Florida: After neighbor's Plott Hound knocked him down and attacked his Pit Bull, William Gamble fell into a coma and passed away three days later

FLORIDA -- Last Sunday (July 30) William Gamble, a 66-year-old resident of Crossgate Court in Palm Coast, was walking his Pit Bull, Dahlyla, not far from his home, which he bought with his wife Carolyn last September.

It was early evening. At the corner of Crossview Lane and Crossgate Court, another dog, a Plott Hound named Maya, ran out from 10 Crossview Lane and attacked Gamble’s dog Dahlyla, “knocking Mr. Gamble down to the ground,” according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Maya bit Gamble’s dog in the face, head and chin, according to a victim’s report filed with Palm Coast Animal Control, and was eventually taken to Flagler Animal Hospital for treatment.

After the attack Gamble got up and went back to his house, making it only as far as the garage, where he collapsed. He had just enough time to tell his wife that he’d been “attacked by the neighbor’s dog,” according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s report, though there is no indication either in the sheriff’s report or the animal control report that he’d been directly injured by the dog. A knee injury, his wife said, was from him falling. He was having chest pains.

By the time a sheriff’s deputy arrived at the house, Gamble was on the garage floor, unresponsive. There was a faint pulse. There was no sign of breathing. CPR was immediately initiated, and Gamble was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler.

He was not to regain consciousness. On Wednesday, after suffering what his son described as five heart attacks and fighting for his life through life support, he was taken off life support and died.

“I immediately began my drive here from South Carolina to see my dad and comfort my mom, a drive I had just become familiar with the previous week on our first visit here,” his son, Tim-Tracy Gamble, wrote on Facebook’s C Section Neighborhood Group, in what turned into a plea for an apology from the owners of the other dog.

“I never got to speak to my father because he was sedated. You have no idea how hard that is for me. We understand that this was an accident and that no ill will was intended, but you are responsible for your pets actions. You were there along with someone else. You are fully aware of what happened. I ask that you please make an effort to apologize to my mother for this. Some form of apology is needed.”

Maya is owned by Russell Bryant and Cindy Bryant, who have owned the property at 10 Crossview Lane for 30 years.

When a Palm Coast animal control official met with Russell Bryant on Aug. 1, he said he would comply with the quarantine but refused to fill out an affidavit for the official. Bryant claims this is on the advice of his attorney.

“I was told by Mr. Bryant that his wife was walking their dog ‘Maya’ when the dog slipped out of her collar by backing out of it,” the inspector’s report states.

The dog was placed on a 10-day quarantine, meaning that it had to be confined to the Bryants’ house except for brief moments outside on the property for exercise or natural needs, or in case the dog had to be taken to a veterinarian in an emergency.

The Bryants were cited for letting their dog run at large and not obeying the city’s leash law, and for causing a “nuisance,” according to the inspection report. They were fined $150 ($75 for each offense). The dog was to be quarantined for 10 days.

On Aug. 2, the city inspector spoke with the Bryants’ next-door neighbor who had called in to the city about Maya.

The resident said “she was afraid to walk by this house with her small dog,” according to the report’s account of the woman’s statement, “the owners have no control and the dog will try to attack her dog when they go by. She is concerned that most of the residents are elderly and asked that we remove the dog from this residence.”

The next item on the inspector’s report is a stark single line: “8/2/17 Mr Gamble taken off life support.”

Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Cindy Bryant said she had no comment.
Meanwhile, Tim Tracy-Gamble’s post was continuing to generate a conversation between him and others. In a brief interview this afternoon, he said there had been no apology forthcoming as yet.

“We have no control over what the law enforcement does with this case, but we do control our actions from this point on. We need closure for this,” he wrote. “I am asking that you show some level of remorse. I pray that you will make some effort to make this right. My mother will not hold her husband ever again. I will never fish with my dad ever again. My children will never hug their grandfather ever again. My granddaughter will never play with her big granddaddy ever again. Please make this right!!!”

(Flagler Live - August 4, 2017)

Montana: Puppy mill breeder Cathie Warren, 62, owner of "Adonai Rare Poodles" found guilty of animal cruelty

MONTANA - A Libby woman was recently found guilty of several animal cruelty charges after authorities shut down her puppy mill last summer.

A Lincoln County jury found Cathie Iris Warren, 62, guilty of three counts of aggravated animal cruelty and six additional counts of animal cruelty on April 20.

Lincoln County law enforcement agencies seized 120 animals -- including more than 50 dogs -- in what they suspect to be an illegal puppy mill business in August of 2016.

Donkeys, horses, birds and cats were also seized in the raid.

