Source: Associated Press, September 3, 2009
A North Carolina dog breeder being scrutinized for possible animal safety violations gave hundreds of animals away in an unsuccessful attempt to evade prosecution, authorities said Thursday.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said 38-year-old Ranna (RAY’-nah) Scott of Lucama kept more than 230 dogs in poor health over several months. She’s been charged with 13 felony counts of cruelty to animals.
Maj. Mickey Wilson said animal enforcement officers visited Scott’s home about 50 miles east of Raleigh on Aug. 21 to follow up on a previous visit to her breeding business. There they discovered hundreds of dogs needing immediate medical treatment for ailments including insect infestation, rotting teeth and eye infections. Some dogs later tested positive for intestinal parasites.
“The dogs were not well kept at all,” he said.
Wilson said the dogs remained because the department didn’t have the manpower to move them.
“We had nowhere to house 230 dogs,” Wilson said. “If we would have taken the animals, we would have been in several violations as well.”
Wilson said Scott told officials she would resolve the medical issues over a three-day period. Police agreed to return the following week to retrieve the animals and have Scott surrender ownership of the dogs.
Wilson said during this time Scott contacted friends, including at least 30 fellow breeders, in an attempt to get rid of the dogs, which included 23 purebred breeds.
“It just spread like wildfire that she was getting rid of purebred dogs,” he said. “We never thought she could have moved that many dogs that quick.”
When police returned to Scott’s home on Aug. 24, all the dogs were gone.
“She thought that if she got rid of them, there would be no evidence there, and she wouldn’t be charged,” Wilson said. “I think she just panicked.”
Scott is being held under a $20,000 secured bond at Wilson County Jail. She is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.
Wilson said Scott does not have an attorney. A message left at Scott’s residence was not immediately returned.
Wilson said officials have spent the last 10 days retrieving the dogs, which range in age from a few days old to 18 years. At least three have been discovered in Mississippi. Others were found in South Carolina and Tennessee.
A total of 237 dogs were found on Scott’s property, but some died in transit to their new locations, Wilson said. More than 55 dogs have not been recovered.
Wilson said Scott has been a breeder for several years and once ran her business under the name Better Care Kennel. When police first visited in October, they told her she needed to pay taxes for the dogs and comply with vaccination requirements. They returned a month later to follow up.
Wilson said one of the biggest obstacles in finding unsanitary kennels is how quickly animals are purchased and moved.
“This time, we could visually see problems with the animals and how it had gone downhill,” he said.
Wilson said the dogs are being sheltered by several animal rescue groups around the state and Virginia, including the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Wake County SPCA spokeswoman Mondy Lamb said the agency is housing 40 dogs. Many are pregnant or nursing mothers that are underweight with mouth and ear infections.
“Along with the physical ailments that they’re being treated for, the animals are under-socialized,” Lamb said. “We have to transition them from being a breeding product to sociable companions.”
Lamb said some of the dogs will be in a volunteer foster program for several months. Others will be ready for adoption in two weeks.
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