Ayo entered a guilty plea Monday in state court to five counts of animal cruelty and one count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, according to the Gwinnett County Solicitor’s Office.
The case against the woman reportedly began in November 2013, when a veterinarian called the county’s animal control services to report eight Rottweiler puppies who were in severe condition after their tails had been cut off.
One of the puppies died from injuries sustained from the tail-cutting, according to a (necropsy) post-mortem examination cited by the solicitor’s office.
Investigators reportedly learned that the puppies’ owner contacted Ayo to remove her dogs’ tails and remove their dew claws. Ayo agreed to do the service for $150 and used scissors to perform the procedures inside the kitchen of a Lawrenceville home, the solicitor’s office said.
“She (Speed) advised that she left the room because she could not stand to see blood,” the report states. “…Speed advised while in a separate room she could hear the puppies screaming excessively.”
“Speed advised all of the dogs were extremely bloody and it appeared that nothing had been placed on the open wound to protect from foreign objects and to stop bleeding,” the report states.
Two children were present as Ayo removed the 10-day-old dogs’ tails without anesthesia or pain medication; the puppies screamed in pain and bled profusely, the solicitor’s office said.
After observing excessive hemorrhaging, the puppies’ owner took the dogs to a local veterinarian, who contacted police.
Georgia law requires that only a licensed veterinarian conduct docking, the surgical procedure used to remove a dog’s tail. Veterinary practice also requires that the dog is between three- and five-days-old for the procedure.
The surgery is condemned by organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association and is banned or restricted in a number of countries, including the U.K. and Australia.
Under the plea agreement, the solicitor’s office says Ayo, a resident of Fairburn, is required to serve five years on probation, pay a fine of $3,500, perform 240 hours of community service, have no contact with animals and surrender all state Department of Agriculture licenses. She is also subject to inspections by Gwinnett County Animal Control.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT LESLIE AYO
Complaint #1
Just want to let people know about my experience with Heaven's Gate Kennel (Owner Leslie Ayo). I bought a puppy from Ms. Ayo and on the way home from purchasing the puppy I had to take it to the vet. She was diagnosed with an UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION. The next day we had to take her back to the vet and she was diagnosed with PNEUMONIA. The puppy had to stay at the vet for several days. Did the breeder pay the bill? NO! NOT A DIME! The health of the puppy was guaranteed on the contract which has been taken off of Ms. Ayo's website. Recently, my puppy was diagnosed with EPILEPSY. As of this past Friday she was diagnosed with HIP DYSPLASIA. She is passing on some "good" genes!!!! Please investigate before you buy.
Complaint #2
My son-in-law bought a rottie puppy from Leslie Ayo 20 days ago when the puppy was 15 weeks old. Leslie told my son-in-law that the puppy was 12 weeks old and had all shots up to date. The Rottie became sluggish last night with diarrhea and vomiting. My son-in-law just took that baby to the vet and it was diagnosed with parvo. Anyone who knows anything about parvo knows that this is most often a death sentenced for dogs. Now, here is the worst of this terrible breeders evilness. The puppy that my son-in-law purchased was ill when he bought the dog, because the vet just confirmed that it takes 14 days from exposure before the dog shows signs of parvo.
What is tragic is that we let this sick Rottie play with my English Mastiff puppy, not knowing the Rottie had the virus, and my puppy died last week of parvo. This breeder had the audacity to tell my son-in-law that she would not compensate for the expenses of a puppy that she sold sick. Well, we will see who gets the last word lady.
I will use every legal outlet that I have to expose her neglectful practices. My daughter described her home as a puppy mill with dogs of different breeds everywhere. I am about to contact Animal Control to report this woman and we will let them decide if these dogs are sick or neglected. I owe my son-in-law's little Rottie and my own baby, who is now dead because of her faulty shot records and her neglect of dogs being sold sick, to fight through legal channels to get this kennel closed and the other dogs rescued.
I intend to use every legal outlet including the media outlets to give my dog a voice after her death which came far too early. Clark Howard from our local news will be next so don't be surprised if you see Ms. Ayo on television being raided for running a puppy mill and selling sick dogs. Whoever else has been affected in negative ways by this women's neglectful kennel, please stand by because the law is on our side and I intend to use the law to bring this woman to justice on behalf of Treasure, my beautiful English Mastiff puppy.
Complaint #3
This Lady Leslie Ayo had the nerve to ask me for pictures of my current puppies then passed them off as hers to another breeder selling them for 4000 more than my asking price. She is a puppy Broker and puppy mill, she buys other peoples puppies then sells them to make a profit and a HUGE One! She needs to be put out of Business.
Complaint #4
Go to the Gwinnett Daily Post website and Google Leslie Ayo. March 2014 article stating that she "was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty in March 2014 for 'inhumanely removing the tails of eight puppies, ' one of whom later died."
Another article in the same newspaper reports: "State records show that she was also charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license."
Ms. Ayo can deny the accusations made by former customers all she wants but she wouldn't have made the HSUS's Horrible Hundred 2015 unless the problems at her kennel were well documented. There are an estimated 10, 000 puppy mills in the United States so to stand out among this large number makes a pretty big statement.
(Gwinnett Daily Post - July 27, 2015)
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