California: Authorities searching for Pamela Miller, 51, who fled after police seized 83 neglected dogs from her animal rescue, Millerwood Animal Sanctuary

CALIFORNIA -- Authorities were searching on Monday for the owner of an unlicensed kennel where they seized scores of dogs, including pit bulls and Akitas, in a raid last week.

Pamela Miller (aka Pam Miller, Pamela Miller-Sackter, Pam Sackter, Pamela Sackter), 51, has been missing since Friday, when authorities served a search warrant at her home in the 100 block of North Linden Street and seized 83 dogs. Miller's father filed a missing-person report Sunday, but police said they do not suspect foul play.

Burbank police Capt. Gordon Bowers said the dogs were living in deplorable conditions - many of them in carriers.

"Half of the dogs were inside the house, and none of them had food. None of the animals had water. It was about 100 degrees inside,'' he said.

Authorities said Miller had been embroiled in a four-year legal battle to renew a license for the Millerwood Animal Sanctuary, an animal-rescue organization. Miller had been under a court order since March 2001 to keep only three dogs at the site, officials said.

"She knew we were coming,'' said Bowers, adding that police are pursuing animal-endangerment charges against Miller.

Police took 34 of the seized dogs to the city's animal shelter and 49 to Lakewood Kennels, a licensed kennel across the street from Miller's home.

"When they got here, they were happy to have a chance to run around,'' said Claudia Madrid, interim supervisor of the city's animal shelter. "Some of them wouldn't stop drinking water - that's how dehydrated they were.''

Most of the dogs are docile, Madrid said, even the ones who look like they have been in fights with other dogs. Two of the dogs have only three legs each.

June Lamb, owner of Lakewood Kennels, said the confiscated dogs brought to her appear to be in good health.

"They are in quite good condition,'' Lamb said. "They look pretty well fed. I would say 90 percent of them are adoptable.''

Lamb said Miller told her she planned to move the kennels to another area and that she was keeping them at the Linden Avenue home temporarily.

(LA Daily News -July 30, 2002)

Earlier:

• California: Pamela Miller, who was running a rescue called Millerwood Animal Sanctuary, to be tried this week on animal cruelty charges
• California: Animal cruelty suspect Pamela Miller sues city, saying they're harassing her

California: Animal-control officers remove 86 dogs from Pamela Miller's animal rescue

CALIFORNIA -- Animal-control officers removed 86 dogs from a small,

foul-smelling home full of kennels on the 100 block of West Linden

Avenue on Friday in what allegedly was the owner's violation of a

court order to not keep more than three at the location.

Police were investigating the scene as an animal-endanger- ment

case.

Pamela Miller (aka Pam Miller, Pamela Miller-Sackter, Pam Sackter, Pamela Sackter), the owner of the home, was not there when police

served the warrant shortly after 4 p.m. No arrests had been made two

hours later, when animal-control officers were walking the dogs out.

Bruce Johnson, a neighboring business owner who knows Miller, said

she was afraid that if she did give the dogs to a shelter, they would

be destroyed.

"I've never seen the inside of a house with that many animals,"

Burbank Police Lt. Tim Stehr said. "For the dogs' sake, they are

going to a better environment now."

A nearby shelter will house some of the dogs, mostly pit bulls,

while others will be taken to the Burbank Animal Shelter.

Four years ago, the Burbank Animal Shelter denied Miller's bid to

renew her kennel license to keep her Millerwood Animal Sanctuary

open. She and the city have engaged in legal battles ever since. But

in March of last year, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled

Miller could not keep more than three dogs or cats for five years.

Some neighbors were pleased the dogs were removed.

"All you had to do was look in there to see this was animal

abuse," said Patrick Guilfoyle, owner of the nearby boarding kennel

Double Dog Dare Ya.

(Burbank Leader - July 27, 2002)

Wyoming: Michael Kelley, 34, charged with two counts of animal cruelty

Full Name: Michael Phillip Kelley
Gender: Male
City: Green River, Wyoming
Height: 6'03"
Weight: 200 lbs
Hair Color: BROWN
Arrest Age:34
Date:07/16/2002
Time: 8:44 PM
Arrest Location: Sweetwater County, Wyoming
Charges
#1 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
#2 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS