RSPCA appeals for information on starved Llanelli dog

UNITED KINGDOM -- AN APPEAL for information has been given by RSPCA Cymru after an emaciated dog was found in Llanelli.

The starved dog, a saluki breed, was found in the Felinfoel area on November 18th by a member of the public and was later taken to the vets.

The RSPCA animal welfare officer Paula Milton explained: “He had no collar and was not microchipped, so we can’t track down his owners.

  

We don’t know what happened to this dog – but he could hardly walk and is very thin. There was just nothing of him. The vet said he had a body score of zero.

We are now appealing for information to try and find out what happened to him and if there is an owner out there searching for him.

The dog is doing really well now, he is eating little and often, although it will be a long road of recovery for him.”

Anyone with information about the dog should contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

(Llanelli Herald - Dec 1, 2015)

Ohio: Dog groomer and former breeder Barbara Fogl convicted of animal neglect in Medina County

OHIO -- State v. Barbara Fogl, a case we prosecuted for the Medina County SPCA. Fogl was charged with multiple counts of neglect related to her care of 16 animals, including cats and Saluki, Afghan, and Lowchen breed dogs.

The animals were kept in deplorable conditions. A strong odor of feces and urine could be detected when standing outside of the home. Many of the dogs were kept in makeshift kennels, where they rested on concrete floors covered in filthy newspaper and other debris. 

The Afghan and Saluki breed dogs were in the worst condition. Those dogs had grooming issues, were underweight, and had untreated tumors and/or other veterinary conditions.

Fogl is a groomer and former breeder, who allegedly became overwhelmed by her own health conditions.

As part of a plea agreement, Fogl pleaded no contest to 3 counts of animal cruelty.

She is not permitted to own or keep any animals, other than two family dogs which were spayed as part of the agreement, for a period of 5 years. She was ordered to pay $600 in fines and $5,980.30 in restitution for the care of the animals. She is also subject to random, unannounced inspections to ensure the humane treatment of the remaining two animals in her care.

The animals have all recovered.

(Holland & Muirden, Attorneys at Law - August 21, 2014)

Calgary show dog breeder faces 51 animal neglect charges

CANADA -- A Calgary woman well-known in show-dog circles has been charged with 51 counts of causing or permitting an animal to be in distress following the seizure of 34 dogs from her southeast home in mid-May.

The charges against Beverly Jean Creed stem from allegations she kept the dogs in unsanitary conditions and also relate to 17 dogs that veterinarians say were in “medical distress,” said the Calgary Humane Society.

 

Brad Nichols, manager of cruelty investigations with the humane society, said dog seizures of this size and involving someone in the industry are rare.

“It’s not often we’re seizing 30-plus dogs,” Nichols said, adding it was unusual for Creed — a respected member of the show-dog and dog breeding community — to let animal care drop off so drastically.

Some of those animals were returned to co-owners after they paid fees associated with the removal and care of the dogs, Nichols said.

“It’s fairly common to have co-ownership type agreements and show other people’s dogs, take them through various types of competition,” Nichols said.

Others are slowly recovering from surgery and treatment for dental abscesses, fractured bones, skin infections and eye problems, and are making their way to the adoption centre, he said, adding some have already been adopted by new families.

 

 

Unfortunately, two dogs had to be euthanized due to age and medical reasons.

None of the animals was returned to Creed.

The dogs were seized on May 13 from an Acadia home in the 8500 block of Addison Drive S.E.

A man delivering a notice to the residence expressed concerns about the welfare of the animals and a strong smell emanating from the property. He alerted a neighbor, who called 911 after entering the home and finding feces and urine throughout, as well as ripped furniture and numerous dogs in distress.

Peace officers, police officers and firefighters attended the scene, removing dogs of varying sizes and breeds. Most required extensive veterinary care and were taken to the humane society to have vaccines and health checks.

The house was deemed to be unfit for human habitation.

Creed could not be reached for comment Thursday. But her friends had previously said she was facing difficulties in her life caring for her elderly mother at the time the dogs were seized.

Creed had also told CTV News that the dogs had clean beds and good food.


She is expected to appear in court on Aug. 27.

Nichols said each charge comes with a maximum fine of $20,000, but they are rarely — if ever — handed down. Creed could also face an animal prohibition.

Nichols pointed to a similar case of 34 dogs, most of them pit bulls, seized from a Martindale home in April 2011, which netted the owner a $5,000 fine and a lifetime three-animal limit.

(Calgary Herald - July 3, 2014)

Earlier:

• Seizing dogs from Acadia house unjustified, owner's friend says

Seizing dogs from Acadia house unjustified, owner's friend says

CANADA -- A dog breeder says the Calgary Humane Society went too far when its officials seized dozens of dogs from a home in Acadia last week.

 

Investigators say the animals had been left in unsanitary, cramped conditions and that charges under the Animal Protection Act will likely be laid against dog breeder Beverly Creed, the owner of the home.

 

 

 

 

But Lynn Knapp, a friend of Creed and fellow breeder who owns one of the dogs seized from the southeast Calgary home, says officials overreacted.

 

"There was absolutely no need to bust into that house and make this into a circus,” she said. “Bev had been there that morning. They could've waited and got a hold of Bev."

Knapp breeds dogs at her home in Wilbur, Wash., and sometimes sends them to other breeders, including Creed, for training, she said.

 

 

 

 

 

In last week’s incident, one of them — a saluki named Zip — was seized, along with two miniature pinschers she co-owns with Creed.

Dogs weren't suffering, claims friend

According to Knapp, Creed has been going through a difficult time, but the dogs weren't suffering, she said.

 

"Oftentimes when people have depression issues, they turn to the one thing that makes them happy. In Bev's case it was dogs,” she said.

But Calgary Humane Society spokesperson Christy Thompson said the dogs were seized with good reason. She declined to give details, but said they were in poor medical condition.

 

Zip, a saluki owned by Lynn Knapp, was
 in Beverly Creed's Calgary house when
humane society officials seized dozens
of dogs they believed to be suffering
 neglect last week. (Lynn Knapp)

Knapp says she is now trying to get her dog back. But all the dogs are under observation for a 10-day period as part of its investigation, according to the society.

"Our priority right now is the ongoing investigation, as well as the animals' health. And when we do come to a point where we're able to look at the ownership part of this investigation, each dog will be looked at individually,” Thompson said.

So far no charges have been laid.
(Calgary Herald - May 20, 2014)

United Kingdom: Inside the house of filth where Dorothy Harland, who was a founding member of animal rescue group Emergency Animal Rescue Service, kept pets in conditions so bad police officers were forced to wear gas masks

UNITED KINGDOM -- Strewn with litter, smothered in mold, this is the squalid home where a charity worker kept three dogs and four cats for up to 10 years.

Dorothy Harland, 58, was a founding member of the Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

But as she spent her days urging people to take in neglected animals, her own were left suffering in a decrepit house.

Dorothy Harland

The conditions were so horrendous that officers who eventually discovered the hovel could not stay inside for more than a minute without gas masks.

Harland, who pleaded guilty to five counts of animal neglect at Harrogate Magistrate's Court, has been barred from keeping animals for ten years and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

 

The court heard the animals tried to burst out of the house when they were eventually discovered on December 14 last year.

As police opened the door to the property in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Charlie, a German Shepherd mix leaped out and started running around in circles.

Bruno, a 16-year-old mix breed, also tried to escape but was too weak to walk and kept falling over. Medical tests revealed he had suffered a stroke days before police found them, and vets were forced to put him down.

When RSPCA inspectors arrived later, they discovered a third dog, a Saluki named Jack who was kept in a rusty cage too small to stand in. There was no food or water in sight.

Four cats - Murphy, Molly, Polly and Dolly - were also found among the garbage, feces, urine, and broken furniture.

RSPCA workers said it was the worst house they had inspecting in 20 years.

'It was disgusting, it really was,' said RSPCA inspector Dave Holgate. 'Someone who works with an animal charity should really know better. Somebody working with animals knows what is right and what is wrong, and that is wrong.'

 

The court heard police were alerted to the animals' suffering by a Yorkshire Water contractor investigating a leak at the house. The officers immediately contacted the RSPCA for emergency support.

PC Raheel Akram told the RSPCA in a memo: 'It was astonishing the level of dirt and I had never seen a premises in such an appalling state.'

Prosecuting on Wednesday, Andrew Davidson said: 'The conditions had built up over a significant period of time. She allowed her attachment to her animals as pets to come before their need to have proper living conditions.'

The court heard that Harland, who pleaded guilty to five counts of animal neglect, was suffering from depression and had been living in the appalling conditions alongside her animals.

Defending Nick Woodhouse said: 'She doesn't have close family or friends so no-one visited the house.

'Her animals seem to have been a crutch for her, she says animals are her reason for getting up in the morning.'

Magistrates were told that any disqualification order would prevent Harland from continuing her work with EARS, a charity which has rescued over 130 dogs.

Animal abuser Dorothy Harland, on the right

Her friend and colleague at the charity, Margaret Wells told the court: 'She does a great job and I don't think we could do it without her.'

Hey Margaret, shut your pie hole. It's partially your fault that this happened. Why didn't you go over to her house and check to ensure she wasn't hoarding animals? Why don't you focus on the victims instead of lying and saying she did such a great job at the rescue? 

That's like saying "Yeah ok he's a child sex offender and all, but he did a REALLY GREAT JOB at the daycare he worked at!"

Chief Magistrate Michael Poole told Harland: 'From your charity work you were aware that your care was seriously lacking. The RSPCA say it is one of the worst they have seen in years and they were appalled by the state of yours and the animals living accommodation.'

He added that Harland cannot apply to the court for the ten-year ban to be removed for at least five years.

Placed under a 12 month supervision order, she was also ordered to pay £200 of the £4,000 the RSPCA have spent on bringing the case the court, along with a £60 surcharge.

Jack, Charlie and all four cats have since been rehomed.

This article from 2013 shows just how Dorothy Harland tricked people:

Paws for thought for dog rescue Emergency Animal Rescue Support (EARS) kennels revamp
A new block of kennels is set to boost the lives of canines awaiting loving homes at a dog rescue centre in West Tanfield.

Emergency Animal Rescue Support (EARS), which is run entirely by volunteers, helps dogs from across the district find new homes and foster families – and is now hoping its new kennel revamp can create a permanent base for the dogs.

“The expansion will allow us to be more hands on with the dogs,” founder Dorothy Harland told the Gazette.

“We have a lovely bunch of dogs here but we are desperate for them to find new homes and foster carers.”

As part of the rescue centre’s refurbishment, six new kennels and an office area have been built – which Dorothy said will “give us a permanent base and enhance the lives of our dogs waiting for new homes”.

“We will be able to spend more time interacting and training our dogs, which will give them a better chance of finding their forever homes,” she said.

(Daily Mail - May 8, 2014)

Walney dog attacked man and pet

UNITED KINGDOM - THE fate of a dog at the centre of a court case after it bit a man depends on finding his new owners.

Susan Mimms pleaded guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control when she appeared before Furness Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Mimms, 51, had been out walking her son’s dog Flynn, an 18-month old Saluki, at Biggar Bank, on Walney, on February 28. The court heard how Mimms had decided to return home after getting cramp.

As she let the dog off the lead it approached Laurence Crease, attacking his dog and biting his hand.

However, following the incident the dog was advertised on Facebook and sent to a farm in North Yorkshire.

The court heard how a destruction order for Flynn could be made – but not without the dog’s new owner present in court.

Mr Mike Graham, defending, said: “The dog has been taken by a third party to be looked after. One incident took place and she immediately thought to remove the dog as it was too difficult to retain ownership.”

Mr Crease was left with a swollen hand and his dog with nine stitches after Flynn’s attack cut its neck and ear. Mr Crease was also left with a vet bill for £254.22

Mrs Lisa Hine, prosecuting, said: “The defendant will have to inform the police who the new owner is and we will have to get the new owner to come to court.”

District Judge Mr Gerald Chalk said the dog’s owner would need to be present to allow them to challenge any possible orders made regarding the dog. Mimms, of Duddon Drive, Walney, could be seen weeping as the possible destruction of the dog and an order banning her from dog ownership was discussed. The case has been adjourned until July 4 in a bid to find the new owners and bring them to court.

(NWEmail - June 19, 2013)