Iowa: AKC dog breeder's three dogs die while locked inside hot car outside dog show

IOWA -- Three dogs died of heat exposure after they were locked in a vehicle Saturday outside of a dog show in Ottumwa, police said.

The Ottumwa Police Department responded to reports Sunday that the incident had occurred Saturday in the 100 block of Church Street, according to a news release.

The American Kennel Club All Breeds Dog Show was held Saturday and Sunday at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, according to the venue’s calendar. It was hosted by the Southeastern Iowa Kennel Club.

Two dogs were reportedly found dead at the scene, and a third was taken to a local veterinary clinic, where it died. A fourth dog survived.

The dogs in the car were Chihuahuas and Chinese Cresteds, Hunter said, but she did not have specific information on the breeds of those that died.

An investigation into the case is ongoing, and no charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Ottumwa Police Chief Tom McAndrew said police were "behind the ball" on the investigation because the tip was called in a day after the incident. The dogs had been removed from the scene by Sunday.

American Kennel Club spokesperson Brandi Hunter said in an email that a person who owned at least some of the dogs in the car has had their AKC privileges revoked.

"The American Kennel Club takes all allegations of animal neglect and cruelty very seriously," Hunter wrote. "We have conducted an investigation of this incident and as a result of our findings, we have suspended the AKC privileges of the owner at this time and are cooperating with law enforcement."

"Anyone responsible" for the dogs is believed to have been from out of town and visiting for the show, McAndrew said.

McAndrew said the case was made more difficult because witnesses present for the show would have left town by the time the tip came in.

Yeah and those cretins never bothered to call the police before skipping town. They cover up for each other.

The situation should serve as a reminder to anyone in contact with a pet, he said.

“You can’t leave a dog in a car during these hot days," he said. "Even on a moderately warm day, it’s too hot for a dog to be in a car.”

Saturday's high temperature reached 89 degrees in Ottumwa, according to the National Weather Service.

(Des Moines Register - July 11, 2017)

North Carolina: In 2003, AKC breeder Anita Brown was caught hoarding 97 animals inside her house. They let her plead guilty to ONE count of animal cruelty. Now she's been caught with nearly 40 animals in the same house of horrors. Good job Hanover County! Maybe if you'd been tougher with her back then, animals wouldn't have suffered and died for the last 14 years.

NORTH CAROLINA -- An animal cruelty investigation that began in March led to the arrest of a Wilmington woman Friday.

Anita Brown is charged with 37 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty after 37 dogs were removed from her home in the 100 block of Fairford Road.

She was taken to the New Hanover County Detention Facility and given a $19,000 bond.

According to a release from the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, Brown had been warned "on several occasions" that the dogs' living conditions in her home were not adequate.

 

 

 

In 2003, Brown was caught with nearly 100 animals inside this same house. She was breeding (and hoarding) Shelties and Whippets. She also had dozens of birds - parrots and cockatiels - living in squalor. Prosecutors, instead of doing their jobs and getting her on 97 counts of animal cruelty, let her plead to ONE COUNT of animal cruelty.

Officers with the NHCSO's Animal Services Unit executed the search warrant at Brown's home on Friday.

All the dogs were taken to the New Hanover County Animal Shelter. They will stay there until a decision is made when Brown has her trial.

This is an ongoing investigation.

  

  

 

   

  

 

  

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Anita Wolfe Brown
Gender: Female
Race: White
Arrest Age: 59
Date: 07/14/2017
Location: New Hanover County, North Carolina
Total Bond: $19,000
Charges
#1 RESIST/DELAY/OBSTRUCT PUBLIC OFFICERS
#2 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#3 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#4 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#5 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#6 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#7 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#8 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#9 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#10 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#11 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#12 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#13 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#14 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#15 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#16 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#17 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#18 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#19 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#20 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#21 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#22 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#23 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#24 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#25 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#26 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#27 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#28 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#29 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#30 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#31 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#32 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#33 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#34 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#35 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#36 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#37 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)
#38 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (M)

(WECT - July 15, 2017)

Earlier:

• North Carolina: AKC breeder Anita Brown hoarded nearly 100 animals inside her home. Prosecutors let her plead to just ONE count of animal cruelty.

New York: Sheltie breeder Jill Hamilton, 63, pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges

NEW YORK -- A Gardiner woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to eight counts of animal abuse, appearing in town court for the first time since the Ulster SPCA seized five of her dogs over the weekend.

Jill Hamilton’s home at 130 Dusinberre Road was filled with “debris, rotten garbage, and waste, both human and canine,” according to a statement from the SPCA.

Hamilton, 63, is charged with five counts of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, and several counts of failure to provide proper food and drink.

“The conditions these dogs were forced to live in is appalling, conditions even more offensive given the apparent certification of this location as a breeding operation,” Adam Saunders said in the statement. He is executive director of the Ulster SPCA.

