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Puppy mill - over 100 dogs, 23 seized
Narvon, PA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Dec 21, 2006
County: Lancaster
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Joseph E. Blank
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
Animal-cruelty charges were filed this week after a large Lancaster County kennel was raided by humane agents who seized 23 malnourished and diseased dogs in what officials describe as the first major effort to crack down on the state's "puppy mill" industry.
Agents executed a search warrant at Long Lane Kennel in Narvon on Dec. 21, removing starving dogs - some with advanced skin diseases and respiratory infections - after, they said, the kennel failed to correct repeated violations of state regulations.
Officials delayed releasing information until charges had been filed against the kennel owner, Joseph Blank, in a Lancaster County court.
"Our veterinarian examined more than 100 dogs and determined that 23 of them had serious enough medical conditions that they should be removed," said Joan Brown, director of the Humane League of Lancaster County.
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement has filed an additional eight misdemeanor charges for violations involving kennel conditions, said Jessie Smith, special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement in the state Department of Agriculture.
The dogs seized included pugs, yorkies, dachshunds and boxers - both adults and puppies.
Blank relinquished ownership of the dogs to the Humane League, Brown said. One sick puppy did not survive, she said.
Blank, who was cited for dog-law violations in March, holds a kennel license that allows him to house more than 250 dogs at a time. According to a 2005 inspection document, he reported selling 364 dogs in the previous year. Smith said the bureau had begun the process of revoking Blank's license.
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement allegedly found evidence of animal cruelty during a routine inspection in December and reported it to county humane agents who enforce cruelty complaints.
Animal-welfare experts said the raid represents a turnaround for the dog-law bureau, which is charged with enforcing kennel standards and, until recently, was viewed as soft on kennel operators.
"We think this is a significant case that sends a message to breeders that the bureau of dog law is taking its job seriously and that people will be charged if they don't clean up their facilities," said Bob Baker, an investigator with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Baker's group said it documented crowded and unsanitary conditions at the kennel in the spring of 2006 as part of its investigation into the state's puppy mills.
A video shows puppies that are unable to walk because their paws fall through the wire mesh bottoms of the cages.
With 250 kennels - a third of them housing more than 250 dogs - Lancaster is the epicenter of Pennsylvania's "puppy mill" industry. These commercial kennels breed and sell thousands of puppies to pet shops and individuals each year.
Animal-welfare experts say conditions in puppy mills are often horrific, with breeding dogs crammed into tiny wire cages stacked on top of each other.
Gov. Rendell, who vowed to address the puppy-mill problem, last year appointed the new dog-law advisory board and hired Smith, a former prosecutor with the Attorney General's Office, to oversee the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
As part of the effort, the bureau is proposing stricter regulations - including larger cages and mandatory exercise - on all 2,440 licensed kennels statewide.
Some smaller breeders say they will be unfairly harmed by the stricter regulations.
They say the raid is evidence that the existing dog laws are sufficient.
"The system works when they actually do the job," said Nina Schaefer, president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs.
Smith met with prosecutors in the Attorney General's Office yesterday to discuss ongoing allegations of fraud involving CC Pets L.L.C. of Peach Bottom. The kennel, formerly known as Puppy Love, has been the subject of investigations and lawsuits for at least 20 years.
Last year the Attorney General's Office entered into an agreement with the kennel's owners, Raymond and Joyce Stoltzfus, to settle a lawsuit alleging that they sold sick or diseased dogs to 171 customers in seven states. They were required to pay a $75,000 fine and provide purchasers with a health certificate showing that a veterinary examination took place 15 days before purchase.
But the Attorney General's Office has received at least four complaints in recent months that puppies purchased from the Stoltzfuses had died within 24 hours of diseases. As a result, some consumers and animal-welfare experts allege the couple is in violation of that agreement.
Smith said the Attorney General's Office, which is in charge of enforcing the so-called "puppy lemon law" allowing consumers to be reimbursed for sick dogs, is seeking to show a pattern of violations.
"The question is, are people buying puppies that are dying of parvo and that, given the volume of sales, is there enough of a pattern to act on?" she said.
