Posted on 07/01/2006 9:17:59 PM PDT by NellieMae
My aunt who has been a champion dog breeder for 50 years just had the Washington Co. VA animal control (acting on an anonymous tip) swoop down on her like she's some kind of criminal. She went to court yesterday because all of her dogs were confiscated. They charged her with inhumane treatment and animal neglect. All that the judge said she was guilty of was not keeping her animals absolutely clean. She's 76 years old. They were well-fed,healthy and all of their vaccinations were up to date.I heard on the radio today that animal control was giving them all vaccinations that they had already had and expecting her to pay for it.. All they had to do was pick up the phone and ask her about it. They just are acting on assumptions and not facts. They wouldn't let her have but 2 of her dogs back and with the stipulation that they be sterilized. Not a good thing for a breeder to be told. They also want her to pay $7500.00 In vet bills that were totally unnecessary. All you had to do was look at her dogs to see that they were fine. They also expect her to pay $5.00 per day per animal to keep them at the shelter..She loved all of her dogs and depended on the income she received from them to suppliment her social security check. She was too proud to go on welfare. Now she might have to since they took her income away. She's had to turn down several customers that wanted to buy a dog since this happened on 06-23-06. The animal shelter has several thousand dollars worth of her pedigreed dogs. She is totally devastated. I think that there is a conspiracy to put dog breeders out of business.Her vet thinks so too. This is the 2nd raid of this type in our area this month. I believe that her civil rights have been grossly violated. If there is anyone that would like to get involved to help stop this type of treatment of dog breeders, please contact me.
The older dogs were her personal pets. If the judge wasn't bothered by this who are you to complain? This is still America. If she wants to live with a thousand snakes in her home she has the right. I don't even like the thought of even one animal in the house,but, different strokes for different folks.
Besides, if she were not a breeder the kennel license would not be an issue anyway.
I was not the first to complain, the government saw a problem and it looks like they may have a legitimate complaint. A 76 year old woman can't care for 100+ dogs. Although you claim she had help, obviously her motives to breed this many dogs from various breeds were not for love of her pets. Puppy mills stink and your aunt was running one, she was busted.
Guess this Dog Breeding Champion won't be getting any legal help from the American Kennel Club.
You don't know this 76 year old woman. She loved every one of her dogs. She never had any children of her own and they were like her babies to her. She did not deserve top be treated like this.She intended to support herself for the rest of her life. Since all the income that she had except a tiny little social security check is gone, now the government can just pay for what they have done to her. I hope perfect people like you never have to go through such devastation as this. Judgemental people like you are not very nice.
What they said about the AKC is not true. One of their inspectors came to the door while she was delivering puppies. She asked him to return in a couple of hours, he refused. She wrote the AKC and explained to them what happened and told them that if they could not understand her motives that she would join another kennel club and she did.
Wow, thanks for the link. As someone who's worked with horse breeding for years, I've been annoyed by some of the government intervention (STD mandatory testing, paperwork involved in shipping semen out of country) but puppy mills really bug me. These people are sick and only in it for the money.
The American Kennel Club suspended her license to participate in dog shows in 1998 and fined her $500. The suspension was for poor record-keeping and refusing to let inspectors into her house, said Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the club.
Forgot the quotes. Sorry.
All 100+ of them? Did they all have names?
"Officers found about a third of the dogs and three-fourths of the cats in cages, with the rest of the animals running loose throughout the house, the sheriff said. Deputies said they had trouble tracking all the animals down and found some dogs in holes in a wall. Authorities plan to call in the local health department to decide whether the house can be occupied again or should be condemned. ?In all honesty, I don?t see how she was able to stay in the house herself,? the sheriff said."
This was the best quote. Not sure if I can really believe that but if true; What the Heck?
As far as I know yes. I can see that you are going to keep arguing your point which you have a right. I am getting tired of it though. She needs help not critics like you. She cared so much for her dogs that she wouldn't even sell to a person if she had the slightest notion that they would be mistreated. You don't know anything about her life and how much she sacrificed to take care of her dogs. I do.
I guess what bugs me most is the poster is asking for freepers to help defend her aunt.
Not me!
Can you refute #31?
They also claimed that she had a water hose inside to spray down the walls of her house. The girl that works for her said that they blew everything way out of proportion and made things up. It was just one of those little hand-held spray hoses that you put on your bathtub faucet to take a shower with. Those people exaggerated greatly about this case.
My aunt used this hose to take a shower, not clean her house with.
I had read it in News/activism, my antennae went up, but I thought the poster is just in pain, and a little confused perhaps, kind of a woman's thread (sorry).
After reading the article and this thread, I don't think she is going to get much help here, and after reading her intransigence on the subject, even after the damning evidence, I'm curious as to how prevalent this indifference to reality, even when it includes innocent animals, is among the rest of her aunt's family.
After reading the second news article and your comments on this thread, I believe the animals were well cared for. Two thirds of the dogs were not in cages, obviously they were pets. The vet said he/she was not concerned about the animals and he had visited the home many times. I know how the newspapers love these kinds of stories. Your aunt is a wonderful caretaker but she let the amount of animals get out of control.
The news article says the government sent out their stormtroopers when they received an anonymous letter (don't you just love those anonymous letters?). Wouldn't it have been better if they'd sent a couple animal control officers, asked to see the premises and then had a talk with your aunt and given her some help instead of pouncing on her like they did. This is the part that's so hard to take but for now you've got to get past that because the goal now is to keep your aunt on an even keel and work the steps to get her through this. What they did isn't right and isn't even humane but what's done is done.
My first thought this morning is this: She needs to move somewhere else where she can have her pets (of course, not so many), perhaps a more rural area?
She needs hope.
If you could, remind her that God is in control and that means in control of her and the animals and even those who work for the state.
Best wishes to you NellieMae, you're a good person and a great niece.
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