 

Warren aka Odegaard posted this photo saying 
there was nothing wrong w/this donkey other
than it needing a hoof trim

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Lincoln County Animal Care and The Humane Society of the United States say the dogs discovered at Adonai Rare Poodles were found to be living in "deplorable conditions" and suffered from various medical issues.

 

Cathie Warren (aka Cathie Odegaard, Cathie Odegaard Warren, Cathie Warren Odegaard, Cathie Iris, Cathie Soles, Cathie Schumacher, Katrina Schumacher) will be sentenced June 5.

Warren was very vocal initially, mocking law enforcement and claiming it was all false and that she would be exonerated and then she would sue everyone involved. Hmm...

 

 

(KBZK - May 1, 2017)

Earlier:

• Montana: More than 120 animals rescued from Cathie Warren's suspected puppy mill
• Montana: Animal cruelty charges filed against dog breeder Cathie Warren
• Montana: Background info on Cathie Warren aka Cathie Odegaard, Cathie Odegaard Warren, Cathie Warren Odegaard, Cathie Iris, Cathie Soles, Cathie Schumacher, Katrina Schumacher

Canada: Hearts of the North rescue accused of adopting out sick and vicious dogs

CANADA -- Despite what foster organization Hearts of the North claim, many in the pet community say dogs brought by the organization have heartworms —and it's not as benign as advertised.

"We fostered, in total, three dogs," said Andy Penner, who used to volunteer for the group. "All three had heartworms."

"I was educated that heartworms is not transferable to other dogs."

Endemic to United States 

The worm is a non-endemic parasitic roundworm that causes long-term health effects.

Hearts of the North saves dogs on death row in the United States, where the worm originates from, by finding Maritime homes for them.

Volunteers say the amount of dog lives saved using their method is in the thousands.

Earlier this week the organization came under fire after two cases of dog bites came to light. In one a woman's lip was bitten by a Plott Hound Boxer mix. In the second case, a pit bull mauled a larger Husky. The rescue group didn't euthanize the pit bull; instead, they "rehomed" it to a volunteer.

 

 

 

 

 

VICIOUS DOGS NOT BEING EUTHANIZED. INSTEAD, THE RESCUE IS SENDING THEM OFF TO NEW HOMES

Vanessa Volpe lives in Oromocto with her Siberian Husky, Mya.

While Mya was resting in Volpe's front yard late last month, a pit bull terrier — brought into the province from Hearts of the North — attacked the husky.

"I saw it running across the neighbour's yard," she said.

"It came right at her and attacked her. I tried to use my hands to pull his jaws open."

Volpe said her neighbor had to choke the Hearts of the North dog, Bob, to force it to stop attacking Mya.

She said, if she hadn't received help, Mya might have died.

"The rip was quite big," Volpe said.

"You could almost fit your whole hand in the wound."

In the end, Mya had to undergo surgery. She's still recovering.

"They had to put her under twice because they found a few more wounds on her."

Volpe no longer knows where THE PIT BULL is, as the organization found a home for him with an organization volunteer.

Squires also said she didn't know where THE PLOTT HOUND BOXER MIX is, but heard he was renamed and given a new home after the attack.

Marc Milewski lives in Prince Edward Island and said after picking up a dog to foster, it attacked his great Pyrenees dog.

"It latched onto my dog's throat and it took me five minutes of wrestling to get the dog off," Milewski wrote in an email.

Marc Milewski and his Pyrenees

"It is months and months since this happened, and my arm is still not the same as I pulled almost every muscle wrestling the dog off my dog and holding him down till he cooled off."

That same day, the same dog clamped onto Milewski's hound's neck "and cut him so deep he required stitches."

"The pit bull viciously tried rip off my dog's neck and was shaking and twisting as my dog yelped and screamed in what was a noise I never heard a dog make before."

Milewski's hound's neck

Milewski said he later went to investigate what had happened to his pit bull and found the group had reposted the pit bull's availability, trying to find a new home for it.

MEDIA SCRUTINY FORCES GROUP TO "PAUSE OPERATIONS"

The organization posted on Facebook Dec. 28 it was pausing operations to reflect on the recent allegations.

On Friday, even more cases surrounding attacks from these dogs came to light, as well as alleged discrepancies in paperwork accompanying dogs crossing the border.

"I'm just so upset because we've now had to put down dogs," Melissa Britton, a spokesperson for Hearts of North Friday.

The worm, which burrows into the dog's heart, greatly reducing its strength, is spread through feces and mosquitoes.

While dogs are the primary carriers, coyotes and other animals can also have the disease.

On their website the organization  says many of their dogs have the disease but says it isn't contagious.

"It is impossible for dogs in Canada to get it," the website said. "Heartworm is NOT contagious."

The website cites the New Brunswick climate as the reason why. It claims temperatures are not hot enough or long enough for the mosquitoes.

HOTN admits false claim

Britton recognizes that's not completely true and it is plausible for an infection to spread in New Brunswick, but she said it's unlikely and that Hearts of the North are not the only ones that transport heartworm positive dogs.

"If a heartworm positive dog has never been treated," Britton said, "it is entirely possible that a mosquito could bite that dog and transfer those eggs."

But, she said it has to be a specific type of mosquito: a female mosquito that lays near dormant water.

"It is possible, but it's highly unlikely that it would create any sort of epidemic because we don't have a massive population of the type of mosquitoes that they have there," she said.

Vet experts disagree

But, according to two animal experts, that simply isn't true.

Sheila McGowan, a veterinarian from Hampton, and Mandy Hamilton, a veterinarian technician in Florenceville, said there have already been cases of New Brunswick dogs, that have never left the province, contracting heartworm.

"That is evidence that we have a climate that supports the transfer of the disease," said Hamilton, who started a petition to stop the transfer of dogs with the parasite across the border. "There's some misinformation being spread around."

"Maine is endemic for heartworm," McGowan said.

Hamilton said after a mosquito bites a heartworm positive dog, it only takes two weeks to incubate, meaning the Canadian summer gives plenty of time for the worm to spread.

There are two ways to treat the parasite, the fast and the slow treatment.

The fast treatment kills the worms all at once, but is both dangerous and expensive.

McGowan said the slow treatment, the treatment used primarily by Hearts of the North, is not a viable method for medical professionals.

"(It's) just not recommended."

McGowan doesn't think it's impossible to fix now, but says there's a worry the worm will become endemic to the region, just like in the southern United States.

Previously, volunteers told CBC reporters these dogs are assessed in the U.S. by veterinarians and experienced handlers and staff and considered adoptable.

Mislabelled case

But Rachel LeBlanc from Moncton said when her friend received her dog, the organization mislabelled the age. They told her it was 10 months old instead of three years old and didn't have heartworms. LeBlanc now owns the dog.

She later bought the slower medicine, paying for it out of pocket, but is concerned her dog was untreated when she received it and the disease could have spread.

"They misinformed my friend," she said.

(CBC.ca - Dec 31, 2016)

Montana: Background info on Cathie Warren aka Cathie Odegaard, Cathie Odegaard Warren, Cathie Warren Odegaard, Cathie Iris, Cathie Soles, Cathie Schumacher, Katrina Schumacher

MONTANA - The thing about the internet is that nothing ever really goes away. The news of Cathie Warren's animal cruelty charges got everyone on the internet talking. This was posted on poodleforum.com:

Has anyone been following this about the latest seizure?

I will tell you MY personal experience. When this woman was Dayspring/Katrina Schumacher we began talking (before this she was Kathy Soles and since has been Cathy Warren and Cathie Odegaard).

She had a litter of red Standards that did not have a lot of the red/apricot ancestry that seems to pop up in nearly every single pedigree. I had a litter she was interested in. So we spoke a lot and she plied me with tons of photos of her litter every day. She promised me she would test the parents of the pups for all of the DNA things (vWd, DM and NE) so that the people who got breeding dogs from her would not have to all test their puppies for things they might be clear of.

She made a lot of promises she did not keep. She did not test the parents. I got Flynn. She got Besame. Flynn was picked up at the Toronto airport by my sister Amy and her family, who are his foster family. He was a nervous puppy and it took a long time for him to be comfortable in his own skin. He went to a warm home and a loving family who think the sun rises and sets on him. Besame went to Edmonton in the dead of winter and Katrina informed me after she had arrived there that her THEN husband did not like dogs, so my delightful little puppy spent all day every day in sub zero temperatures in Alberta outside in a lean to open on at least a couple of sides to the weather. Her photos and her many discussions on the phone totally fooled me.

I cried many nights wondering how my little girl was fairing living the life she was living. She was bred at 18 months for the first time with no more testing than a [preliminary] on her hips. She was sold to a holding company who bred her three more times.

While Katrina was with "that" husband apparently the dogs spent their days outside and their nights in crates all lined up side by side. I will never forgive this woman for what she did to this puppy girl. She lied to people who called her and mentioned me, telling them my Holly was over 30" at the shoulder. She lied to me about doing the testing on Flynn's parents. She lied to me about how my puppy would live when she arrived there. Once we made the trade, she would not take my phone calls.

If I was able to get through to her it was because I blocked my number. BTW... Flynn has never sired a litter. He is still so unsure of himself that he has never mounted a female. In my opinion, what has transpired lately is just damned good karma biting her right on her butt!"

So, of course, I'm curious about all these previously used names.  