Case Updates| Alleged puppy mill owner Joseph Blank will appear in court next on July 18 at 9:00 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. Blank faces multiple misdemeanor charges of "failure to keep a kennel in sanitary and humane condition", according to records of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas. | Source: Docket # CP-36-CR-0001021-2007
Update posted on Jun 19, 2007 - 4:04PM |
Joseph Blank will appear in court for a pre-trial conference on May 17 at 9:00 a.m. The kennel owner faces losing his kennel license, steep fines and possible jail time for animal cruelty charges and poor kennel conditions.
Agents executed a search warrant at Long Lane Kennel in Narvon on Dec. 21, 2006 and removed starving dogs - some with advanced skin diseases and respiratory infections - after, they said, the kennel failed to correct repeated violations of state regulations.
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement filed eight counts for poor kennel conditions, each of which carries a fine up to $300 and up to 30 days in prison. Filed on behalf of the Humane League were 15 counts of animal cruelty, each of which carries a fine of $50 to $750.
Blank agreed to surrender 23 of his sickest dogs, including a pug puppy that died several days later.
An additional 215 of Blank's breeder dogs and puppies were left behind when inspectors departed.
Blank's kennel license, which allowed him to keep more than 250 breeder dogs, expired on December 31, 2006.
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement is not renewing his kennel license. | Source: Lancaster Co Docket # CP-36-CR-0001021-2007
Update posted on Apr 2, 2007 - 4:03PM |
Kerry Flanagan went on her first kennel inspection in late December at Long Lane Kennel.
One caged dog had a tumor on the side of its face. Puppies were starving and dehydrated. Cages of matted dogs were stacked on top of each other.
"To see them in these cages, just a mass number of dogs in wire cages, was hard, very emotional," said Flanagan, managing director of operations at Humane League of Lancaster County.
Long Lane Kennel owner Joseph Blank now faces losing his kennel license, steep fines and possible jail time for animal cruelty charges and poor kennel conditions found during the Dec. 21 inspection.
When inspectors left Long Lane in December, they had documentation to file numerous charges against Blank. The bureau filed eight counts for poor kennel conditions, each of which carries a fine up to $300 and up to 30 days in prison. Filed on behalf of the Humane League were 15 counts of animal cruelty, each of which carries a fine of $50 to $750.
After consulting several times with an attorney by telephone during the inspection, Blank agreed to surrender 23 of his sickest dogs, including a pug puppy that died several days later, even after receiving medical care.
An additional 215 of Blank's breeder dogs and puppies were left behind when inspectors departed.
"To leave any behind was really hard," Flanagan said. "If we had tried to take more of his dogs, he might not have signed any of them over, and that would have hampered our ability to care for those that needed it most.
"The reality is, he has a valid kennel license to keep a certain number of animals to breed. We didn't want to overstep our authority."
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement is not renewing Blank's kennel license. If he wants to stay in business, he will have to appeal revocation of his license.
Blank's kennel license, which allowed him to keep more than 250 breeder dogs.
His 2006 license expired Dec. 31, and although Blank sent in a renewal application and check covering renewal fees, the bureau aims to shut down Long Lane Kennel based on unsanitary conditions, overcrowding and, now, animal cruelty charges filed through the Humane League.
"At this point, we're not renewing his license," Jessie L. Smith, who was hired by Gov. Ed Rendell in the fall as Pennsylvania's first special deputy secretary of dog-law enforcement, said.
"What happens from here depends on him. He has a right to appeal that decision and have an attorney contest the charges. It could go all the way up to the Supreme Court."
Meanwhile, of the 22 remaining dogs surrendered by Blank to Humane League officials, some have been adopted, some are waiting at the League to be adopted, some were sent to breed-rescue groups and some are battling scars from years of breeding and confinement in wire cages.
When the dogs were seized, they suffered bacterial skin infections and mange, eye and ear infections, severe matting, dehydration and emaciation and showed signs of old injuries that were never treated.
One of those dogs was Zigzag, a cuddly white dog that had one ear torn off at some point and now appears to suffer a neurological disorder that keeps him in constant motion. Humane League officials are continuing testing to determine his prognosis.
A brighter future might await Zsa Zsa, a poodle mix, and Eva, a West Highland terrier mix, who are still waiting to be adopted.
