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Case ID: 10607

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment, Hoarding

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Puppy mill - approximately 50 dogs
Lucama, NC (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007
County: Wilson

Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 3 files available

Alleged: Daryel L. Newsome

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Daryel Newsome, 55, is charged with three misdemeanor and one felony count of animal abuse. Investigators said they discovered about 50 dogs -- mostly pugs -- living in rows of stacked kennels.

"Some of the animals were just encrusted," said Holly Carmichael, president of the Wilson County Humane Society. "They were wet, they were dirty. There were some animals that had very little hair on their limbs."

Carmichael helped animal control officers remove the dogs from Newsome's home

"It was just a nasty situation," she said.

Newsome was unavailable for comment, but contractor Tony Holloman told WRAL he has done work on Newsome's home. He said Newsome might have had too many dogs, but he took good care of them.

"I personally feel like the animal cruelty charges were just nonsense, because I don't see how he was cruel to the animals at all," Holloman said.

However, Carmichael said the conditions that the dogs were found in were not healthy.

"Animals have to have a certain amount of space," she said. "They have to have fresh air. They have to be able to move around."

In October, Wilson County Animal Control officials investigated a complaint about dozens of Walker hounds that were said to be starving. No criminal charges were filed after the agency said most of the dogs appeared to be in good health.

The Wilson County Humane Society expressed their outrage over the statement, and the case prompted a county review. In November, hundreds of citizens attended a meeting of the county's Animal Control Committee.

But in the latest case, several county agencies and nonprofits worked together to remove Newsome's dogs and place them in rescues.

"It was really a good feeling to know that we can cooperate and to see what we can do when we do cooperate," Carmichael said.

Most of the dogs seized have gone to a pug rescue organization based in Greensboro. Veterinarians have begun to evaluate the health of the dogs.

Case Updates

A Lucama dog breeder has given up nearly 50 dogs that Wilson County officials seized from his home in January.

Darryl Newsome has also agreed not to breed dogs, or even own more than one, for at least 10 years, according to a civil settlement entered Thursday. He is allowed to own one dog as a pet.

Newsome of 814 Little Rock Church Road, had been scheduled to appear in Wilson County Civil Court Thursday morning to answer a lawsuit filed by Pug Rescue of North Carolina Inc.

But the two sides came to the settlement Wednesday night, averting a trial.

"I'm shocked that it's ended like this," Christina Hedrick, president of the pug rescue group, said Thursday. "I was going to walk into court this morning and walk all over him."

Still, she is satisfied with the terms of the settlement, which will allow her group to begin spaying and neutering the seized dogs and adopting out ones that are now in good health.

"We can now begin moving them into their permanent homes," she said.

Newsome still faces criminal charges related to the seizure of the dogs, which scheduled for trial in May.

The 55-year-old's legal problems started in January when a contractor reported a strong stench of urine and feces coming from the home.

An animal control officer visited the home Jan. 18, but Newsome only allowed him to view dogs in an outdoor pen, according to county records. The next day, Newsome surrendered eight dogs to a pug rescuer. A veterinarian found that some of those animals had injuries that had been untreated for as long as two years.

Wilson County animal control officers and deputies raided Newsome's home Jan. 19 and seized more than 40 dogs, including several pregnant or nursing females. The majority were pugs, but the group also included schnauzers, miniature pinschers, dachshunds and chihuahuas.

Nearly all the dogs had health problems from being confined in unsanitary and cramped conditions, including burns on their feet from standing in urine, Hedrick said. Many had lost eyes or had eye injuries, most had upper respiratory infections, and some had cardiac conditions.

One dog ultimately died, Hendrick said Thursday, but the rest are now healthy, although some will continue to have lingering physical and behavioral issues. Some are still prone to fear-biting, meaning their new owners need to be experienced dog handlers, she said.

"We don't adopt out on a first-come, first-served basis," she said. "We want to make sure that they are never allowed to live in similar situations."

Hedrick has been contacted by puglovers from as far away as Canada and Australia who wanted to contribute to the dogs' care. Adoption applications have been received from all over the United States.

"The public has been tremendous. I can't find words to thank them enough," Hedrick said. "It's been both heart-warming and overwhelming."

Pug Rescue of North Carolina Inc was seeking $36,000 in the lawsuit to recover money spent on the animals' medical bills and boarding, but Newsome did not agree to pay any compensation in the settlement.