Hamilton is a registered American Kennel Club breeder of Shetland Sheepdogs, operating under the name “Adalia Kennels”, the statement said.

 

 

Hamilton declined comment after the court appearance. She is due back in court April 13.

The Ulster SPCA is also demanding in a civil suit that Hamilton pay $3,400 in medical expenses and care of her dogs at the SPCA shelter in Kingston. The dogs are named Carly, Finn, Luna, Bart and Helen.

(Record Online - March 31, 2016)

Earlier:

• New York: Sheltie breeder Jill Hamilton, 63, owner of "Adalia Kennels" arrested on animal cruelty charges

New York: Sheltie breeder Jill Hamilton, 63, owner of "Adalia Kennels" arrested on animal cruelty charges

NEW YORK -- A Gardiner woman faces animal cruelty charges after five dogs were removed from her home due to unsafe conditions, according to the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The dogs were removed from the home at 129 Dusinberre Road on Friday and taken to the SPCA shelter in the town of Ulster for medical evaluation after state police and SPCA officials executed a search warrant at the residence, the agency said.

 

It is believed the dogs’ owner, Jill Hamilton, 63, is a registered American Kennel Club breeder of Shetland Sheepdogs under the moniker, “Adalia Kennels,” the SPCA said.

Authorities said Hamilton is facing criminal charges of at least one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty per animal. She is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Gardiner Town Court.

Additional information about the dogs and their condition was not immediately available.

 

“The conditions these dogs were forced to live in is appalling, conditions even more offensive given the apparent certification of this location as a breeding operation,” Ulster County SPCA Executive Director Adam Saunders said in a press release.

The interior of the residence and much of the property immediately around the home was filled with debris, rotten garbage and both human and canine waste, the agency said. Indications in the home suggest Hamilton continued to live within the building despite the unhealthy environment; investigators discovered a bed, clothing and food amid the waste and feces.

“Ulster County Executive Mike Hein pushed for inspections of registered breeders in 2015, an effort blocked by the American Kennel Club and local residents,” Saunders said. “It’s incredibly sad to think that their efforts allowed these dogs to suffer in this environment for a year longer than necessary had the proposed animal protection legislation passed. Perhaps this is the wake-up call needed to revisit this issue.”

According to the release, Ulster County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement officers sought a search warrant for Hamilton’s home after Saunders and a department trainee had done an initial investigation earlier in the week. The warrant was based on the confirmed presence of dogs within the deteriorated structure and a second unsuccessful attempt to contact the owner, the agency said.

The SPCA said the warrant cited a need to remove any animals found within the structure for their own safety.

(Daily Freeman - March 29, 2016)

Alabama: Bonnie Lieberman has 4 children removed by authorities after dead dog left to rot in yard

ALABAMA -- The Shelby County DHR has removed four adoptive children from their Helena home due to unsanitary living conditions.

In addition, 13 poodles -- four of them puppies between the ages of 1 and 3 weeks -- were taken from the home by an area animal rescue.

Three of the children were removed Friday, according to Department of Human Resources spokesman Barry Spear. The fourth child had been taken from the home earlier, Spear said. All four, three girls and a boy between ages 8 and 15, are now in foster care, he said.

Bonnie Liberman, 56, of 151 Oak View has been charged with animal cruelty in the death of a dog, failure to properly dispose of a deceased animal, operating a business without a license and domestic violence, according to Helena Det. Sgt. Chris Rollan. She is scheduled to appear in court May 8, he said.

"She has been very cooperative," Rollan said of Liberman. "I think she has just bitten off more than she can chew."

Rollan said he visited Liberman at her home on Feb. 10 after neighbors complained that a dog carcass was on her property. The officer said he asked her to bury the dog. He returned a week later, and the carcass had not been moved.

"That's when I made the three charges against her," Rollan said, adding the domestic violence charge occurred at a later date. He would not elaborate on that charge.

On Friday, Rollan said he and a DHR representative visited the home and found it filthy.

"With the smell and the feces all in the house, the children just couldn't stay there," he said.

Rollan said he called Two by Two Rescue to help with the dogs.

Liberman has been operating as an American Kennel Club-approved breeder, first of Dobermans and most recently poodles. The dog that died in February was a Doberman.

Efforts to reach Liberman were unsuccessful.

(AL.com - April 30, 2012)

Earlier:

• Alabama: AKC breeder Bonnie Lieberman charged with animal cruelty after leaving dog carcass in yard

Alabama: AKC breeder Bonnie Lieberman charged with animal cruelty after leaving dog carcass in yard

ALABAMA -- Helena Police say a dog breeder is facing animal cruelty charges because she left a dead Doberman to rot in her backyard for a month.

Bonnie Liberman is charged with animal cruelty, failure to dispose of an animal, and operating a business without a license.

Neighbors say the dog had heartworms and it eventually starved itself to death.

