nation’s pets from dogfighting and other forms of brutality” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “Animal cruelty cannot be tolerated, and we are pleased that the five Eastern Missouri defendants are taking responsibility for the pain and suffering that they inflicted.”

Members of the ASPCA’s disaster response team, in addition to 22 other organizations from around the country and under the direction of the Humane Society of Missouri, are in St. Louis caring for the 407 dogs that were seized, which now include more than 100 puppies born since the raid. In addition, behavior experts from the ASPCA assisted HSMO in evaluating the dogs to determine their suitability for possible adoption or placement with rescue groups. Information from these evaluations was provided to the U.S. District Courts, which will decide the ultimate fate of each dog. Forfeiture of the dogs is a separate federal court process and is expected to take place over the next few weeks.

The ASPCA was also responsible for the collection of forensic evidence, which will be used to aid prosecutors in bringing to justice those involved in the brutal dog fighting rings. Dr. Melinda Merck, the nation’s premier forensic veterinarian, was on the scene with the ASPCA’s “Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit,” a critical tool in the collection and processing of evidence at crime scenes. The CSI unit brings both state-of-the-art forensics tools and expertise to crime scenes and is outfitted with medical equipment tailored for animal patients.

“The ASPCA is proud to have had its expert staff be a part of this important case,” said Laura Maloney, Senior Vice President of Anti-Cruelty Initiatives for the ASPCA. “These dogs suffered terribly in the hands of dogfighters, and our hope is that the evidence collected will help bring justice for all of these animals.”

Sentencing date for the four defendants who pled today has been set for December 8, 2009.