Apparently, Cathie's name originally was Cathie Iris. Then she got married to Grant Soles and her name changed to Cathie Soles, but she also went by Cathie Iris Soles.

In April 2003, Cathie is listed in the newsletter titled Versatility in Poodles (VIP):

Welcome New Member
Mrs. CATHIE-IRIS SOLES "Dayspring" 3346 McConachie Creek Rd. P.O. Box 3507, Fort Nelson, BC .Canada VOC 1RO Phone: 250 233 8880 Email dsranch@yt.sympatico.ca http:www.dayspringkennel.cjb.net Cathie-Iris owns 5 Standards Poodles, 1 Toy Poodle, a Borzoi, an Irish Wolfhound and 2 Corgis..She also trains riding horses. She is interested Agility, Obedience, brace, hiking, livestock Guardian, and Therapy Work.

 

This September 2003 ad, from gundogsonline.com, shows her going by the name Cathie Iris Soles:

CKC Standard Poodle pups in Silver, Blue/Silver
Price:  1,500.00---2,500.00 us funds
Owner:  Mrs. Cathie-Iris: Soles
Location:
3346 McConachie Creek RD.
PO Box 3507
Fort Nelson, British Columbia - Canada
Phone:  250-233-8880
Email:  dsranch@yt.sympatico.ca
Hunting/Working/Performance aptitudes in beautiful Silver and Blue/Silver. Very elegant puppies with correct conformation for performance. These puppies are related to dogs that are presently working as Service dogs with DogGuides of Ontario. Email for pictures of Parents and puppies. Health fully guaranteed. To select homes only. Please no Sunday calls. ~Cathie~

After her husband unfortunately passed away she then married John Schumacher (around 2005). 

 

For some reason, she began using the name Katrina Schumacher instead of going by Cathie Schumacher. 

She started a blog titled A Pure Heart Desired (http://apureheartdesired.blogspot.com/) but appears to have abandoned it almost immediately after just two posts. On her blogger profile she says she lives in Rimbey, Alberta, Canada.

In 2008, she was calling herself "Katrina Schumacher breeder of the Dayspring CKC registered poodles in Central Alberta Canada" and running a blog called "Dayspringpup's Weblog". 

 

However, I'm assuming they got divorced at some point and then she remarried again to ___ Warren. I don't know what happened with that marriage, but it's over.

She then married Michael Odegaard (Mike Odegaard) and went back to calling herself Cathie. She runs her breeding business as Cathie Warren but tells people that her married name is Cathie Odegaard.

Posted on poodleforum.com, December 2013:
"Cathie Warren got a female puppy from me- when her name was Katrina Schumacher and her kennel name was Dayspring- Arreau Besame Mucho Dayspring and bred her before she was two and the ONLY test she did prior to breeding her was hips. Ask me how impressed I am...From what I heard, she bred her two times in rather quick succession, then sold her. Before she was Cathie Warren and Katrina Schumacher her name was Kathy Soles. Isn't that a little peculiar?

"Degenerative Myelopathy can also be clear by parentage.

"And before I would believe anyone that the parents are clear of any of the DNA tests, I would want to see copies of the lab paperwork or an OFA certificate. Not every breeder posts their results on the OFA web site, but i would not take them at their word that the dogs are clear. They need to prove it!"

Another then commented:
Well, here is the reply I received from Cathie Warren when I asked "Has OFA and CERF testing been done on the parents? Are they AKC registered?"

To answer your question about health testing...Testing is so very **Important** I am blessed to have Clear Lines... I am not having to test for carriers... and if you notice on my Website, the link that goes to the pedigree and lineage of my New Russian import that his Parent's testing is listed there...so Tazzar is Normal or Clear for all DNA tests thought important in Europe..(there is no link that I can find)
...now most Companion Pup owners are not into testing, but if they were into spending the money, and interested in collecting DNA samples to send off... their pup's test results would be clear...

She never did answer whether or not the parents were even AKC registered.

This prompted another comment:
Wow does this "breeder" also sell used cars? To think people would still buy from this mess-of-suck breeder. SMH. 

Also posted on poodleforum:

"I decided to check out the Adonai Rare Poodles website and that was a further blood boiler. You will never, ever get your $500 deposit back and her base price is $200 more than my dear breeder's who, like Arreau, is breeding only conformation titled pairs with all the testing. With this woman, if the price is right you can have full breeding rights. And we wonder why there are so many Poodle crosses. I don't care who took her down in this case."

"Oh I abhor breeders who give full breeding to anyone who will pay more for it! 

See that on Facebook all the time where they advertise a puppy with two prices, pet and breeding rights. That's all I need to know exactly what kind of breeder they are!"

