Operation Rescue
Oct 2007
By Lisa Jung
Volunteers and Rescue Groups Mobilize to Rescue Dogs
Approximately 250 dogs and puppies rescued during a recent seizure at a York County kennel are receiving aid and medical care from Maine animal welfare groups, breed rescue groups, veterinarians and volunteer dog lovers who have united to advocate through action for so many suffering canines that were existing in horrendous conditions.
Described by police as the largest raid of an animal breeding facility in the state, the August 21 seizure at J’aime Kennel in Buxton was initiated by the state Department of Animal Welfare in conjunction with the Buxton Police Department, and assisted by the state office of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) of West Kennebunk and the Animal Refuge League (ARL) in Westbrook. Because of the large number of dogs, the only option was to keep most of the dogs on site. Even security guards remained on site to protect the dogs from any intrusion that would jeopardize their journey back to health.
Last year, the Department of Animal Welfare denied licensure renewal to kennel owners John and Heidi Frasca, who were appealing the decision and therefore entitled to an administrative hearing, said Christine Fraser, Animal Welfare Department veterinarian. “But when we continued to receive complaints and the owners would not comply with state law, we had no choice but to intervene for the health of the dogs.
“The owners refused inspections twice in the last six months, so we didn’t know the exact number of dogs or precisely how bad it was,” Fraser said. “When we arrived, we secured the site and began collecting evidence, with the help of the Buxton Police Department and HSUS. Over 40 staff and volunteers from the Animal Welfare Society and staff and volunteers from the Animal Refuge League, arrived soon after. They began the arduous task of identifying, photographing and cataloguing all the dogs and pups. For example, in what the owners called the puppy room, which is only about 16-by-16 feet, we found 98 dogs. The stench of urine was awful, and there were tons of flies.”
At the time this article went to press, the Frascas had been charged with operating an unlicensed kennel, animal cruelty and failure to provide necessary medical treatment to animals. A possession hearing is scheduled for late September and an arraignment to confirm the charges is scheduled for November. “We have a lot of material and documentation to gather for the district attorney,” Fraser said. “Court dates could be rescheduled, plus there could be additional charges and more people involved.”
Fraser confirmed that several zoonotic diseases were discovered in the dogs, including Giardia, sarcoptic mange (scabies) and ringworm. “These diseases are transmissible to other animals and humans. Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk,” she said. “Giardia causes severe diarrhea, sometimes with vomiting; sarcoptic mange causes an extremely itchy rash which often causes secondary skin infections and ringworm causes a rash. These diseases can be treated with various medications, most of which are extremely expensive, especially when multiplied by almost 250 dogs.”
“Since the day of the seizure, we have brought about 50 dogs and puppies to our shelter, which helped free up some space in Buxton and enabled us to monitor specific dogs for health concerns,” said Carol Ann Mackinnon, program coordinator at AWS. “Each day has presented new challenges, and our staff and volunteers have been fantastic at facing them head on. We’ve had to scramble to keep up with the outpouring of volunteers who are willing to pitch in with everything—transporting dogs and puppies to the emergency veterinary hospital, transporting supplies and even bringing lunch to the staff. This will be an ongoing operation for months.”
“About 20 veterinarians have volunteered to provide medical care onsite in Buxton, at the emergency clinic and in their local offices,” Fraser said. “In an extremely stressful environment, their staff and volunteers have remained focused and caring, whether they’re cleaning, feeding or transporting. Dogs respond positively to structure and human contact; they know now that they’re going to be fed regularly and taken out to walk and play. They’re happier and healthier already.”
“However, we are not yet in a position to send dogs to foster or rescue group homes,” said Susan Britt, director of operations at the Animal Refuge League. “Due to the large amount of infectious disease and the need for a transitional phase of socialization for most of the dogs, we are proceeding very slowly with this phase of the operation. We may re-visit the idea of foster homes as we move forward.”
Infectious diseases, dogs without canine socialization and human contact, lack of basic, fundamental care and unsanitary conditions of a life-threatening degree—how did this happen in a place that was once a licensed facility?
According to MacKinnon, the Buxton kennel personifies the “true definition of a puppy mill,” which she described in a press release issued the day after the seizure as a facility that breeds and sells purebred dogs in large quantities and “where the conditions are beyond substandard.”
“This facility was licensed in 2001, but they had far fewer dogs at that time,” Fraser said. “They grew to the point where they were operating under different names and selling puppies on seven websites. They advertised a number of breeds, including but not limited to German shepherds, Shetland sheepdogs, mini Australian shepherds, American and French bulldogs, Papillons, poodles, pugs, Brussels Griffons, and shih tzus.”