Newsome is charged with four criminal counts in connection with the case - three misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and one felony count of cruelty to animals, according to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office. He is scheduled for a court appearance May 28.

For more information on the dogs, including applications to adopt them, go to www.pugrescuenc.org or call 336-312-2983.

Source: Wilson Daily News - March 23, 2007
Update posted on Mar 23, 2007 - 10:51PM

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Darryl Newsome doesn't understand the reasons why Wilson County Animal Control officers raided his home on Little Rock Church Road and seized nearly 40 dogs, including puppies and several pregnant dogs.

"I don't treat my dogs bad, and I never will," Newsome said Wednesday.

But the people now caring for the dogs said Wednesday that the animals have already required thousands of dollars in veterinary care, money that they hope to get Newsome to repay.

"We have lawyers on our board," said Christina Hedrick, president of Pug Rescue of North Carolina. "If we can get this money back, we are certainly going to go for it."

Monday evening, Wilson County deputies arrested Newsome on one felony and three misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals. Animal Control officers, assisted by the pug rescue group, Wilson County Humane Society and For The Love of Dogs, removed the dogs, mainly pugs but also schnauzers, miniature pinschers, dachshunds and Chihuahuas.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Newsome called the raid "painful. ... It's been hurting me that somehow I can be accused of being abusive to my dogs.

"I wouldn't treat my kid that way. Why would I treat my dogs that way?"

Newsome has been breeding dogs since 1998 when he got a sheltie for his wife, he said.

He has never received complaints from people who adopted puppies that they were in poor health, malnourished and otherwise neglected, he added. He has never had any conflict with Animal Control officers before now.

He resents the attention he's gotten since his arrest, he said. "Everybody's saying Darryl did wrong. What did Darryl do? Well, Darryl did not do wrong.

"They've got to live with their consciences; I don't."

But the people caring for Newsome's dogs say that they definitely show signs of neglect, if not abuse.

On Saturday, Vicki Brkic, an emergency room nurse, adopted a 3-year-old pug that Newsome named "One-Eye Suzie." The dog lost her right eye, probably to a traumatic injury as a puppy, her veterinarian believes.

Suzie limps because her hip was displaced two years ago, never treated and healed improperly. She has a problem with bleeding that may result from a botched hysterectomy.

Brkic owns another pug, Nikki, that she adopted from Newsome nearly five years ago. That dog has had health problems, including a severe thyroid condition that is causing her to be 20 pounds overweight.

Nikki's problems trace back to her being born with both male and female characteristics, mostly likely because of inbreeding, Brkic said. Pugs typically live 12-15 years, but Brkic expects Nikki to live about half that.

Other dogs seized from Newsome's house were transported by Pug Rescue of North Carolina to Summerfield, near Greensboro, where Hedrick has several kennels.

The dogs were washed repeatedly Tuesday with flea and tick shampoo to get waste and dirt out of their coats, she said via telephone. "I had a house full of filthy, nasty dogs," she said.

In general, the dogs are in poor health, she said. Most have upper respiratory infections. Some are missing eyes, while others are scarred. A vet has one on oxygen, and another dog is on the verge of needing it, she said.

"They are all scared to death of human contact," she said. "Four of them have tried to bite me. Pugs just aren't like that."

Vet bills have already totaled more than $2,000, Hedrick said. "We'll spend whatever it takes to save their lives."

Once the dogs are healthier, they will be distributed to foster families to live until Newsome's charges are settled. Ultimately, a Wilson County judge could decide to return the dogs to Newsome.

But, because Newsome gave Suzie and 11 other dogs to the Humane Society before Monday's raid, Brkic is free to keep Suzie as a pet, which she intends to do. Brkic has spent more than $300 so far on Suzie and expects her bills to run up to $1,000.

The first thing the vet's office did for the former One-Eyed Suzie? Trim her name.

"I changed it to just Suzie," Brkic said. "Her old name was cruel."

ANYONE WANTING to make a donation to Suzie's veterinary bills may send it to Wilson County Humane Society, P.O. Box 7064, Wilson NC 27895. Information, including dogs available for adoption, can be found at www.pugrescuenc.org.

Source: Wilson Daily News - Jan 25, 2007
Update posted on Jan 26, 2007 - 11:08PM

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Puppy mill - approximately 50 dogsLucama, NC (US)

Case Updates

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Puppy mill - approximately 50 dogs
Lucama, NC (US)