Posted on Cathie's Adonai Red Poodles Facebook page:

"No, there is one woman who tries to fool the public by using several different names-- Cathie Soles, Cathie Warren, Katrina Odegaard are some of them. She trolls FB groups to find people with $$ and then gives them a line about her exotic European poodles. She does no testing of parents, she does not deliver AKC registration papers to buyers, she does not give out her physical address, she even creates her own certificates that she has put online to make it look as if the dogs are registered. She is bad news. I'm glad they rescued her dogs from her."

On city-data.com, there is a man going by the username "lucknow". He posted:

"I have a friend who lives in Libby Montana. She breeds world class poodles and is an animal lover in the first degree. She usually donates one puppy per litter to be service dogs. I have both bought and sold dogs to her and she is a woman of honesty and character. She has been the victim of a fanatical group of animal rights people who have used a local sheriff to railroad this poor woman. Her animals have been seized without due process her livelihood is being destroyed and the rights of all us animal owners are being destroyed.

"Weep as you read what can happen to you in this so called "land of the Free". I know a lot of members of CD love animals and also love liberty. Please send this sheriff Emails registering your disgust, also the local DA and the media. I have a selfish interest in this schmozzel. Two of the dogs seized belong to me. I contacted this sheriff's department and told them I hold them personally responsible for the health and safety of MY ANIMALS. They assured me they will be fine. My own selfish interests are .0001% of my care and concern here. It's Cathy and her rights that are being illegally crushed by an overbearing and criminal government that is 99.99999% of my care and concern."

When someone dared to disagree with him, he posted:

"I can assure you that these dogs are well looked after. She has been inspected regularly since she opened her kennel. I do believe that is besides the point in any case. How do you suppose laboratory dogs that are the subject of cruel experiments are kept? Those labs are not raided ever! What about most livestock operations? Their animals are not seized and sometimes conditions are just horrible. I know that Cathy might have had a few too many dogs right at this minute. It happens to us breeders. I have 25 dogs right at the moment and I feel that is too many for me. In a month I should be down to 5 after my two litters of puppies go to their forever homes.This case in Montana is just another case of a overbearing and all powerful "state" stomping on the rights of a vulnerable citizen.

"It's a complete load of BS. Everything about this case is a lie! First of all she rescues donkeys and they WERE NOT SEIZED!!!! Her donkeys are still there enjoying life as always. Her birds were not seized. All the photos published are not of her animals. Boby Bowe is a corrupt LIAR!!!!!! I receive a lot of videos from her on the progress of my two puppies. They are happy and they are thriving!!! She is anything but a puppy mill!! She breeds champion poodles. They are sold all over the world for a lot of money. One does not mistreat such valuable animals. My two puppies are worth over $6000 each. It's amazing how the media can so prejudice people. They can print any lie and the readers just believe it. You can not be a member of the AKC, sell champion dogs globally and have anything but a legitimate operation. THis is a case where an innocent citizen of the country is being persecuted by the agents of the state in order to further some outsiders interests and agenda. Justice For Adonai Poodles"

He got more than he bargained for, though, because other commenters posted their opinions - and they weren't backing him. Some people commented that they don't like PETA, HSUS either but that doesn't mean Cathie didn't deserve to have her animals taken from her.

"When I go to Adonai Rare Poodles website, I do not see any information anywhere about what genetic/health testing is done, what health guarantee the breeder offers, that the breeder will take back any dog at any time during its life, or any breeder recommendations/breed information. These are all basic bits of information that I look for on a reputable breeder's site. As importantly, I also do not see any information about the dogs the breeder uses in their breeding program- normally I would expect to see pictures of the dogs, their pedigrees, any titles they have, and their role in the breeding program.

"Not seeing any of these items is a HUGE red flag for me. On top of all that, factor in that she has puppies for sale from a litter born in May, so she didn't have all the puppies spoken for by the time they were born."

Another posted:

"OK, I saw the article and read most of it. It does sound like she had an overabundant amount of animals including birds but especially dogs. I don't know what condition the dogs were truly in, but I dare say she wouldn't be the first dog breeder that lost her touch with reality in how many dogs she can properly care for. Dogs need individual attention and love. How do you do that with dozens of dogs unless you treat them only as breeding stock?

"On one side I'm glad someone is looking out for the best interest of the animals or at least claim to be. On the other side, I don't know what is the truth here is and what isn't.

"I can tell you this much. It's not unusual or unheard of for even the top dog breeders to get in over their heads with too many dogs. I knew a breeder of French bulldogs who had about 30 or so dogs. She was considered a fine breeder, showed her dogs and won at many dog shows.

