TN: homes sought for about 140 dogs taken from suspected puppy mill Homes sought for about 140 dogs taken from suspected puppy mill
By TYRONE TONY REED JR.
ttreed@jacksonsun.com
Volunteers are needed and foster homes are being sought for nearly 140 puppies and dogs that were taken Sunday from what animal cruelty investigators suspect was a puppy mill in Obion County.
The pure-blooded dogs were taken from a residence on Minnick-Elbridge Road, according to Nancy Green, assistant director for the Gibson/Obion County Humane Society.
Green said that most of the 134 dogs were adult breeder dogs. The types of dogs include Boston terriers, French bulldogs, Sir Charles spaniels, cocker spaniels, Yorkies, poodles, mixed poodles, Pekingese, Pomeranians, dachshunds and terrier mix. Because they are pure-blooded, dogs of these types are sold for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.
Charges had not been filed against the dogs' owners as of today, and the owners' names have not been released. Green said that the owners were not licensed or registered dog breeders and had no business license.
The Gibson/Obion County Humane Society is looking for foster homes for the dogs.
It also needs volunteers to help clean pens and feed and clean the dogs until homes are found for them.
To foster a dog, go to the Dyer County Fairgrounds, located on Community Park Road in Dyersburg. Bring identification with you and be prepared to fill out a questionnaire and paperwork.
To volunteer or donate supplies, call (731) 483-2026.
To make a monetary donation to help the dogs or support the humane society, which does not have a building, visit Farmers and Merchants banks in Trenton, Dyer or Humboldt and ask for your donation to be added to the "Gibson Humane Society" fund.
To view animals at the humane society, visit http://west.petfinder.com/shelters/g...nesociety.html.
Read more in Wednesday's Jackson Sun.
— Tyrone Tony Reed Jr., (731) 425-9758
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs....EWS01/70717014
TN: Authorities bust up Mid-South puppy mill Authorities bust up Mid-South puppy mill
July 16, 2007 10:28 PM EDT
Authorities bust up Mid-South puppy mill
More than a hundred animals made their way to a Mid-South shelter Monday after authorities busted a puppy mill over the weekend.
Animal cruelty investigators say the puppies came from a puppy mill that bred some very expensive dogs.
They say the owners put ads in newspapers that could have been answered by anyone in any Shelby County neighborhood.
Almost 140 puppies and adult dogs sit in enclosures at the Dyersburg Fairgrounds.
All of the puppies were confiscated in nearby Obion County at what cruelty investigators are calling a puppy mill.
An investigation was started after the Gibson County Humane Society got anonymous complaints.
"About the care of the dogs and the puppies. Basically what it all boils down to the housing and condition of them physically," said Lowrance Gibson with the Obion County Humane Society.
Most of the puppies have some of the classic signs of abuse. One even had scald marks from sitting in urine for hours at a time.
Some of the dogs sell for thousands of dollars; french bulldogs, King Charles Spaniels, poodles, and cocker spaniels.
"The dogs basically show they've been in a wire pen environment. They have cuts on their feet, and signs of unsocialization," said Dr. Jon Martin.
Investigators said the dogs were so used to lying and standing in wire cages they got scared when a soft pad was put down for them.
This isn't the first time the people who own the dogs have faced charges.
"Took them to court and unfortunately we got pretrial diversion so it was just a misdemeanor," added Carol Feather with Dyersburg Humane Soceity.
Investigators are hoping tougher animal cruelty laws in Tennessee will make the criminal case they are building lead to a felony conviction this time.
The couple who own the dogs had not yet been charged.
The Gibson Obion County Humane Society needs money and cages for the medium sized dogs. They also need foster homes.
If you would like to foster a dog you can go to the Fairgrounds in Dyersburg on Wednesday beginning at noon and apply. They will ask you for references.
For more information on how you can become a foster parent for one of the pupppies click here.
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Click here to email Janice Broach.
http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6797761
TN - Puppy mill over 100 dogs, removed because of neglect allegations Puppy mill over 100 dogs
Obion, TN (US)
Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
County: Obion
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Case ID: 11772
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
More than 75 dogs were removed from a Northwest Tennessee home Sunday because of allegations of neglect. The Obion County Sheriff's Department and The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took the dogs away after several complaints of animal neglect. It's up to a veterinarian to decide what happens next.