According to the HSUS website section titled “Get the Facts on Puppy Mills,” facilities that breed large numbers of purebred puppies sell them in a variety of ways: via the Internet, through newspaper ads or to pet shops. The site also notes that many problems caused by these facilities have been documented, including over-breeding and inbreeding, which can lead to genetic diseases that might not appear until a puppy reaches adulthood.
They also cite a documented lack of veterinary care, poor quality food and shelter, lack of socialization, overcrowded kennels and euthanasia of unwanted puppies and dogs at puppy mills. Some dogs at these facilities are kept for the sole purpose of repeated breeding and producing more puppies. The females are called “brood bitches” and when their ability to reproduce diminishes, these canine super-moms are sold or killed.
Regarding puppy mills in Maine, Fraser said she knew of “a few others,” but did not name them. “Just because a facility breeds large numbers of many breeds of dogs does not automatically mean that the animals are neglected,” she said. “But certainly those facilities with such large numbers of animals are less likely than a smaller facility to provide the degree of medical care, socialization, adequate living conditions and necessary sustenance that are required by law.”
“It’s critical that we help people understand and recognize what high-quality breeders look like and how to go about finding one,” MacKinnon emphasized. “The Internet can sometimes be deceiving, and so much heartache might be avoided if consumers spent as much time researching a dog breeder as they do autos and appliances.”
Fraser agreed. “People buy a dog or puppy from a pet store, over the Internet or through a newspaper ad without ever seeing where it came from,” she said. “We received phone calls from dog owners as far away as Utah and California about sick puppies they purchased from the Buxton facility.”
HSUS states on its website that “thousands” of puppy mills operate throughout the United States, even though they continuously violate the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Signed into law in 1966, the AWA is the only federal law that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibitions, transport and by dealers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for enforcing the AWA. But this is a Herculean task, considering there are only 96 USDA inspectors nationwide to monitor thousands of puppy mills, not to mention the zoos, circuses, animal laboratories and animals transported by commercial airlines. Consequently, while all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws to prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, the laws are seldom enforced. Meanwhile, the HSUS and other animal welfare groups have lobbied for increased funding for AWA enforcement.
The HSUS and the ASPCA strongly oppose the sale of puppies and dogs from puppy mills to retail pet stores, which they maintain depend on these mass-breeding operations for the majority of their inventory. But herein lies a frustrating problem. First, the USDA has never required dealers who sell their animals directly to the public to apply for licenses, regardless of their facility size. Second, the AWA excludes retail pet stores from its minimum humane care and handling requirements. Third, the USDA defines these dealers as retail pet stores; consequently, the dealers are able to operate unlicensed, unregulated and exempt from the AWA rules.
According to the HSUS website, in 2000, a lawsuit “charging the USDA with failing to halt cruel and inhumane practices at breeding facilities” was filed. A subsequent court ruling found that an individual selling dogs from its own premises was not a retail pet store, but the decision was appealed and later overturned—“a huge blow against the effort to protect all dogs in large scale breeding facilities.” Animal protection groups have since petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case.
In an effort to educate the public about puppy mills, mass breeding and a nationwide network of dealers, the HSUS and the ASPCA offer many suggestions for how we, not just as consumers but as canine guardians, can combat the conditions inherent in puppy mills and ensure the humane treatment of dogs. On its website, the HSUS states that “consumer demand for purebred puppies, more than any other factor, perpetuates the misery of puppy mills” and that approximately “one in four of the dogs that enters [an] animal shelter is purebred.”
The HSUS and the ASPCA agree that the first and best avenue to find a puppy is through a local shelter. If we have our heart set on a specific breed, we can find breed-specific rescue organizations through an Internet search, or we can learn how to choose a responsible breeder, which both groups offer tips on also. According to the ASPCA website, “responsible breeders do not sell their dogs through pet stores.”
The ASPCA has a section on its website called “Top Ten Ways to Fight Puppy Mills.” As part of this initiative, they also have an online survey to determine and compile information about where people got their dogs.
A building “in the greater Portland area” has been chosen to be renovated as a temporary shelter for the Buxton kennel puppies and dogs, according to Fraser. “It will take quite some time to complete the renovation and transfer all the dogs, but once it’s done, it will enable us to offer an even higher level of care,” she said. “The brightest star in all of this has been the tremendous support from the community on a local, county and state level. People in Maine love dogs.”
The Animal Welfare Society and Animal Refuge League will continue to provide care for the dogs and puppies from Buxton for an unlimited time. Due to the inevitable drain on their resources, they are in need of monetary donations, pet supplies and volunteers. For more information, call the AWS at (207) 985-3244 or go online to www.animalwelfaresociety.org, or the ARL at (207) 854-9771 and online at www.arlgp.org. More information about puppy mills, pet stores, finding a reputable breeder and animal welfare legislative updates can be found online at www.hsus.org and www.aspca.org.