"What people didn't know is that her dogs that were no longer show dogs, were treated like crap. She had their vocal chords cut to reduce the noise from barking, kept the dogs in kennels not much bigger than large closets. Many of these dogs rarely got human attention other than to be fed and have their kennels cleaned. There was no law against doing this, but do you think those dogs had good lives? Of course the 4-5 dogs that were her current favorite show dogs lived indoors like normal pets. The others were vanquished to outdoor kennels regardless of weather and time of year."

Earlier:

• Montana: More than 120 animals rescued from Cathie Warren's suspected puppy mill
• Montana: Animal cruelty charges filed against dog breeder Cathie Warren

Montana: Animal cruelty charges filed against dog breeder Cathie Warren

MONTANA -- A Libby woman has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty almost three weeks after the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office removed 119 animals from her home.

The Lincoln County Attorney’s Office on Monday filed four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of cruelty to animals, one a misdemeanor and the other a felony, against Lincoln County kennel owner Cathie Warren, 61 (aka Cathie Odegaard, Cathie Warren Odegaard, Cathie Odegaard Warren). According to her website, Adonai Rare Poodles, Warren breeds and sells Miniature Poodles, Standard Poodles, Borzoi and Russian Wolfhounds.

If convicted she faces a maximum nine years imprisonment and $11,000 in fines. Her arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 29.

The county attorney also included 11 alternative charges, all cruelty to animals – second or subsequent offense, and each a felony.

Lincoln County officials on Aug. 2 removed 53 dogs, six donkeys and 60 parakeets from Warren’s property.

The case’s nine-page affidavit describes visits to Warren’s property over the past five months, where Lincoln County Animal Control, Sheriff’s Office and a Whitefish veterinary technician reported finding 59 animals in alleged conditions that warranted removal. According to Warren and the sheriff’s department, the 60 birds were removed voluntarily from Warren’s property.

According to court documents, a second veterinarian, Dr. Fred Conkel of Westgate Animal Clinic in Libby completed a second examination on the donkeys two days after the removal effort. In the report, Conkel said that each donkey had poor health, excessively long hooves and other medical issues.

Lincoln County Animal Control has been holding the animals at the Libby and Eureka facilities during the past three weeks.

Warren has disputed the animal cruelty claims since Aug. 2, the day her 53 dogs, six donkeys and 60 parakeets were taken from her home just outside city limits. Warren said she believes the Humane Society of the United States orchestrated the removal in order to eliminate all animal breeders in the country.

Warren did not return calls for comment made by The Western News after charges were filed.

Warren aka Odegaard posted this photo saying
there was nothing wrong w/this donkey other
than it needing a hoof trim

In the past three weeks, Warren has been building a network of support from past clients who have purchased her dogs, as well as people who say they have been targeted by the Humane Society of the United States for dog breeding.
Among those in support of Warren is Gordon Sullivan, Warren’s neighbor.
Sullivan, recently diagnosed with bone cancer, said that Warren donated a service poodle to him six months ago, about a month before the animal removal.

Please, Mr. Sullivan show us the proof that this Poodle is an actual trained service dog and not just an "emotional therapy" pet. 

Sullivan said Warren’s dogs have previously received visits from the animal control department for noise complaints, one called in by his wife. He said being so close to the hills outside Libby, bears and other animals often come down to feed on the apple trees, prompting the dogs to bark.

As for the dogs’ health, Sullivan said he’s seen dogs that have been beaten or mistreated, and Warren’s dogs don’t exhibit the same tone of disparity.

No one is saying that these dogs are being beaten, Mr. Sullivan. The authorities are saying that she neglected them. There's a difference.

 

Sullivan said in a small neighborhood like his and Warren’s, someone would have turned her in a long time ago if they suspected any animal cruelty.

“I can see if a person is outwardly abusing animals and they would get turned in by their local neighbors. If it’s a bonafide deal, I’d be the first one to arm myself and do something about it,” he said.

Warren’s arraignment is set for Aug. 29 at 9:30 a.m.

After being charged, Warren immediately joined the Calvary Group, whose belief according to animal welfare groups, is that animals are private property and you can do whatever you want to them. They don't believe, per animal rescue groups, that "humane living conditions" should apply to animals. They also push the agenda that the ASPCA, HSUS, shelters, and law enforcement agencies around the country only seize animals from owners in order to be able to "sell" the animals themselves.

The Calvary Group welcome letter:

"Animal rights activists use FALSE CLAIMS OF ANIMAL ABUSE and anonymous tips lines to convince over zealous prosecutors and sympathetic judges to issue warrants when, in most cases, no facts or actual witnessed evidence is provided to obtain the warrant.

"As a result, animal owners and animal related businesses live with the DAILY TERROR that... law enforcement [will arrive] at their door and [seize their animals] without due process. Animal owners are then exposed to EXTRAVAGANT ANIMAL CARE BONDS and charges for temporary animal care, possible sterilization of HIGH VALUE BREEDING STOCK, or euthanization of their animals.