The home owners told the sheriff's department they have a vet that comes to check on the dogs and that there is no problem, but the SPCA says that's not the case.
Seventy five to one hundred puppies and dogs, all small breeds were living outside in covered kennels behind the Obion County home. The animals were taken away after calls to authorities said living conditions were terrible.
Obion County Sheriff Jerry Vastbinder says the dogs' owners maintain they have done nothing wrong. "I spoke with their vet who says he's been treating animals out here and he doesn't think there are any problems here," says Vastbinder.
But Deborah Lorence with the Gibson-Obion County SPCA says she saw clear signs of animal neglect-dirty dogs, puppies missing hair and living in urine. "We found diarrhea, massive diarrhea, dogs with eye infections or what appeared to be eye infections and infestation of fleas and ticks," says Lorence.
SPCA took the dogs to be checked out by a veterinarian. Now its up to the independent veterinarian's diagnosis to decide if animal cruelty charges are necessary. The SPCA says the dogs owners are not licensed or registered dog breeders, but that's not required under Tennessee State Law. State law also does not regulate the number of dogs a person can have.
Because the dogs' owners have not been charged, names have not been released so it's unclear if the dogs owners have ever had prior run-ins with the law or if they have ever faced charges for animal cruelty.
It will be up to a judge to decide whether the dogs will go home or be put up for adoption. In the meantime, the dogs need foster homes. If you'd like to help, call the SPCA at (731) 749-5010.
Case Updates
More than a hundred animals made their way to a Mid-South shelter Monday after authorities busted a puppy mill over the weekend.
Animal cruelty investigators say the puppies came from a puppy mill that bred some very expensive dogs.
They say the owners put ads in newspapers that could have been answered by anyone in any Shelby County neighborhood.
Almost 140 puppies and adult dogs sit in enclosures at the Dyersburg Fairgrounds.
All of the puppies were confiscated in nearby Obion County at what cruelty investigators are calling a puppy mill.
An investigation was started after the Gibson County Humane Society got anonymous complaints.
"About the care of the dogs and the puppies. Basically what it all boils down to the housing and condition of them physically," said Lowrance Gibson with the Obion County Humane Society.
Most of the puppies have some of the classic signs of abuse. One even had scald marks from sitting in urine for hours at a time.
Some of the dogs sell for thousands of dollars; french bulldogs, King Charles Spaniels, poodles, and cocker spaniels.
"The dogs basically show they've been in a wire pen environment. They have cuts on their feet, and signs of unsocialization," said Dr. Jon Martin.
Investigators said the dogs were so used to lying and standing in wire cages they got scared when a soft pad was put down for them.
This isn't the first time the people who own the dogs have faced charges.
"Took them to court and unfortunately we got pretrial diversion so it was just a misdemeanor," added Carol Feather with Dyersburg Humane Soceity.
Investigators are hoping tougher animal cruelty laws in Tennessee will make the criminal case they are building lead to a felony conviction this time.
The couple who own the dogs had not yet been charged.
The Gibson Obion County Humane Society needs money and cages for the medium sized dogs. They also need foster homes.
If you would like to foster a dog you can go to the Fairgrounds in Dyersburg on Wednesday beginning at noon and apply. They will ask you for references.
Source: WMC-TV - July 16, 2007
Update posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 12:05AM
Source: http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/11772/TN/US/
TN - Restraining order filed in puppy mill rescue case Restraining order filed in puppy mill rescue case
July 18, 2007 03:50 PM PDT
A restraining order has been filed barring anyone from fostering dogs rescued in a puppy mill bust.
Hundreds of Mid-Southerners filled out paperwork Wednesday hoping to take in one of the rescued pups.
All those people who stood in line hoping to help those dogs may have wasted their time.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the man who owned all those dogs, Bud Fair, hired an attorney and filed legal paperwork against the Gibson-Obion County Humane Society.
That restraining order bars them from fostering those dogs out.
Hundreds showed up at the Dyer County Fairgrounds lining up to apply to offer a foster home to those dogs.
