Mountaintop Natural Pets

Source: ConsumerAffairs.com, March 19, 2010

The State of Pennsylvania says it has taken action against five commercial dog breeding operations in the state, which it says were among the state’s “most notorious” puppy mills.

The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement took the enforcement action today.

Scarlet-Maple Farm Kennel in Lancaster County, owned by Daniel P. Esh; the adjoining Twin Maple Farm Kennel in Lancaster County, owned by John E. Esh; Burkholder Farm Kennel in Berks County, owned by Aaron Burkholder; CC Pets, formerly Puppy Love, Kennel in Lancaster County, owned by Joyce Stoltzfus; and Almost Heaven Kennel in Lehigh County, owned by Derbe “Skip” Eckhart, have all been closed under the Pennsylvania Dog Law’s provisions.

“The Dog Law, signed in October 2008 by Governor Rendell, gave the bureau enforcement power to make sure kennels that do not meet the standards of the law can no longer operate in Pennsylvania,” Special Deputy Secretary for Dog Law Enforcement Jessie L. Smith said. “In signing the law, Governor Rendell raised the bar for commercial breeding kennels in Pennsylvania.”

The Commonwealth Court recently issued a ruling upholding the Department of Agriculture’s decision to refuse Aaron Burkholder’s 2009 application for a commercial kennel license. The license was revoked in 2008 and refused in 2009 because the bureau found numerous violations of the Dog Law over multiple inspections.

Later, the department provided information from inspection reports to the Humane Society of Berks County, leading to Burkholder’s animal cruelty conviction. Under the new law, a kennel license cannot be issued to someone convicted of animal cruelty.

Daniel P. Esh’s commercial kennel license was revoked in 2008 because of poor kennel conditions. During multiple inspections in 2007 and 2008, dog wardens found moldy food, poor maintenance, excessive feces, rodents and inadequate cage sizes for the dogs, among other violations.

Because of those violations, the bureau refused to grant Esh a commercial kennel license in 2009. This decision was appealed to Commonwealth Court, but the appeal was eventually withdrawn.

“Aggressive enforcement of the new dog law has contributed to closing these notorious commercial kennels and has improved the welfare of dogs in Pennsylvania,” Smith said.

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.

Source: PetProductNews.com, May 26, 2009

Ohio state legislators have introduced a measure that sets forth dog warranty provisions for pet stores as well as licensing and insurance requirements for dog breeding kennels. The measure, House Bill 124, is scheduled for a public hearing on May 27 before a House committee.

As introduced, HB 124 (and companion bill SB 95) would require any pet store that sells dogs to provide buyers with a money-back guarantee valid for up to 21 days after the date of the sale. The guarantee will allow the buyer to receive the purchase price of the dog if he or she presents the store with a statement from a veterinarian saying the dog has a significant disease, illness or injury that was in existence at the time of the purchase. The veterinarian must examine the pet within 14 days of the purchase of the dog.

In addition to a money-back guarantee, pet stores would also be required to provide the following at the time of sale:

• A certificate of medial health completed by a veterinarian stating that the dog has been examined and there was no evidence of disease, illness, or injury at the time of examination
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• The name, complete address and telephone number of the breeder that bred the dog, the regulated dog breeding kennel where the dog was kept; and the regulated dog intermediary from whom the pet store acquired the dog, as applicable.

Violators will be liable for an amount that is equal to the actual damages incurred by the buyer within one year after the date of purchase (veterinary expenses are limited to no more than $500). The pet store will also be liable for any attorney’s fees and costs incurred by the buyer. In addition, the buyer may be entitled to keep the dog.

With regard to kennels, the proposed bill would require each regulated dog breeding kennel to apply for a license. HB 124 defines a “regulated dog breeding kennel” as “an establishment that keeps, houses, and maintains adult breeding dogs that produce either at least nine litters of puppies or at least 40 puppies in any given calendar year, and, in return for a fee or other consideration, sells, exchanges or leases adult dogs or puppies.”

No dog breeding kennel would be allowed to operate without a kennel license. As part of the license application, kennels would have to show evidence of insurance or of a surety bond payable to the authority. The bill also provides standards for enclosures and veterinary care, among other requirements

Kennels are subject to at least one biennial inspection. Kennel operators will be given the opportunity to remedy a violation. If the violation is not remediated, a license may be revoked and operators may face civil penalties of up to $15,000.

HB 124 is scheduled for a  public hearing before the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources on May 27 at 9:30 a.m. SB 95 has been referred to the Senate Committee on State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs where it is awaiting its first committee hearing.