The dogs, with matted fur caked in feces, came from Tippecanoe County dog breeder Thurman "Randy" Sanders, who county officials have been trying to shut down for years. They thought they had succeeded last August when a court order cited Sanders for violating zoning regulations. The order restricted Sanders to keeping no more than three adult dogs on site and no more than one litter of puppies a year — the same rules that apply to dog owners who are not zoned to run a kennel.
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| Thurman "Randy" Sanders |
Last week county animal control officer Seth Kirkendall received a report of a limping dog on Sanders' property. That gave him the probable cause he needed to conduct a search, and he found four adult dogs and four 7-month-old puppies in an unheated barn.
The dogs were suffering from various maladies, including lice and intestinal parasites. One dog had an infected eye that had to be removed and another an injured hind leg.
"Why weren't you out there looking?" Pollock asked of Mike Wolf, the county building commissioner to whom the order from Tippecanoe Superior 2 Court specifically gave authority to inspect Sanders' property any time with 24 hours advance notice.
"Why didn't you stop this?" Pollock asked of Jay Seeger, attorney for the Tippecanoe County Board of Zoning Appeals.
Wolf deferred questions to Seeger.
Seeger said, "I don't comment on active cases."
Sanders said the four 7-month-old dogs were from a litter of six pups born Aug. 2. He said he tried to sell them.
"I advertised them. I didn't get any calls," Sanders said, saying the publicity he has received has ruined his reputation as a breeder.
Of the eight dogs in his possession, Sanders said only one, Spud, his companion, was vaccinated. He rhetorically pointed out that lots of people have dogs that are not vaccinated.
Kirkendall issued Sanders 29 citations for violations of the county's animal ordinance — including inoculation violations, failure to provide adequate food and water, animal cruelty and nuisance violations. Kirkendall also cited Sanders as a habitual offender for similar offenses going back at least a decade.
Kirkendall said he will forward the results of his investigation to the county prosecutor, who will determine if criminal charges are merited.
It wouldn't be the first time Sanders faced criminal charges. He was charged with two misdemeanor counts in 2011, and in March 2012, he was found not guilty of those allegations, according to court records.
But none of this means that Sanders is clear of his old legal woes from last year or the potentially new ones from last week.
The August 2014 court order also assessed nearly $50,000 in fines against Sanders, but until last week, county officials never pressed Sanders to pay. After finding the dogs in Sanders' barn last week, zoning board officials filed a motion to force Sanders to pay the fines.
Regarding the neglected dogs found in his barn, Sanders said he treated the dog suffering eye problems when he noticed the infection when the pup was 7 weeks old, but the medicine didn't cure the infection. Sanders said Monday he didn't seek any additional treatment for the dog's eye. The dog is now 7 months old.
The dog with the limp has hip dysplasia and will eventually require surgery, Pollock said. The dog likely will lose the use of the leg, but she will not be in pain, Pollock said.
Sanders said the dog started limping just four days before she was removed from his care. Sanders said he contacted his vet, who told him the limping should go away in a couple of days and to call back if it didn't.
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| One of the puppies for sale. Look at how dirty the pup looks... |
The same dog has neglected dental care. Pollack said the dog will receive a cleaning — and extractions, if needed — later this week.
Sanders maintains that the dogs were not in poor condition, a point he shared last week with Tippecanoe County Commissioner Dave Byers.
But Byers thought the problems with Sanders were resolved after the August court order.
Sanders complains to whoever will listen — including Byers — that the county is out to get him. But Byers said Sanders had opportunities to keep his business, and he refuses to follow new county ordinances.
"People offered to help," Byers said. "I had one person say he could come up with $20,000 to help Randy. But he told me Randy had to change his attitude."
(Journal and Courier - March 5, 2015)
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