Will Nall, 11, first discovered the dead dog when Liberman’s kids allegedly showed it to him.

“I mostly saw a dead dog and bones and organs laying out on the ground,” Will said.

Will’s mother took pictures of the Doberman nestled behind the Liberman’s air conditioner unit. Kellie Nall is furious her son was exposed to something like that.

“They told Will they wanted to show him something but not to tell me and they took Will into the backyard where the dog was dead and the youngest boy actually urinated on the dog,” said Kellie Nall.

Nall says she didn’t know what to do so she called police.

“We know the police were out here four times to tell them to get the dog up out of the yard because it was visible from the street,” Kellie said. “They finally did get the dog up but we have no idea what they did with it but I do know they made the oldest daughter clean the dog up and I think that’s terrible too.”

Helena Police Sgt. Chris Rowland says Liberman has two websites selling poodles and Doberman dogs. On those websites Liberman claims to be a breeder registered with the Animal Kennel Club.

FoOX6 contacted the AKC and they sent us this statement:

“If a written, signed, and substantiated complain regarding the care and conditions of a dog is received or if someone is charged by law enforcement and it violates the AKC’s inappropriate treatment of animals policy then the AKC would pursue the matter.”

FOX6 also contacted Liberman. She told us over the phone the allegations are not true. She says there were no dead animals in her yard.

Helena Police say their investigation isn’t over and they’re also looking into living conditions at the house since children live there.

(WBRC - April 27, 2012)

North Carolina: AKC breeder Anita Brown hoarded nearly 100 animals inside her home. Prosecutors let her plead to just ONE count of animal cruelty.

NORTH CAROLINA -- Two dogs and two birds.

That's what Castle Hayne woman Anita Brown is allowed to bring home after a plea agreement in her case was reached Tuesday in New Hanover County District Court.

Brown, 45, pleaded guilty to JUST ONE misdemeanor cruelty to animals charge and a town ordinance violation in connection with the 43 dogs and 54 birds found Oct. 16 on her property at 107 Fairford Road. 

Authorities said many of the animals will now be adopted out through rescue groups.

Judge James H. Faison also fined Ms. Brown $6,500 for expenses incurred by the county in caring for the 97 dogs and birds, placed her on five years' supervised probation and prohibited further visits to the animal shelter.

Other probation terms stipulate that Ms. Brown not acquire any more animals and that she receive a psychological assessment. Her home will be subject to unannounced visits by probation or animal control officers.

"I was basically given an ultimatum. It was my house or this deal. They had me up against $60,000 in fines," Ms. Brown said later.

The cost of caring for the dogs and birds at the county Animal Control Services shelter has exceeded $60,000, Assistant District Attorney Charity Hicks said, adding that the $6,500 fine reflects a reasonable share of those expenses.

Ms. Brown appeared last month in District Court, and a plea agreement that would have allowed her to keep three dogs and three birds was not approved by Chief District Court Judge John Carroll III. Tuesday's plea agreement averted a trial.

The animal cruelty plea indicates neglect and Ms. Brown being "overwhelmed" by the animals, not mistreatment, Ms. Hicks said.

"I believe it was more of a hoarding phenomenon going on," she said. "One person cannot responsibly care for 97 animals. It's too big of a job. Physically, one person cannot keep up with all the things they need."

Most of the dogs are whippets or Shetland sheepdogs (Shelties). Among the birds are several types of parrots and cockatiels. Ms. Brown said she kept dogs on her property since moving there in 1984.

Of those taken Oct. 16 by animal control, 12 were recently dropped off for rescue and another 12 were puppies, Ms. Brown said.

A woman who left a whippet there to be bred and tried to take it back a year later after it had puppies initiated the complaints against her, she said.

Neighbors of Ms. Brown made numerous complaints to Animal Control Services before a warrant was obtained to go on the property, agency Director Jean McNeil said. Some of the dogs are receiving treatment for heartworms, but the overall health of the animals is good, she said.

"We've once again made a stand against people who don't take proper care of their animals, and we hope that sends a message," Ms. McNeil said.

Ms. Brown said she knows people who would take the dogs and birds, but is prohibited from making arrangements.

She claims the value of the cages, AKC-registered dogs, puppies and birds kept by animal control exceeds $25,000, but money isn't a primary concern.

"They promised me today they were not going to put any of them down, but I can't check on any of them," Ms. Brown said. "They won't let me know."

Ms. Brown has been on medical disability for more than a year because of a back injury. Under her probation terms, she cannot breed any more animals or continue rescue work. She hopes to pick up the two whippets and two parrots allowed in the plea agreement from the animal shelter this week after one of the dogs is spayed.

Ms. Brown said she will continue to worry about the dogs and birds left behind.

"It's just so horrible. I feel so bad for those animals. I love them with all my heart," she said.

(Star News Online - Feb 4, 2004)