Their demeanor and physical condition show signs of years of confinement and neglect - tremors, infected ears and eyes, fear and skittishness.
But when settled, they begin to show hints of canine curiosity, sniffing corners and watching other dogs pass by.
December wasn't the first time the kennel was cited.
"The kennel had been cited earlier in the year, and we wanted to go back and see what the conditions were and see if the kennel license should be renewed," Smith said.
"The conditions of the kennel were actually worse (at the second inspection) than they were in March," Smith said. "That's what made us call the Humane League."
The state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement is responsible for inspecting conditions at Pennsylvania kennels licensed by the state Agriculture Department, but bureau inspectors may not cite kennel operators for animal abuse or neglect, and they may not seize distressed dogs.
Humane League officers, however, may cite kennel operators only for animal neglect or abuse.
The Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement called in the Humane League for the December inspection at Long Lane after one the state performed at the 158 Blank Road kennel in March.
Flanagan said she was glad to team up with the bureau.
"Historically, that coordination hasn't happened," she said. "This is a wonderful step in the right direction. I think a big part of it was Gov. Rendell's promise to clean up the state's image. He made a lot of changes to the bureau, and there's renewed energy there. It's like new life has been breathed into the bureau."
And the noose is getting tighter for dirty kennel operators.
Four kennel compliance specialists come on board at the bureau this month. Their sole responsibility is ferreting out puppy mills.
Smith said they will target large kennels that have been cited for noncompliance in the past.
Smith also is pleased that the tag-team approach worked at Blank's kennel.
"It was a great example of cooperation," she said.
"I look forward to that kind of cooperation in this and other situations around the state." | Source: Lancaster Online - Jan 13, 2007
Update posted on Jan 14, 2007 - 4:00PM |
A Lancaster County kennel owner has been charged with violating the state's dog law after officials seized 23 sick and starving dogs, including one that later died.
The eight violations, all related to conditions at the kennel, were discovered during a Dec. 21 inspection of Long Lane Kennel in the rural town of Narvon, said Chris Ryder, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, which oversees kennels.
"The citations are all regarding kennel conditions such as [whether there is] adequate food and water, shelter, cage sizes and sanitary living conditions for the dogs," he said yesterday.
With a license to sell more than 250 dogs a year, Long Lane is one of the county's largest. Now it could be forced to close, Mr. Ryder said.
Kennel owner Joseph Blank, who also could face fines and jail time on the misdemeanor violations, couldn't be reached yesterday.
Some observers said the charges could be an indication that the state is making good on Gov. Ed Rendell's promise last year to crack down on so-called "puppy mills," large commercial kennels known for unsanitary conditions, undersized cages and inbred puppies.
Pressured by animal welfare groups, Mr. Rendell recently replaced all 14 members of the state Dog Law Advisory Board and hired a special deputy secretary to oversee enforcement.
Mr. Rendell said he made the changes to help Pennsylvania shake its unwanted reputation as the "puppy mill capital of the East Coast."
Mr. Rendell, a pet lover who has two dogs of his own, was encouraged by the action in Lancaster County.
"The governor's efforts to ramp up patrol and enforcement of laws and regulations aimed at protecting puppies from abusive breeders are paying off, as evidenced by recent crackdowns across the state," said Rendell press secretary Kate Philips.
Other changes, including new regulations, are on the way, but not all are welcome, say some small kennel owners, including Nina Schaefer, president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs.
Mrs. Schaefer, of Huntingdon Valley, is asking her members to object.
Substandard kennel conditions should not be tolerated, but many of the proposed regulatory changes are unnecessary, she said in a letter to her members Thursday.
"Many are impractical, excessively burdensome and costly," while others are unenforceable or will not improve the quality of life for kennel dogs, she wrote.
The proposed amendments would require, for example, separate indoor and outdoor kennel facilities, ventilation systems and better lighting. They establish more specific requirements for food, water, bedding, sanitation and record-keeping.
Pennsylvania has 2,440 licensed kennels, including 300 in Lancaster County. | Source: Post-Gazette - Jan 9, 2007
Update posted on Jan 11, 2007 - 12:13AM |
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