"Our sincere hope is that Americans wake up before it's too late, and recognize that any individual or entity operating to usurp ownership of private property can and must be stopped..."

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CALVARY GROUP
The Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) has disciplined The Alliance for Truth, a campaign committee that fought against the passage of Prop B, the puppy mill ballot initiative. The Alliance for Truth is an affiliate of the Cavalry Group.

The MEC additionally disciplined the treasurer of The Alliance for Truth, Mark Patterson, and imposed fees against them both in the amount of $61,500. This action is in response to a multitude of alleged violations regarding the disclosure of campaign finances used in their failed attempt to defeat Prop B.

Read the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) filing HERE.

"The Alliance for Truth, a supposed nonprofit affiliate of The Cavalry Group, never filed as a nonprofit and failed to report on over $10,000 in contributions and $40,000 of expenditures. The Commission also found Patterson used the Alliance for Truth to pay for $45,300 in unspecified 'consulting services' to the Cavalry Group, himself and into his company Crosswater Properties, L.LC." - Missouri Times

You don't have to be a vegan or a vegetarian to demand that animals being raised for human consumption (eggs, meat, milk) and products (leather, wool, etc.) are treated humanely before slaughter - and to demand that the slaughter is humane and quick. 

The Calvary Group, of course, quickly posted a blog story complaining that "Ten days ago, Sheriff Roby Bowe invited out of state vegan animal rights extremists to fly into little Libby and conduct an illegal operation against a local highly respected poodle breeder and steal all of her valuable purebred dogs. With the Sheriff giving away the keys to his office, private vigilantes from as far away as Florida with a vendetta against puppies, flew in for the party.

"The Sheriff's actions also violate the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) which makes it a crime to destroy an animal related business for ideology reasons.

"Sheriff Roby Bowe is in violation of Montana's newly reformed civil asset forfeiture laws. Under the law, he is required to get a criminal conviction first before he could take and keep any property owned by Cathie Warren, and this includes animals which are property under the law. Sheriff Roby Bowe is the lawbreaker not Cathie Warren and the taxpayers of Libby, Montana need to hold him accountable for his actions."

This is, of course, incorrect. Montana's civil asset forfeiture law simply says that there must be a CONVICTION before going through PERMANENT forfeiture proceedings. Nothing has been forfeited at this point. The animals are being held while Cathie Warren aka Cathie Odegaard has her case go through the criminal court system. Should she be found not guilty, the seized animals would be returned to her.

(The Western News - Aug 26, 2016)

Earlier:

• Montana: More than 120 animals rescued from Cathie Warren's suspected puppy mill

Montana: More than 120 animals rescued from Cathie Warren's suspected puppy mill

MONTANA -- Nearly 120 animals, including dogs, donkeys and birds, were removed Tuesday from a suspected puppy mill near Libby, the Humane Society first reported Tuesday.

A Lincoln County detective on Tuesday executed a warrant for the search and seizure that produced 49 poodles, one Borzoi dog, two Plott hound dogs, one yellow Labrador, six donkeys and the dog ownership paperwork found at a property just outside Libby city limits, according to court documents filed Wednesday; 60 birds were also removed from the property.

That property belongs to Michael Odegaard (Mike Odegaard) and Cathie Warren (aka Cathie Odegaard, Cathie Odegaard Warren, Cathie Warren Odegaard), 61, owner of Adonai Rare Poodles.

Warren disputes the potential charges of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony, and cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor. Both potential charges served as the basis for the search and seizure on Tuesday but have not yet been filed against Warren as of Thursday. Charges are expected to be filed as a result of the removal effort.

The removal was a coordinated effort between the Humane Society of the United States, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln County Animal Care and Control, according to the press release issued by the Humane Society.

“The warrant went well, no one got hurt and everyone worked very well together in tough conditions,” Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said Tuesday. “It just went flawlessly.”

Bowe said a private veterinarian was also present during the seizure. Bowe said among the 59 animals removed from the property, 60 birds were also removed, albeit voluntarily.

“Some of them were voluntarily given up, but they were still seized,” he said.
The Lincoln County removal effort comes just one week after a Lake County Sheriff’s Office investigation led to the seizure of 11 dogs from a kennel containing 120 dogs. The kennel owners were cited with animal cruelty, but seven of the 11 dogs were returned to the owner after being reviewed by a veterinarian.

Although a Lincoln County resident called dispatch on July 27 to report an animal cruelty complaint at 185 Crossway Avenue, Bowe also said the case has been active for several months.

