Tippecanoe County Animal Control Officer Seth Kirkendall removed seven of eight dogs found on the property of Randy Sanders, which he described as matted with feces and living in unfit conditions. The eighth dog lives in Sanders' house and was not seized.
"It was apparent that a lot of the dogs were neglected," he said. "They were basically laying in feces. Another dog had an eye problem that needed to be seen by a vet."
Crystal Creek Kennel owner Nita Pollock said that particular dog is scheduled to have its eye removed Thursday. Another dog has an injured hind leg. All of the dogs had lice and worms, and none of them had been vaccinated — which is a state law, she said. Several of the dogs were malnourished.
Sanders takes exception to the allegations the dogs were matted and lying in feces.
"No. They were not," Sanders said. "I've had dogs for 52 years, and I did not see matted."
Sanders said if the dogs were matted in feces, it happened at Crystal Creek Kennel. The Journal & Courier found no signs of neglect at Pollock's kennel while gathering information for this story.
Sanders had 42 border collies removed from his property in the past, Pollock said, and court records indicate numerous complaints against Sanders and his treatment of his dogs going back to 2010.
The Board of Zoning Appeal eventually filed a lawsuit to force Sanders to shut down his puppy mill.
That case ended with a judgment, ordering Sanders not have more than three dogs. It also assessed a $49,805 fine, which he has not paid, according to records.
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| One of the puppies for sale. Look at how dirty the pup looks... |
Sanders acknowledged that the court order limited him to only three dogs, but he said, "The dogs that were extra were here for evidence for a legal case. I'm not going to disclose what's going on, but people did things that are totally against the law."
Sanders would not say if or when he might file a lawsuit or where. A check Wednesday of CourtView did not turn up any recent filing in Tippecanoe County.
Tippecanoe County Building Commissioner Mike Wolf was responsible to enforce the court order. Reached Wednesday, Wolf said he checked in September to make sure Sanders complied with the order, but he had not been back since.
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| This is Sander's website, which shows the dogs doing ability and seemingly well cared for |
Wolf told the Journal & Courier to contact the Board of Zoning Appeal's attorney, Jay Seeger, for additional comments. The Journal & Courier left two messages for Seeger at his office. He did not return the calls.
Kirkendall said Sanders would receive citations to appear in court, and he planned to forward the case to the prosecutor's office for review.
(Journal and Courier - Feb 25, 2015)
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