It was a spirited, emotional crowd, most of whom say they just wanted to help.
They had to fill out an application and were told they'd be contacted if they qualified to provide a foster home.
But, now there's a counter-claim on the animals. The Humane Society cannot adopt or foster out any of them.
Instead, the owners are demanding the animals be turned over to the family veterinarian.
The Humane Society argues against that action saying the dogs will wind back up where they started.
A hearing is set for July 27th in the Obion County Courthouse.
The more than 130 dogs were taken from an Obion County residence believed to be the site of an unlicensed puppy mill, animal control officials say.
The dogs include Boston terriers, French bulldogs, King Charles spaniels, poodles and other popular breeds.
Nancy Green, assistant director for the Gibson/Obion County Humane Society, said investigators believe the dogs were being bred for sale.
"Hopefully, we can get puppy mills like this outlawed," Green said Tuesday. "I totally disagree with mass breeding dogs for profit."
Donna Caliendo, a Humane Society representative, said the dogs were kept in cages under portable carports behind a rural residence.
"It was pretty nasty," Caliendo said. "I have asthma and I got to the first set of cages and couldn't breathe."
Jon Martin, a veterinarian at Animal Care Hospital in Dyersburg, said the dogs did not appear to have life-threatening illnesses or injuries.
Source: http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6809092
Humane Society will fight to reclaim dogs Humane Society will fight to reclaim dogs
By NICHOLAS BEADLE
nbeadle@jacksonsun.com
7/21/07
Workers with the Gibson-Obion County Humane Society said they will begin a legal battle next week to retrieve more than 100 puppies and dogs after a court order forced them to turn over the dogs' care to a Dresden veterinarian on Friday.
The last of the dogs left the Humane Society's care about 5:30 p.m. Friday, said Deborah Lowrance, the group's director.
They were relinquished to Dr. Bob Page, who is identified on the court order as the dogs' veterinarian, until the dispute over the dogs' care is resolved.
Calls to Page's office and home were not returned Friday. Workers at his office said they were not authorized to say whether the dogs were at the office.
The dogs were seized from a kennel suspected as a puppy mill by the Humane Society and the Obion County Sheriff's Department on Sunday.
Obion County Circuit Court Judge William B. Acree ordered the Humane Society to relinquish the dogs two days after granting the dogs' owner, Mary Fair, a temporary restraining order against the group.
The order prevents the Humane Society from dispersing the dogs to any of the 351 applicants for the animals' foster care.
Lowrance said she debated whether she should ignore the order and risk being charged with contempt of court. She said she was worried about the type of care the dogs would get because of the sheer number of people who were needed to take care of them.
Lowrance said she also was concerned about the dogs' care since Page was their veterinarian while they were kept on Fair's property.
Humane Society officials have said they found the dogs confined to cages that were stacked in a clearing on the Obion County property. The cages were located under portable carports and had no compartments to catch dog waste, they said.
Humane Society officials have said some of the dogs were sick or malnourished. Lowrance said many of the dogs were completely scared of human contact.
Some, she said, were wary of walking on anything other than a metal cage. They would only crawl.
"I've seen where they've come from," Lowrance said. "If he'd been caring for them, how'd they get into the shape they were in?"
Fair's attorney, Jim Powell of Union City, also filed a complaint Friday in Obion County Circuit Court asking the Humane Society to pay damages for seizing the dogs illegally and for damaging Fair's reputation.
The complaint estimates the dogs' value as between $30,000 and $50,000.
It also says the Humane Society and the Sheriff's Department violated the Tennessee law that would have allowed them to take the dogs.
But Lowrance said the group did not break the law by taking the dogs. She said the seizure came after several complaints from customers of the kennel and others.
"This wasn't a rush-rush, run in and grab the dogs thing," Lowrance said. "If it was illegal to go on that property, why would the sheriff go with us?
"They knew that."
Efforts to reach Powell on Friday were unsuccessful.
Obion County Sheriff Jerry Vastinder said earlier this week that authorities were awaiting veterinary evaluations of the dogs before they decided if Fair would face charges. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
Copyright ©2007 The Jackson Sun.
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