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
