Barbara Perry Christian, 55, 166 Buttermilk Road, Gray, was issued 70 citations — 35 for animal cruelty and 35 for not having up to date rabies shots for her adult dogs — last week.
 |
| In the video, Christian says: "They're not in the best conditions... but they could be living in a lot worse" |
The investigation began after Animal Control received an anonymous tip about the problems at Christian’s breeding business, Barbara’s Breeding Palace.
[You can find complaints about Barbara’s Breeding Palace online.]
Christian also operates under the business name Schnauzer Land.
Inside the kennel they found 35 adult dogs and 35 puppies, Animal Control Officer Andrew Barnett said.
According to Barnett, they cited the owner with 35 counts of cruelty to animals and 35 counts of failure to keep the dogs' rabies shots updated.
"It is the law and I'm guilty," Christian said. "I'm guilty of some neglect in cleanliness, yes I am."
 |
| The adorable puppies shown on for sale pages are rarely representative of the the conditons that the adults are forced to live in. |
Schnauzer Land's owner says this is not something that happened overnight. In May, Christian says she suffered a traumatic injury and has remained sick ever since. She says the conditions of her kennel have suffered because of that.
"My dogs are not living in the best conditions they could be living in," Christian admitted. "They could be living in worse, but I've been sick all year since May. I've had a traumatic wound since May. I didn't have help. I did it by myself and God provided me help a month ago and it was worse a month ago than it is now. I love my dogs. That's my life. That's the only thing in my life I have left."
[Maybe God was telling her that He wanted her to stop what she was doing. Thirty-five puppies and thirty-five adult dogs... It is ridiculous to think that these dogs are being brushed, groomed, played with, taken on walks, having balls thrown for them to chase, being provided with needed medical care, that all of those kennels are cleaned, scrubbed and disinfected daily, that their water bowls are cleaned, that old food is picked up and disposed of, etc. The adults are breeding machines and the puppies are dollar signs.]
For now, she still has those dogs. Animal control officers did not take them away. Still, they did cite her into court. She is due to appear before a judge on December 13th.
"They are being fed, I give her that," Barnett said. "It is understandable there are things that can happen to people, but our first thought is to the animals. Regardless of how bad we feel, any injuries or anything like that, the animals still have to come first."
Christian is no stranger to Debbie Dobbs, director of the animal shelter.
“We’ve dealt with her in the past,” Dobbs said.
According to a court document filed by Animal Control Officer Andrew Barnett, he inspected Christian’s kennels on Saturday and discovered “there was no rabies shots for at least 35 of the animals 6 months and above. The premises was lacking general maintenance and upkeep of the kennels.”
Officers stated that the dogs were surrounded by a combination of feces and urine throughout the kennels.
Christian is scheduled for a court hearing Dec. 13 in Washington County Sessions Court.
Anyone with information about suspected animal abuse or animal cruelty can report it to the animal shelter at 926-8769.
(Johnson City Press - Dec 7, 2012)
(News Channel 11 - Dec 5, 2012)