According to court documents, Warren’s dog breeding and kennel operation has been in question with the county since April, after members of the county animal control and health department staffs visited Warren’s property in response to a barking complaint, and Warren’s application with Lincoln County for a kennel license for the upcoming year.

Information documented in that visit claim that Wendy Anderson, of County Animal Care and Control, and Kathi Hooper, of the County Health Department, saw dogs living in deplorable conditions, including descriptions of 32 dogs packed into small wire crates, stacked on top of each other inside a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with no food or water. 

According to that same report, a bullwhip was found and Warren claimed that she would smack the bullwhip against a tarp to keep the dogs quiet.

While Warren’s previous license to operate allowed 20 dogs in her care, the documents from Hooper’s and Anderson’s report suggest Warren had more than 50 dogs on the property during the April inspection.

Hooper and Anderson reported the conditions of the kennel to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney’s office after the visit.

On June 30, Hooper and Anderson returned to the property, this time with Sheriff Roby Bowe, and found the conditions hadn’t changed.

According to the report from this visit, since the lighting was better in the 10-foot-by-10-foot room on this visit, Anderson and Hooper were able to see the conditions of the poodles.

Many of the poodles were reported to have the top of their heads flattened because the crates were too small and they could not put their heads up while sitting down. Anderson said that this indicated that the poodles spent long periods of time in the crates.

On July 26, court documents say that Bowe returned to the property again with Melissa Genovese, a veterinarian at Whitefish Animal Hospital. Two days later, Genovese emailed a report from the visit to David Hall, the Lincoln County detective heading the case.

Genovese’s report includes descriptions of the first animals encountered in the visit as healthy, but as the inspection reached further into the property, conditions plummeted. Genovese reported some dogs kept in spaces too small to move, while other areas allowed dogs running so freely that she was unaware one dog had been pregnant until it had given birth. She reported that Warren had been feeding all the dogs cat food and much too little of it to sustain a healthy diet.

“(Warren) told me that she fed the Plott hounds less food so that they wouldn’t grow too quickly, while the others received less food so they wouldn’t have diarrhea,” Genovese wrote in the report. “We noted one pile of diarrhea in the space, which surprised me with that many dogs. I suspect they could be eating their feces as they don’t have enough food.”

Genovese’s report included an inspection of most of the property, where she found most dogs on the property to be malnourished. The report includes notes of donkeys that were too far away to determine their condition and overcrowded cages of parakeets.

Genovese concluded her report with a recommendation that the dogs and potentially the other animals on the property should be removed from Warren’s care. The dogs and donkeys were included in the seizure report from Detective Hall, while the birds were not. The Lincoln County Animal Care and Control took the animals into care and will hold them pending the results of the case.

While all 53 dogs had been relocated to the Lincoln County animal shelter by Wednesday, Anderson said that some of the dogs would be shipped to the Eureka facility sometime Thursday.

Warren, kennel owner for 35 years, refused to comment on the search and seizure on Thursday after the search warrant information had been filed. On Tuesday, prior to the document filings, Warren said she disputes the claims of animal cruelty and the title of her operation as a puppy mill. Warren said she’s been a licensed dog owner in Lincoln County for three years, in which the county animal control department has completed bi-annual inspections.

“Animal control has seen my dogs twice a year and didn’t seize them before, and my setup was worse prior to this,” she said Tuesday.

Warren said that of the 53 dogs seized from her facility, only six simply needed haircuts.

“That’s what I was planning on next,” Warren said. “They’re happy, running around and healthy. They just needed a good haircut.”

She also disputes the health concerns regarding the six donkeys, which she said only needed a “foot trim.” She also said that no birds were seized from her home as stated in the Humane Society press release.

 

 

 

 

Warren said she doesn’t know why the investigation into her animal operation started.

“It’s hard to know what’s in the minds of other people,” she said.

Warren said that she raises different types of dogs mostly to become service pets for people with disabilities. Her Facebook page, Adonai Rare Poodles, features pictures of poodle puppies with their new owners, seemingly both healthy.

Once charges have been filed and she begins moving through the legal process, Warren will have to testify in the case in order to get her animals back, she said.

The animals are currently being held at the county animal shelters in Libby and Eureka. Judy Hyslop, volunteer with Kootenai Pets for Life, said that the animal control department has contacted them and they will be working closely with the effort.

Cathie Odegaard (aka Cathie Warren) and her minions have been very vocal, saying the sheriff's office is corrupt, that the shelter "steals" animals to sell for profit, that the warrant wasn't valid, that nothing was wrong with the living conditions, that the HSUS wants to shut down all breeders, blah, blah, blah. Judges don't just issue search warrants without probable cause. 

 

 

(Lincoln County Sheriff's Office - August 10, 2016)